jevans
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Posts posted by jevans
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A new version (5.3) of PTE-5 Adjustor is available on my website.
I've added the ability to view the following information about the objects on each slide:
- number, name, type, mode, "parent/child" level, and which objects use PZRO actions.
I've also added the ability to globally change the mode of each object to "fit to slide", "cover slide", or "original". No other object parameters can be modified in the model.
Instructions are included on the second page of the spreadsheet.
Al,
Have downloaded new version and tried the "objects" facility on a test PTE project. Adjustor gets the object data ok and changes the Mode to any of the options. However when I press the "transfer" button, the screen switches to the data file, the file data flashes as if changing the data, but it just goes on and on and never stops. I had to exit using Cltr + alt +del to stop the program. I am using Excel 2000.
Regards
Jeff
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Igor,
Speaking of glitches, when I open Customize slide in the new PTE, I receive the attached error message. It could have something to do with the fact that I had last opened the "Music tab" when I previously used PTE, but it is happening with a brand-new file, and I haven't touched any music options. Even though I have the "synchronize" option activated, I should still be able to get into "Customize slide" (although not to add music).
Al,
It's just because you are opening the "cutomise" options with the music tab selected. You can still select any of the other tabs. at least that is what is happening with me. I can customise any slide in the normal way.
Jeff
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Hi Dave,
I used Cs2 and no longer have PS7 installed. Wait and see what Lin's experiment produces. Be very surprised if it is a bug in PTE.
Jeff
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Lin,
Re inserted child text not adopting the same parameters as its parent, I understand your comment about the need to vary opacity, but it seems a little illogical that the O&A "text" object is the only one that does not inherit opacity from its parent. All other objects, including the rectangle and button objects inherit all parent parameters. There is no problem in this, it just does not seem logical to me.
Jeff
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I have tried this using PS CS2 and have found no problems. I can load all three images into PTE and they all display. Regarding DaveG's comment about the use of gray scale, once you have converted an image to gray scale, you have discarded the colour information and it cannot be retrieved although you can still tick the RGB box.
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Not quite - only if you choose the "original" mode - otherwise the size of the text is affected by the size of the image, which may not be the same for all labels being added. Of course if you keep the image size the same when you are adding text and saving the files, the labels will all be the same size when imported into O&A - however, they may not be the size that you want (as per my example in a previous post), so the best way to import them may be to use the "original" mode option. Otherwise you may have to resize them in O&A, which, if you have a lot of labels in a tight space, could be messy.
Al, I am sure we both know what is happening so this is not an attempt to prolong the argument. However I think it does not matter which mode you use as long as it is the same for the image and the text. Your post started with the point that you had different sizes of text from Photoshop and I wondered whether you were adding text produced from different size original masters. I have been caught out with this before. You make up some text and produce an image with a certain pixel dimensions and then, later, produce some more text but with a changed pixel size. although you may have used the same font size, then end result will be a different size of text.
Jeff
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You two have me puzzled. In the first instance, Al is preparing text in Photoshop and presumably importing the resultant png file into a PTE image. In this case "text" is not being added but an image and the ability to rasterize the "text" is not valid or available. If you create text in Photoshop to add to an exiting image, you should create a blank transparent image in Photoshop which has the same pixel dimensions as the image you are going to add it to. You then create the text and size it to your required size. Next you save as a png - keeping the ORIGINAL pixel dimensions - do NOT crop. Now if you add the text image as a child to the main image, the text will be the same size and in the right place and any changes to the main image in the O&A window will apply to the text as well.
Lin - if you use the "add text" function in the O&A window, you can of course rasterize it. But added as a child to the main image, only some of the properties of the main image (e.g. pzr) are imherited, opacity is not.
AL - Why are you creating text in Photoshop instead of just using the text function in the O&A window. Then you can size and position it to whatever you want. Admittedly the text function is somewhat limited compared to Photoshop but it is a much quicker action.
Jeff
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This is really a question for Igor. There are a number of default setting parameters defined within PTE. For example in the "objects and animation" window under the "common" tab, the default setting for "mode" is "fit to slide".
Question : Are these defaults defined in the .ini file, and if so, can this file be edited to change the order of the defaults, e.g. change "fit to sldie" to "cover slide"?
Jeff
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You are exactly right on the aspect ratio. My own screen is 1024x768 and not wide screen. They are indeed 3:2 images from a Nikon. And for probably the first time in my PTE "career", I chose not to externally crop nor to use the Cover-Slide option of PTE. It was a calculated decision and I am not sure I like it. I have been seeing more and more of others' presentations that show up that way on my 1024x768 screen. I just decided to try it this time. Do you, as I, usually prefer to cover the entire screen? I must admit, it does annoy me to have to check the PTE "Cover-Screen" option on every individual slide. Maybe there is a global setting that I am not using? I think I, and perhaps others, have asked Igor if there is a possible way to make a global option for that.
Thanks for the information on show control. I did not realise it was so easy. As far as aspect ratio is concerned, I am surprised no one has commented on this in the forum. I have had some discussions with Al Robinson on this subject but he does not like to use the "cover slide" function. For me, I prefer to view a show in full screen mode and thus would like the "cover slide" function to be a global setting and not just on a per slide basis. I have added this request to the thread on features for the next version. I shoot in RAW, convert the RAW files to DNG and then batch process the resultant files to produce images suitable for PTE. It is difficult to crop using a batch process and thus I just resize the images to 1530 x 1024 and then use "cover screen". You lose a small part of each image at each side, but you can pan these into view if they contain essential information.
Jeff
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Hi Paul,
I am far from being an expert, but I have made many shows and the MOST difficult part is always selecting the music. First of all having access to suitable music and then deciding what goes with the pictures/story. Generally if we are away somewhere, I try to buy a cd of local music. This is what I did for our Welsh visit.
Jeff
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Hi Paul,
Really good show. I particularly enjoyed it since we stayed also stayed in the Lleyn peninsula three years ago and I made a similar show. Very good photos and I liked the beginning sequences. Maybe you could have used more Welsh music and the ending was a little abrupt. But very enjoyable. Definitely one to keep in my library of other's shows.
Regards
Jeff
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NO SOUND ON MY DOWNLOAD BOB:(
KEN
Ken,
I thought that there was no sound. However once the show has started, if you press the spacebar, the show starts to run continuously and the music appears.
Jeff
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This is a somewhat routine show but has a couple of things that may add interest. First of all, I think there are some exceptionally beautiful green colors from our mountain neighborhood in the desert. Secondly, Igor's explanation of how the PTE Start-up screen currently works in Version 5, made me realize again how the O&A features of Version 5 work just fine and offer more flexibility for making our own start-up screen. Let me know what you think of the result. Of course, all comments on anything are welcome.
Really enjoyed your show. Nice to see a new part of the world and also your companions on the walk. I have made a few "walking" shows myself , but I always get told off by the others on the walk for lagging behind to take the photos. Maybe the duration of each slide could have been a little longer. I tend to use 7s with a 3s fade as my default but of course it is a personal preference.
Some questions for you. Can you explain how you set up the show to be controlled by the spacebar and arrow keys without the navigation bar showing and yet enable the show to run continuously.
That is a rather useful feature. Secondly I am interested in the aspect ratio you have chosen. On my 19 inch monitor running at 1280 x 1024, there are black bands at the top and bottom of the image when the show is run. So I guess you have a camera which produces a 3:2 image (e.g. Nikon at 3873 x 2592) and you have just scaled the image down in Photoshop without any cropping to use the whole of the image. Then you have selected a slide aspect ratio of 3:2 in the"project options", "screen" tab. . Is this what you have done? If so, did you consider using the "cover slide" function in the O&A window and accept the loss of some of each image at either side? This would have produced a full screen display. Of course you may have a widescreen monitor in which case you would want to keep the aspect ratio unchanged.
Regards
Jeff
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This is the first show I had done with the latest version of PTE. I have explored the use of the O&A functions in producing the title page and also for a few slides where I think pan/zoom can add something to the presentation. Any comments welcome.
Jeff
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Ron,
Although I have not tried to connect my computer to my wide screen tv, I think your problem is probably due to the fact that your graphics card will still be set up for your monitor. If you look in the "project options", "screen" tab, you will see that PTE recognises your monitor setup. So say you have a 1280 x 1024 setting on a 19 inch monitor, when you connect to the tv, that is the picture size you will get.
What you are discovering is a problem that I am wrestling with at present. My Nikon D80 takes 3:2 aspect ratio images (e.g. 3872 x 2592 pixels). Now I want to watch my shows full screen on a 19 inch monitor set to 1280 x 1024 (5:4 aspect ratio). Of course I can crop the images in Photoshop. But if you have a lot of images, I prefer to batch process them and just resize rather than crop. So I end up with 3:2 images. Now PTE allows you to set up the default size of the images in the "screen" tab. You can select from a range of standard settings or specify your own setting. So I select a 5:4 slide and use the "cover slide" function in the O&A window. I lose some of the image on either side by doing this, but I would still lose some of the original image if I had cropped it. Unfortunately the default setting on the O&A window is "fit to slide" and you cannot change it. This is a feature I have requested for the next version. By doing this I view my slide show in full screen ( no black lines at the top and bottom) and can still project it via an av digital projector set at 4:3( 1024 x 768).
What I think you may have to do is create a special slide show in which you set the PTE slide aspect ratio to 16:9 and then use "cover slide" to fill the image.
Jeff
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Hello Patrick,
I am not trying to convince you one way or another, but here are some more comments.
On my computer, the mosaic effects work satisfactorily in Version 5 - mid I have a good quality graphics card with 256MB RAM on board. I cannot comment on how a previous show made using 4.48 would work with the mosaic effect when run under Version 5 as I have not used this transition before. Also I have never used the transition to the desktop and cannot see how I might use this in the type of shows I do. As I said before, I think Version 5 may have too many features, but I will probably be proved wrong by the talented and artistic members of this forum when we see what they produce.
But Version 5 has some brilliant features. Mind I am not going to re-work any of my old shows into Version 5. Just use it for new shows from no on. If I don't want to use some of the facilities, then I won't. I like to make historical shows. In Version 5 I can show a complete building, then zoom in to one part where there is an information plate and blow this plate up so that it can be read by the viewer. I can put a number of png files onto one image and resize them to get the best fit without having to keep re-doing then in Photoshop. I can have better titles and credits, etc., etc. Well worth trying.
Jeff
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Patrick,
Although I have a certain sympathy with your view and have a few concerns as to whether the large range of facilities now available in Version 5 will really enhance our av experience, I have decided to move permanently to Version 5. I have tried some of my old av shows with the new version and, so far, have not had any problems. I showed an av show made with Version 5 at our photographic club last night. The club's computer has a relatively poor graphics performance compared to mine at home, but all the new transitions, pans/zooms worked well without any problems.
Igor and his team have made a great job of the new version. Maybe I will not use all the features, but the ability to add, move and size individual objects to make a composite image is a great feature and there are certainly many instances where pan/zoom/rotate can be used very effectively. I know that often we have a reluctance to move away from our familiar software. I am still using Office 2000 and will not change until I have no option. I was very happy with Version 4.48 but now think that the features and facilities in Version 5 make upgrading a positive experience.
Jeff
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Just to add a cautionary note to the "customize slide" indicator. At present this will only show if you change the slide to use its own transition. If you alter the time, the "P" indicator will not show.
Jeff
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Hi Lin,
Great panorama. Runs very smoothly except for very slight hesitation near the end. Same problem with text not fitting the screen as you have realised. My system is :
Win Xp SP2
CPU 1.15 AMD Athlone
2.5GB memory (I do a lot of work in Photoshop !)
Graphics Nvidia GEForce 7300 GT with 256 MB on card memory
Video Mode 1280 x 1024 highest bit colour, 70Khz
When using a panorama, I think the overall length is limited by the total window size in the O&A edit window. Is that correct or is there some way of having a much longer panorama by joining successive slides?
Regards
Jeff
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So far Version 5 has been in a development stage but it appears now to be nearing completion. Most (if not all) of the features are functional and shows with fully synchronised music and commentary can be made.
During the development stage, many forum members such as Lin Evans, Dominique etc. have been experimenting with the various possible effects and have produced some stunning results. However I wonder how many of these will actually be incorporated into complete av shows. My (very limited) experience with producing and watching av shows is that they are either produced for competitive reasons, as a record of a holiday trip, or maybe, as I like to do, to present the results of some research into a historical topic in a visual form.
So I have been considering the sort of facilities which Version 5 provides and examining which of these might improve the impact of my shows. Here is my list so far :
- To provide more interesting titles and general text additions (e.g. image labels, credits etc.)
- As a very flexible way of adding supplementary images to a base image in one composite slide
- As a means of arranging a number of images on one slide and have the flexibility to move/resize individual images
- As a means of emphasis : e.g. showing a building with a label and then zooming into the label so that it can be read
- General panning of large landscapes
- Zooming into images to focus attention on a specific object or out to show an objects context
I would be interested to hear the views of other forum members about the effects they have considered in producing their av shows.
Jeff
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Paul,
This is a subject that is interesting me just now. I have an old slide show (done in Version 4.48) where the images are 1024 x 768, i.e. an aspect ratio of 4:3. In Version 4.48, I always created my shows with the "fit to screen" option ticked so that the images would fill the maximum amount of screen - I have an Ilyama LCD 19 inch monitor whose native resolution is 1280 x 1024, i.e aspect ratio of 5:4. If you run this show in Version 5, you cannot see any difference between Version 4.48 and Version 5.
In Version 5, the screen size handling is different. The default settings (at present!) are :
Slide aspect ratio = 4:3
Objects and animation window, common tab, "fit to screen"
When you put images into Version 5, it first assumes an image aspect ratio of 4:3 and secondly tries to fit the image into this aspect ratio by taking the largest dimension (width or height) and reducing this to fit into a 4:3 rectangle. Of course if your images have a different aspect ratio, you can select the appropriate value from the drop down list on the "project options", "screen" tab, "aspect ratio of slide". There is even a "custom" option so that you can set your own aspect ratio.
For example, if like me you have a Nikon D80 which produces 3872 x 2592 images (3:2), you can set the the aspect ratio to 15:10 (or 3:2) which matches the actual image. Now the default setting of "fit to slide" will result in the black rectangle representing the viewable area, being fully used. Of course you still have the problem that projected slide shows generally use a default aspect ratio of 4:3 (1024 x 768). I have not had a chance to see what happens when I create a show using 15:10 and then project it with a project which is set to 4:3, but I think it will be ok.
Regarding Al's point that you can always adjust you monitor resolution when viewing slide shows, which are intended for projection, on your monitor. But I prefer not to do this if possible.
Jeff
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Paul,
Just try this. Put a slide into PTE Version 17. Click on "Project Options" and then select the "screen" tab. Make sure the "aspect ratio of a slide" is selected to the same aspect ratio as the slide you have added. No exit "project options". No selecting the slide you have added, click on the "objects and animation" button. Set the screen size to 50% (drop down box at the top of the screen). You should now see a black rectangle with your slide adjusted so that the height is the same as the black rectangle. Select the "common" tab and look to see that the "mode" shows "fit to slide". This is the default setting.
The black rectangle has the same aspect ratio as you select for a slide in the "project options, screen " tab and the default program setting is to fit any slide to the height of this rectangle. You can change this by selecting one of the other options in the "common" tab using the "mode" setting.
Jeff
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Carl,
Not sure whether I completely understand your problem but can you not make the required frame in Photoshop. This would have the blue background and frame for the images to appear in etc. Load this into a slide position. Now add your image, making sure that the frame is at the top and the image is underneath. No you can zoom/pan etc the image and it will be masked by the frame.
Jeff
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DEN (NE UK)
"Well I may be sticking my neck out, but here goes" -
This portion down should be in the tutorial section
ken
Yes Ken you are right. But often a topic starts and then wanders off into a related subject. I could not post a reply into the tutorial section when replying to a previous post here - unless you can show me how to do it??
Jeff
[Utility 4 PTE] PTE-5 Adjustor
in Equipment & Software
Posted
Al,
Yes I can break into the loop without a reboot. have tried it again with another test file with the same results. have sent uou a separate email with the test PTE file to see if you get the same results.
Regards
Jeff