tom95521

We have gaussian, bokeh, and directional blur. Maybe in the future additional blur options like zoom blur, radial blur, and tilt-shift blur could be added. Tilt-shift can be simulated with a feather mask but it would be easier if it was a blur option. Thanks, Tom

Topaz Video AI is also slow on my M2. Maybe it requires a faster NPU with higher TOPS. DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro are fast compared to Topaz. I think FCP and DVR are both very good for slow motion. I'm testing Blackmagic Camera on my Pixel 7 phone. Tom

Hi Mark, After more testing I think DaVinci Resolve Optical Flow retime process with Speed Warp AI motion estimation is just as good as Final Cut Pro and Topaz Video AI. I am running Topaz Video AI on a M2 Mac mini with 16 GB RAM. Speed Warp is only in the studio version which is a one time lifetime purchase of $295 USD with free upgrades. Great software. I also tried a demo of Twixtor in Final Cut Pro but I don't think it's worth the price. Tom

There is also a free video slow motion converter Flowframes that works great. https://github.com/n00mkrad/flowframes

Updated version including Premiere Pro and Topaz Video AI. Fast moving dynamic water is difficult to convert to slow motion. I think PTE and iMovie use frame duplication (3 extra frames for .25x) while the others use frame blending or optical flow. Final Cut Pro was faster than Topaz Video AI and my subjective opinion is that they were nearly identical. Thanks, Tom

Hi Jill, After reading your message I ran a quick test. I assumed it would be the same as iMovie but I think PTE looks slightly better. Neither have frame interpolation option like the others. I have access to Topaz Video AI and Premiere Pro so I will try to do a more detailed comparison and post again. Thanks, Tom

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly becoming a standard feature in personal computers. The new silicon chips have neural processing units (NPU) that can perform 50 trillion of operations per second (TOPS). AI can be used for many things in multimedia including image generation, sharpening, video stabilization, motion tracking, audio adjustments, slow motion, ... Here is a short example of slow motion. VideoProc and Final Cut Pro are using AI for frame interpolation. I think DaVinci Resolve has optical flow but not AI (maybe in the new version 19). The bubbles close to the far bank are not smooth in DaVinci Resolve or it would come it second place. Tom

Hi Mark, When I use one of my videos from your menu it opens the video file but does not autoplay. If you wanted that I would probably create a .pteav file of the video so it auto plays. Also when I click on a .pteav file in finder it always plays the file without having to open it. On the Mac If you right click on the file and select "Open With" it should have PTE AV Player as the default program (you can change it in Finder using "Get Info") . Maybe you have multiple versions of PTE installed and the Mac is using the wrong version. I don't have an app like Parallels virtualization so I can't check running Windows .exe files. Tom Mac mini M2 16GB Sonoma 14.2.1 PTE 11.0.12

This might be useful in slideshows to animate images. From https://lumiere-video.github.io Tom

Computers are getting so powerful it's hard to keep up with the new capabilities. I am amazed how realistic computer generated water looks. Tom

Hum a few notes and then AI will add the instruments. https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/transforming-the-future-of-music-creation/ Tom

If I ever have an extra 2 billion dollars this is my dream monitor. I'm sure PTE shows would look great on this device. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_(venue) Tom

Hi Rosy, It looks like all new cameras will be using usb-c in the EU countries. https://petapixel.com/2023/10/31/eu-common-charger-law-may-be-final-nail-in-coffin-for-dslrs/ Tom

Hi Igor, On the Mac in iMovie the reverse option is under speed control. The change is immediate in the preview window even viewing full screen. Maybe it is a Mac only API. Transcoding would be fine if it is not too hard to implement. Thanks, Tom

Hi Rosy, Too bad it did not meet your requirements. The camera has mixed reviews. It's a big camera and unless you need the super zoom it's not the best camera available. I would like to have a super zoom to take photos and videos of sanderlings, but I don't want to carry a beast down to the beach. Tom

Hi Rosy, I did find it on US Amazon but not on UK Amazon. A few sites mention it is discontinued. Nikon says it's been "archived". https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product-archive/power-chargers/mh-29-battery-charger.html https://nikonites.com/forum/threads/p950-battery-charger-mh-29-discontinued.47664/post-804113 https://www.pictureline.com/products/nikon-mh-29-battery-charger-en-el20a https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-VEA021UA-NIKON-BATTERY-CHARGER/dp/B00J1099W0 Thanks, Tom

Hi Rosy, The Nikon MH-29 charger has been discontinued. Unless you can find a used charger, you will probably have to go with a different seller. https://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerTrust-EN-EL20-Battery-Charger-EN-EL20a/dp/B09FSYSFBJ Tom

Hi Igor, The new version is working perfectly on my M2 Mac mini. Thanks, Tom

Hi Igor, I thought the problem might be related to the new gaming mode where priority is given to CPU and GPU in full screen applications. When my PTE show was full screen I did not see the game mode icon (game controller) in the menu bar. It's interesting that audio code can create such a problem without adding audio to a PTE show. Tom

Hi Igor, This works great. I hope it's not too difficult to update PTE for Sonoma. Thanks, Tom

Hi Eric, The camera might be a little big if you are not that interested in super zoom. I have a Panasonic FZ1000 that I haven't touched since pre-covid. Time to dust it off and see how well it works for birds. Tom

Hi Rosy, If you need a super zoom camera that is affordable this looks like a good choice (125x optical and 600x digital). The other option is to use a telescope with a camera adapter but not as portable. Tom

I like how the page turning also has panning. https://www.google.com/doodles/celebrating-the-appalachian-trail Tom

Hi Rosy, The P1000 super zoom camera looks amazing. Great for taking photos/video of birds, moon, etc. I have always wanted one for the zoom capability. I think 125x/3000 mm has the largest zoom in a bridge camera. Almost ready to buy one myself. https://www.cameralabs.com/nikon-coolpix-p1000-review/ Tom

Interesting. Possibly related to the new gaming mode in Sonoma. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213658 I can still use Alt + Enter to switch between full screen to window mode. It only closes PTE when I hover over the green button with my mouse pointer. https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-apps-in-full-screen-mchl9c21d2be/mac Thanks, Tom