davegee

Thanks Igor - downloaded and installed. The installation is STILL looking to my BETA 9 installation for authentication even though I have Betas 10,11,12 and 13 installed - is this a problem? DG

Kieron, I would suggest that there is another variable as we discussed recently. If you start with a file from a different resolution camera and do exactly the same test (reducing to 1500x1000 as he did) you'll get a different result. Depending on the subject it will be a worse result for a lower res camera and a better result for a higher res camera. DG

Stu, You advice re TV-DVD players is slightly different over here. MOST players support PAL and NTSC (unless they are ancient). ALL new players from reputable manufacturers support both. DG

Good show! Informative, with a good range of techniques to keep the viewer interested. Minor criticism - I felt that the sound could have been better balanced. The narrative was almost inaudible on my monitor. DG

I'm out.

Rick, Please be more specific. Are you getting any error messages etc? The methodology for making a DVD Video Disc in v6 is EXACTLY the same as in V5. When you get to the last page - click on the button to CREATE AN ISO Image only. You can then be sure that if this is successful your problem is not with PTE but with your burner. Double clicking on the ISO File should open the ISO Image burning module of your chosen software (at least it does with ROXIO). Also read this thread: http://www.picturest...showtopic=12117 DG

OR In v6 you can set up the Font, size, colour etc in a text object in slide one and then copy from 1 to 2 etc as you go. The copied text object maintains the Font, size and colour - all you then need to do is change the "words". DG

If the ONLY purpose for making the show is a DVD Video Disc then the resolution does not really matter - 1024x768; 1200x900; 1440x1080; 1600x1200 etc However your computer monitor's screen has a part to play when viewing prior to committing the show to a DVD. Construct the show to the HEIGHT of your PC Monitor. If your EXE will be seen on another computer whose screen resolution you don't know then the 1600x1200 resolution is a good choice. In screen options set 4:3, (your screen res height will determine the resolution) and tick the Fixed size of slide box. If your screen resolution is smaller than 1200 high then the images will automatically fit to the height. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For shows which are not going to become DVDs use your screen resolution/aspect ratio and tick the Fixed size of slide box. You have already found that connecting your computer to the TV is a better option and CAN fill the screen with careful selection of resolution/aspect ratio and the correct connection. You STILL haven't said what your TV manual says about resolution and in particular what it says about connecting via VGA cable. Does your computer have HDMI / DVI connection? Does your TV have HDMI / DVI connection? DG

Did you check the manual for the resolution figures? To prove the point make EVERYTHING 4:3 - images, settings etc. Set the TV to 4:3 when playing. It will not fill the width of the screen but everything will be correct in terms of aspect ratio and nothing will be squashed but you will get black lines on each side. If you want to move on to other aspect ratios - 3:2 or 16:9 then you can set PTE to 4:3 and fit the images within the screen with black lines top and bottom. When you play this back on your TV there will be black lines all around - the lines to the sides are because of the aspect ratio of the DVD. The lines above and below are because of the aspect ratio of your PTE show images (within the 4:3 screen). BUT............. there will be NO squashed images!

Joy, When you make a DVD its format will ALWAYS be 4:3 (PAL) - 720x576 - no matter what format you choose in PTE. So, the best format for a DVD is 4:3. 4:3 in PTE and also set your TV picture to 4:3. Anything else is going to stretch your images out of proportion. Try it before you progress. DG P.S. Please check your TV Manual for the specs - you will plobably find that it is 1366x768. It is possible that the TV will not go any higher than 1200 when connected via VGA lead. To get the full 16:9 1366x768 you will need an HDMI Lead connected from Laptop / PC to TV. Is it a SONY 26" by any chance?

It's working, but don't tell anyone. DG

OK, in that case you need to find, download and install the Nikon NEF Codec which will allow you to see the embedded JPEG instead of the Icon. Installing any Nikon Application such as View NX will do the same thing but if you don't want to do that you need the Codec. Here you go: http://nikonimglib.com/nefcodec/ DG

Sorry Peter, I should have been a little more precise. When you drag your NEF images into a folder on your HDD are you able to see a thumbnail of your image (a picture) or does it sit there as a NEF icon with its file number? In Windows Explorer for instance. DG

I sort of agree with Colin. I shoot with the camera set to sRGB but this means nothing** until the image is opened in my RAW converter where it is assigned/converted to RGB colour space. If it is necessary to send to CS4 as a 16 Bit file I have that also set to RGB. My final step is then to flatten the file, change to 8 Bit and convert to sRGB via an action before saving as a JPEG. Since the image stays in the 16 Bit RGB mode a lot longer it is less susceptible to banding for that reason. DG ** I am not sure of my facts here, but I think that when shooting sRGB in-camera it means that the embedded JPEG which is used for thumbnails etc will show correct colours in a non-colour managed application. The embedded JPEG will also reflect the in-camera Colour Mode/Picture Control settings, but that is another issue. Question for Peter: Are you seeing the thumbnail of your RAW file as an image OR as an ICON?

Peter, Your attachment fine and suits the majority. DG

Glad it is working out for you, Peter. I'm pretty sure that your adoption of RAW will benefit you greatly. Without wishing to annoy you in any way I will re-iterate that ALL of the above can be done in NX2 without leaving the RAW/16Bit Domain bringing even greater benefits in terms of image quality. DG

No, keep V6. If you want to open a previous show in V6, open the PTE V6 first and open the project file from there. DG

Joy, If you are using V6.5 Beta 12 see: http://www.picturest...showtopic=11969 and http://www.picturest...showtopic=12072 As Peter said, if you then start a piece of music to coincide with the start of an image or transition you must make sure that you don't then alter the start time of that image or transition. DG

Hi Peter, DVI = HDMI (without the sound) With DVI you need to connect audio seperately. Image-wise there's no difference between HDMI and DVI. On the subject of 16:9 vs 3:2 it would be fairly easy (for critical work) to make a mask which covers your LCD giving an idea of how much you will be cropping from the top and/or bottom of a 3:2 image to make it 16:9. After a while it becomes second nature and the mask is not required. On the video subject, I wouldn't put it as strongly as Barry, but for me using PTE to produce a video of any sort is two steps forward and one step back. I'm an EXE man. DG

Peter, I'm pretty sure that your new monitor will have HDMI - if any of your computers has DVI or HDMI do try it. It's another step up again! DG

We were writing at the same time! Does this now mean that we have one extra "vote" for 1920x1080 monitors and one less "vote" for 1280x1024????? I was beginning to think that some would have me leave the POLL running until 1024x768 proved to be the most popular. Seriously, I hope that you enjoy your new toy. It is like a lot of other things - until you try it you don't know! Same goes for NX2. BTW don't be tempted to Colour Manage until you are ABSOLUTELY sure that it needs it. DG

Peter, I hope that some of the above is of some help. The following has nothing to do with your problem but please read on. A further advantage of using NX2 with a D70 is that it effectively upgrades some of the in-camera software of the D70 to the same as a D300 or D700. As well as being able to read the COLOUR MODES of the D70 and reproduce your camera controls and exactly what you see in the camera's LCD (immediately and without intervention by you) it gives you the option of seeing how the image WOULD have looked had you chosen a different Colour Mode. AND.......... It gives you access to the additional 8 Picture Controls of the D300 and D700 etc. It won't turn your camera into a 12MP model but it is an extension of the camera which will allow you to retrospectively alter SOME of the controls at the taking stage. I have been using it since I had my 5700 (prior to the D70) and won't be without it. Just thought that you'd like to know? DG

Igor, When installing the last two Betas (11 and 12) the last part asks if it should take the registration details from Beta 9 on both occasions. I would normally expect it to refer to the previously installed Beta i.e. 10 or 11. I have done nothing different to all previous Betas. Anything to worry about? DG

Part two, Interrupted by a delicious Beef Stroganoff. I would add that your workflow for RAW should stay in the 16 Bit domain for as long as possible. By saving as a 100% JPEG you are converting to 8 Bit too soon and losing much of the advantage of using RAW in the first place. Replicating NX2 strategy, you would benefit from sending to PS, LR etc as a 16 Bit TIFF - a LOSSLESS conversion. The 16 Bit TIFFs can be deleted when no longer required. I can replicate your skies in my D70 files (albeit in lower quality saves) and see the effect in a side by side comparison in "Save For The Web". By adjusting the JPEG quality the banding disappears and at the point it disappears it is safe to SAVE. I also notice that you are including a Sharpening Step. NEVER sharpen skies! - When sharpening do it SELECTIVELY and leave any continuous tones such as skies unsharpened. You could possibly be sharpening too agressively? A question (because I can't remember): Are you using the MAXIMUM RAW quality in Camera? The D300 and D700 offer two levels of RAW - I can't remember if the D70 had the same facility. I won't argue about your reasons for choosing LR or PS etc but I will say this: Everything that you list above can be achieved in NX2 WITHOUT leaving the RAW domain. For some purposes you would never need anything else. More after tea - perhaps? DG P.S. I just downloaded the D70 Manual - ignore my remark about RAW Quality.

Peter, My first DSLR was a D70 and I then progressed through D200, D300 to D700. In short (and generally speaking) you cannot save a D70 file at quality 6 - you are asking too much. I still have loads of D70 files on my computer and go back from time to time. I have found that when you go upwards through the pixel size of cameras you can then attempt lower quality settings for the JPEGs but IMHO a D70 file at quality 6 - no. Try quality 8-10 and use "Save For The Web" - that way you can see both the original and the JPEG side by side and determine the best quality setting. Someone with a 24MP camera can offer the suggestion to use quality 6, but for a D70 I would try a higher quality setting. DG