davegee

I have been spending a little time investigating the effect of differing aspect ratio slide shows being presented with the current (Beta 2) version of PTE5. (Following onfrom Ken's Topic). I have come to the conclusion that there is no problem as long as the following procedure is adopted. Let's take, for example, a show which I decide to put together using full screen on my 1.333 ratio (1280x854) monitor. It just so happens that this is the aspect ratio of my camera images so nothing is lost if I want to use these images straight out of the camera. The "Project Options" that I set for Screen would be: Fit Slide To Screen - 4:3 PC/DVD - 1.3333 I also set Windowed Mode and enter the same aspect ratio figures there i.e. 1280x854 My background would be Solid Black. Obviously, if I now add an image which is 1280x854 it will immediately cover the black area in Objects and Animations and if I press preview I will get a full screen image. If I had wanted to start with a 120% zoom into the image and then zoom out to 100% or vice versa then I would start with a 1536 pixel wide image (or greater). To this I would now add a thin white line around the image by inserting a 1280x854 pixel PNG file with a 3-6 pixel white border inside (as an object) on top of my original 1280 or 1536 pixel image making sure that it is not added to the Main Image but as an independent object (otherwise it would zoom with the Main Image). The preview would now show the same image, full screen, but this time within a thin white line border. I would have to add this same PNG file to every image in the show but this is not a big problem. My one image show is now ready to be turned into an EXE file and will play full screen on my 1.3333 ratio monitor. But what happens if I send this to someone with a different size or different aspect ratio monitor? If the recipient has a 1280x1024 (1.25) monitor then the EXE will play full width, all zooms etc contained within a white bounding line with black bands top and bottom. I have not tried it, but I am assuming that anyone with a wide screen (wider than the 1280x854 aspect ratio) would see the black bands on either side of the image rather than top and bottom. So there it is - one size fits all. Other things to consider: The recipient might have a larger monitor (bigger than the 1280 pixel width). If I want to cater for this possibility then I will have to make the minimum size of my images the same as the maximum monitor resolution which is possible in order to avoid PTE having to interpolate upwards. For instance if I want to cater for a 1600x1200 monitor then all of my images will have to be 1600 (plus any zooming percentage) wide. DaveG

It's been covered Tony: Untick "Hold Time Points" in Main Screen. Igor will make this the default in later Betas. DaveG

Is there a possible conflict there. Lin? Would you then want these "twelve objects" to be grouped so that the same keypoints were applied to all 12 or would they have seperate keypoints. If it could be done easily then why not? But I think I like it the way it is. DaveG

Hi Ken, I have sent you a personal e-mail which hopefully will demonstrate the "white line around shows in PTE5" principle and also how a PTE5 template can be cut down to around 20 Kb so that Forum Members can e-mail very small files between themselves to demonstrate PTE5 Techniques. DaveG

Hi Ken, I have sent you a personal e-mail which hopefully will demonstrate the "white line around shows in PTE5" principle and also how a PTE5 template can be cut down to around 20 Kb so that Forum Members can e-mail very small files between themselves to demonstrate PTE5 Techniques. DaveG

Thanks Ken, Did you get my e-mail? DaveG

Hi Ken, I have tried your Pan & Zoom demo and am sorry to say that none of the options you give work successfully on my 1280x1024 monitor. There are black lines above, below and to the sides of all of the zooms. What doesn't help is that you have chosen to put your white line on the image in Photoshop or similar. This means that the white line is constantly moving during PZR. Like you, at first, I was trying to avoid the black areas but on the other hand do not want to lose the pixel generating power of the 3:2 aspect ratio of my DSLR. I have always tried to compose my images within the camera and very often find that a 1280x1024 crop from a 3000x2000 image is just impossible. Here is the compromise I decided on: I have decided to proceed with the 3:2 aspect ratio images on my 1280x1024 monitor and put the boundary white line on in PTE instead of doing it on the image itself. Igor has given us the opportunity to do this and it works quite well. My zooms, pans and rotates now take place within a fixed white 1280x854 frame superimposed on a 1280x1024 black background and I am learning to live with the black areas above and below the image because they are separated by this FIXED white line boundary. My screen settings are: Fit to screen (for the time being), Custom and 1.5. I have also had some thoughts about the pixel sizes of the various images I am using. As I said above my monitor resolution is 1280x1024 and if I am only performing a small amount of zoom why use a 3000x2000 image? It makes more sense to me to tailor the pixel size of my image to the way I intend to use it. PTE must use up processing power in interpolating the 3000x2000 image to fit the screen whether it is interpolating up or down and Igor stated some time ago that PTE does the interpolating DOWN better than it does the interpolating UP. So let's say that I have an image that I will want to zoom into at 120%. All I have to do is multiply the 1280 width by 1.2 and I have the pixel width size of the image necessary to perform the zoom. Try it - it works. Instead of needing a 750KB file I only need a 350Kb file (for the same compression ratio). The result is the same quality in a smaller file size and less processing power is needed for interpolating the image leaving more to handle the PZR functions. I also noticed, early on, some unwanted effects taking place when OVER-ZOOMING and came up with the following figures for MAXIMUM amounts of zooming possible with various different image sizes. Bear in mind that these figures are for a 1280 pixel wide monitor and avoid UPWARD interpolation by PTE. The figures would change for a different size monitor. 3000 pixels wide image - 229% Max Zoom 2500 pixels wide image - 195% Max Zoom 2000 pixels wide image - 156% Max Zoom 1500 pixels wide image - 117% Max Zoom DaveG

Thanks Igor. I can't wait!! (But will have to). DaveG

You can rename the image in the "Properties" section (Top Right). Other options for each image are available by right clicking on each image. DaveG

Thanks for you iput Jeff - no one seems to be working this way or didn't care to join in. I agree about "hold Timed Poits" defaulting to "unticked" and that seems to be the solution for me. DaveG

Be sure to install to a new fplder and NOT overwrite your 4.43 version. V5 is not a fully functioning version - yet. DaveG

If you have the original reg.txt file all you have to do is copy that into the PTE folder and when the prog asks you for it just tell it WHERE it is - it will find it. You do not have to type the number in anywhere. DaveG

Hi Igor, I have sent a text file to Support@wnsoft with more instructions. I cannot download the Microsoft program for a few reasons: 1. No internet connection on my laptop and 2. The download has to install and cannot be transfered to another machine 3. Dial up connection on my internet machine - no broadband! If it is still a problem I can send some screen grabs? "Auto adding of new transition points for new slide" ("Customize Synchronization" window, menu via "View" button) is TICKED.

Hi Igor, Please try this: Set up new project with three slides with default slide time at 8 seconds. Slide 1: Change time to 30 seconds and add keypoints at zero 1.5 seconds and 30 seconds. Slides 2 & 3: Keep slide time of 8 seconds and add keypoints at 1.5 and 8 seconds. Go to main window and drag new slide on top of slide 1 with "Hold Timed Points" ticked. Check Keypoints in OandA and you will find that the New slide 1 has a Keypoint at zero and a slide time of 30 seconds (not the default 8 seconds). The original slide 1 now has a slide time of 8 seconds and has lost its 30 second keypoint in the OandA timeline. All of the original Keypoints in the original 3 slides now seem to overlap. If the "Hold Timed Points" is unticked when the new slide is dragged on top of slide 1 the above does not happen.The new slide will be 8 seconds and the original slide 1 (now slide 2) will still be 30 seconds with keypoints at zero, 1.5 and 30 seconds. I think that this is "correct" for the setting of "Hold Timed Points" ticked but could cause a lot of confusion if slides are added in the main window by dragging into place. DaveG

Peter, You need to read Igor's initial notes when he introduced this BETA (and perhaps the other 100 or so replies in this thread). Many original functions do not yet work, including the Synchronised Music track. That will come in Beta#3. This Beta is purely for evaluation of the PZR facilities. DaveG

Igor, This is what I was doing: In the main view I was dragging a slide from the FILE PANEL to the SLIDE LIST and trying to create a new First Slide. With the Hold Timed Points ticked the new first slide would take the time of the original slide and the New Second slide would take on the time of the original 3rd slide. All keypoints after the first new first slide would then be out. With the Hold Timed Points unticked this does not happen. When adding a slide in the TIMELINE between two original slides with the Hold Timed points ticked only the previous slide's Keypoints are affected. When adding a slide in the TIMELINE with the Hold Timed Points unticked no previous or following Keypoints are affected. It is difficult to explain and it could cause confusion. DaveG

Jeff, Try this: If your first slide is 60 secs, the second 20 secs and the third 10 secs, try adding a slide with the "hold time points" ticked and then unticked. DaveG

Thanks Igor, I understand. I have to UN-TICK the "hold time points" to insert slides without affecting all of the other slides. On the PNG problem - I will investigate further and if necessary send you a sample. It does not happen every time - maybe it will be OK on the first "cycle" and show up on the second cycle (or vice versa). DaveG

Hi Igor, At present, it is impossible to add a slide at the beginning or middle of a show without affecting the following slides. Is this something which will be corrected when the 4.4 features are added or is it a problem? I am also getting unwanted bright pixels when PNG files are panned etc (the bright pixels travel with the PNG file) even though they were transparent when constructed/saved from PS. Any ideas why? DaveG

Thanks Al, I'm on XP - I'll try it. DaveG

Al, Please explain: "Enditall" ??? DaveG

Lin try this. Distort the text using perspective in PS so that your text layer (you will have to merge to a new layer before attemping this) is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. In PTE bring it in from off screen at the bottom and pan upwards while zooming from large to small. Don't let the text disappear off screen - fade it out toward the end and keep on screen. Otherwise it looks as though it is changing course. Add "Star Wars" music for effect - it worked for me. DaveG

The advantage of using a Gaussian Blur overlay as opposed to doing it from within PTE is that by varying the opacity of the Blur layer some interesting halo effects are possible. I have been using this technique in still images for some time.

You can position the first and last slide in a group and Click on first slide; Shift Click on last slide and then use the "Arrange Selected Slides" option. That should help you to do what you want. DaveG

Create a keypoint at the beginning of the second transition on the first slide in the timeline. End your zoom/pan/rotate at that point instead of at the end of the incoming transition. Keeping ALL PZR functions between the two transitions helps to prevent jerkiness for those whose Graphics Cards are not as "modern" as they should be. Has anyone got a better way of describing the two transitions/grey areas in the timeline? DaveG