Peter S

Mario, Ed In Photoshop you can save a file with transparency by selecting File/Save As and selecting PNG. You can also use Save for Web and select PNG-24. This has been previously recommended as the best choice in Photoshop. If you save as a JPG the transparency WILL be lost. I can't say anything about Paint Shop but I would be very surprised if a similar same choice does not apply. Kind Regards Peter

Have I been missing something simple? Although PTE shows the transition as being Fade In/Out I have always thought of it as being only a fade IN. Is it possible to change the fade out? It has never really bothered me because it is easy enough to get the effect I want by using the fade IN of the following slide. The almost universal use of the term Fade In/Out just made me wonder if I have always thought of this incorrectly? Kind Regards Peter

I know this point has been made several times before but I really feel it is worth repeating. PLEASE PLEASE use the "Add Reply" button at the top or bottom of the list of posts and NOT the "Reply" button that appears below every post. This will avoid every entry being repeated with every reply and make it much easier to read through the posts. Another option would be to have the position of these buttons switched but I have no idea how difficult that would be. They don't seem to be in the most logical place to me. Many thanks Peter

Hi Jimjam, If you have PTE 5 deluxe why don't you use its own DVD burning facility? It's much easier than using another bit of software. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Manfred, If you want to see what the PTE project looks like go TheDoms site and you can download his project. The Dom Road Map PTE project http://www.thedom.fr/share/portal.php http://www.thedom.fr/share/dload.php http://www.thedom.fr/share/dload.php?actio...amp;file_id=211 You can look at his jpg, png and red rectangle and see how it is all put together - which is exactly as Lin describes. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Tom, In the Timeline: Click on the first slide you want to move. Shift click on the last slide you want to move then you can drag them all as a block. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Mario and everyone else, This topic seems to have created a great deal of excitement! I think it is important to respect everyones' point of view when it comes to methods of teaching/learning and it is certain that one way does not suit everyone. It is also important that other peoples statements are not misrepresented in the heat of the discussion. Ron, you said in your post: "I do not agree with you Barry (Beckham) that witten tutorials are of no use,..." Barry actually said: "There are some very helpful tutorials provided on this site and I expect many a new user has been grateful for them and I have picked up a few things myself..." Not quite the same? Personally I have found Ron's tutorials very helpful as well as those from Al, Lin, Jeff and others. I have also had great help, from members of this forum, in solving problems from others such as TheDom and JPD and never forget Igor and his team. Want to know about sound? Brian Conflow nearly always has an answer. I have also bought Barry Beckam's CDs and DVs and found them a very good learning resource. I have gained the greatest benefit by combining all these excellent resources. One method often reinforces another. My suggestion would be try all the options and use whatever you find the most appropriate for your needs. Don't bother to get into arguments about what is best because what is the most appropriate for one person may be the least appropriate for another. One tip I found helpful is: if you use CDs/DVDs open PTE as well and skip between the tutorial and PTE trying things out for yourself as you move through the tutorial. You can often use images provided with the tutorials or you can use your own images. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Primozz, If you insert a black slide between each of your images you should be able to achieve what you want. If you want to make the duration and effect times of the black slides the same you can either adjust them all by Ctrl clicking on them and making one adjustment or you can make one slide and then copy and paste it between the others. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Lin, Great stuff. I loved the winking lizard. Full feature length Star Wars next???? Kind Regards Peter

Ron, Just for your info. Some time ago when I was having problems with sound Igor advised me NOT to use MP3 Pro but to stick to the standard version. I am not sure of the reasons but I believe that mp3 pro is not compatible with all mp3 players. See http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=40119 Kind Regards Peter

Hi Lin, Many thanks for this most useful document. Your comment about new users is spot on and publicity for PTE seems to be growing well. I wonder if it would be possible and worthwhile to have a "sub thread" under tutorials specifically containing basic information for new users? It would of course be very useful also to those of us who suffer from frequent memory lapses and find we can't remember even the simplest things from time to time! Kind Regards Peter

Hi Kent, There is no manual. This forum is likely to be your main source of information. The search facility on the forum is very useful. Start with a search for Tutorials and you will find help on most topics. You can obviously search for more specific subjects. Also have a look at: http://www.thedom.fr/share/dload.php?actio...ry&cat_id=1 This site, set up by TheDom, is a good source of information. Some commercially available tutorials are produced by www.beckhamdigital.co.uk Kind Regards Peter

Hi Igor, I'd like to add my support to Lin's message. Have a really good rest. You deserve it and nothing is more important than your health. This may cheer you up - "Photography Monthly" a popular magazine in the UK gave their verdict, following a review of six slide shows, (two of them priced at £250) and PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.0 was the winner. My very best wishes for your recovery. Peter

Hi Barrie, One option would be to use the navigation bar and click on the pause button at the point that you want to halt the transition. This would provide a very flexible approach. You can find this under Project Options, Advanced, Show Navigation Bar. An alternative assuming you are using version 5 is that you could stack your images in Objects and Animation and lower the opacity of the top layer over time to any level you wish and then hold it at that level before reducing it further. You could then reduce layer one to zero and progressively reduce the opacity of layer 2 to show the third image. Kind Regards Peter

Tom, You can certainly record from your sound card using Audition. You will need to use the Windows Volume Control and go to Properties, Recording and then in the Recording Control window you will probably need to select Line In and adjust the volume slider. . I have used this method to record radio programmes that I want to listen to at later times and it works perfectly but in this case I use the Mono Mix slider to get the volume I want. Kind Regards Peter

Helloloftphoto, I suggest you have a look at this thread: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=31744 It should help you to understand the issues involved. Basically size your images to match the screen resolution you are using but ... if you expect to show them on a lower resolution monitor it may be best to use the lower resolution. 1024 x 768 is popular. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Brian, Thanks for offering to share this utility. Before I jump in could you please let me know id I would be likely to get any benefit from the Nokia Test Card? I already calibrate my monitor (ViewSonic LCD) with a Spyder2 Colorimeter. Kind Regards Peter

Hi Ron, There was another thread at http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=43385 where Templates were mentioned. I added the following post and Brian kindly replied (his reply is also copied below). I assumed, perhaps unwisely that you had seen this, but I think it shows I would benefit from a tutorial too! So yes please Kind Regards Peter I had never come across this "Template" idea before so thanks to all those who have brought it to my attention. But it seems a most odd term to use. Surely it is not a "Template" is it ? It just seems like a copy of all the files relevant to a project. If you keep all the files in a specific folder it is just as easy to make a copy of that folder. Have I missed some important aspect of this "Template"? Kind Regards Peter Peter, Yes,in essence you are quite correct ~ it does appear as if its a Copy Folder ~ but the comparison stops there. The Template is a non-exe carbon-copy of your "Work in Progress" or indeed the entire data contents of a Show which is automatically-created together with its crucial .pte File containing the 'script instructions' needed to re-generate the data content back to the PTE.Program so it can process this data into a working Model. There after you create an Exe.File which runs as a dynamic Program, viz:- "Your Slideshow". Template's gives you the ability to 'copy' and store them where you like with the certain knowledge that the contained .pte File will always find the Main PTE Program provided it can get access to it via the PC.Databus which is nearly 100% foolproof. In comparison if you copy a .pteFile into a Show Folder and move that Folder then its almost certain that you will loose the connectivity with the PTE.Program which happened to John. The .pte File within the 'Copy Template' (no matter where that is) will always re-load your Project back into the PTE.Program and will re-open the Program in its entirety. No excuses made in trying to keep the explaination simple... Brian.Conflow.

I had never come across this "Template" idea before so thanks to all those who have brought it to my attention. But it seems a most odd term to use. Surely it is not a "Template" is it ? It just seems like a copy of all the files relevant to a project. If you keep all the files in a specific folder it is just as easy to make a copy of that folder. Have I missed some important aspect of this "Template"? Kind Regards Peter

Hi Lin, Ran very smoothly upto the point where the music changed. It stopped and |i was not sure if it had ended so I pressed Esc and it then continued to run from where it left off. The remainder ran without any further hitches. All pans and zooms were fine. There were one or two rather abrupt changes which could presumably be ironed out using decelerate and accelerate at the change points. You don't seem to have reached the limits yet :rolleyes: Kind Regards Peter

Well Jim, I am not sure that I do but it does allow you to view images at a much larger size than you would see in the thumbnail view. So if you had several similar images in your file list it could be very helpful in assisting you to select those that you want to include in your slide show. I ususally make the selection much earlier in the process and only copy the images I want to an "image holding file" which is in a sub directory to my main project directory. Kind Regards Peter

Keith, I previously encountered a similar problem and eventually traced it (and other difficulties) to my CA Internet Security Suite so Dave may well be right. I have since changed to Zone Alarm and have had no further problems. Kind Regards Peter

If you have a project open and click on the "Full screen view of slide list" at THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER you will find that you can move the slides around. I suspect that you are using the "Full screen view of file panel" at the top and this will not work. Kind Regards Peter

I was lucky enough to have bought RawShooter in its early days and this entitled me to a free copy of Adobe Lightroom. This is a very powerful tool for organising very large numbers of images. Key words can be added to images as they are loaded from a memory card or other folder and all images can be renamed at the same time. Lightroom can also perform many (but not yet all!) of the tasks that I previously used Photoshop for and it is only 1/4 of the price. If you haven't seen it yet it is worth a look. A 30 day trial is available http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/ Kind Regards Peter

Hi Igor, I am delighted to see, on return from a short holiday, that version 5.0 is now fully released. I have one small problem. I remember reading something about this before but cannot find anything relevant using search so apologies for a repeat. When I look in my Control Panel Add and Remove programmes I find multiple versions of PTE Beta 5 (12 in all!). I do not want to remove my registration and get into problems with having to re-register and would like to know what I can safely remove before finally loading version 5.0 De Luxe. Kind Regards Peter