SheilaG

Hi, Thanks for the kind comments that have been posted. They're appreciated. Narrative .......... most of my completed AVs tend to have a narrative as I usually want to tell something of a 'story'. Having just made that statement, the AV that I'm working on at the moment doesn't have a spoken narrative! Thanks again, Sheila

I loved it!! The worrying thing was that too much of it was familiar!! Sheila G

Hi Lin, Thanks for the kind words! It's always good to know that someone else has enjoyed what you've made. The Whitsuntide Walks were, I think, mainly found in the North West and were a statement of Christian belief. Around my area, the Catholics would walk on one day and the Protestants on another, there were just so many it wouldn't have been possible for us all to walk on the same day! The Catholic walks were amazing to see, though, as they included many communities who originated in Europe, such as the Poles and Ukrainians who walked in colourful traditional dress. It was a big day in every child's year as it meant new clothes! At Whitsun we had our new shoes, coat and dress for the coming year and we'd run round to the homes of neighbours and relatives, to show them and, in return, we'd get a copper coin to put in our purse! I always walked in the procession, with my basket of flowers, just never on a banner ribbon! They say the past is 'another country', and it is! Regards, Sheila

Hi Everyone, I've been looking at some of my older sequences and re-discovered this one. I made it in early 2008, I think. It was made before I discovered animations (just one panning slide!) but I still like it because it's about a place close to my own heart. I hope that you find it enjoyable and that it nudges some memories for some people! The file is 41 MB It has 104 images Run time is 8mins 13secs Aspect ratio is 4:3 You can download it from Dropbox HERE

Hi Everyone, I've only just realised that I started this thread here and ended up posting my results in the section for 'Slideshows created in PtoE'!! I've made the pyramids with both square and triangular bases, and they will tumble through space without 'falling apart'. Sorry if I'm managing to confuse everyone! I started the thread by asking about constructing a pyramid with a triangular base. My first upload was part way there but still struggling with the base in the triangular based-pyramid. The second upload on the page was the project file (which contained cube and square based pyramid) and the third, called 'tetrahedron' was a project file for a successful triangular based pyramid. I posted my project for the triangular based pyramid in the 'Slideshows created in PtoE'!! In case you're interested and hadn't seen it, here is the link to the file again. It's just short of 5MB in size. Tetrahedron project file Regards, Sheila G

Hi Lin, I'm a great believer in the power of a good title, especially for our still images when we've 'played' with them in some way, which I usually have. I'm becoming increasingly aware that this can be very important with our AVs if we want to catch and hold the viewer's attention. I can see, and I like, the movement you've created in this demo. It would capture the mood of a subsequent AV beautifully. I always try to bring a little 'extra' to my own title pages but this is someething I haven't tried, but definitely will. Thanks, yet again! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Mike, Thank you for those kind words!! No .......... you keep Awards Evening! you know you do it better than I could! You make in 5 minutes what it takes me 5 hours to do!! Sheila

Hi Adri, This is the first time I've added any comments about an AV so hope I don't write anything controversial! I loved the dark nature of the monochrome images and the moody music went well with the pictures. It all felt quite medieval (just right for this city) but then sometimes there was some element, such as the occasional image in vibrant colour, that was definitely 20th (21st) century and which I didn't welcome as it changed the overall sombre mood of the AV. When making an AV we're always encouraged to think in terms of a beginning, a middle and an end, which draws everything together, in some way. The idea of starting with the map was a good one but I feel that an older one might have been more appropriate than the screen grab you used. Like Lin, I think the individual image files must have been enormous to create such a large .exe file. The problem might be with your music file. Did you use a .wav file for your music, or a .mp3 file (which is compressed)? ........... .wav files can be enormous. I've not visited Bruges but have seen many pictures of the city and I enjoyed yours immensely. These are only my opinions, to be disregarded if you don't agree .............. I always welcome comment myself (whether on my photography or AVs) and I think about what has been said. However, I make the AVs or the images that satisfy me, personally, and I don't change anything if I've not been convinced. Regards, Sheila G

Hi Everyone, Thanks to the invaluable input on this forum I've now managed to pin the base of my triangular pyramid (tetrahedron) firmly in place. Now I can go to bed and sleep!! I went back to look at it again and realised that part of the problem lay in the rotation point of the side triangles. I pulled the point to the base of each triangle and that did the trick. I still can't get my head round the maths of it and worked out the angles just by trial and error! I've uploaded the project for you to look at. Regards, Sheila tetrahedron

Hi Lin, Thank you, yet again! Now my head is properly spinning! I've really got a lot of homework and head-scratching for the next few hours (days!!) Regards, Sheila G

Hi Peter, Yes .......... I do need to thank you! On first reading your post I think I can see where I'm probably going wrong. I shall now work on your suggestions, and read the links you've added. I shan't give up if there is a solution to be found! A dog with a bone has nothing on me! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Everyone, First off, It never ceases to amaze me how quickly someone gets back to you on this forum!! To try and respond ...... I was a bit alarmed to be asked for the project ........ it's not the 'tidiest', and the more competent amongst you will find a great many places where I've got it wrong or just 'fiddled around' until something fitted! Apologies already! Anyway, for what it's worth, I've uploaded a .zip file containing the project. I've removed the music and replaced the background file so that everything in it is now entirely my own. I've also added an extra keyframe point, on the triangular pyramid section, so that it can be see from the top, as well. I hope some one might find the project helpful. If anyone can throw some light on why my triangular base won't stay in place, I'll be very grateful! Paul .............. how long did it take? It's almost like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" When I've made AVs for my club etc., it's taken me weeks as I play with the soundtrack and narrative until I'm happy that they complement the images to the best of my own abilities. For this sequence I played around with bits and tried out ideas, some of which worked and some of which were disasters! Then I put together the best 'bits' for today's upload. I have a lot of patience and perseverance when I'm doing something like this ........... I enjoy the challenge although I find anything a bit 'technical' very difficult!! Peter ........ thanks for the suggestions. Dimensions correct? .......... yes, I've checked and re-checked! I constructed the triangular pyramid, in objects and animations, with two sides in view so that I could get a better idea of what I was doing but the base has me beaten. I've tried every combination in the settings that seems possible. The problem becomes even worse when Rotate Y is given a value of 360 ........... the base seems to have a mind of its own! Yachtsman ............ the full Saddleworth AV, along with one on the Peak Forest Canal, is on the 'back burner' for the time being. I'm enjoying 'playing' too much at the moment! Lin ............ as I said, you made life a lot easier for me! Video ............ I've downloaded the beta PtoE but haven't actually had a play, yet, although it's something I'm keen to try. First of all, though, I need to borrow my son's video camera and film something! Regards, Sheila G project zip file for animations

Hi Everyone, I've uploaded a short AV sequence, to Dropbox. It's just less than 2 minutes in length. It's nothing more than a trial to try out the different 3D animations I've managed to make, so far. I made it just to see what the possibilities for using shapes and animations, within a 'real' sequence, might be. Obviously, there's an overkill of effects but that was the object, in this sequence. Some of the timing really needs tidying up but, please, bear in mind that this is experimental! My real thanks have to go to Lin Evans, whose generosity in making the projects, for the cube and the square based pyramid, available, put me on the right tracks. I'd probably still have been tearing my hair, otherwise! I also managed to create a triangular based pyramid but, so far, and I can't work out why, I can't get the base to fit perfectly when it 'tumbles'. Regards, Sheila G animations for fun

Hi, To answer your question ............ I did it all from scratch. I experimented with different ways of creating the box and some worked better than others. I made various boxes in Photoshop but, obviously, the problems appeared as soon as I moved the box in the PtoE 3D animation.......... the perspective was all wrong!! In this sequence I just made the front of the box and then just put a little shadowing over it to create (hopefully!) an illusion of perspective. I then introduced the images 2 at a time ............ one to be still in the box as one lifted out of it. The lid, of course, was just constructed in 2D, with no perspective control, in Photoshop, and then 'fitted' into place in PtoE. It's not perfect but I think it creates a reasonable illusion! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Everyone, Thanks for the kind comments! Re the accent ........... I'm a Lancashire 'lass' to the core, with an accent to match! Some of my father's maternal ancestors, however, came from Delph which is one of the Saddleworth villages and I have a very strong affinity with the area. I have to confess that this isn't my first AV ........... I've been dabbling for quite a few years; just never made them public! It has been the opportunity to play with 3D animation that has really pushed me along recently. I love it! Re the Band Concert ......... I've already done one AV (about 3 years ago)! I combined it with the Whit Walks pictures and called it 'Hail Smiling Morn' which is, so I'm told, the first piece that the bands always play. I'm glad it brings back some good memories!! Re the backing track of music being too loud ........... I've made this mistake before. I also have a tendency to speak too quickly but I don't think that was too much of an issue in this AV. Anyway, glad that at least some people on the forum enjoyed it ......... Thank you! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Everyone, I'm going to try and add a link to a short AV I've made and placed in a Dropbox folder. Saddleworth is a cluster of villages on the Yorkshire / Lancashire border and in the administrative sphere of nearby Oldham,which is in Lancashire. Historically, Saddleworth has always considered itself to be very firmly in Yorkshire and feelings on this topic can still be very strong in the villages! This AV is only just over 3 minutes long and is a shortened version of a longer AV I'm making about the Saddleworth Morris Men and the annual Rushcart festival. It became a bit of an excercise in using pictures within frames and then adding some 3D animation to change the pace a little. I hope some of you might find it interesting!! Regards Sheila G Saddleworth Morris Men & Rushcart

Hi Barry, My desktop monitor is 1680 X 1050 regards, Sheila G

Hi Lin, Thanks and thanks again!! I've downloaded the project and am going to enjoy working out how everything fits together. Quite a mammoth task from the looks of it! Also, thanks for allowing me to hope that I can get better with 3-D visualisation if I practise. I shall take comfort from that thought! With my gratitude for your help and time, Sheila G

Hi Lin, That was amazing ................ I feel as if I should give up now! But I shan't because I love playing with PtoE! I'd love to be able to look at the project so I'll email you directly, and many thanks! Someone else said that they loved maths. Although maths is probably my weakest subject, I can understand the fascination; I just wish that I had a better understanding. I always think of myself as having '3-D spatial awareness' problems, if that makes sense! I have difficulty visualising what I would see if an object is rotated or flipped. Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. Sheila G

Hi, I don't know whether or not I'm posting this in the right place, but fingers crossed! I've managed to make a cube that will rotate and tumble in PtoE but I cannot work out how to construct a pyramid. Maths is definitely not my strongest skill so this might be a big part of the problem! I've made identical equilateral triangles, as .pngs, for the 3 sides and base but cannot make them fit together and rotate as a pyramid. I've put them into a 'parent' frame and tried the sides both in 'child' frames and also without but I cannot make it work. Is it possible / impossible to do? Can anyone point me in the right direction? Just put me out of my misery!! Sheila G

I hope I'm not out of order here but I felt I wanted to add my '2 penn'oth' as we say in Lancashire. I've only posted a question once, before, and it was Barry who gave me the best advice, for which I was very grateful. I looked at the download page for this AV, that's mentioned, and it quite clearly states that the pictures were made for his tutorial disc and I can infer from this that it will be, at least in part, a promotional AV. I have the choice to look at it or not, as I wish. I did wish, and enjoyed the photography, as I knew I would. I've downloaded quite a number of Barry's AVs as they always manage to hold my interest, either by the story or the photography, but also have lots of built-in extras to remind us of what we can do to make our own AVs more interesting. I'm talking about the use of frames, subtle transitions, the elusive 3rd image, colour etc., etc. We can all take a couple of dozen snaps and place them against a background track of music and call it an AV but I don't think that is quite what we want. Watching good AVs, whether they are promotional or otherwise, can only encourage us to try out our own new ideas and methods of approach. What I can't understand is why an issue is being made out of this particular AV when I can remember following links (on these forums) to tutorials which didn't make any mention of cost until they were reached. I don't remember any criticism of these, usually just a member saying, "Thanks!" Am I missing something here? Is it that the post is in the wrong section? Possibly .......... but I don't think that point has been mentioned. I would imagine that if someone was out of order, with a post etc., that a forum moderator would have some comments to make. Unfortunately, reading these posts, it's possible to think that the issues are more personal than about the supposed subject. This is a shame, as the posters themselves can lose credibility. Sheila G

It's certainly more than 90 days since I did an upgrade .......... I'll treat this as a priority as soon as he returns. Thanks for being so helpful. Sheila G

Hi, That's great to know! I'll look forward to it. Conflow: Thanks for the advice. When I was linked to the internet I regularly downloaded the upgrades. The hard-drive was re-formatted earlier this year and I didn't have the modem re-installed. However, I'm finding that there are a couple of things that would be better if I had internet access again so I'll get my son to do it for me when he returns. Sheila G

Hi, Thanks to everyone that picked up on the message. Firstly ........ apologies for not making myself more clear. I installed the beta version onto the desktop 2000 computer in the usual way, into its own folder (the older version, 4.41, is still working perfectly). The beta version opens, allows me to identify folders, select and add pictures but then freezes when I attempt to run a preview. Alternatively, when I select a picture and click on the 'objects and animation' button it opens the new window but doesn't show the picture; the error message comes up and the programme freezes. The beta version was also installed on the laptop (running Windows XP) into its own folder and appears to function normally ........ I've only looked at it briefly as the laptop is not my normal picture-making machine. As a further test I upgraded a friend's PtoE, on a computer running XP, and that also ran the beta version without a problem. The computer running Windows 2000 is the one I use for making pictures and has 512 MB of RAM and a 2500 processor so is perfectly adequate to run PtoE. However, because it stores the main copy of all my image files I don't have it linked to the internet so it doesn't have the more recent upgrades from Microsoft. I don't know anything about the video card as my son built the computer and, as he's out of the country at the moment, I can't ask him. Reading your replies it appears that the problem is probably to do with my not having either the 2000 upgrades or a suitable video card. I'll check the video card at the first opportunity and think about an internet link to get the upgrades. In the meantime I'll have to use the laptop whilst I learn how to use the new features. Thanks for all the help ......... Sheila G

Hi, I've been using Pictures to Exe for over 3 years with no problems at all but when I tried to run the beta version of 5 I got an error message and the programme froze. The error message is: 'access violation of address 00000000. Read of address 00000000' I've since tried a couple of times more and with the same result each time. I don't understand what the problem is, as I've downloaded it successfully onto a laptop which is an older, slower, machine. The laptop runs on Windows XP and the desktop computer on Windows 2000. I'd be grateful for any ideas that anyone can offer, however, any explanation, that needs technical knowledge, is in a foreign language to me so words of one syllable would be appreciated!