Lin Evans

Thanks Mick, This one definitely is easier when "seen" than when described verbally... Best regards, Lin

Hi Tom, It was really nice of Marcel to figure this out. I'm thinking now how it might look if I did something similar using 3D transforms. Or what about a "cube" as the main object then apply the same plus derivatives in 3D? Hmmmm...... could get interesting.... Here - this will ring bells from the past - mess with your mind - LOL: http://www.lin-evans...perimentmac.zip Native Mac (about 7 meg) http://www.lin-evans...lexperiment.zip (about 7 meg) Best regards, Lin

Hi Eric, There "is" another way to approach the "sound in video clip" issue especially if the sound doesn't have to be precisely synchronized to the video. There is great audio versatility for PTE's audio tracks including fade-in, fade-out, total envelope control, stop, start, delay, offset, etc., but these fine audio controls are not yet part of the video clip audio track. So, how can we use these great features for our video clip audio? If we "mute" the audio track in the video (that can easily be done in PTE) then if we extract the audio track from the video as an MP3 (very easy to do with freeware) then we can insert the mp3 as an audio track and perform all the above functions on it. There are tutorials on how to do this in my tutorial set. The bottom line is that unless you have a vocalist singing with a closeup of their mouth moving, most video clip audio will run perfectly well after being extracted from the video clip and inserted in the sound track of PTE as an MP3 audio. Once there, all the powerful audio features of PTE can easily be applied. For example, you can stop the audio for the video clip, lower the volume, fade it in or out, start it precisely where you stopped it, etc. I use Xmedia Recode to extract audio tracks from many of my videos and then reinsert the audio as an mp3. Xaver told me about Xmedia Recode and I've found that I can even extract audio from a video clip and reinsert it as an MP3 without affecting the synchronization at all in many cases. Just another thing to think about if you need greater versatility without having to alter the audio in your favorite video editor. Best regards, Lin

I will take this notice down in a few days.... A new tutorial in AVI and PC and Mac executable formats available to do the spiral rotate, zoom effect developed by Marcel from the French PTE forum. Some additional method of easy coding for zooming back in is described.... See thread here: http://www.picturest...ing-pte-effect/ Best regards, Lin

Hi Igor, I don't think I explained my concern very well..... It's the problem of accidentally mixing up data files of the same names with their executable drivers. Keeping a single exe file of a particular name in a folder is insured by Windows, it won't let you have duplicates in a folder, but it would be very easy to "delete" a file name such as abc.dat and then say - "I accidentally deleted that file." Then search for it and find another file called abc.dat in another folder then copy it to the folder it was deleted from. But what if the one which was "found" was a duplicate "name" for a data file which "belongs" with a different executable driver. So it then wouldn't work and the user would have no idea why….. Maybe this will explain my concern better... Best regards, Lin

Hi Igor, One question comes to mind. What about duplicate names for the digitally signed exe portion? If the user, for example, creates a slideshow called ABC.exe the digitally signed exe driver looks for a data file called abc. But what if there are multiple data files called "abc" on the hard disk in different folders and the exe driver is loaded into these other folders. Will it then try to run these alternative data files or is there something which ties the exe file to only a single data file with the name "abc"? If the digitally signed exe driver file is tied somehow to a "specific" data file, how will the user know which "abc.exe" driver file goes with which abc data file? It seems this "might" become confusing. As it is, it's not possible to have the duplicate named exe files in a single folder, but how to keep track of this when it might be possible to have multiple files with identical names but requiring different data files to work? If they were accidentally separated then would that not create difficulties? Best regards, Lin

Hey Eric, So how the heck do you "sleep" in the FIAT (Fix it Again Ted) - LOL. Actually, a really nice looking ride but now you will have to pay the Bed and Breakfast fees when you travel. It looks like there is plenty of room for all the camera gear. Actually, you could probably put my "travel car" in there in the back seat - HA! Here's mine: Depending on whether I'm going alone or with company - either will fit in my trailer..... LOL. Best regards, Lin

Hi Jose, You could also use the very good and free Wnsoft product Pixbuilder Studio which works just like Photoshop for this... Best regards, Lin

Hi Jose, The easiest way, I think, is to open Photoshop then open the file which you want transparency in. Get the file size by click on "Image" "Image size" then do a "select All" then "Edit, Copy" to copy it to the clipboard. Next close the file. Now click on "File" "New" and set the background content to "transparent" and the size to the identical dimensions of the file you have saved to the clipboard. Next click on "Edit" then "Paste" and you will then have your file which you want areas of to be made transparent "pasted" over a transparent background. Next use the eraser tool or selection tools to select and delete or "erase" the foreground image part you don't want. This will leave a "checkerboard" appearance which will be transparent when saved as a PNG file. The areas of the file which do not have the "checkerboard" appearance will be normally visible and the areas of the file which have the "checkerboard" appearance will be transparent revealing whatever lies on the layer beneath in PTE. Best regards, Lin

Hi Ed, PTE is a very sophisticated presentation software, but it is neither a video nor still image "editor." There are two schools of thought about slideshow presentation software and the developers of PTE as well as the majority of users of this fine product subscribe to the assumption that adjusting brightness, contrast, levels, gama and such are best done in dedicated video and still image editors rather than trying to make PTE into something it was not intended to be, which is the finest "presentation" product available. Though there are elementary adjustments possible for still images such as sharpness, opacity and the ability to change from color to monochrome, having video editing capabilities beyond manipulation of start and stop points, sound on or off, etc., are really tasks which should be done in dedicated editors rather than in presentation software. Perhaps there are some more sophisticated features planned in future versions of PTE, but the emphasis is decidedly on quality of presentation and the ability to manipulate images and video size, position, timings and mix rather than edit and "correct" errors in capture. To do sophisticated video editing is beyond the scope of presentation software just as sophisticated presentation is beyond the scope of editors. As an example, you can do myriad "editing" of still images with Photoshop, but beyond basic presentation is outside of the provenience of the Adobe product. You can also do incredible editing with a product such as Adobe Premiere, but presentation features such as possible with PTE are difficult and sometimes impossible with this fine Adobe product. Adobe expects you to purchase other dedicated product such as Aftereffects to achieve some of these goals. It's just not feasible to do "everything" in one product. My suggestion would be to use a reasonably good video editor such as Adobe Premiere Elements to get your video the way you want it, then use PTE to mix your video and stills and create your presentation. Think of PTE as you do your "camera." You don't expect to do sophisticated video editing in your capture device. You shouldn't expect to do sophisticated editing in your presentation device (PTE). You do expect to do sophisticated editing in your editor. As suggested, the freeware products can be perhaps sufficient, depending on your expectations and needs, but in reality, a good editor such as Premiere Elements will probably be in your future if video is going to be a large part of your creative direction. Best regards, Lin

Hi Charlie, Excellent mix of video, video slow motion, stills and masking!! A fine presentation demonstrating not only what can be done with PTE, but also how a show can be used to attract and keep the audience's interest - Bravo!! Best regards, Lin

Hi Peter, I can answer the first part of your question... Just "uncheck" the default "create menu" and the DVD will be created without a menu. As for "looping" the thing which makes a DVD play automatically (on a computer) is the "autorun.inf" file and whether it works at all depends on the settings on the individual computer. Televisions have different provisions and I'm not certain whether or not it would be possible to "loop" a show. Some one with more experience in creating DVD's will have to address that for you. It seems to me, however, if it's a "slideshow" and it's not too long, you could just copy and paste all the slides multiple times to "repeat" it as many times as the 4.7 gig disc would hold? Best regards, Lin

Hi Igor, Any editing capability for audio on video clips - such as fade-in, fade-out? Thanks, Lin

Hi Keith, Yes, that's very straight-forward to do. Give me about 10 minutes and I'll create and upload an example... Here ya go... http://www.lin-evans...nterexample.zip (zipped example) http://www.lin-evans...rexamplepte.zip (zipped pte project) O.K., this was done using the simple "text" character "E" in the "Wingdings 3" font. Just type the alphabet in lower and upper case to see the wide variety of arrows and other symbols available. No need to create your own PNG unless you just want to. The "text" arrow was originally white, but I chose "red" as the "font" color. The opacity is turned on and off by the keyframes using the "Animations" tab in the Objects and Animations screen. I just used the "sound comments" to quickly add the sound based on the timings for the flashing "arrow" and moved the arrow to the three sample places. Infinite variations are easily accomplished. Hope this is the type thing you are looking for... Best regards, Lin

Hi Ken, That was my experience too - excellent playback with the XVID codec. When I was photographing that little guy, I had three of them climbing my shirt and sitting on variously my shoulder, head and nosing around in my pockets looking for treats of any kind. Two were Chipmunks and one was a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel. Best regards, Lin

Nice one Johnnie. Just like being there except no insect bites! They look like they take good care of their elephants and their tourists as well! The little S1 IS is a great camera for this type record.... Best regards, Lin

I have uploaded a PTE created AVI video duplicate of my early PTE Demo show made with Beta 5.57 of PicturesToExe which is commonly used to test video cards in executable format. This video uses the XVID codec.The "exe" version really challenges the video card, while this video version should play perfectly on almost any system. Making the original was quite a challenge. Video clips were not a feature then and the Earth's rotation on its axis while rotating around the sun was accomplished entirely with multiple keyframed png transparencies (over 640 individual png files) and thousands of keyframes. The sun rotation simulation was done with a method suggested by Dominic (TheDom) using mostly "smoke and mirrors" - LOL. Actually - masking, shadows and a "flat" Sun surface were involved. The components for the "wrist watch" were generated with one of Panos' (of PanosFX) amazing Photoshop actions. If you have Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, I would suggest going to the PanosFX site (http://www.panosfx.com) to learn more about these amazing actions which can greatly enhance your shows. The watch was generated in Photoshop then the individual components were isolated and animated in a late PTE 5.7 beta. Even though it might not be apparent in the short one minute the watch is on screen - all three watch "hands" (sweep second, minute and hour) are all moving and keeping perfect time. I generated this video at 720P (1280x720 pixels) @60 fps (59.94 fps precisely). The video runs perfectly on a USB stick on my Samsung 40" HD (1080p) television. It also runs perfectly using my default player (Kantaris Media Player) on my computer. I am still amazed at the video quality which far exceeds what I have been able to accomplish with mp4 h.264 output from PTE. All animations are butter smooth, no jerky motion of any kind. The images quality is excellent and frankly, I can see no difference between the created executable and this AVI video. For anyone wanting to download and try it on their own suitable television or on their computer (you must have the XVID codec installed on your computer) here's a link. The file is zipped and is 280 meg... Download XVID Codec for PC here: http://www.xvid.org/...loads.15.0.html Download my file here: http://www.lin-evans...howwide_vid.zip The show is in 16:9 aspect ratio. Best regards, Lin

Hi Keith, If you mean a pointer which is somehow actuated by external voice command, no - that's not possible. If you mean an animated "arrow" or such which is synchronized with an audio track at a specific time, yes. That's very easy to do. If you could be specific about exactly what you want to accomplish, we can show you how to do it. Best regards, Lin

Hi Tom, Thanks! I thought it was a problem with his Mac and it's confirmed. He signed up for the Adobe Cloud and downloaded and installed all the CS6 suite software and since, has not been able to play the PTE output for Mac. His system just freeze frames at the opening. He just had it checked by Apple and they didn't find a problem, but it will have to go back I think. I had him go back and try to run other downloads which originally ran perfectly and most of them failed.... I'm not sure what the problem may have been with download speed. Normally it's average. This morning I downloaded the file in 85 seconds so whatever was causing the bottleneck is apparently resolved now. It could be the host was doing some maintenance... Best regards, Lin

Would appreciate it if someone with a Mac could try this and see if it runs.... I have a friend who has had failure with my last two Mac based videos and I'm suspicious that it may be an issue with his system. This is just a little test - not a "slideshow." No need for further downloads and tests - confirmed - problem with friend's Mac.... Thanks! http://www.lin-evans...mo/tigermac.zip Thanks, Lin

Hi, If you could use the "File" "Create Backup in Zip" function to create a PTE plus other necessary components zip and post a link to it, one of us will be glad to help you get this working. There should no issue if you have the image properly coded for a hyperlink, but to help you we really need to see the construct. Best regards, Lin

Hi Brian, It's really a strange issue that I see with the MP4 h.264 version which doesn't happen with the XVID avi version. In the opening scene, when the snow scene is rotated on the horizontal axis, there is a bifurcation of the image edge. It appears as if there were two images made into a "sandwich" and they separate slightly as they rotate. I see this on each MP4 that I create regardless of size or quality setting and regardless of single pass, double pass or bitrate. I put a copy on all five of my systems and it happens on each which all have different video cards and are either Win 7 or XP driven. The XVID AVI is perfectly smooth just like the executable. I uploaded the XVID version to Youtube and when it was transcoded by Youtube, it developed the same issue. The strange thing is that the MP4 h.264 version plays properly for you and for Colin as well. To further test this, I loaded it on a USB card and played it on my Samsung 40" LED 1080p television and had the same issue. I also loaded the XVID AVI and it played perfectly on the Samsung. I'm at a loss to explain the different responses which we are experiencing with the MP4 version. On my systems, it just isn't satisfactory. Tis a mystery! Another similar mystery related to video is the difference on my development system (I haven't tried on my other computers) between the "Preview" mode and a created EXE file of video taken with my Nikon 1V1 camera. The videos are HD in MOV format. They play perfectly when I drop them in and use the preview, but when I create a sample EXE they are very "jerky." Even when I run them through the PTE converter they are jerky in playback in an exe format. The question arises as to the difference between the Preview mode and the created EXE file??? Best regards, Lin

Hi Jose, Thanks! I'm not sure what the "tax" is for - that's much more than normal "sales tax" in the U.S. Ten percent tax would only be $3.50 so that must be some kind of VAT? If they charge that much "tax" for a United States sale, I wouldn't buy it because that's 20% and there is no state in the U.S. which charges that kind of sales tax. In Colorado the "state" sales tax is only 2.9%. Yes, I remember about the Alpha channel and it has been discussed with Igor. I don't know what might become available in future versions of PTE, but it's "possible" to get excellent chroma key extraction with the right software. Even Adobe Premiere Elements has excellent tools for doing really good chroma key extractions - perhaps Sony isn't as good. Several years ago I had the top Sony product (over $1700) but I lost it when my hard drive crashed and never bothered to re-install and look up my unlock key (I think that was also lost), As I remember, it was difficult for me to use it (not intuitive for me) and since video was not yet available in PTE, I just didn't pursue it. Maybe we will get lucky and have some of these features in a future version of PTE.... Let's hope... Best regards, Lin

Hi Brian, The one which works perfectly is the XVID version which you can download here: http://www.lin-evans...tingPTE_vid.zip The one which was uploaded to Youtube by Wnsoft is here: You will need the XVID codec to play the first one, but the difference is remarkable. The MP4 h.264 version just doesn't cut it... Best regards, Lin

Hi Tom, I was just going by one of the review comments by a user who said "forget about trying to use images with it." Perhaps it's been improved in that respect since that particular review comment. I suppose the only way to know is to download and try it. EDIT - I just downloaded it and I see no problems with adding images. You can't type over them in layers as you can with a desktop publishing software, but not a problem to center, left or right justify image and type above or beneath it. Who knows - Igor has said he has some "surprises" for us in 7.5 so we will just have to wait in anxious anticipation to see what happens in the beta - LOL. Best regards, Lin