Lin Evans

Hey Ken, Good eye! A+ - visual memory C+ Different room - no snow on this one - LOL. The one with snow outside is unchanged as is the bedroom scene for Christmas with snow. I didn't put any in this one because I wanted to keep the file size down and to insure it would work with minimal resources. Best regards, Lin

An experiment.... There's much more going on in this presentation than is readily apparent. The interesting thing to me is the facility for doing this using PTE to accomplish some of these tasks which would not be possible with most other presentation slideshow software. For example, the pictures (above the fireplace and on the table) were replaced with ones from my artist friend Lisah. Not as straight forward as it might appear because each of them present issues which require XY and Z axis manipulation because of perspective. PTE made this fairly simple to do. The view through the windows was changed via creation of a PNG transparency then using layers in PTE, the completed image was captured with HyperSnap at higher screen resolution then the jpg was placed in the show replacing the PNG. There are three "mini-videos" running in masks. The candles, the fireplace fire and I'll let the viewers find the third.... there are also png objects used for overlay in a few places. All in all - an interesting challenge, but PTE was up to it. The purpose of three small videos rather than one large one was to conserve both resources and file size for this show which runs four minutes. http://www.lin-evans.org/justdroveby/jdbmac.zip (Native MacIntosh exe - about 35 meg) http://www.lin-evans.org/justdroveby/jdbpc.zip (Windows PC zipped format - about 35 meg) Lin

It's difficult to say why without more information. Which operating system, which version of PTE? Can you see the "magic.exe" show? If so, then PTE can "play" an FLV video on your system. The next thing would be to try a different Flash FLV video. It could be that there is something about your particular FLV which PTE doesn't like even though you can see it with another player. Try moving it to a different folder. Open PTE and navigate to the new folder and try File/New and see what happens when you drag the FLV into the slide list. If that one doesn't work, try another If neither work, zip up the PTE file and send it along with the FLV which doesn't work to Igor. Best regards, Lin

You probably just need to load the latest Adobe Flash player on your system. I use Flash in PTE all the time - if you can play the "magic" exe you can see Flash with the proper player which PTE becomes. PTE has no problems with Flash as far as I can determine. It could be that without the ability to play Flash because you don't have the Adobe Player installed, you are not able to import into your PTE file, but once you can play a Flash video you "should" be able to use it in a PTE show with no problems. Best regards, Lin

Hi Colin, It was in Flash FLV format. Actually, most any format will look really good if the original capture is decent and the frame rate and bit rate are not compromised by subsequent format changes. I suspect the original was taken from a tripod and with a decent video camera or dSLR then simply transferred to Flash FLV with a good bitrate and original capture frame rate. Best regards, Lin

O.K., Here's your project file: http://www.lin-evans.org/magnify/magnifyingegypt.zip Here's a zipped exe: http://www.lin-evans.org/magnify/magnify.zip Play with the "opacity" to make the shadow of the magnifying glass stronger, weaker, & move it's position as desired. If you change a keyframe for position of the "frame" to move the magnifying glass, do likewise for the "mask circle". Change to linear before making changes and change back to "smooth" and "separate" keframes for each of PZR to get smooth movement after any changes. This should give you a starting point at least... Best regards, Lin

Xaver has showed you how to do this, and even given you a template to work with. If you have the png file of the magnifying glass from your "template," all that's different is the circular mask is placed where the "glass" of the magnifying glass is located. You do that by positioning the mask itself rather than the container. If you take the small amount of time to "learn" how it's done, you won't need a template to do it in the future. Essentially, you have two copies of the same image at different (zoom) magnifications . The one with the greater magnification is the one inside the mask. The circular mask just "reveals" the image with the greater zoom which is on a layer beneath the image to be magnified. You use keyframes to adjust the position of the mask and "magnifying glass." You can use the "parent/child" relationship to more easily move the magnifying glass frame and mask together in synchronization. The "template" you attached from Dominic just "brightens" the image because the opacity levels are different on the images. What you should do is study the template Xaver gave you then use the PNG image of the magnifying glass and also the reflection, etc., if you want, but put the magnifying glass "frame" inside a circular mask which you can select right in PTE.l Adjust the size of the mask to fit the circle of the imaginary magnifying glass optic itself. Don't use too much blur - maybe 5 percent. The "image" you put inside the mask should be a duplicate of the one outside but zoomed in. You can adjust the position of the image manually via pan. If you want the magnifying glass to appear to magnify greater in real time, you simply change the "size of the magnifying glass frame" (make it larger as if it were being raised toward the viewer) while simultaneously zooming the image within the mask. The template you have from Dom was done before PTE had masking capabilities so there was no way to make the glass appear to actually "magnify" anything..... If you provide the image you want to use - I'll do a very quick sample for you and you can work from that.... Best regards, Lin

Translated into Canadian: eh? L

http://www.lin-evans.org/magic/magiccardman.zip Just a little fun diversion for all to see.... Lin

Hi Bob, Good one! Nice analysis of the crowd and probably "right on" in your conclusions! Good to see you posting here and looking forward to more from you soon! Best regards, Lin

Hi David, EXCEPT.... there are hundreds of thousands of implementations of AVG being used by potential viewers of PTE shows. Even if "everyone" who visits this forum tossed out AVG and installed Microsoft Security Essentials, the very serious issue of false positives would remain a problem. The developers of AVG MUST fix this issue. Some time ago it was Symantec's SONAR product which was causing fits. They "finally" seem to have corrected their problem. Now it's AVG and similar programs which apparently use the same "engine" which are reporting the same false positives. We can patch our own issues by using different products, but the real underlying problem is still there and it must be addressed, or the public's "opinion" of PTE will be severely compromised. In my opinion, we can't just bury our heads in the sand and ignore this. Best regards, Lin

Hi Tom, There are a few different ways to do this. Perhaps easiest way would be with a slowly moving mask. The text would be placed inside the mask and the portions of the mask which were white would "reveal" the letters while the black portion would "conceal" the letters. So if you created a PNG or JPG file which started with black on the right side then gradually changed to pure white and keyframed this mask to move slowly from far left to far right, the letters would sequentially be gradually revealed. It could also be accomplished by keyframing the opacity of individual letters across the timeline, but the above would be much easier to accomplish. Here's a quick "template" you can modify or change the background to video or still frame, but you can see how to do this... http://www.lin-evans...xt/template.zip and a quick demo: http://www.lin-evans.org/text/textrevealdemo.zip Best regards, Lin

It occurred to me that actually, it wouldn't be all that difficult for PTE to make the Luma Matte without using an expensive package of any kind. The latest version of Adobe After Effects only works on 64 bit systems running Vista or later operating systems (Thanks Ken - for looking that up and reminding me) so in my case that's a non starter because I can't even afford After Effects let alone a new computer to run it on - LOL. Bottom line is this (I'm simplifying a bit but the essence is correct): There are plenty of free software packages which can take a video and extract each frame as a jpg. Then there are free programs such as Windows Movie Maker which comes with the Windows operating system which can take the individual jpgs and make a video from them. So what can be easily done is to take a green screen video where one photographs the subject in front of and a few feet away from a solid green backdrop. Once the video is complete. First copy the original, then use freeware to extract each frame from the copy. Set up a batch action operation in Photoshop or similar program to use the select color range to select the green then inverse the selection and find and replace it in batch mode with 255,255,255 (RGB) white. Next, deselect and select the white, inverse and repeat the process replacing everything "except" white with 0,0,0 (RGB) black. Next use Windows Movie Maker or Quicktime with the MacIntosh to create a video matching the original in frame rate, aspect ratio and size. Now you essentially have your Luma Matte for the mask itself and your green screen original to furnish the video portion inside the mask which will reveal only that portion of the video which is pure white, which is what you wanted to begin with. You then overlay this masked video on the video or still of your choice and manipulate the mask container for PZR, and 3d transform as desired. Voila! Green Screen Alpha Channel capabilities in PTE. All we need is the video as a mask! It "shouldn't be very difficult to program the ability to extract frames, from a green screen video and convert it to a Luma Matte right in PTE once we have video as a mask incorporated. There are details I've omitted such as the necessity for a really "good" green screen capture with minimal "splash" over. This essentially means that if the subject to be extracted is too close to the green backdrop, green reflected light will "shadow" the subject and make it much more difficult to get a clean luma matte. The subject edges of both the luma matte and the green screen frame must be "softened" a bit with a slight edge blur so there is no abrupt change where green could show through. One way to help deal with that would be to also replace the "green" in the video to be included in the video mask with medium or dark gray. This would be much less noticeable than a slight "green" halo. I've tested this theory in actual application using still images taken from a rather "bad" green screen capture and it works quite well so assuming that the precepts could be maintained, it should be a viable possibility for PTE. Best regards, Lin

Hi Barry, Though you may be correct about this forum and the amount of "expressed" interest in video, I believe you greatly underestimate the market at large for this product and the absolute necessity of being competitive with video. There are many, many users of PTE who do not post on the forums or even visit the forum. There is a "huge" market out there for presentation slideshow products and essentially "all" of them have relatively sophisticated video capabilities. I doubt PTE would be competitive in the near future without it. Realize that many here who use this product are older and much more conservative about what they do with it. On the other hand, we old codgers won't be around that many more years and the younger users absolutely demand video. Adobe Premiere is a wonderful product, but absolutely "not" more capable for doing the things that PTE does easily, nor is it a simple product to use effectively for making superior slideshows. PTE has the ability to "easily" do things which are terribly difficult and/or exceedingly awkward with video editors. We are missing only a few features from this product in relation to video, which, if implemented, could open entirely new and lucrative markets for it such as a low cost and powerful competitor for PowerPoint with corporations who do in-house productions. I've spent many years in the corporate environment with large companies such as Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, etc., and I have a good handle on what they want and will buy. I see a very strong future for this product not only in users who are interested in PTE for AV presentations, competitions, family slideshows,etc., but also in the corporate arena and even in small businesses. Whether we older users like it or not, video is here to stay. Younger potential customers absolutely demand it. In general, they have little or no use for a presentation slideshow product which "can't" implement video effectively and quickly. I have Premiere and I wouldn't dream of using it, for example, to quickly make a presentation with multiple video's involving masking, moving masks via keyframe, opacity changes, etc. It's just "way" too complex to do it effectively. Likewise with some other powerful Adobe products like After Effects. I've watched demos put on by experts in the use of After Effects where they were using traveling luma matte implementation. I can do the things they were accomplishing in After Effects in a quarter the time and much more effectively with PTE right now! This tool has a wonderful future if we don't drop the ball and forget the future and get bogged down with yesterday's thinking. Yes, audio implementation needs improving and I believe that's on the table. But video needs more features and capabilities to stay current even with products like ProShow Producer. So in my opinion, Video in PTE is far from "completed." You are 100% correct that it is "Igor's" baby and he, of course will make the decisions about how to proceed with the product. Best regards, Lin

Cool Moises, Love it!! Early Merry Christmas to you and your too! I wish JPD were around to see it - he would love it too! Lin

Barry, Are you sure video is "complete?" There are still a number of possibilities for video which have not yet be realized. Audio controls for video, video as a mask, BluRay output of video and stills, possibly AVCHD,, possibly some controls over video speed, such as frame rate manipulation, etc to keep up with the competition..... Best regards, Lin

Hi Boogie, If I find one, I'll post a link.... The only software which I'm certain can do this is Adobe After Effects, but it's "way" over my budget. I have queries out at a few websites to see if I can get any suggestions for cheaper ways to accomplish this. After Effects is a wonderful package - you can even create videos with alpha channel without green screen/blue screen extraction using their new Rotoscope feature. It's extremely powerful, flexible, etc., but with all this power comes great "expense." Legit copies are hard to find for under $600 U.S.D. and generally run closer to $900 U.S.D. Best regards, Lin

Hi Eric, Can't get into your "wishlist" without some more information..... email me at lin@learntomakeslidshows.net Best regards, Lin

Hi Boogie, No luck with that. I think it takes a more sophisticated video editor to output both an alpha channel video and the luma matte. Best regards, Lin

Beautiful photos and presentation Maureen - I put a direct link to your presentation at Beechbrook for you on your post. Best regards, Lin

That's another good and viable option. Probably the best option if one doesn't have a Nikon camera and want to use a video from that camera ... I've modified my post above to include this link.... My suggestion, however, is to download it from my site here http://www.lin-evans...edia/xmedia.zip rather than spend an hour trying to find a place to download where you don't have additional junk like toolbars, players and other non-wanted "add-on's" automatically installed or requiring "opt-out" on your system. The freeware download business has been totally over-run with junk add-on's. Even the author's own site is not immune to these pests! Best regards, Lin

Hi John, As David and Gary have mentioned - there are several ways to deal with this until PTE has video sound editing capabilities. There are freeware video editors available where you can adjust your sound in the video. You can fade-in and fade-out and adjust volume on audio tracks in your video that way. I haven't tried Windows Movie Maker myself, but I have used the free version of Video Pad Video Editor by NCH (I'll provide links later in this post). The only problem with these approaches is that it requires a bit of learning to use the video software. Not a monumental task, but definitely takes a little time even for an experienced user. The other approach, which works quite well if you don't require absolute synchronization between voice and video image is to simply "mute" the video and insert an mp3 of the video sound track as a sound object and then use the full power of the PTE audio controls to fade-in, fade-out, control volume anywhere in the sound track, etc. Of course this brings up the question of how to create an mp3 audio from the video's audio track. The way I do it is with a tool which records any sound going to the sound card on your computer. The program I use to do it with is inexpensive and called "Audio MP3 Sound Recorder." However, in searching the web, I found a freeware tool which apparently does the same thing. Here's a link to that: http://download.cnet...4-10698910.html I haven't tried the freeware tool linked above, but from the description on the link it appears to be capable of doing this. Below are links to the tool I use which is not free, but is very useful and works very well: http://www.mp3-recorder.biz/buy.htm And below this a link to the site where you can download the free version of Video Pad Video Editor: http://www.nchsoftwa...opad/index.html I believe Xaver's suggestion to use Xmedia Recode is probably the best solution of all if you don't have a Nikon camera because it preserves the synchronization between audio and video. I'll repeat my suggestion further down here. Rather than try to find and download this video tool on the web, I've searched out a "tool bar free" and "add on free" downlad and uploaded the install as a zipped link on my site. Unfortunately, freeware today has been overwhelmed by add-on junkies who put tool-bars, players and all types of unwanted add-on's making it almost impossible for the uninitiated to download a clean copy of the install without polluting their system with unwanted code which they later have to uninstall with various degrees of success. Even trying to download the actual "program" you want is a monumental task anymore. Deceptive links abound on download sites. One "thinks" they are downloading the desired program and instead end up with all types of "other" software. It took me an hour to actually get a clean copy of Xmedia Recode. I zipped it and the link is below for those interested. http://www.lin-evans...edia/xmedia.zip Hopefully, one of the methods suggested will help you get your audio track under control like you want it. Xaver's suggestion (link above) is, in my opinion, the best way to go. Best regards, Lin

Hi Robert, LOL - those "mini-peaks" can be distracting for sure! The ripples were an example of running and sizing a video inside a mask. Actually, it was the same video used in the opening slide. I suspect they (the images you mention) were Wales. Funny story - last time Sherry and I were in Wales I thought maybe I might look up some distant relatives. My great grandfather and his six brothers came to the U.S. from Wales and I thought perhaps I could learn a little about my genealogy. When I looked in the phone book in Cardiff, about half the book shared my last name - LOL. I decided that my relatives must be among, if not the most prolific rascals in Wales. I gave up that idea as a lost cause! I've never entered any AV competitions, actually I've never seen one, so haven't a clue about what goes on. Everything I know about competitions I've learned from the forum here. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., there seem to be very few AV competitions, at least that I'm aware of. My experience with AV in any formal way is greatly limited. In past years, I made shows for business clients, primarily in the art world, but that's a fairly specialized venue and oriented toward selling art to customers. Years ago we had a camera club in Boulder, Colorado but interest waned, and it seems that there are not many who have the time or inclination any more for such. I guess a great deal of that is because of the internet. I envy your pervasive interest in the U.K. and in Europe in AV clubs, competition, etc. I think competition is a healthy thing for promoting overall improvement in the skills of presentation. Of course there are bound to be issues with judges and "opinions" about what makes a good AV presentation. I've always eschewed "politics" and probably wouldn't fit in very well. Best regards, Lin

Hi Paul, To save a little reading - go here: # 18 should get you going.... Best regards, Lin

Try a couple things: First click on View then Timeline Options and check the color of the waveform and make sure it's not white. it it's white, change it to a color which can be seen against the white background. If it's not white, then put your cursor just below the blue waveform icon until the cursor changes to up and down arrows with parallel lines in between. Hold the left mouse button down and drag the line upward a couple inches and see if the waveform appears... The fact that a vertical line appears below the little blue up arrow means that the waveform is there - for whatever reason you can't see it.... Lin