Lin Evans

Actually you "can" do this with PTE, but it's not straight forward and you have to ask yourself if you really "want" to do it with PTE? To accomplish this you would need to first load the song twice. Next set the ending time for the first iteration of the song to where you want to splice it. Next set the beginning of the second iteration to the time where the song resumes. It's not a very satisfactory way of dealing with a silence and would be "much" better to take the selection into Audacity where you could precisely cut out the silence. Best regards, Lin

Very nice use of artistic graphics with excellent photos and presentation - well done! Best regards, Lin

Hi Guys, Thanks! The interesting thing is that with the powers of PTE, we can actually do things with some of the animated GIF's which go beyond their native animated scope. For example, with Sqirlz Water Reflections, it's possible to get a rippling water effect (sort of a sloshing reflection effect) or you can have little circular spreading ripples as if rain drops were falling on still water, etc. You can have rain or snow effects with either of these, but you can't have the "sloshing" reflection AND the little circular ripples together. However, with PTE it's very easy to create two animated GIF files and combine them with variable opacity to get the desired effect not possible with either original. Likewise with animated text such as we can get from XARA. We can combine 3D transforms, flips, etc., and get much more from these animated GIF's than what they provide on their own by using the various masking, 3D Transform, variable opacity, parent/child relationships, etc. PTE is indeed an amazing tool for creating very sophisticated effects if one simply takes the time to learn to use it. Best regards, Lin

While we anxiously await the beta1 of PTE 7.0 with video clip capabilities, I thought perhaps that many haven't fully exploited the possibilities of animated GIF files. Though we generally think of animated GIF's as cute little animated clips which are rather simple and perhaps amateurish in nature, there are a few low cost as well as freeware programs which allow creation of more realistic type animated GIF files. Xara allows some really nice 3D text with professional animation and Squirlz Water Reflections allows some fairly realistic and useful water animations which can be sometimes nice when not overdone. Below is a sample using Squirlz Water Reflections. It took all of about 3 minutes to create including creation of the animated GIF's and the PTE program. I just set it to a Gordon Lightfoot tune I particularly like - have a look if you're inclined to.... http://www.learntoma...olfripplepc.zip (about 6.5 meg) http://www.learntoma...lfripplemac.zip (about 6.6 meg) Lin

Could you zip up your show using the PTE zip and post a link - I'll look and see what might be wrong. If the box is checked to allow keyboard (Project Options/Advanced Tab/Permit Control of Show Using Keyboard) it "should" allow that for an Executable show only. If you have created and played your show as an MP4 or other video format, this doesn't work. Best regards, Lin

Hi BB, Actually, I put a link on your question about frames, but here's a duplicate and I'll put on in the original above too: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7901 Scroll to the bottom to number 26 and click on the download link. It's a large file, about 360 megabytes and installs giving you the entire set of twelve AVI tutorials. Best regards, Lin

Hi BB, There are countless ways you can use Frames or Rectangles to you advantage in creating various animations with your pictures or with objects. In this sense, objects being a PNG transparency where only the subject is visible and whatever background there might be has been rendered transparent. Perhaps it might help you to download my free tutorials from the Tutorials and Articles section here: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7901 There is an AVI tutorial on Frames and Rectangles which can get you started. To address your immediate question, however, you are actually talking about a parent/child relationship. The image is not really "inside" a frame, but rather "attached" to the frame in a parent/child relationship. What this means is that you can manipulate the parent in terms of size, position, rotation, etc., and the child will follow the parent's lead. However, the child can also have its own animation within the parameters of the parent's animation. For example, if you were to separate the frame and image so that the image were in the bottom center of your monitor to start and the frame were in the center of the monitor. Create a keyframe at some point along the time line for both the frame and the image then set the rotation for the frame to 360 degrees the child "image" would rotate around the screen in a circular motion from the bottom to side to top to side to bottom. When the image was at the top of the monitor it would be upside down during the rotation, etc. But, if you were to set the rotation simultaneously for the "child image" so that it rotated in the opposite direction from the frame, the image would remain upright during its circle around the monitor. The above is only one of countless ways you can use frames. A rectangle might be considered as a "visible frame". They are quite similar in this respect. Being invisible, you can use the frame in countless creative ways to perform various actions. For example, you might assign some "action" such as to "exit" on a mouse click to the frame. Position the frame at the top right of the screen and make it large enough to cover say a quarter of the screen. Then any time some viewer clicked the mouse in the upper right quadrant of the screen, the slideshow would "exit." As for your question about not being able to "select" the frame, on the bottom right of the Objects and Animations screen, click on the "Tools" button and be certain that you have a checkmark beside "Ignore Objects Not Selected". Not having this checkmark may be responsible for the issue you are seeing. I think if you download my tutorial set (the last selection on the PTE Made Easy section) it may help you to understand many things about PTE which you may find helpful. Best regards, Lin

The PTE Tutorial set I formerly sold on my website is now available for free download on the Tutorials section of the forum under the PTE For Smarties/PTE Made Easy heading. Go to number 26 at the bottom of the first thread. The series is 12 lessons and though made back in the 5.0 era of PTE development, is still a good resource I think for those wanting to understand how PTE works and learn the basics. It's about a 360 meg download and is a self-installing Microsoft msi file Here's a convenience link: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7901 Scroll to the bottom beyond the "red numbers" to #26 and click on the download link.there. Best regards, Lin

Hi Linzi, Best to go to theDom's website - this series of posts are from 2009 so it may still be available there - hard to say. Dom has been ill and has not been on the forum for some time now. Here's a link to his site: http://www.thedom.fr/ Best regards, Lin

One of the problems with our newer technology is that Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, has decided to boycott Flash. What does this mean to you if you display your videos on your own website? It simply means that those who visit your site with an iPod or iPad, etc., which doesn't run Flash, will not be able to see your shows..... There is a solution now from Josh Anderson, who introduced the "Transparent Player" a while back. I commented on it then and am happy to report that there have been significant improvements to an already fine product. Now, when a visitor using an iPod or iPad, etc., comes to your website, your Flash slideshows can automatically be detected and played for them by a fallback to HTML5 which is included in the really neat little Transparent Player Josh sells. You can read all about it here: http://transparentplayer.com/ I think this offers the best overall solution at this time for those wanting to provide availability of their slideshows for everyone..... Best regards, Lin

Absolutely delightful! This had me rolling on the floor laughing!! Thanks, Lin

Hi Edwin, Hold down the CTRL key and click on each desired slide to make multiple selections. Once selected, you may move groups of slides. Best regards, Lin

Hey Robert, About the legs keeping up with the shutter finger - I could name that tune! Me trying to give you a "powder lesson" would be like the blind leading the lame - LOL. Downhill skiing to me would be trying to stay alive by frequenting only the "bunny slopes" - the thought of straddling a tree at my age puts the fear of meeting my maker sooner rather than later into sharp relief! I'll stick to the slow cross-country where I can stop to rest - er, "ponder the wonders of nature" at frequent intervals and leave the downhill to the youngsters who have the requisite energy and aptitude. HA! Actually, most of my time in the deep powder and high country is spent on my old trusty Vermont Tubbs snowshoes these days. Best regards, Lin

Hey, Good one Robert - (Grandpa) beats the heck out of "shoveling snow" now doesn't it! Great shots of the youngsters. Looks like they were really enjoying themselves. You should have handed one of them the camera on the slopes to catch a few frames of you in the powder!! Really nice shots of a beautiful place. I really liked the ending frame too!! Best regards, Lin

Added a couple links to extended version with more good "Harley" music - LOL Lin

Bottom line is: You can't. If it is available for viewing on the web, it can and will be downloaded and saved by someone. With an executable file, you can put in a password so only someone who has the password can "play" the executable. For a video which is available via the web either by embedding or link, there is presently no reliable way to protect it by preventing a "save." For a video file to be played it either must reside on the server (streaming) or must reside in a hidden temporary folder on the user's computer (pseudo streaming) such as with Flash FLV, or be downloaded in its entirety to the client such as with Flash SWF . When it is played either way on the client machine it can always be "captured" in numerous ways. I'm afraid you will be wasting your effort trying to prevent the viewer from saving the file. Best regards, Lin

Hi Igor, Impressive! Nice to see masking and the really smooth transitions from video to stills! Congratulations!! Lin

Hi Colin, I know what you mean!! I get easily distracted too! LOL. Lin

Hi Daniel, HA! I'll let Harley worry about the bike and I'll do the checkups and inspection of the passenger - LOL. Best regards, Lin

Thanks George, it's good to be back. The cold weather we have had (-16 F here and -41 close by) has me already dreaming of summer - LOL... Lin

Hi George, Those are some really great abstracts! The Daub programs indeed produce very colorful and interesting abstracts. Another you may be interested in exploring is Apophysis. It generates some amazing fractal and flame patterns - Here's a link: http://www.apophysis.org/ Best regards, Lin

After temperatures ranging from -16 F here to -41 F a few miles away this winter, I'm ready for summer (and winter just started LOL) - just bored and playing...... http://www.learntoma...erdreamspc2.zip (PC Windows 18 meg) http://www.learntoma...rdreamsmac2.zip (MacIntosh 18 meg) 1/12/11 And for those who like Harley's - I added a couple more and another good Harley tune..... http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/summer/summerdreamspc3.zip (PC Windows - about 35 meg) http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/summer/summerdreamsmac3.zip (MacIntosh - about 35 Meg) Lin

And what lovely image they are! Thank's Maureen, that was a wonderful gift for us to end the year with. Happy New Year to you and your family - in a paraphrase of the old Irish blessing: May the photographic trails rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. May the rains fall softly upon your flowers. And until we some day meet, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand... Best wishes, Lin

Thanks you all and the very best New Year to everyone!!! Lin

Hi Bernard, Beautifully photographed!! And wonderfully presented - Thanks! Lin