Lin Evans

If I understand you correctly - is this what you want to do? http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sampl...rollingtext.zip If so, there is no completely automated way to do it, but it's very easy to do. Just create your text and scrolling animation for the first slide. Copy the text then go to each slide in Objects and Animations and "Paste" the copied text. It only takes a few seconds to do even with a hundred slides. There are no current plans that I'm aware of to have this as an automated feature but you could suggest it on the forum for consideration by the development team. Best regards, Lin

Hi Andrew, When you say "have tried this on multiple computers" could you explain what it is that you have tried and whether you were successful or not? Have you tried to install PTE on multiple computers which are running XP and had the identical problem? If so that would indicate a problem with your registration key. Is it PTE or Video builder which won't run or both? Since there are many thousands of installations which are working fine, the problem is either with your registration key(s) or with the operating environment. If this same problem exists with "mutiple computers (how many?) then it's more likely the registration key than the computers. Best regards, Lin

Hi Stew, Could you be a little more specific about what you want to do? I'm not clear on the term "rolling text banner." Do you want text to scroll up or down or sideways? Is it the same text message for each slide? If you can explain exactly what you are trying to accomplish perhaps I can help sort it out. Best regards, Lin

Hey Guys, Thanks! Those old Detroit irons are something else! Lots of room to stretch out, not much plastic to warp, crack and break and built to last. It would be great if they still made cars like did from the 40's to late 60's. The engines today are incredible but the body and soul just isn't there in most cases any more. Ken - I have a contract pending with S.S. He has offered $.25 up front and 5% of everything we get over $.02 for the next 30 minutes - LOL... Should I sign??? Best regards, Lin

Just a little fun thing for those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's. In Santa Rosa, New Mexico along old US Route 66 there's a great little car museum with some fantastic old "rods" and Detroit muscle iron. Great people and dedicated to the preservation of an era which was truly a fun time in US history. These are the cars I grew up with and I just made this little show a few years ago to help me remember what it was like when I was growing up in the 50's. Maybe today's younger generation will also enjoy seeing a few of these fantastic cars. Lin http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/route66.zip (about 12 meg)

Try this and see if it looks like what you want to do. http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/fogfadepte.zip Take the original image and copy it and paste over a white jpg. Next use the eraser tool at about 20% opacity and a huge brush (large enough to cover your entire image at once) to make the image appear "foggy". You can also apply about a 1% gaussian blur to add to the foggy look. Next place this fog images in the slide list followed by the original crisp image. Set the timing on the first image to about 12 seconds and with a nine second fade transition. Set the second image to whatever time you choose with about a 4 second fade transition. Note that I also used a bit of opacity fade in on the first image. See keyframes and opacity.... Best regards, Lin

On the expiration date - this won't work on a CD unless the CD is a rewritable type and played on a rewritable drive. Expiration dates work by comparing the date of expiration to the clock/calendar on the PC then making changes to the code of the executable file when that date rolls around. It's not possible to write to a non-rewritable CD so that code can't be altered to make the expiration date viable. Best regards, Lin

Here's a quick sample PTE file - could give you some ideas.... Slide the keyframes closer together, farther apart, etc., to see different possibilities. Also you could possibly move the center of rotation back to the center and rotate the leaf 360 at one location in the series of arcs, etc. http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/leaf.zip Best regards, Lin

Hi, It does not so much require complicated keypoints, it just requires moving the center of rotation for the object the necessary amount to create the desired arc, changing the XY axis relationship and such. Put your mouse cursor on the center (small square in center of frame) hold down the shift key and drag the center out of the rectangle. Now rotate the object and notice the "arc". The degree of "arc" depends on where you place the center. You can move this center at different keyframes to get different effects. Do all programming of leaf movement in linear then change to smooth and separate keyframes for each of pan, zoom and rotate after all movement is completed. If you could describe exactly what you want the leaf to do, I can explain how to accomplish it... Best regards, Lin

Hi Barbara, See my answer to you on your other post for how and why.... Best regards, Lin

Hi Barbara, It depends on the kind of effect you want to create. Let me try to answer your two questions from this post and the other in which you wanted to know "why" someone would want to use a mask. First, play this earlier demo I created - here's the link: http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sampl...demorevised.zip First for the "why" one would want to create a mask...... Did you notice the use of the mask to change from a black and white to color image? That was done using a simple white rectangle which acts as a "window" when set up as a mask in the 5.6 betas to allow you to see the image resting on the layer beneath the mask while still seeing the main image. Notice that on the third sample you see portions of three images superimposed on the main image - again done with masking. You "could" do this by creating partial images using PNG transparency objects but it would be very tedious and not nearly as effective. Did you notice the "magnifying glass?" This is done with the mask being a circle of white on a black background with the circle positioned and sized to exactly correspond with the "lens" area of the magnifying glass. The image revealed by the masked area is a duplicate of the main image but zoomed in and positioned to overlay the main image. This can't be done without using masking. In the waterfall samples notice water moving in various directions. Again - not really feasible without masking unless you have a great deal of time to devote to sectioning an image into numerous "slices" and great skill in positioning and timing. With masking it's very easy. Now for the "how to create a mask"... In the relevant sense, that is using layer masking rather than a simple PNG with a transparent center, a mask is nothing more than a black and white image. The black portion when used inside a Mask Container becomes transparent to allow the main image to show through. The white portion is opaque to the main image but transparent to the image on the next layer. The size of the white portion, the shape, whether solid or gradient, etc., determins the shape, size and transparency or opacity of the image revealed by the mask. Read this and I think it will help you get started with how to proceed: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7901 Download and read the PDF Mask Tutorial.... Here are some masks you can start with to get an idea of how to create..... http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/masksforbarb.zip Best regards, Lin

Hi Barbara, There are various types of "masks" which are useful. First, a "mask" in one sense is some image which sets in front of another image on a different layer and limits the extent of one's view of the image on the underneath layer. An example of this would be perhaps a PNG file which had a "rectangular" transparency area cut in the center allowing that part the image on the layer beneath the mask to show through in that cut-out area of the mask. One could zoom the image on the lower layer and the "mask" would prevent that portion of the zoomed image residing behind the mask from showing. Think of the CRT screen itself as a "mask". When a small rectangular image is zoomed it gets larger on all four borders until finally the extent of the CRT's viewing area prevents one from seeing the "edges" growing as the zoom increases. By using a black rectangular PNG "mask" the viewing area of the CRT can be diminished just as if you were to cut out a rectangular space in a black piece of paper and place it over the CRT so that the only portion of the image you would see would be what was visible through the cut-out. Think of the mask as simply an electronic piece of black paper. The second type of "layer mask" is one which lets you see the image or portion of image on an underlying layer without having to have a black PNG "cut-out" and while still seeing that part of the image on the upper layer which is not masked. In this scenario, the "mask" itself, unlike a black PNG mask is "invisible" but the "hole" or transparent part of the mask which can be any shape or size lets the underlying image be seen through that transparent part. It's possible with PTE to have "multiple" masks which allow multiple parts of multiple images to be seen simultaneously showing through the main image. In this scenario, any portion of the mask itself which is "black" will allow the main image to be seen while any portion of the mask which is "white" will allow the image on the layer beneath to show through the main image. Best regards, Lin

Hi Mary, Beautiful photos and innovative ways of using masks. I love the images within the leaves. Of course, as JPD says, some of it would be "possible" to do with PNG objects as well, but so much "easier" to do with layer masking and one doesn't need to spend the time manipulating the images to get specialized PNG objects. Rather use existing jpg's and one or two re-usable masks which can be manipulated in innovative ways to achieve myriad different effects. Great music as well! I've found that some of the ways I've used masks can also be done with manipulating PNG objects as well, but it's so much easier to experiment by positioning the jpg within the mask to get just the desired effect that I probably will always choose the layer mask when I have a choice. Best regards, Lin

Enjoy this special day! Best regards, Lin & Sherry

Beta 7: I opened a project where a file was missing so PTE reported the missing file. I substituted a different file in another location but PTE did not accept the change. It replaced the missing file in Objects and Animations but apparently doesn't update the PTE file that the changes have been made. When I save it gives me the error that the "file" was not found. In beta 6 there was no problem with this. There were problems in earlier beta versions. In Beta 7 the problem has returned. It seems as if in Beta 7 the PTE code is not being properly updated. Best regards, Lin

Hi JPD, At least in this beta it is "always" - not an option and it works very well! Best regards, Lin

Hi Doris, Thanks you so much for both the compliments and for the clarification and lyrics to Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It is indeed a very fun and "uplifting" song - one of my favorites since I was a young boy. Best regards, Lin

Thanks Peter, I really love this song. I first heard it in 1954 by Frank Weir when the translation as (The Happy Wanderer) was one of the top hits on American radio. I also have a recording under the title Der fröhliche Wanderer by Marlies and Will in German, but since I don't understand German very will I've never really known the origin but always suspected it was either Bavarian or German. I'm glad to learn the original title! Best regards, Lin

Hi Bart, They are amazing big shaggy beasts! We have a fair number in Colorado (where this herd was photographed) but I often spend time in Cimarron, New Mexico where Ted Turner has huge herds and the Boy Scouts have a herd of about 150 or so - I never grow tired of watching them.... Best regards, Lin

LOL - now if they would just give me an advance I might be able to make my next house payment! Best regards, Lin

http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/wandering.zip or Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/2163505 Lin

Hi Chris, The thing to keep in mind is that any black and white image can serve as a mask. The black portions will become transparent while the white portions will show those portions of the layer under the mask which correspond to the white portions of the mask. To see how this might work, make a monochrome (desaturated) copy of a color image and use that monochrome image to view the color image.... Myriad different types of masks can be created - your imagination is your only limit. Multiple masks can be applied to a single image or one can have multiple images and masks inside a mask container. Chris, here's a pte file to experiment with. Try deleting the image inside the mask, then click on undo and delete one mask, then use undo again and delete the image outside the mask, etc. You will find that as I have presented it you have elements of actually three possible images. You have the image outside the mask as the background, the young lady dancing inside the mask and revealed by the Mask1.jpg then also additional elements revealed by the full white mask. As you delete and undo you will get a feel for how this can work to produce many and varied effects. Notice that I have the opacity of the full "white" mask set to 20% which allows Mask1 to give 100% opacity of the face of the dancer yet blended opacity for the background of her shot. Having the background image outside the mask container allows this to happen. http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/sample/sample1.zip The best way to learn is to experiment.... Best regards, Lin

Hi, That's not correct (that the music would only play for one slide). If you add music through the Project Options, Music Tab the music will play until it either finishes or the slides finish display. If you add a second or subsequent song they will play in sequence in the same fashion. The only reason they would stop shy of finishing would be if you had opened "cutomize slide" "music" and placed a check mark beside "play new background music file(s)." If you can give details about the nature *mp3, wav, etc.) of the songs you want to play, the length of time in each, then we can explain further about how to either spread the length of the slides to fit the songs or repeat the songs, etc. Best regards, Lin

Hi Peter, What does "intuitive" mean to you? What may seem "intuitive" for some presents a total mystery for others. I agree with Ken and Brian that the majority of issues people complain about have little to do with the interface not being "intuitive" but rather that a majority have to do with jumping into the deep end without flotation devices before learning to swim. Try to understand keyframing as presented by the competition if you want to see a perceived non "intuitive" interface. Try to understand Sony Vegas Video's interface for an enlightening experience with possibly the epitome of non-intuitive. Try to unravel and plumb the depths of Photoshop and layers, etc. There really is no such thing in my experience as software which is particularly "intuitive" but rather individual learning curves associated with different approaches. I believe that after sufficient time with nearly "any" program a user with moderate intelligence and normal computer savy can learn to work with it. It takes time and users need to begin with the simple and work toward the complex - that's why we write user guides, provide PDF and AVI tutorials, etc. Cross-cultural issues and language issues may play a role in how PTE is perceived by various users, but it's not generally useful to attempt to oversimplify complex software by crippling it by trying to oversimplify it for beginners. Just because a function is available doesn't mean one must immediately use it in my opinion. At the basic level PTE is extremely easy to use and understand. Just load images and run a show complete with transitions. If you want to add background music it's very easy to do. People only need to learn a few simple commands to produce beautiful results. With power comes complexity. With great power comes great complexity. As PTE advances in terms of power and flexibility the interface necessarily becomes more complex. I've been using Photoshop since it has been available and I still have much to learn. Is it because the interface isn't "intuitive?" I don't think so. It's because to use it to its full potential one must learn a great deal of new terms, procedures and different approaches to different problems. Likewise I believe with any powerful software. Can there be improvements to PTE's interface? Of course there can, and there have been. Will it be possible to make it fool-proof for those who rush into attempting to do things before they fully understand the interactions? I don't think so...... Best regards, Lin

Do you have an executable of your show? If so the images can be recovered. Lin