Lin Evans

Hi Bwat, For now, just copy the button in the Objects List and Paste then change the text and other attributes to suit. This will preserve all the attributes as in the older buttons. You will need to drag the copied button off the original. Be sure that no selection is active in the Objects List so as not to make the pasted button a "child" of another unless that's what you need. I'll take a look and see about the differences and get back.... Best regards, Lin

The Hue, Saturation and Lightness sliders combined with the "Theme" control the color of the button background. Clicking on the "A" or the bar beside "B" "I" "U" allows access to any color for the text on the button. I'm not entirely clear on what isn't available but perhaps if you could post a couple samples I could help clear up any problems. Best regards, Lin

Hi Charles, The probability is that something isn't right with the sixth image. Try removing the images one at a time starting with image six and try the preview. If you still can't get it to work, use the "Create Zip" feature and post the PTE and we can take a look and help you figure out what's going on. Best regards, Lin

Hi Jean-Pierre, Yes, that suggestion would be correct - the only thing which would change would be that you would no longer need to "separate" manually all the keypoints pairs when you apply a non-linear movement function. You could still have the option of deciding which pairs to glue or separate with the "Custom" feature so keypoint values would not be affected differently than now, just time saved in applying templated (smooth, accelerate, slow) non-linear functions to new slides. In other words, no loss in usefulness or changes in existing values, just a savings of time. Best regards, Lin

Yes, not so much a motivation but more of a caveat to not obsess over the process because even those who make enlargements for a living can't agree on the best way to proceed in every case. If people knew how much work went on in the labs to make their simple snapshots sparkle they would never attempt film photography. Fortunately, in the past it was more like point the camera, frame the subject, hold it as still as you can and snap the shutter. Then wait a week or so and see what comes back. Sort the good ones to put in an album and throw the rest with the negatives in a shoebox. I spoke with Ansel Adams many years ago in San Francisco and asked him why over the years several of his famous prints such as Moonrise, Hernandez New Mexico were visually different in different prints? He told me that a full ten years after he snapped the shutter he was still "tweaking" the negative and looking for perfection. These days, with digital negatives the photographer becomes the lab technician. Leave it to the professionals to obsess over details and just remember the basics: if you downsample your images you "may" want to apply a little USM (unsharp mask) to bring back the crispness especially for images which won't be zoomed. Too much sharpness will cause excessive "sparkle" when you zoom out. Otherwise, get the size close to that of the average display device and worry more about the aesthetics of your show than the technicals of your photograph and you will be very happy with the results. In a nutshell, "don't sweat the small stuff" - LOL Best regards, Lin

Hi Guys, Having a default for more than two keypoints set to a non-linear function to "separate" by default when one of the non-linear movements is selected rather than "glue" would not prevent one from using the "Custom" function to do everything possible as it is now, it would only facilitate the ease of use of features like smooth movement. As it is now, if I elect to have "smooth" for all my slides and I have 30 slides and each has perhaps on average six keyframes, I must create the slideshow in linear then go back to each slide, change the P&Z&R to "smooth" then separate six glued keypoints times three for each of PZR for 30 slides. This takes considerable time. By making separate the default one would only need to select smooth (or accelerate or slow, etc.) for each slide for PZR. It would still be possible to select "Custom" and program each pair of keyframes to suit and change the default curves in any way desired. It seems to me to just be an enormous time saver. Best regards, Lin

Hi Maria, Check the "Create MPEG2 file" in Video Builder and uncheck "Burn DVD disc" and this will create your video but without the DVD menu. Change the path to where you wish the file to be saved. You can then preview it on your computer and decide if everything is correct before burning it to DVD. Also I would suggest using rewritable DVD's while in the development stage of your DVD show so that you can correct any issues without wasting a DVD blank. Once you have everything as you like, then burn to a regular DVD. Best regards, Lin

Hi Barry, Excellent throughout! Very smooth and a great promotional for PTE and informational for the public! Best regards, Lin

Hi Dom, I agree. It always seemed logical to me that when "smooth" or any of the other non-linear functions were selected except "custom" then the keypoints "should" be separated automatically. This would greatly reduce the time necessary to achieve the desired goal. With multiple keypoints and multiple slides it becomes very time-consuming to first do everything in linear then go back, change the PZR to smooth then go in and manually separate each keypoint. The same utility could be achieved in terms of versatility by having "custom" act like it does now. Then if the user wanted smooth between keypoints one two and three they could "separate" then if they wanted accelerate between three and four and "slow" between four and file they could "customize" it within the framework of "Custom" rather than having to do this for each keypoint pair when all that is desired is to have "smooth," etc., for the entire slide. Best regards, Lin

Hi Peter, JPG files may be saved as progressive or not. Progressive scans line one, two, three, etc., and when a progressive jpg loads, especially if it's a large file being viewed on an appropriate browser, you will see the file build from the top down. If not progressive, some browsers wait until the entire file is loaded then display all simultaneously while other browsers display alternate pixels (looks fuzzy) until all are loaded and rather suddenly all becomes clear. Some web designers like progressive because the viewer at least sees "something" happening and knows that the file selected for viewing is actually loading. With some of the older browsers nothing happened at all until the entire file was downloaded from the source to the host computer. On a very large file this means that one "might" assume that they didn't properly select the file and either go away discouraged or click repeatedly on the source which can also cause issues. On the issue of interpolation - there are myriad interpolation algorithms and some work much better than others depending on the final disposition of the file. What looks good on screen is not necessarily what looks good in print. Also the size you intend to display or print will often determine which interpolation algorithm works best. Photoshop only uses a few (depending on your version of Photoshop) but other programs including Irfanview have a larger selection. Bicubic tends to soften images as they are enlarged. Attempts have been made to counter this with Bicubic Sharper. As images are downsampled they also often loose sharpness as pixels are removed. Lanczos, Pyramid, Various iterations of Bicubic, Genuine Fractals, Spline, etc., are all unique in certain ways. Really good interpolation is akin more to a "black art" than to science because there are so many variables it's nearly impossible to know what will work best in every case. For example - I use variously Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sigma, Pentax, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and a number of other digital camera systems. When I'm enlarging for prints I use nearly all the above interpolation algorithms plus a half-dozen others depending on the nature of the files, number of artifacts, presence or absence of an AA filter, etc. There simply is no one single "right" way to do it. Best regards, Lin

Hi Jim, There is much more functionality in the new version. You can also use the "Customize This Slide" to access individual slide features such as "loop this slide" which can also serve to prevent automatic advance until you use either the mouse or keyboard controls to advance or go backward. You can set the Navigation Bar to a number of functions and it's not difficult to even program a blank slide to pop up at the end or beginning having a menu to go to any particular slide. It's really easy to do this and has been discussed on the forum in much detail. If you have questions, just ask and someone will be glad to help you program about any type event you wish to have in your slideshow. Also download and read the User's Guide (actually there are two of them) either the official or unofficial versions both available via the help menu in PTE. You may want to also look at some of the slideshows designed to either demonstrate some of these features or which actually use more advanced techniques for manual slideshows such as the one BJC did recently here: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7826 There are also other mapping techniques which can add some interest to manual shows which need to depict routes, etc. such as here: http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/demos/tocimarron.zip Even thought these shows are "automated" they could and can be easily made completely manual with just a few keystrokes. The pause control will stop a slide mid-transition and hold it as long as you wish. Lin

Hi Mary, Actually, you "should" be able to drag and drop images into a slideshow with PTE from any folder or folders with Explore. You can't do this from the timeline view, but from the Classic or horizontal or vertical view you can simply change to another folder at any time and drag and drop images to either the slide list or the objects list. Those images will then be displayed on the timeline view. Perhaps I misunderstand what it is that you can't get the program to do? What you see on the left side in the Main screen Classic view is actually the Explore tree so that whateve you chose in terms of a folder content then appears on the PTE side. You don't actually have another instance of Explore open - can't do that or drag and drop from other programs simultaneously open in a separate window, but you should be able to add any images from any folder on any drives or storage devices availble on your computer to your slideshow. Best regards, Lin

Hi John, Though this kind of thing "can" be done, it's problematical - here's one reason: Let's say at some later date, perhaps a year from now, you decide to change a show and perhaps add some new images or remove some. If you have moved or deleted any of the files then PTE will not be able to find the necessary images and proceed. Here's a second reason. The larger the database of images from which you choose your files in separate folders and locations, the greater the probability of there being duplicate file names, especially if you do not manually rename your images. Diital acquisition devices (cameras, video cameras, etc.) can only go so far in naming files without repeating filenames. If there are duplicate file names located in different folders then PTE "can" and will use them to create your slideshow, HOWEVER, you can't then make an automated zipped file containing all necessary materials to later re-create your show. The zip creation "requires" unique file names so you may very well end up with major issues down the road if you do not either group your photos in a single folder or use the zip feature in PTE to do it for you. Even though PTE can and will create a sideshow using duplicate file names as long as they are found in different folders, you may not be able to ever rework this show in the future depending on what happens to the files over time. It's definitely something to think about before you start down this path. Best regards, Lin

Thanks Jean-Pierre, It's fun to sometimes just play with the possibilities isn't it? Igor, Aleksey,Sergey and the other developers have done such a great job with PTE it's fun to explore the many facets of this great tool! Best regards, Lin

Many have already seen this but in different shows - now combined. This is not designed as a serious slideshow but rather a demonstration of some techniques for 3D simulation which Photoshop and PTE have made possible. OOB demos use techniques of light, shadow, perspective and images partially out of a frame to simulate three dimensional reality with two dimensional objects. In addition I have added some old solar system animation simulations as one would see from an imaginary position above our Solar System looking down on the Sun, and planets. Various features of PTE allow subtle things such as solar flare, storms, star movement, planet rotation, etc., of course all greatly accelerated from reality. Finally, a horizontal rotation of the Earth with orbiting moon done via PTE from over 460 photos and over 1200 keyframes. Obviously not something everyone is even interested in but showing some of the possibilities with PTE for animations which actually "can" be done and which "can't" be done with drop in video clips - not unless one has a movie camera and can shoot from space - LOL. I'm constantly amazed at just what "is" possible with PTE! It's fun to explore the limits and try new ways of simulating reality - at least it is for me. So if interested, a 33 meg zipped executable. Turn down your sound a bit - the music is loud.... http://www.learntomakeslideshows.net/demos/3d.zip Best regards, Lin

Hi Marian, Does your DVD burner support "both" DVD-R and DVD+R? Many of the older DVD burners didn't. How do you know about the "quality" if you don't know whether they are DVD+R or DVD-R? There are numerous reasons why a DVD might not burn. It could be as simple as "thinking" you are using a DVD when in fact you have a CD instead. It could be that your burner doesn't support the DVD's you are using (DVD+R, DVD-R, etc.). The "cost" of a DVD has little to do with media quality. You may pay more because of the coating for printing but still not have quality media. I can't say this "is" or "is not" the issue but these are variables which are all possible. I have multiple DVD burners (about 10 of them) on seven different systems as well as multiple external burners made variously by HP, Sony, Plextor, Gateway (probably someone's OEM) and Dell (likewise). All of them work perfectly with Video Builder both on DVD+R and DVD-R as well as with rewritable DVD+R (4X) media. My point is that there is a strong probability that the problem is either the media or the burner or an incompatible combination. My burners range from new to three years in age. The first thing I would do is get a few of known type such as DVD-R and DVD+R. You don't need to buy the "fastest" media available because much of the speed is actually wasted. For example there is media available at 18X but no burners which actually work all that well at even 16x. Personally I would never try to burn at more than 8x for "guaranteed" reliability. Buy some 4X DVD rewritable media to play with and until you have things working correctly so you don't waste money on coasters. Best regards, Lin

I wish there were a switch to have it "both" ways. when the timing is in minutes/seconds it makes it difficult to pick a point in your show in the timeline then duplicate that precise point for a keyframe in Objects and Animations. With the time in milliseconds, you can simply subtract the vaues to the left, add a keypoint to match the value on the timeline and have it precisely in the same place. With minutes and seconds it requires converting seconds and portions of seconds to milliseconds to achieve. I see utility in both methods but we do loose some ease of precision with the new way. Best regards, Lin

Here's proof for you - you can't always trust your eyes or brain. Even though the lines match perfectly and stay that way on the separate objects - it "seems" to rotate backward. In reality, it doesn't. http://www.lin-evans.net/pte/rotatetest.zip Best regards, Lin

LOL - the answer is "yes" it's "seeing things". This is a very common issue with our eyes, brains, etc. The rotation absolutely stops but our "perception" is that it reverses. In reality is does not reverse at all but stops exactly as programmed. If you really want to test it, take the image into your graphics editor and temporarily place a line on it for reference then as previously suggested mark a corresponding place on your monitor when you see the rotation end. They will stay aligned even though you would "swear" it was reversing at the end of the animation. Best regards, Lin

Not necessarily. This doesn't happen with "all ATI Graphics Cards". I have variously the ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, two systems using integrated Intel Graphics chipsets, one system using an Nvidia 8600GT OC and one using an Nvidia 8800GT card. All work perfectly with PTE shows. If you want to post your show or provide a link, etc., I will be glad to let you know how it performs on my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Best regards, Lin

Hi Mike, Jean-Pierre's cube demo shows all six sides of a cube. This can't be done by simply rotating a cube but must be done with some pretty fancy animation techniques. Essentially you are simulating 3D with 2D objects. It's not simple and perhaps no "templates" presently are available for this animation; at least if there are I'm not aware of any. If you just want to have such a demo on the web, there are numerous Java applets which can do this available. It's "much" easier to do in this way than with PTE. If you do a search on the web for "rotating cube" you will find numerous examples which which you can simply plug in your images and create the effect. Here is the PTE file JPD posted showing his method for creating this effect: http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/Biblio-cube-1.zip Lin

Or just highlight slide in the Main Slide list and press Ctrl W to preview slide in full screen. From Timeline view use right mouse click... Best regards, Lin

Hi Barry, I suspect this is just the "omission" of "delete point" and "delete slide" features and will be corrected Best regards, Lin

Download and read the Users Guide from either the "help" feature in PTE or from the forum at "Tutorials and Articles"... You can't use the PTE codec unless you are planning to immediately burn your creation to a DVD. The PTE codec is a "template" for telling the rendering engine which slides, transitions, timings, etc., to use and when you click on "Finish" it is deleted automatically. Use one of the other codecs which you can choose from the drop-down list. If you don't have a common codec installed (such as DivX or Windows MPEG 4, etc.) you can download and install from one of the free web codec sources such as ACE Megapack. Which codecs are available on your individual system depends largely on various software you may have installed. Codecs are "compress/decompress" algorithms which allow the compression and playback of multimedia data. If you read the list of available codecs and report back here, someone can suggest a suitable choice to make your AVI file. Best regards, Lin

Hi Patrick, A grim but poignant reminder of what we must never forget. Tell Paul, "well done". Best regards, Lin