Lin Evans

Hi Gary, You can use any screen capture tool to select and copy only the rectangular area which encompasses the the text you wish to convert. If the surrounding environment (the area on which the text lies) is of uniform color, then it is relatively easy to transfer to a PNG file. You simply go to Photoshop, open a transparent background as if you were going to type in text but instead simply "paste" the capture. Next you choose the "select color range" then use the eraser tool to remove the uniform color surrounding the text. On the other hand if the text is surrounded by a multi-color background, it's perhaps easier to re-create it rather than spend the time extracting the text by erasing multiple background colors. Of course since a PNG file containing text is a true "graphic" rather than a text format it is, as you know, independent of anything residing on a foreign computer system so the "font" would be preserved in any situation. Best regards, Lin

Too cool Igor!! Perhaps with some tinkering you may produce the first 3D holographic slideshow production! Best regards, Lin

Hi Ralvis, A very fitting tribute to those thousands of souls who paid the ultimate sacrifice in WWII. My only suggestion would be to possibly increase the display time for each slide with text by about 5-7 seconds to allow the viewer both time to read the text "and" digest the image as well. I found myself rushing the reading a bit after the first couple slides to finish in time to see the images. Since WC's speech was actually presented in audio, you could perhaps trim a bit from both the end and from that slide to contribute to the others. All-in-all a very fine work. Best regards, Lin

Hi Robertg, Unfortunately those type effects are only avilable via the beta. They will be available as well in the release version of 5.0 but require the use of layers and animation. Even if you only wanted the images to fade in and out within the framework of the theater curtains you would still need layers to avoid some sort of border between the uneven framework of the curtains and the pictures themselves so it's not possible to do this with release version 4.48 but it's very easy to do with the betas. The important features such as complete music sync and probably built-in text manipulation will very likely be introduced with the next beta but you can use the existing beta to make very good professional shows in either executable or AVI/DVD format. Best regards, Lin

Hi Robertg, I'm assuming you will be using the beta version so the following applies to that. If you create background (JPG, PNG, etc.) then I'm assuming that you want it to extend around the edges of the photo or photos you place on any particular page. So the issue becomes one of image size versus background size. The next thing to decide is whether you will be using a "tiled" image or perhaps a different image for different slides as a background. From the Project Options click on the Screen tab where you normally add a gradient or solid background. If you want a tiled image, then any small jpg can be "repeated" as "tiles" so you just "point" with the browse tool to the image stored on your hard disk you wish to use as a "tiled" image and that image will be repeated for each slide. If, on the other hand, you want to use a custom image as a background for different slides, you would go to the Objects and Animations screen and simply place the background image in the Objects list and adjust the relative size of the foreground and background images so that the desired amount of background shows behind your picture. You would repeat this on an individual basis for each slide as desired. Pay particular attention to zooms so that you don't make the overall size of the foreground image fill the screen and obliterate your background image - unless, of course, that's the effect you wish for a particular slide. If you give us a bit more information about exactly what you want to achieve, we can probably be more specific with suggestions. Best regards, Lin

Maybe I need to make a tutorial to explain how to feather the edges - you do it with the border smoothing pixel size chosen for the edges. After making the extraction it's also very easy to touch up quickly with Photoshop. It's obviously not as sophisticated as some of the Photoshop or top-end mask tools, but I would have to disagree about the "speed". It's actually very, very fast once you understand how to use it. Remember, it works with tools which othewise don't have the facility to do this type thing such as Irfanview, etc., so being in development and being "free" is not a bad thing, It probably will get better, but is quite inventive in the methodology they use. If there is enough interest I would be willing to make an audio-visual tutorial to add to the very brief visual only provided by the developers. Best regards, Lin

Hi Malcolm, There is no backward compatibility issues with P2E except that the beta version do not yet have all the bells and whistles of the release version so even though you can do things with the beta (pan, zoom, rotate, etc.) which you couldn't do with the release versions, you can't as yet use text, complete music sync, etc. Your expressed problem almost certainly is one of the program not finding the files where they are "expected" by analysis of the pte file. Once you change computers and create different folders, etc., the program may no longer be able to locate the necessary files. It's possible to read the pte file in an editor such as Word or WordPad (but don't "save" it) then place the files such as images in the proper expected folders and with the correct drive designations. This will allow the later version to find the files and work. The new version 5 will have solved this problem because of the ability to "zip" all necessary files and move them as a group wherever you wish or need. This feature is already enabled from the "File" menu in the betas. Best regards, Lin

Hi Larry, That's the result of clicking on "filter" and using the plugin from that rather than from "select". Try using the plugin from the "select" menu instead of from the "filter" menu. Best regards, Lin

It sounds very much like you are using "Filter" rather than "Select" to open the masked image in Photoshop. Try this: Open an image in Photoshop then choose GML Growcut from the "select" rather than the "filter" menu (it will appear in both places). Next draw a rectangle around the object to be extracted. Choose Next. Hold down the left mouse button and make a few red marks inside the boundaries around the object to be extracted. Hold down the right mouse button and make a few blue marks outside the boundaries. Then click on refine boundaries followed by choosing about a 5 pixel smooth and a 19 pixel brush size to smooth any rough edges then click on "finish" and then Edit, Copy. Now your selection is on the clipboard. Next open a transparent PNG and do Edit Paste. You should have a great extraction and paste.... Lin

Go here: http://www.softpedia.com/progDownload/ACE-...nload-6778.html Download the ACE Megacodec Pack and install the Microsoft MPEG4 codec. Lin

I managed to find a few DVD-R blanks from another brand and now can burn usable DVD's. They appear to work fine in a couple of our systems so will try on DVD player connected to TV tomorrow. Though the DVD blanks I have been using work fine with creating DVD's Using Ulead Movie Factory, Nero and other DVD burning programs, they don't seem to work with P2E but not an issue as long as it works with other brands. Hopefully everything will work well with TV tomorrow. The burn speed is much, much quicker with P2E than with either Nero or Ulead. Quality is superb. Best regards, Lin

Hi Al, Yes, the VIDEO_TS folders and files are visible and can be copied to the hard disk. When I double click the file I get a message from XP to choose a program to try and run the file. I choose Windows Media Player which gives a "Loading File" message then simply does nothing further as do my other DVD player programs. Something's not quite right with the burn and the show simply won't play. I've tried several P2E files, an AVI file and tried producing an ISO file without success. I've just given up for now until some more data is available from users. I'm using DVD-R media which has worked perfectly with a number of other burn engines but tomorrow I'll pick up some DVD+R media and try it in one of my other drives. From the other reports I'm suspicious that there may be some problems not yet worked out. Obviously it's working fine for some and not for others just like Proshow Gold and Producer. I was afraid this might happen because there are so many intervening variables with trying to use an internal burn engine. It's been a nightmare for Photodex and I hope it can be quickly solved but I'm a bit pessimistic from past experiences. Best regards, Lin LOL - I've got enough for a family Christmas party now. I'm going to wait until others have experimented before trying again. Something's not quite right but with DVD burning that's more the norm than the exception I'm afraid. Best regards, Lin

Yes, if the files are being displayed on a 1024x768 resolution screen then the screen captures should be virtually the same as the originals assuming they are then saved at a very low compression. Best regards, Lin

Craig, There are numerous decompilers available for Windows, etc., which can reverse engineer executable code, but that's not legal and is in violation of multple international copyright laws nor is the use of a MacIntosh program to do likewise legal. People are looking for a legal solution to retrieve their images from executable code. Best regards, Lin

A long time ago I made a suggestion which I still think should be considered. Within the code of PicturesToExe place a feature which allows retrieving the images from the executable via a password known only to the original creator of the executable file. This would solve the problem of retrieving lost images when the executable is available and still protect the images from theft as well as they can be protected. Right now, dozens if not a hundred different screen capture tools (including Boxig's) are available which can easily capture the images in their displayed resolution. That can't be helped and is an issue which the photographer must deal with each in their own way. But if a feature were added to PicturesToExe which would allow the owner of P2E to embed a password in the executable code then use that password to extract the jpg's etc., then the problem would be eliminated of being able to reconstruct one's missing images from an executable file. This, of course, would only work if the person owned PicturesToExe and would require "both" the program PicturesToExe as well as the created executable code "and" the encripted password. Best regards, Lin

Hi John, Genuine Fractals, etc., are excellent interpolation programs and will increase the size of the images by adding pixel values gleaned from existing pixels, but do they work appreciably better than Photoshop's Bicubic or Bicubic smoother or Bicubic sharper - not to any great degree. GF has, in past years been the overwhelming choice of professionals - I've used it since it was developed by Altamira software years ago as a means of transmitting large scans to a service bureau for printing. In the past few years other interpolation algorithms such as Pyramid, Lancozs, exc., have made great strides but don't expect miracles. These programs will not make an image any "better" than it already is, simply larger. The problem with small images is that we oftern can't visually discern problems but when we greatly enlarge them the problems become very apparent. It's possible to save a high quality image with Genuine Fractals in an extremely compressed mode then reopen it and expand to its original or much larger size, but the program can only "attempt" to maintain the integrity of the file when enlarging greatly. It can't improve on what's already there so if the original is flawless but small, the program can greatly enlarge with minimal degredation but you should try it before becoming too excited. Best regards. Lin

Still getting only coasters. I've tried several PTE files and the burn appears to go in a normal fashion. I've selected NTSC (the correct format in my country) and the creation of the MPEG 2 appears to progress normally. When finished the burn process begins and eveything ends with the check mark but nothing works. The DVD's won't read either in the computer or on external DVD players connected to TV's so I guess I'll just wait to see if others have success and try to figure it out. Windows media player recognizes the presence of the DVD and pulls up the player on request, but from there it's just as if there were no media in the player. Perhaps I'll try to burn an AVI to DVD rather than use a PTE file and will try the ISO. The DVD blanks work perfectly with other software so there are no known hardware issues. If the AVI to DVD doesn't work for me I'll stop until I get some more information because it's getting expensive - LOL. Best regards. Lin

Back to back coasters for me guys - I must be doing something wrong. Just loaded PTE file and burned. Everything appears normal with check mark at the end and seems to be a successful burn but neither DVD works in either my computer or on TV. Best regards, Lin

I have seen this same problem with Windows 2000, in fact one of my best friends has two computers with Windows 2000 each with different processors, different memory and different video cards and my executable slideshows will not run on either of them so I think something in the setup of Windows 2000 is possibly causing the problem. The symptoms are identical, the executables simply will not run. I gave up trying to figure it out but maybe if we figure out why it won't work on yours we can avoid this issue in the future on "some" other Windows 2000 systems.... It works fine on most... Best regards, Lin

Yes, I'm quite aware of that and also aware that it's "possible" to have version 5 slideshows run with limited video strength, but "everyone" won't "use basic rules" because they don't have to because the "majority" of those viewing the slideshows have environments which don't require this. Computers are commodity items which get replaced with newer and faster versions on a fairly regular basis. Why then doesn't Microsoft and Apple design their operating systems so that they will work with the older systems now running Windows 95? Because that's the way technology advances. The power is available to do things which can't be done with older technology and whether we "like" it or not and whether is makes "sense" to us or not it will happen. We can either accept it and get on board or suffer the consequences, but my friend we will not change the inevitable. Some day you too will have a newer and faster computer which will have no problems running "any" slideshow whether P2E or other program which uses the power of a modern graphical environment. It's "cheaper" to buy an upgraded graphics card than to buy a whole new system and there are some great prices now available on very good older equipment which has the power to greatly improve the performance of your present system and stall the inevitable purchase of a new one for some time. Best regards, Lin

Hi Patrick, Does your computer have an AGP slot? If so, there are several places on the web where you can order a 128 meg ATI Radeon 9800 Pro card for $87 U.S. Dollars. My old 9800 Pro Card finally died on me after a number of years of very hard use and I just replaced it (the original price on these were around $500 U.S.D.). These graphic cards will play the most difficult and high RAM slideshows a smooth as silk. I know that it's possible with attention to file size, etc., to get perfectly smooth transitions and animations with your present graphics card, but the future will bring only more difficulty when other companies also go to hardware rendering, so perhaps a new graphics card will be useful? Best regards, Lin

In the release version 4.48 you can set up a manual show and with the navigation bar you can go to first slide, next slide or previous slide. By going to first slide then previous slide you can go to the last slide, but there is no provision for jumping to a "particular" slide while running a presentation. Best regards, Lin

Hi Jason, Thanks, that works well! Best regards, Lin

Hi Sherrie, The problem with trying to upload and download executable code is that some ISP's either don't permit executable code to reside directly on their servers or they tend to treat it as a possible virus and it gets corrupted. By using a zip program to zip up the executable inside a zip compressed shell, the integrity is preserved and corruption is unlikely. There are a number of programs which can zip your executables. Some are free, one may actually have come with your computer, but that unlikely. Most Windows operating systems allow computers to "unzip" automatically. If you don't already have a zip program, I would suggest PKZip (the original) which is inexpensive and well worth the money. You definitely need a way to zip files not only for storing and transferring your executables but for a variety of other reasons. Best regards, Lin