Lin Evans

Yes, that's pretty much the differences right now. P2E has always had low level controls which the competition lacks so there are a few other very important differences. For example, having the ability to run "objects" lets the P2E user call external executable code from other programs, run them then seamlessly return to your slideshow. Back in October of 2000 I was using PicturesToExe to make slideshows which included video accessed by embedding IrfanView which itself called and ran the video shows then seamlessly returned to the P2E slideshow. Also the ability to use objects lets the user create their own custom menus which can be incredibly sophisticated. P2E has always appealed to the programmer in me. As a former software developer I've always greatly appreciated the "nuts and bolts" approach versus the menu-driven high level approach by the competition. Though I've used and still use the PhotoDex products since pre-release beta I've found that this low level code approach which P2E offers gives more flexibility in most cases. Take text effects as an example. You don't have the ability to choose a caption, apply specific effects via an P2E menu then instantly have these effects in your show, but what you do have is the ability to use your own outside construction of sophisticated transparent background PNG files then with the keypoints, layering and built-in opacity controls create text effects which just can't be duplicated by the competition. Those who have yet to see JP's objects objects demo need to watch this one all the way through to the end. Go to Producer or even the extremely powerful "Vegas Video" (I also use this) and try to duplicate this and you will better appreciate the low level control offered by the P2E approach: http://www.diapositif.net/V5/PTE5-Objets.zip So what we have is sort like a nuts and bolts approach versus a menu driven features approach. The beauty of the menu approach is that everything is right at your fingertips so it's extremely convenient. The beauty of the nuts an bolts approach is that though it takes longer, the controls are finer and the flexibility is greater. The real greatness is that right now you can buy six full copies of P2E for what a single upgrade costs for Producer - LOL, and you never pay for upgrades with P2E. Best regards, Lin

You can have multiple mp3's play sequentially with P2E. With the beta release, the synchronize functions are not yet implemented - they will be in the release version, but if you either use the present release version you can precisely synchronize your slides with the music. In order to have exactly 50 slides play with one mp3 selection (when there are more than 50 slides) you would have to synchronize the first mp3 (I'm assuming you have created an mp3 with more than one song) to the first 50 slides then synchronize the second mp3 to the second fifty slides. As far as "fading" the mp3 one would assume that it ends with a song which already fades, the majority of recorded music works like this. If not ,you would need to use an audio editor like the freeware Audacity to prepare the mp3 as you want it to fade. The is no internal provision in PicturesToExe to manipulate your mp3 - that is there is no audio editor built into P2E. The program can precisely synchronize the timing between individual slides and your background music, or it can automatically assign equal times to the "entire" mp3 background selection whether this be one or a dozen different mp3's, but it can't assign the first 50 to one mp3 and the next 50 to another mp3, you would have to manually synchronize them so that the track length of the first mp3 and the total time of display and transitions of the first 50 slides match the timing of the first of two mp3's. Ditto for the second 50 slides and the second mp3. The audio sync power with P2E is second to none among currently available presentation slideshow programs, but there is no way to arbitrarily assign a particular number of slides to a particular mp3 unless there is only one mp3 and you set the program to automatically match the length of the audio selection. In such case P2E will take the entire length of the mp3 including any lead in and fade out silence (this is part of the file itself and can be seen in an audio editing program) then take the number of slides and transition times and divide it so that equal time is allotted to each slide and the music begins with the first slide and ends with the last second of the last transition you choose for the last slide. Lin

On Drag and drop: If all the files were in a single folder, drag and drop can work, but for someone like myself who has thousands of images (actually hundreds of thousands) it works better the way it's presently implemented. When I work with ProShow Gold I have thumbnails and "drag and drop" (not for layers) and the time and resources it takes to generate thumbnails in each folder I gather images from is very troublesome. I suppose it all depends on your workflow model. On acceleration and slowing: I believe this is on the table to be implemented - whether it will be in the first release or later I'm not certain. On Add Text: Yes, not implemented as of yet but will be there either in later beta or in the release. I'm not sure what the "Add Frame" is about yet. It appears to create nested rectangles when you click on it. The "add rectangle" is used to "group" objects so they share the same attributes. I'm unclear yet what the "add frame" does but perhaps with a little experimentation we can figure it out. Best regards, Lin

1. No, there is no way to "drag and drop" a new layer, but it's even easier. Just click on the layer you wish to insert under (click on the "image" in the list on your right in the Objects and Animation View" - then right click your mouse then choose "add" from the drop down menu, then from the associated window choose "image." Negotiate the folder structure to your file and double click your file Depending on which image (the main or anchor image is at the top of the list) you highlight, that's where the new image will end up. 2. No, but what you do is either right click on the selected object (image) within the green rectangle where you see the image itself or better right click on the word "image" at the level it is presently then choose "order" and you can bring the object to the front, back or up and down a level at a time with a click of the mouse. 3. I'm not completely clear on your question, but if you mean can you "walk through" the movements from the Objects and Animation window, the answer is yes. You use the little blue arrow on the time line and slide it forward or backward and you can see all the actual actions as it advances or regresses along the time line. 4. Yes you can change from one slide to the next forward or back by clicking on the little forward and back arrows up on the very top right of your screen just under the white "X" in the little red box. 5. These are for features not yet implemented in the beta version 6. Yes but you need to make the blank (black, white, green, whatever) slide in your graphics or photo software then save them to a folder which you can access. Once you have a "collection" of these you can choose them like any other image. There is no automated way to "create" the image via the software. Perhaps in a later version or the release. 7. Rename an object in the timeline.... yes, click on the one you wish to rename the click the "Properties" tab and you will see "image" or "image1" - rename as you see fit. 8. I don't believe there is any way to see the transition effect without using the preview, but you can "preview" from any position by clicking the icon located between the "Preview" and "Project Options" tabs. 9. You can display the display time and transition effect (only two transition effects "fade in fade out and circle" are presently implemented in the beta" by clicking on the "Slide" then using the "Main" tab to see or change the time and the "Effect" tab to see or change the transition and timing of the transition. 10. From the "Screen" tab in the "Project Options" screen you have a choice of five different aspect rations or you can set custom. 11. The output resolution is determined by the actual resolution of the images you use for the slideshow in terms of an executable file. For the not yet implemented AVI creation you will have choices. 12. You have captions now, but to use fancy text you need to create your text in a graphics editor which allows transparent background GIF or preferably PNG format. If you have no software to do this, I would recommend PiXBuilder (right here at Wnsoft). If you already have PhotoShop it's VERY easy to do. If you don't know how to do this let us know and we will direct you to instructions. It takes only seconds and you can have some seriously powerful text effects. Lin

Indeed it does - it opens lots of new doors as does the natural masking ability of different layers. The combination allows for creating 3 dimensional effects which can be pretty impressive when used with some aesthetic taste. Unfortunately, we will probably all go through a period of having fun playing with the "effects" before we settle down and learn how to best apply them to enhance the beauty of a show rather than display the capabilities of the program. But the learning is sure fun, isnt it?? :-) Lin

Hi Al, That's a very nice technique, here's a sample which I think uses your process... http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/eaglezoom.zip Best regards, Lin

Could you relate exactly how (keystrokes) and on which page you add the second image? Are you adding the second image by right clicking inside the green rectangle with handles or outside - in other words on the list of objects to the right of your screen does your second image have a "child" relation to the first where it appears offset underneath object one or does is appear on the same vertical spacing as object one? When you add the second image is the zero time keypoint highlighted (activated)? What is the number in the "zoom" box? Left click the mouse (select) the second word (image) then change the number from 100% to 50%. The image size should change accordingly. Change it to 200% and see what happens. Please take some screen captures and post them so we can see exactly the steps you are taking. Best regards, Lin

Hi Igor, That will be great. I have noticed that for really small images which are very sharp I've needed to tone them down with gaussian blur to prevent the 'sparkle'. MIP mapping will be an excellent aid. Best regards, Lin

Hi Ken, I like your method better for his application. The old moon was too sharp for the small zoom so I made some changes. I added a little gaussian blur to the first image so there was less flickering on the small image zoom, then left the transparent background alone with full resolution. That image was shot with my Canon D30 through my Meade ETX-90 as I remember. It makes a nice sharp large image, but for the small zoom it needed to be toned down a bit. Best regards, Lin

Here's a zipped example, but I think Al's way is actually better in many cases... Lin http://www.lin-evans.net/ptesamples/moonzoom.zip

Same solution. You have complete control over both your images. Just start by putting your first image (the black background) in then insert the second image. Now go to the block which says 100% (top of your screen in the Objects and Animation screen just to the right of copy and paste) and change the value to 10% so you can actually see what's going on. Click on the second object in the list then grab the green rectangle by one of the handles (the up and down ones may be easier) and push the image into the size you want it to begin. Next put in a keypoint for this object near the end of the time frame for this show and drag it to the approximate 80% level. Now preview your slide. The black background will not change, the 2nd object you inserted will begin at about 15% of the full size and slowly zoom (depending on how long you have the slide set to display) to about 80% at the end of the timeline. If you want it to zoom in other than a linear fashion you can set additional keypoint "between" the first and last and set them to intermediate sizes. Then move these keypoints closer together or further apart to change the time for these effects. Now for the second part of your project. Make the subject which you are zooming in on on a transparent background (png file) add the second image the third time as a transparent png and position it so that the subject covers the identical subject in the second image but set the zoom to a higher percentage. The net effect is that your second image zooms normally from about 15% to 80% but the main subject which you want to zoom in on is being zoomed at a different rate on the transparent png duplicate so that you achieve the zoom within a zoom. Lin Lin

Hi Glenys, For the beta, the "close show" is disabled and it will only loop. Just press "ESC" to get out. This will be changed so you can set the slideshow to end in the release or possibly in later beta's. Yes, with version 5 you will also be able to set the aspect ratio for wide screen - but for "most" computer display screens use 5:4 Lin

No, you don't need to do that - you're missing a very easy step which will solve your problem. Up on the top of your screen in the Objects and Animation page is a small window which is defaulted to 100%. Next to this is a small black down arrow in a small blue box. Click on the down arrow and change the view to 10% or some lower value which will allow you to see the entire screen. Now you will see the rectangle with handles and can use it to size the images as you wish to either fill the screen or become a "postage stamp." Lin

Beautiful example and tutorial of power of beta 5 Have a great holiday! Lin

I can give you a few differences now. P2E has the ability to have multiple objects on a single slide simultaneously. Each image, text object, etc., can have it's own motion, opacity, animation, etc. This can't be done with ProShow Gold (I use both programs and have had both since pre-release beta). P2E also allows high resolution executable file images which are rendered at the resolution you choose. ProShow Gold renders at 720x576 resolution and if you need an executable file at a greater screen resolution then the images must be interpolated up which results in an inevitable loss of image quality. ProShow Gold has an internal DVD burning engine while P2E does not. This internal engine has caused a good deal of difficulty for a number of users because of incompatibilities with present or past installations of incompatible DVD burning software. The developers of P2E elected to do it another way by providing the user two methods of creating an AVI file which can then easily be made into a DVD with 3rd party software such as Nero or Ulead Movie Factory, etc. P2E allows the user to create and use "objects." This very powerful feature greatly extends the flexibility of P2E and lets you do things like create a fully manual slideshow so you can move forward, backward, jump to the beginning or end, print an image, etc., all from a Navigation bar. You can "easily" display the file name of each image during the slideshow if you wish. You can call external programs (executable files) from within a P2E slideshow and return seamlessly to the show. This flexibility allows the user to easily create their own custom menus and so on. These things can't be done with ProShow Gold. Here is a link to a quick demo I created in about 15 minutes with PicturesToExe beta 1. You will see several things which simply can't be done with ProShow Gold and some other things which are easily done with PicturesToExe and others which "if" they could be done with ProShow, could be done only with much difficulty by an experienced ProShow Gold user. Notice first the small yellow airplane flying across the clouds. The airplane as it passes behind the clouds changes transparency as if clouds were obscuring the plane. It then becomes 100% opaque and the condition changes as it flies into and out of the clouds. Notice the small green biplane as it disappears into the clouds behind the marmot on the rock then reappears flying much faster racing the yellow plane as they both fly out of the frame. On the following frame, note that the text scrolling down from the top and the text scrolling up from the bottom cross one another with apparent 3D depth. Notice that the text passes behind the goat kid in front and in front of the Kid in the back in a 3D effect. Watch the spinning free-wheeling text spin toward to top of the frame, reverse it's direction of rotation then spin downward and "attach" itself to the tail of the front goat kid while continuing to spin. Notice that it then diminishes in size while continuing to spin and finally fades away to a tiny size then disappears. Note also that the first goat slowly "ghosts" away while the camera zooms in on the second goat. Finally a "the end" message begins in a transparent mode then finally becomes opaque and eventually scrolls up and off the screen while changing size. Try this with ProShow Gold and you will quickly see what PicturesToExe can do with ease which ProShow Gold simply can't do. If you want these features with a PhotoDex product you will need to buy ProShow Producer at $400 or more and have a "dongle" hanging off your port and pay as much as six copies of PicturesToexe for even upgrades. Remember PicturesToExe is free upgrades for life..... Link below to about a 12 megabyte zipped executable demo.... http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/hidebehind.zip This will give you something to think about.... Best regards, Lin

snip Steve Did you read the original explanation? There will be two graphics engines in the release product. An older one to permit use of the same parameters as used on earlier versions of P2E and a new graphical engine to allow the user a choice of rendering resolutions rather than being fixed at 720x576 pixels. The only operating systems excluded of any consequence will be the Apple OS but Apple will be including the possiblity of running Windows applications in a dual operating environment using Intel processors. Hardly anyone will be running presentation slideshow software on Unix or Linux and I doubt that it's a big priority. The hardware requirements will be in line with what the future requires to run Windows Vista for high resolution output..... Best regards, Lin

Ran smooths as "silk" with no jerks or pauses and no issues with sound on my ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Lin

No, the size of the object placed in the rectangle changes according to the size of the rectangle you have drawn. There is probably some relationship based on the original size so that if we could constrain the rectangle to a fixed size then the object placed in it would reflect its original size as well. Perhaps Igor can shed more light on this? All objects within the rectangle will change size proportionally so that if you size them once they are in the rectangle as individual elements then resize the rectangle, the objects within will also change size in unison. At present the "secret" then would be to place all your objects in the rectangle before without changing their individual sizes. They would then keep in proper proportion to one another and you can size them as a "group" to suit the zoom of the background picture. This would make it very eazy to achieve the effect of diminishing point (like looking down a railroad track) with your text as you did in your example. You change the size of each letter of the word inside the rectangle, then when you zoom the rectangle everything stays proportional but the entire "word" just gets larger or smaller. Best regards, Lin

I just tried it - works "PERFECTLY" THANK YOU, THAN YOU - For those who haven't tried this. IT's the little "Add Rectangle" at the top of the screen next to "add image". Just draw a ractangle on your screen over the base image. Assign the relationship when you "add" images you want to group under the "rectangle" - in other words click on the "rectangle" then add the files you wish inside. The rectangle will have a "blue color" on your screen. Set the transparency for the rectangle to "0" at the beginning (first keypoint) then anything you do with the rectangle will be reflected also in the objects within. If you zoom the rectangle or rotate it, etc., the objects within will maintain their respective distances and relationships but will react to the zoom by enlarging or shrinking in size. They will also react by rotation or other animation controls. You can also select the objects within the rectangle and change their individual relationships by assigning independent actions to each - very cool! Best regards, Lin

Ah, the new About window is very nice! Good information and good to recognize all those who worked very hard to help make this a success!! You are miles ahead of us! Thanks - that will be a great help - I'm going now to look at it. Yes, as per your earlier response - by all means the most important thing is to get version five debugged and launched. My suggestions are for thinking about in later release. Best regards, Lin

Hi JP, Let's say you wanted to move two letters of a word consisting of six separate png files. You can easily move all six as objects of one level, but when you want to separate them and only act on two or three, etc., without affecting the spacing or the others, if you could select only the two which you wanted to manipulate, then assign them as a "group" consisting of two elements, you could then manipulate them in any way without changing the relationship between the remaining four. In desktop publishing software, for example, you have the ability to "group" separate text blocks or image blocks and move them as a group then "lock" their position. Also you can select "all" as with P2E and manipulate the entire "page" - but being able to choose elements on the page and assign them to a "group" which can be manipulated independent of the others makes doing some manipulations much easier. Best regards, Lin

Excellent suggestion, Al! That would definitely be easier than chasing down each different show to retrieve effects. Best regards, Lin

Another suggestion which would greatly simplify doing tasks such as JP did with the falling text would be the ability to "group objects" so they could be manipulated as a group. Then one could space independent letters, etc., and select two or more (all) as a group and move or size them independently of the rest of the image. Like a select all except selective grouping. I notice I can hold the ctrl key and place a rectangle around any combination but they can't be moved or manipulated as a group. Lin

Igor - suggestion for when you could possibly do.... It takes lots of precision work to create some text effects such as dropping letters, etc., involving numerous transparent files and carefully timed sequences of keypoints, etc., It would be ever so nice if it were possible to actually save a a portion of the file to use on other images and shows so that the keypoints and file names and associated animations were included. For example, I duplicated the effects which JP did in his objects demo as a "The End" file. I "could" pull up a different slideshow then I suppose copy and paste the last portion of my duplication then replace the background image (I haven't tried this) but it would really be great to save the effects and files used to create the effects as a sort of "template" to apply to other shows. Is this feasible? ============= I just tried the copy/paste and I was able to transfer the effects to another slideshow - but would it be possible to save the effects as a file of some type then retrieve it and apply to a different show without actually loading and unloading the slideshow which used the effects each time? Best regards, Lin

Precise and beautiful text effects as well! Bravo, to not only Igor, Aleksey and Pavel but to you as well Jean Pierre, I know what it took to do this and I'm impressed!! Best regards, Lin