dpeterso

Good stuff Jeff. I like your music selections and how well it compliments the mood. Also glad to see you use a little video in your slideshow. Take care - good to see you out there. Dave

Robert - Congratulations on the 43 years. The show has beautiful images, but it was tainted for me because it didn't end well. The music stopped and the last image of the river remained. It wouldn't go away until I finally hit the escape key. I thought maybe the first time I downloaded it something went wrong. So I downloaded it again with the same problem. Was this effect by design? Regards, Dave

Brian – Golly, another nice show. In fact, I liked it more than your first upload. Again, the big screen view is really nice, and the music selected is one of my favorites. I liked how you used your camera to show me around the city, looking up close at the little things, the unusual things, even the people shots help make it real. More faces would have been welcomed as its all part of feeling that I was there. A couple of suggestions if you don’t mind: it would be nice to see the music and photograph credits (unless you’d rather not), and I think a date would be helpful for those looking at your shows 100 years from now. Again, you may have your reasons for not doing any of these things. You used some zoom and pans too. I found the zoom into the vertical distracting. The pans were fine except they were way too abrupt and fast. Slow and smooth would be the watch words here. Lastly, I liked the fonts you used - made it look professional. You’ve performed well Brian. You have a good photographer’s eye and I hope you keep shooting and sharing. I’m also pleased to see that you open your work up for critique. That is how one improves, huh. Regards, Dave

Very nice Brian. The images were of high quality, and the music was well suited for what I was seeing. I was especially pleased to see the full 1920 x 1080 format without borders. I'm generally not a fan of verticals in a slideshow, anymore than I'd like to see verticals in a televised National Geographic special. However, your treatment of the verticals was novel, and something we can, perhads, all learn from. The only thing I might have done differently is to leave the flowers out; they seemed a little out of context and a little washed out with the bright sunshine. All in all, I really liked it. Dave

Gary - This is good news! I have everything I need to do what you are saying except the thumbdrive and a HDTV. A couple of questions: Did you make the MP4 in the 1920 x 1080 format? And can you play the MP4 on your computer, like thru Quicktime with equal success? (not that one would need to with the slideshow already in an exe file.) I found that my computer doesn't have enough umph to play a full 1920 x 1080 MP4. Thanks, Dave

Welcome to the PTE forum Don. You have an interesting show, a show that demonstrates some daring regarding techniques. First off, the image quality is very good and the text is easy to read. When dealing with portrait oriented shots, you've employed what seems to be the least disruptive method. However, the blue water background clashed with the vertical images regarding color. A more earth-tone background may have worked better. Regarding the zooming in, it didn't serve any purpose for me. For me, effective zooming (and panning) tells the audience more about the scene or subject. I find that zoom-outs work well for providing a context to a closely cropped picture. Rarely have I seen where a zoom-in provides anything but a distraction. The story-telling using text was fine, and even inventive, but the cutting back and forth broke the continuity a bit. I don’t know what I would have done here myself. Maybe have the text overlay the image (as earlier suggested) or use audio. You are no stranger to using a mixture of soundtracks, so a voice-over might be just the ticket. You also did something that I’ve been studying for some time now. You created a video sequence using still pictures. I have this urge to create a video sensation with stills used in a slideshow. When I shoot, I have a slideshow in mind. Then I start thinking of scenes, just like a cinematographer would. A scene is designed to tell some part of the whole story. So the question becomes, what photographs do I take in a particular scene to convey the scene’s message? And then how do I arrange said pictures, the music, the voice-overs, and what tools (zoom, pans, etc) do I use to get my message across. Believe me, it really helps to know what the message is. I’m really a novice at this “scene creating” thing, and when I looked at your show, I could see some of what I’ve been thinking about. Good job Don, and I look forward to more of your work. Dave

Hello Dan - Thanks for the chance to look inside your world. Wow. You're a traveler, a camper, a photographer, a hiker, a biker - my kind of folks. I enjoyed looking at your pictures. As you stated, this was a personal slideshow, and I know from experience that it will have limited appeal. However, you said something that I think is important. It's easy to become intimidated by some of the great shows presented on this forum. Unfortunately, it keeps the viewing audience restricted to just a few shows. I personally like a lot of variety, both in skill levels and subject matter. That is how I learn. So, I applaud you Dan for letting us see your work (play). Regards, Dave

Colin - I'm an animal lover myself and I found your tribute touching. I wonder what I'll do when it's my dog Trixie's time to go. That's one of the hidden dreads with a pet - we'll likely out live them. Thanks for sharing. Beautiful poem. Dave

Hello Maureen - You're quite the traveler, arent you. What impresses me is your affinity for unusual places. I had to do some Google Maps research to see just where you were. Wow - you were way down there, huh. Regarding the show, it was just great! The pictures were stunning, the music was beautifully introspective, and the feeling of being "out there" was powerful. You do such a nice job of presenting your travels to remote places. Thanks for sharing with us. Dave

Barry - Very nice. It's obvious that you've invested a lot of time and talent in the show. There are just a couple of little things for me: While trying to read the initial scrolling text, I could see on the right side some images appearing. I found that I had to choose between looking at the pictures or reading the text. I felt rushed and pulled. The second thing is that the title should read "Nature's Textues" and not "Natures Textures", that is unless I misunderstand your meaning. Job well done. Dave

Davy - I have to admit that I've been slow to warm up to slideshows made from pictures available on the public domain. Understand, this is not something you need to fix, it's been "my" issue all along. I've somehow defined a slideshow as being made up of pictures that the show's creator has taken and then put to music. This rigid definition begs the question about the music; must I be a musician too? Anyway, what you have done with these shows is rapidly disolving the boundaries I've established. I think they are wonderful. The 1920 x 1080 format really helps, especially with a large monitor. The music you've selected is quite fitting. And as I've long said -- good slideshows begin with good pictures. I just wish they were my pictures. Keep them coming Davy. Dave

Ken - I had to call my son-in-law to find out about his rifle. It is a Marlin, Model 1895 GS, a 45-70 caliber. On another note, can you change the title I used on this post and change the spelling from "Der" to "Deer"? Thanks, Dave

Hello All – This show is a “personal” documentary, thus, it will have limited appeal. It’s about a deer hunting trip. I’m not a hunter myself -- preferring to get my beef in the meat department at the grocery store. However, I’m open to the way others live their lives. In this particular case, this family’s only source of meat comes from the deer taken during the hunting season. So the reason I’m posting the show is that some of you may actually enjoy it, and some of you may pick up ideas for your own shows. We’ll see. The shack where we stayed was built in 1999. As you’ll notice in the pictures, the shack has never been graced with a woman’s touch. This place is a good example of what could happen if men never had women in their lives. Interesting, but not pretty. I’ve tried some different techniques with audio. The background sounds were recorded live using a Zoom H2 digital recorder. The pictures were taken with a Canon 40D using 24mm and 100-400mm L-glass lenses. The show is formatted at 1920 x 1080 and is 41MB in size. It runs 9 min 48 sec. Comments and suggestions are welcomed. Regards, Dave PC users: http://www.epetersons.com/slideshows/?action=download&file=deer%20hunting%20in%20minnesota%20%282009%29.exe Mac users: http://www.epetersons.com/slideshows/?action=download&file=Deer%20Hunting%20in%20Minnesota%20%282009%29Mac.zip Mac users:

Hello Maureen - The "bigger picture" in this A/V really makes for a pleasant viewing experience. The pictures are very nice, just as is the music. You have a good photographer's eye with several of your compositions being outstanding. I liked the inclusion of people mixed in with the landscapes; it made it easier to picture myself in the scenes. Thank you for sharing your talents with us. Dave

Thank you for responding Maureen. Dave

Andrew – I can imagine how you must feel; I’d be disappointed and hurt. However, I applaud you for having the courage to put your work out there for others to judge. It’s emotionally risky, and it takes courage and an inner conviction that what you have produced is good -- maybe not to everyone, but at least to the judge that counts the most: yourself. The same thing goes on when people post their shows on the WnSoft forum or other sites. The poster is likely to feel judged, one way or the other. Of course the judgment is less definitive than in a competition, but it’s still there. For me, I can lament that with only a couple of responses; people must not have liked my show. Or I can rationalize that everyone liked it, but were too shy or busy to respond. I believe that completion, as hurtful as it can sometimes be, is good. It forces us to raise our bar and to keep trying for better work. Can you imagine what it would be like to never be able to show others our creative work? Frankly, I don’t trust just myself to say what is good and what needs work. I depend on other to balance out my view. I do hope that you’ll continue producing your shows Andrew, and above all, I hope that you’ll continue to share them with us. Regards, Dave

Thanks for your response Dan. You've offered several good ideas. I've found that adding "sound effects" can be difficult. With the right finesse they can draw the viewer into the scene; done awkwardly, they can draw the viewer to the ESC key. I'm currently working on another slideshow that makes more use of sounds recorded at the place where I took the pictures. I'll show it to the group when finished. Thanks again for your input. Dave

We are having an unusaully cold and snowy winter in Kansas this year. At times like these, I watch old slideshows of warmer times. I'm posting a 15MB show called "Hinsdale Island". I posted a longer version of it last year with different music. Some of you may recognize a few of the images. Anyway, I hope it warms you up just a bit, and gives you an itch to get outside. Comments are helpful and welcomed. Here's the link: http://www.epetersons.com/slideshows/?action=download&file=Hinsdale%20Island%20%28HD%29.exe Regards, Dave

Maureen - My goodness, you have a beautiful show here. The music selected compliments your prowess as a photographer well. And you have a good eye for that moody light. Very well done. Dave

I've recently downloaded V6.0 and thanks to Lin's tutorials, I'm slowly gaining some ground with 3D. Then Peter, you come along with your Rubik's Cube and show me just how much more I have to learn. Your cube is by far the most impressive I've seem. Just really great! Dave

Excellent in every way: beautiful pictures, happy music, and cleverly presented. Thanks for sharing. Dave

Jean-Charles, You obviously didn't just throw this together. It is excellent! You've demonstrated a raised level of artistry in a slideshow. It goes way beyond just good pictures and fitting music. Really nice. Thanks for sharing. Dave

Oh yes, now we're talking! 1920 x 1080! Big, wide, bright, and beautiful. Very enjoyable Mark. Dave

Good pictures and catchy music. An improvement would be to get the tilting horizons leveled. Good job -- thanks for sharing. Dave