dpeterso
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Posts posted by dpeterso
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It's been a while since I've announced anything, so I just wanted to say I've got a new show up at beechbrook.com entitled Another Week Along the Trail.
Jeff -
So glad to see that you're back. I enjoyed the slideshow, and you've brought your talents back stronger than ever. I've been away myself, but for different reasons. About a year ago I made the shift from stills to DSLR video (Canon T2i). Whole new world for me. I kept trying to do video with stills and slideshows, but just couldn't go further. Now I have a lot more room to express myself, but frankly, I'm in over my head most of the time. Video is difficult!
Anyway, it's great to see your stuff again. BTW, how do you keep Sammy out of the rattlesnakes?
Take care,
Dave
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Download at Serving BLT or at Beechbrook"If I could describe it all in words, I wouldn't have to pack a camera."
I'm reminded of the quote by our recent discussion as we try to make our presentation notices more useful. I agree the suggestions can be implemented for everyone's benefit. But I hope that people will still be open to the "thrill of discovery" that can come with watching even the "unexpected." Once a potential viewer get's past the constraint of download size, there is very little risk as long as the exit switch (fire escape route) is known.
The recent discussion did prompt me to question myself as to "purpose". I think "purpose" can be purpose for creating the show, and purpose for posting the show. In this instance, a few of my purposes come to mind.
PTE is a very enjoyable way to view photography. I enjoy taking (way too many) photos and PTE puts some in a form where they will more likely be seen after the shutter is clicked. PTE allows me to express further a level of creativity that photography incubates. My list could go on and on, and eventually lose you all. So this presentation is made because of the beautiful scenery that has surrounded my 43 years of marriage. This anniversary journey via PTE is made specifically for my wife and myself. When I experience anything "great", "special" or even "pleasant" I like to share it. So I hope you might enjoy it! For my part, I will be further "rewarded" if you express any kind of reaction to the experience!
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
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I am on an ego trip, having just uploaded my first PTE show. There is, or will be shortly, on Beechbrook a sequence of shots during a day in Amsterdam. Someone said it would be helpful to post a direct link to it from here. Could someone please take me through the procedure to accomplish that ( I guess my show will appear on Beechbrook shortly, after it has been vetted). Comments/ critique would be appreciated
The beechbrook link is www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloads.asp?id=1824
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
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I have viewed this site for many years but I have not published shows because mine are almost always personal records of family and holidays. But here is a starter of an afternoon at the British Museum. Like others before me, would appreciate comments and advice to develop the art further. The show can be downloaded from www.beechbrook.com
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
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Greetings,
There has been much discussion about using a media player (such as the WD HD Media Player) to play PTE's MP4 files on HDTVs. However, I just made a discover with my recently purchased Samsung LED 40" HDTV. Since I got this TV, I have been playing my PTE MP4 files through my WD HD Media Player, which is excellent.
However, I wondered what the 'Media.P' button was for on my TV's remote. So I plugged in my memory stick directly in the TV's USB port and pushed the 'Media.P' (Media Player). I discovered that the MP4 files came up and played just as well as when I used the WD HD Media Player. I had no idea that this would be possible.
So, in case others have not tried this on their HDTV, I just want make you aware of this possibility. The WD HD Media Player is great to have (its portability is nice, too), but it was also a nice discover for me that my HDTV will play PTE's MP4 files directly thorough its USB port using a memory stick. Maybe your HDTV will do this too?
Gary
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
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I’m new to PTE and have learned much from these forums, the User Guide, the tutorials, related sites, and more than a few late nights of experimentation. I am clearly aware, however, that I am at the very early end of the learning curve, with much to conquer before me. To aid my efforts now, I would like to get some feedback from those far more capable than me. So, I’m posting my first slideshow: “But Can She Swim?” It runs 3 minutes and 53 seconds, prior to the credits (which run another 37 seconds.) It is 19.1 MB.
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
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I have created an exe show of my family, vacations and gardens
from the year 2009.
(file name 2009_Dan_Rita_med_resolution.exe)
about 54 Meg.
The show runs a little over 16 minutes not
counting music credits at the end.
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
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Hi all,
The other day I was cleaning out and found a poem entitled "If it should be'. It was written for those who have lost their pets by having to have them put to sleep.
As an animal lover, we had 3 maltese poodles, all who have now passed on.
The A/V is nothing spectacular, very simple, and please note that the photos' were taken out of an album and scanned onto my pc.
I do hope that those of you who are animal lovers will watch this show and read the poem. It is a tribute to our 3 dearly loved pets.
Colin
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
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These pics have been lying around for the last three years doing nothing until I decided it was time to sort them out.
The presentation is sized at 1920*1200; 32.8Mb; approx 65 slides and 7m48s. Probably a bit too long for some but it is such a spectacular environment and I took literally hundreds of pics. The hardest part was deciding what to leave out and maybe I, too, have been more than a little self-indulgent. However....... here they are.
Maureen
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
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I have been working on this slide show for months and I have been back and forth to it a hundred times. That, in itself is not a good sign for me.
I have been trying to get the right feel to the images and the manipulations and I am still not sure I have. In the end you get so wrapped up in the project that you have trouble seeing the wood from the trees. Your own judgment on whether you are producing anything others may want to see becomes clouded (I recognise this could be Self Indulgence at work?)
The only solution is to post it and see what others, (not clouded with the same creative mist) makes of it. Well, this is what I have come to ground with. Comments are welcomed and don't worry about causing any offence, you have no chance of that.
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
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All,
Just thought I'd slip in this last HD rework of a previous AV.
I liked the original 'Mountain Journeys',but not sure how this one will turn out.
(Am doing this on a 17" 4:3 monitor)
http://www.mediafire.com/?en2igodx00o Mountain Journeys HD PC
http://www.mediafire.com/?hqikuqkx3wz Mountain Journeys HD Mac
Images,like the original were courtesy of Google.
Davy
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
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Dave , nice "GUY" show -- many years down the road, when watching it again, "the guys" will remember everything that happened and the laughs will be heard far and wide.
is the lever action a Winchester 94 or a Marlin?
thks for sharing
ken
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
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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
Mac users:
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I've gone for the 'bigger picture' this time, so hope it's okay. All photos taken from early December 09 to early Jan 2010.
On www.beechbrook.com/pte/ with grateful thanks to Bill.
Maureen
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
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Hi Dave - a nice, relaxing a/v which must make you long for the Spring and Summer months when you can get out your camping gear and head off. I thought the music complemented it, too. We here in the UK have been having some pretty rough weather (for us) recently and whilst it causes a great deal of inconvenience and hardship, it does look extremely beautiful.
Maureen
Thank you for responding Maureen.
Dave
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Well last night my Auschwitz show went to the club for inclusion among 13 for consideration. The 4 chosen only proved that audiences prefer bells and whistles.
So now I'm going to sulk for a while before I find another subject, and on the competition night I shall be there to cheer on my club while secretely shouting "I told you so" when they get pulverised.
Mind you at may age I thought I had used up all my disappointment genes. Guess not.
Andrew.
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
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Wonderful show!
Thanks for sharing.
If you want to tweak it one day, the zing of a reel stripping line would make
a perfect -if staged- sound effect for the shot of the man casting.
An occasional slap of a wave on the shore and maybe even a dog bark
would just be seasoning on this wonderful meal for our eyes and ears.
How about water dripping when we see the oar poised above the water......
Really, it's very nice just as it is.
Well worth a look.
Peace!
Dan D.
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
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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
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Images taken from fairly short visits to the North-Western Highlands of Scotland late October 2008 and the same time October 2009. Despite a dire weather forecast we took the ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway for a couple of nights, followed by an even briefer visit to Skye before being rained off.
I'm afraid not an original choice of music but I did try several Scottish pieces; however, always came back to this one.
Available on http://www.Beechbrook.Com/PTE
Maureen
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
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The advent of 3D animation in PTE v6 has opened up many new possibilities. Elsewhere on the forum a, perhaps light-hearted, challenge was laid down to produce a Rubik's Cube animation. Being unable to resist such a challenge, I set about trying to produce a satisfactory animation of a Rubik's Cube. Here's the result: Cube.zip (7.7MB download, expanding to 9.0MB executable, run time 2m 23s)
Please note that this is the same link that I attached to a post in that original topic.
I would welcome all and any feedback.
regards,
Peter
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
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Excellent in every way: beautiful pictures, happy music, and cleverly presented.
Thanks for sharing.
Dave
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Hello,
Sorry I do not speak English and I use the Google translator.
I will present a slide show on Iceland: the Creation
Jean-Charles Pizolatto
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
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Oh yes, now we're talking! 1920 x 1080! Big, wide, bright, and beautiful. Very enjoyable Mark.
Dave
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Good pictures and catchy music. An improvement would be to get the tilting horizons leveled.
Good job -- thanks for sharing.
Dave
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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