Barry Beckham

ADP I can't say I agree with you for this reason. We are not in competition here and slide shows are put up for enjoyment. I don't particularly want someone who I don't know making a judgement on my work. (what qualifies them to do so?) I am quite happy for you to reach for the escape key, if you feel a slide show I have made is boring. I do it all the time with shows I download, but reaching for a set of standard rules to define comments on a slide show doesn't seem right to me. I think comments like that are OK if requested by the author or in a competitive situation, but not otherwise. I also believe that the judging of slide shows can restrict creativity, because we tend to get hearded into the acceptable mould for a slide show. For example, I have had people say to me after showing some sequences. Superb work, but the AV group would never accept a slide show where all the images have thin lines around them? Oh dear, how unfortunate for them......... Am I bovered, NO, because I produced the slide show for me, not the AV group. I have heard this too, The AV group would never accept borders or animation in a slide show, its not the done thing. Well, why the hell not? Unless a structured view is requested I would stay well clear of them. "PTE Mastery" makes me uncomfortable too. From what I have seen the energy put into this area needs to be redirected into image content and quality. The real beauty of AV/slide shows/PTE is that is can be all things to all people, well near enough. People get pleasure out of putting a few dozen holiday snaps to a bit of music with an auto setting and I think that is great. Others want to try and create something a little more hands on and thats great too. Then there is the enthusiast who get fun and pleasure from spending hours putting together some really special. They all get fun and enjoyment from PTE. Why not set up a competition and allow those who want to take part to do so, then comments such as you suggest are more relavant Other than that, just use the escape.

I use a screen resolution of 1280*1024 on the main PC's in the home and only use 1024*768 when I do a lecture or demonstration via a PC projector. The article Ken refers to is interesting as it shows 43% of users have 1024*768 set on their PC and 22% are set to 1280*1024. However, I suspect that the poll is a general one and if it were conducted with just people like us the result may be different. If only photographic and AV enthusiasts were polled I suspect the number using 1280*1024 may be somewhat higher. I must admit I am surprised to see that 11% are still using 800*600 Barry

Well, to be honest I havn't looked lately and quoted from memory. The point is, if there is a problem with another web browser then there is precious little I can do about it anyway. Wouldn't know where to start and the site seems to work for others which tends to suggest any isolated problems are on an individual machine and not the web site they are trying to access. Do I detect a little rising to the defence of Firefox here

Heres a thought I have a very simple web site, nothing difficult or complicated about it, but with the wrong settings or perhaps another obscure reason it does not display perfectly for all viewers. It does give you a little sympathy for software writers like Microsoft doesn't it? I cannot see how they can possible get a product right without people using it and reporting back, just like we have been doing with PTE5. How can you make Vista run perfectly for all, be able to run all other software including quite old programs on machines of all shapes, sizes and types. B

Peter The site has been running for almost 3 years and this is the first I have heard of it. Firefox users make up only a tiny proportion of visitors, so I will probably allow things to float along as they have been. You can always go direct to the forum on the link However, thanks for telling me about the problem BB

Peter I believe you were trying to access our shop and not the forum, but I also think you are aware of that now from the other posts. The forum does have a domain of www.beckhamforum.co.uk and it is listed in the menus to the left of every page on the site. In addition if you click the logo from the top right of our main page it will link you directly to our forum and if you click the Beckham Digital logo top left it will link you directly to the PTE forum. I created those links for my own convenience mostly, but they might be useful to visitors. Larry. You offer some great advice about Vista, but I have a problem in purchasing right now and probably not for the reasons some may think. All our PC's are now a bit old and I could do with replacing all three of them to something more powerful and up to date. (not that these machines are completely past it yet) However, we are planning to move permanently to Australia in about 12 months time so it makes no sence to spend that sort of money and set up three new machines only to have to pay to ship them out to Australia and lose them for up to 3 months while they take the low road (ship) and we take the high road (Aircraft). As soon as we get a base in Australia we will get three new PC's all running vista, hence my reasons for the query in the first place. Now last time I told anyone of our plans, some jerk went away and wrote an article saying we were closing our Beckham Digital site and retiring to Australia. That is not the case the web site and all it does will continue if and when we get there. Ken If you knew just what I have done in the UK for PTE I don't think you would be so upset at my request for info regarding Vista. How much free advertising do I want? Well any business wants all it can get doesn't it, including wnsoft. Well I think I have played quite a large part in the advertising of PTE myself with two or is it three articles singing the praises of PTE in the UK national Photo Magazines. In addition I have sold almost 700 copies and helped to set up another magazine article only yesterday and today. A UK magazine is doing a test of 5 slide show software programs and the test is to take a batch of holiday pictures and output them to DVD. With Igors help providing product keys that test will now go ahead with PTE5 and not PTE4 via Ulead, which would be a disaster really. Most people apart from us enthusiasts find creating a DVD a nightmare via Ulead and I constanty get calls and emails asking for help. PTE5 solves all that and the quality issues too, so it was vital that PTE5 was included in this test. Given the magazine lead times and with a fair wind, the artcle may appear just when PTE5 is launched and either way PTE will get a good slice of free advertising, because is should trounce the opposition particularly PSG. In addition I hold full day seminars on PTE, visit clubs and societies and PTE is always demonstarated and slide shows played. In addition to that I often spend time on the phone asisting people to get out of trouble with PTE and only this morning I have spent 30 minutes on the phone to someone who has re-installed PTE4 and got into all sorts of difficulties with the product key. He is now up and running. In addition to that I refer 100's yes 100's of people to the forum for topics I can't deal with. So, don't worry, I think I am doing more good than harm

Sorry to have upset you Peter I do have a forum on my site where I keep people advised and answer questions and I also get many telephone calls as well. I also have some AV pages where I answer queries on line that I think will help others. Come on mate I am PTE's best supporter, but when someone asks a question its nice to be able to answer it. However, enough said.

Well I would like the knowledge myself too. I will have Vista at some stage and I will not learn anything if I pass everything off.

Ron Well, it doesn't make the best of sence to refer someone to another website from one that has some commercial considerations. I would obviously like visitors who find www.beckhamdigital.co.uk to stay there I freely answer any question I get and I can cope with 99%. If all else fails I often do refer people to this forun because I know those on it are about as expert at PTE as you are likely to find. I would also like to know about Vista myself ready for the inevitable questions I will get asked at Camera club demonstrations and talks Barry

Hello to all the PTE experts, I know you all congregate here I receive quite a number of questions relating to PTE4 and now PTE5 through my web site at www.beckhamdigital.co.uk I answer all these email queries and most of the time I have the answer to why this or that doesn't work or how to create a special type of affect. I have started to receive a number of questions relating to PTE running on Windows Vista and not being a Vista user yet I cannot give them an answer. I know that Igor and his team have had Vista firmly in their mind as they have created PTE5 and I know how he thoroughly tests his software before releasing it. I assume this includes Vista. I have seen some references to vista in these pages, but I would be interested to hear from any knowledgable PTE5 users who are using it. Are you finding any problems and if so, what? I don't expect to get Vista for another year at least, but that is only because we will be moving home around 12 months time and I want to stay as we are with XP at present. I can then set up with new kit and Vista when we move. but in the meantime I would like to point people with a problem in the right direction. Barry B

I have had someone tell me that PTE4 develops a sound issue on Vista. Can anyone confirm that? Barry Beckham www.beckhamdigital.co.uk

There is a great invetion to get movement into water, its called video. Sorry, but I could't resist

PSG and PSP need to have the parameters carefully set as the final show is made or the quality of the output does suffer. There also appears to be a problem with PSG where it appears to work OK for some people, but not others. I have 4 PC's and cannot get smooth animation in PSG on any of them. This is using the new version 3 and in fact I cannot get sweet fade transitions either. The Photodex boffins took up my query and said they had reproduce the problem on the show I sent them. Their reply was. That the spec of my machine was not at fault and they will continue to optimise the software so that it runs smoothly on all computers. That seems to me to be quite an admission that the software is not up to the job. Had I bought the software (it was a journalist copy) I would have wanted my money back. Igor is right to take all the time he needs before launching PTE5 deluxe. While we are all waiting for it, better to wait and have a good product than do what Photodex appear to have done and released something that does not do what is says on the box. I wanted to produce tutorial DVD's using PSG, but can't do that if my examples are jerky and unprofessional. It has forced me to put it aside until such time as it catches up to PTE The time line is awful on PSG too BB

I am aware that most visitors to this forum hardly need the information I have recently added to my web site, but newer converts to AV may find something there. I started working on something dedicated to PTE that I hoped to get published in a book, but publishers do not want to know because PTE does not run on a Mac. I think they are out of date, but I cannot sway their views on this. Rather than waste the effort I had already put in I have made some adjustments and put the information up on the pages on my web site. It has lots of information and demos and may be useful to some. Regards Barry http://www.beckhamdigital.co.uk/audiovisual/audiovisual.htm

Under the heading of spam, I have been trying a piece of software called Cloudmark and it is simple and appears to work all the time. I have not had to fish one email out of the spam folder yet You can take a free trial here http://www.cloudmark.com/landing/?prod=saf...=sbibr302172158 At the end of my trial, I think I will be buying this. Barry

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm I have seen quite a few SERIOUS AV's and most of those would not tempt me in out of the rain. BB

Can I remind you all of a slide show competition based on 12 images at the link below. Some good tutotial DVD's to be won. http://www.beckhamdigital.co.uk/competitio...ortandsweet.htm Come on and have a go, 12 images is not too taxing Barry

I did quite a bit of work towards writing a book on AV mostly dedicated to PTE, but was surprised that I could not find a publisher to run with it. Even one who published a previous book of mine on Elements. The reason was that PTE does not run on a Mac. Now I think the trade (ie print/publishers) think Macs are more popular than they really are because they use them. Less than 3% of the visitors to my web site are Mac users, which is not a high proportion. Never the less they won't show any interest until PTE runs on a Mac. Anyone who can do this will do us all and Igor a big favour, but if Igor can make PTE a cross platform program it will elivate PTE to greater heights I think. I am glad a Mac user has such enthusiasm for PTE Barry www.beckhamdigital.co.uk

Apologies, but I am a bit late to one of the issues raised here. I mentioned the three mode settings to Igor when PTE5 was first launched as a beta and suggested we need a global setting, but in fact its not so hard to change a complete slide show and doesn't need 900 mouse clicks. Select the first slide from the slide list once all your images are in place and open the objects and animation screen. Select the mode you want, ie cover slide, original or fit to slide. You will notice that the setting remains high-lighted. Now go to the forward arrow at the top right of the objects and animation screen and click to the next image. Use the up and down arrow keys and the mode can be changed easily. Kepp one finger on the cursor control arrow key and the mouse on the advance arrow and you can rattle through 50 slides in a minute. Its a neat work around until Igor has some breathing space and can consider a global button. Barry

I use PTE to create the menus for tutorial DVD's and slide show demos look rather neat using the transition to and from the desktop, but its not something I would mourn the loss of. I am sure you have bigger fish to fry. Get PTE working on a Mac, then we are really cooking. Yes I know this is on the wish list Barry

I have been doing some work on my web site and realised I had more slide shows and demos than I know what to do with, so with my newly found band width I have put them all up. They can be found HERE and HERE Barry B

Today I have launched 15 albums under the title of Music for Photographers, which can be found HERE This has come about because a music label has recognised that our needs as Photographers are different from high end professionals and they have agreed a license and given me the rights to sell their music in our secure shop. The albums of music can either be bought on a CD, downloaded as a complete album or individual tracks can be downloaded. This music is completely different to the music previously sold under the copyright free series. The music is supplied as Mp3 files and the music CD's will not play in domestic music systems. The albums are £12.99 and individual tracks at £2.99 The license agreement will meet all amateur and most professional needs and is available on every album page. What limitations there are will only affect BIG business, not those of us who wish to sell CD's and DVD as a commercial project. More albums will be added over the coming weeks and while I cannot state exactly how many I would guess another 4, maybe 5. I also expect to be able to add to the list as music is created in the future. This is quite a breakthrough for those of us who wish to remain legal and use music in our slide shows and have a reasonable variety to choose from. If you have any queries at all don't hesitate to drop me an email at barry@beckhamdigital.co.uk Can I ask those of you who are members of AV groups to spread the word among your members. I feel that if these artists see a reasonable return, we can perhaps convince others to release music too. Best regards Barry Beckham