Don

Hi Dan, Thanks for your comments. I value the opinions of those in this forum. I've consolidated them into a "bullet point" list that I'll review as I put my next show together. Don

Hi LumenLux, Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. No, I’m not an engineer. The credit goes to Igor. He has put together a program that even someone with no prior AV experience can operate, provided they view the tutorials, read the manual, etc. I enjoy the challenge. And I like the fact that there are many aspects of PTE that I’m aware exist, but haven’t yet used. When I was exploring different slideshow software, I had read that PTE’s technical aspects were superior. But what also helped to push me into the PTE camp was the comments I read about the WnSoft Forums. They pointed out that support was there for both beginners and those that are more accomplished. It was also noted that the community was simply a delightful place. I have found these comments to be true. Don

Hi Bill, Thanks for your responses. I’m happy that you enjoyed the show. It’s good to know that my show displayed properly on a Mac. I can understand your preference for “a little sharper” images. I visited your website following your post here and was quite impressed by the sharpness standards that you hold yourself to. I’ve put on my “to do” list the assignment of creating sharper images. My first step is to use my dreaded tripod, at least some of the time. My second step is to learn more about sharpening in Photoshop. I’m familiar with the unsharp mask, as well as some techniques for luminosity sharpening. But, I believe that there are far more effective methods than I’m using. Andrew, in an earlier comment, also mentioned having a dog similar to the one in my show. Given that there are at least two dog lovers in the forum, and likely more, I would like to pass along some additional information about the dog in my show. My daughter and her husband adopted this dog, named “Solly,” from a rescue shelter about 15 months prior to this event. According to their vet’s estimate, she was a little over two years old at the time I shot these images. The best guess is that she is a mix of Basenji and Jack Russell Terrier. The rescue shelter indicated that Solly had been severely abused. She was under-weight and petrified of just about everything and everybody, except other dogs. The only way to get her out of her crate was to tilt it so that gravity would cause her to fall out. She had all sorts of behavioral issues. The people at the shelter admitted that this is the type of dog that will never get adopted. My daughter and her husband wanted to take on this challenge. They were confident that they could bring her around. I was hopeful, but concerned that they had gotten themselves into a situation that wouldn’t turn out well. This was the first dog either of them had. Accordingly, their confidence was based more on their desire to save a distressed animal than on experience. Fortunately, they were right! After receiving much love and training, Solly has made surprising progress. When with people that she knows, she now behaves normally. And, she is gradually learning how to not be quite so fearful when meeting new people. She certainly still has further to go, but it is wonderful to see the progress that she has made. My wife and I love being with her, especially when she is dropped off at our home for week or so of dog-sitting. Don

Hi Dave, Thanks for your comments. I appreciate the encourage as well as the suggestions for improvement. I’m clearly getting the sense that I should use only landscape unless there is a compelling reason to resort to portrait. As I mentioned in another response above, I may still use some portraits that I currently have in inventory, but the general rule for me should be landscape . I hadn’t considered the color clash of the portrait images against the blue water background. I stayed with that background to keep the visuals simple and consistent. Your point is well taken. As I mentioned above, I’m going to experiment with voice-over instead of text. I think it might make for a smoother presentation. I’m really not very experienced with mixing soundtracks. I only started that quite recently, along with my PTE experiments. I’ve found Audacity relatively easy to use. They have enough documentation and tutorials for the “non-techies” like me to catch on. Thanks again for your kind words. Don

Hi Andrew, I’m glad you liked the show. Also, thanks for your suggestions. Sorry to hear about your Jack Russell passing away. As we all know, pets quickly become family members. And after 19 years, it must have taken a toll on you. My view is that people are just not “programmed” to bury their children. Yet when one buries a pet, that is what we are doing. Don

Hi Luc M, Thanks for your remarks. Also, thanks for taking the time to see how my show ran via Windows on your iMac. I’m wondering if it ran successfully the second time because you used the Windows operating system or because of the re-boot. At times I find that shows run smoother for me if I reboot, thus clearing out any unwanted elements absorbing RAM. Don

Hi Peter, Thanks for taking the time to provide your reactions to the show. I was not aware of the ability to number the slides. I followed your suggested steps on a test show and it works quite nicely. I think I’ll be more careful next time when executing a deep zoom. I’m thinking that the “proud father” image would have benefited from saving the JPEG at 12, which I did not do. I did not realize the zip requirement of some ISPs. That alone is enough reason for me to zip my files. It only takes a couple of clicks. Combining your suggestion regarding navigation with that of John (i.e., note the navigation in the beginning of the show), it seems that the best course for me is to enable the spacebar/arrow keys only, thus avoiding the unexpected “pop-ups.” Your point about the disruption introduced by the captions is one that I had not considered, but can understand. You young guys who grew up with “talkies” seem to have a different tolerance for text on the screen. Just kidding <G>. I’m not quite that old. Actually, I think I’m going to find a microphone and experiment with your suggestion. Thanks again for your words of encouragement, as well as the suggestions for improvement. Don

Hi John, Thanks for your kind comments. I am considering changing the pixel dimensions for future shows to 1920 x 1080 due to the issue that you mentioned. My friends and family will more likely be viewing it in that format. Regarding the “portrait vs landscape” issue, I am going to attempt to try to stay in the landscape orientation for much of my future shooting. I do have some events that I previously shot with a mix, so they will likely appear in future shows. Additionally, if there is a compelling creative reason to use portrait, I will. But, exclusive of these considerations, I think the rule for me should be to shoot in landscape. I like the idea of putting a notification at the beginning of the show about navigation. Thanks again. Don

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. The images were shot prior to me knowing about PTE or other slideshow software. Accordingly, there is some mixing of portrait and landscape, which I hope is not too objectionable. I believe that my PTE skills will grow best if I get clear, detailed, critical comments about my work. My skin is thick and my desire to improve is strong. Please provide your comments with this in mind. In addition to general comments about your reactions to the show, I would also be interested in some specific areas which are listed below: Did the show display properly on your screen? My image dimensions are 1920 x 1200 pixels. While this fills my monitor perfectly, I do not know how it will display on other monitors, especially those with different dimensions. Are the images sharp enough? I experimented with varying ways of saving them, trying to balance sharpness against file size. Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected? Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? My intent was to enable control from the viewer’s spacebar and arrow keys, as well as through a navigation bar. Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer? Did the Mac version work? I have absolutely no way to know this, as I only have a PC. I hope you enjoy the show. For PC: http://www.mediafire.com/?zzyzgjmiily For Mac: http://www.mediafire.com/?3tnzynzqymo Don

Tom, Thanks. Excellent tutorial on Save For Web. Don

Peter, Thanks for the info. I had not considered "Save for Web." I should try that. Don

Ray, I now run Vista, but I did have XP on my last PC. There are two steps that you can take that are relatively easy and, in my experience, helped my computer to run much better. I'm not a "techy," yet had no difficulty executing these steps. I'm sure that there are others in this forum that are far more technically equipped than I am and they may have some thoughts to add. Step #1: Defragment your hard drive. I did this roughly once per month. Here is a link that will explain the steps: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/tutorials/tutorial55.html. Step #2: Run Error-checking. I did this about every several months. Here is a link that will explain the steps: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265. If you find these articles inadequate, let me know. I'll prepare a step-by-step method to accomplish each. They are really not difficult, yet can have a tremendous impact. Good luck. Don

Brian, Thanks. Clearly, then, the route for me will be LPCM + MP3. Don

Brian, The version of the slideshow that I successfully burned to a DVD (i.e., with functioning sound) used OGG. The only thing that I changed from the initial failed attempt was to select LPCM in the Video Builder Projects Options, instead of MPEG. The only reason that I selected OGG over MP3 in the first place was that I had read this it might provide higher quality sound. On comparing the two on my computer, I really couldn't tell them apart. But my computer sound system is not great, so it may not be indicative of the experience with a home theater system. The PTE User Guide indicates that it supports both of those formats, although it does not specify whether this is for both PTE and Video Builder. I hope this helps. Don

nobeefstu, Thanks! What a simple solution. At your suggestion I chose LPCM in the Video Builder Project Options and the sound works fine now. I have been using only the EXE method for creating a slideshow prior to this attempt. While at times it can be more convenient to run a show through a DVD player on to a TV, it does remind me why I chose to purchase PTE in the first place... there is just no comparison for sharpness. Nonetheless, there are times when a DVD player is all that is available. Thanks again for your help. Also, thanks to all the others that provided suggestions. This forum is a great place. Don

Davy, I really enjoyed the last piece of music, too. Follow the link below and you'll hear and see 5 minutes and 52 seconds of this wonderful song. I had never heard of this group before, but they are certainly on my radar now. Nice stuff! Dan... I agree that personal videos like yours are most meaningful to family, but isn't that the most important thing. Think of the memories that this will bring about for your family in 10, 15, or more years forward. Keep doing them. Don

Ray, Thanks for the offer. I will take you up on this. The file for the show that I’m trying to create on a DVD is too large to send conveniently via MediaFire. So, I’ll create a short show and send it to you. It’s the concept of how to successfully burn a DVD using PTE that I’m after, not just the particular show that I’m struggling with now. I’ll burn this short show to a DVD first and test it with my DVD player and TV to confirm that I’m having the same problem with it that I was having with the initial show that prompted my question. I’m going to be tied up for a day or so on other matters, so it might be a little while before you hear from me. I’ll email you via the forum once I’ve posted this shorter project on MediaFire. Thanks for your offer of help. I appreciate your efforts. Don

Brian, I read the PDF file that you sent to me. It was generally helpful in explaining the different DVD audio formats, but didn’t provide me with specific enough info to help me with the choices that I have within Video Builder and PTE . When in Video Builder, Project Options provides two choices under “Audio options:” MPEG Audio and LPCM, with the former being the default. Like Yachtsman1 indicated in his comment that he does, I left it at the default, hoping that the program knew more than I do. In PTE my audio file was imported through Project Options as an .OGG (from Audacity.) I will try again with the “Create MPEG2 Files” box checked. Let’s see if this is the solution. At your suggestion, I opened the DVD using my computer. There were two folders on it: “Audio_TS” and “Video_TS.” The “Audio_TS” folder had nothing in it. The “Video_TS” folder had eight files in it. Two of them could not be opened by Windows (“VIDEO_TS.BUP” and “VTS_01_0.BUP.) Below are the results I achieved when trying to open the remaining six files: 1. VIDEO_TS.IFO: This played the introductory video and music that I chose for what I believe is the title page, i.e., where I chose the template, background, etc. 2. VIDEO_TS.VOB: This played the exact same as above the file, but used a different program on my computer to open it. 3. VTS_01_0.IFO: This played the exact same thing as #1 above. 4. VTS_01_0.VOB: This also played the exact same thing as #1 above. 5. VTS_01_1.VOB: This played the entire slide show, both video and audio. 6. VTS_01_2.VOB: This played roughly the last one minute of the slide show, both video and audio. My next step is to try creating a DVD again with the “Create MPEG2 Files” box checked, as you suggested. Also, I’m going to take Ray up on his offer to look at my file. With Ray being in the USA, as I am, he may be best positioned to figure out what is going on. Thanks for your suggestions. I’ll let you know what happens. Don

Brian, Thanks for the response. But, I'm not clear as to what I should do next. I assumed that I instructed Video Builder to utilize the music track with the selections that I made in Project Options. When I heard the sound faithfully produced while playing the DVD in my computer, I thought this was confirmation that the DVD had sound on it. I realize that you are in Ireland and thus may have more experience with PAL/SECAM than NTSC. So, I am left with three questions: (1) Should I create the DVD again and check any of the boxes that I left unchecked (“Create MPEG2 Files,” "Create DVD folders," and/or “Create ISO image?”) (2) Does DVD-R or DVD+R have a better chance of working for me? (3) Does anyone with more North American DVD experience have any thoughts? Thanks, Don

I am not getting any sound when playing a DVD of a PTE 6.0 slideshow through my DVD player. Oddly, I am getting sound if I play that same DVD in my computer. The video is fine on both my computer and TV. I have searched through this site to see if this issue has already been handled, but could not find anything. I’d like some help or a link to the possible resolution if it has already been addressed. Here are the specifics: I tried this with both DVD-R and DVD+R DVDs. Same problem both times. I tried to play back the DVD in both a Toshiba and a Samsung DVD player. Same problem. I checked both DVD players with a commercially produced DVD (i.e., a movie) to insure that the sound was working. It was. The EXE file works fine in my PC. Here are the settings I used in Video Builder: Project Options: TV system = NTSC (I’m in US.) Menu aspect ratio 4:3. TV screen aspect ratio 16:9. Bitrate 7000. Video type Progressive (I’m showing it on a HD plasma.) Anti-flicker checked. Audio Format MPEG Audio. Bitrate 224. None of the advanced options are checked. Nothing checked on the Program tab. Final page where “Start” button is: “Create MPEG2 Files” unchecked. “Create DVD folders” unchecked. “Create ISO image” unchecked. “Burn DVD disc” checked. Device E:TSST corp, DVD+-RW TS-H653F. Speed 22x (30470 KB/sec). “Include additional folders…” unchecked. A while after clicking “Start” I get a response indicating that the DVD was successfully burned. Thanks for your thoughts. Enjoy the Super Bowl first, though. Don

Good thing that they didn't make it all the way to the shredder. Nice pics. Nice show. Don

I liked it. The images are wonderful and the exquisite care taken when timing them to the music is evident. Personally, I think that subtle animation can make certain shows seem more alive. It works for me with this show. Were these shot handheld or with a tripod? Nice droplet movement, too. Don

Hi Lin, Your test does clearly show a noticeable difference. Thanks for your efforts and help. Don

Hi Brian, Thanks for the PFD file. It provides a rather complete explanation. I’ve finished a first reading, but will need to spend more time with it prior to gaining a full understanding. The visual examples are extremely helpful. Among other things, I was not aware that JPGs did not handle text or line drawings as well as images with smooth variations. There is much to learn from this document. Thanks for posting it. Don

Hi Lin, Thanks for the response. I had not considered the impact of deep zooms, which is obviously a good point. I have been experimenting with deep zooms recently and clearly see image quality issues. More compression might complicate this. Separately, I have viewed a video of yours that introduces the concept of shooting the same subject at progressively higher settings of a telephoto lens (deeper zooms, that is.) As your demonstration showed, this can preserve image quality while allowing for deep zooms at high quality in PTE. If others have not seen this, I suggest that they do. As I mentioned in my response above to Peter, I do downsample my image sizes prior to saving them as JPGs. After editing in Photoshop, I crop to a 1.6 : 1.0 ratio by setting the crop tool to 10 in by 6.25 in. Then I downsample by clicking Image>Image Size and enter 1920 as the width for a landscape image, leaving Scale Styles, Constrain Proportions, and Resample Image (Bicubic) all checked. The height automatically changes to 1200, as this is linked to width. If the image is portrait orientation, I set height to 1200 and let the width fall as it may. I leave the resolution alone, since I’m assuming that this does not affect images shown on a monitor. Do you have any suggestions about this about this approach? I used this method when I prepared the test that I posted on MediaFire. Thanks, Don