mcarthur

Thanks Igor. It's a wonderful breakthrough for PTE and I know I'm going to enjoy using it immensely! Robert Good idea Lin. That will certainly work (with some elbow grease) in that situation. I'm really looking forward to trying things out a lot. Of course the caveat is to use the wonderful new animation features appropriately - I've seen some truly terrible shows where every conceivable transition was used and some sea-sickenly bizarre animations :-) Thanks again, Robert

Hi Lin, Oh yes, I've found that. What I used to have with my other (unnamed here) software is independent control of each image at any point in the show. So instead of any notion of a "slide", there was simply the multiple notions of time and individual image. Let me prompt in case there is and answer and I've just missed it Say I want to have two images moving across (L-R, R-L continuously) throughout half of my slideshow, always in the background (I've seen something like this done really well in a competition, so it's "real"). All the other images in the show, for the first half say, come ontop of those two which are semi-opaque so the images on top aren't "drowned out". In PTE5, I can have a single slide with multiple images, all with their own paths etc (yee haa :-)), but I can't see a way to have this cross over into the "next slide". Now, I can make the entire show a single "slide" (in PTE terms) and just have all my images moving inside that, but then I lose all the other wonderful things like music synchro and the lighttable. Is that clear? Is it possible?! Regards Robert

Wonderful Igor. Superb :-) Now, can I make some suggestions :-) These are all animation related (since that's what I'm concentrating on) is there an option to see all the objects on the timeline at once (preferably colour-coded)? It would be easier to synchronise them to be able to see them all at once if find myself needing to often modify the length of time the slide is shown for. Can the timeline be modified so I simply move the endpoint further right, rather than needing to go into the "slide" button? the keypoint time for the first and last in the slide are the same - 0 - should this be so? (I tried adding some to the last keypoint but it didn't like that! :-) I can hardly wait until the variable speed version! :-] I can hardly wait until the defined path version :-] :-] Is it possible to go back to the light table or main screen after starting the animation screen? I couldn't find a way... Right - found it! The animation screen opens another one fullscreen and hides the underlying one. The windows toolbar still only shows a single window open for that project (ie. not MDI) which threw me. Perhaps add a button or something to the animation screen to send people back to the main. I'd still love a way to do what I used to, which is have multiple images per page with seperate timelines/fades/etc. Now the v5 gets me closer since I can add images (objects) to a slide but it's pretty clunky (in terms of control, not in terms of the beautiful animation and new delivery engine!). what I find amazing is that so far there's not been a bug. Now I can't undestand a person who doesn't comprehend that when something is labelled "beta" that it means it's a beta. The sort who when presented with "Danger! Don't touch this or you will die" is a budding Darwin award winner! But this is beta software and, apart from what's purposely left out, there's not a bug! I, for one, and someone who's been programming for years, am amazed - GO IGOR! I was going to put up a 30s show of the fun I've had with but 3 slides, but realised I don't have anywhere to put it! Doh. Regards Robert

Ken, the factals actually worked much better than the other two (see my previous post). There's a jump at the end before it cycles again but I assume that's not meant to be pixel perfect. Otherwise the fractals is great. Don't know why they other two aren't as good!? Robert

Very slight stutter in flowers just after the fade into a new slide completes. pteshow is noticeably jerky in small ways for most transitions and movements. No trouble with sound. Dell Insipron D610 laptop (Pentium M 2GHz, 1GB ram, XP SP2), ATI Mobility Radeon X300, Internal DAC(400MHz), 64MB Robert

Hmm, I couldn't register at all - it wouldn't accept the "registration code" I typed in (about 10 different ones as it changes each time). It also forces you to put in a birthday - seems to reason for force that so I object. I'd like to participate and see the site but it doesn't look good thus far...

Thanks for everyone's comments. I found GlobFX much easier to work with as a workflow - I tried to do the show in PTE before I realised I needed GlobFX's transitions and even without these it was taking 3+ times as long as for PTE I had to do a lot in Photoshop to prepare multi-images onscreen with separate dissolves. However, I much prefer the quality of PTE's dissolve and the fact it uses the actual image I give it. I suspect the reason GlobFX's version looks less sharp is that it *is* - their software seems to take your image and apply compression (even when turned off from what I can see) and something else. The result is definitely less sharp and constrasty than the original images and that whcih PTE gives. I also liked the ability to do the music on the timeline in GlobFX, but I haven't played around in the new PTE so can't compare that feature. I'm sorry about the thing trying to connect to the Internet - nothing to do with me and I wish it wouldn't! I don't know at all what's happening there. The information on the music should have been at the end - it's a track called Fyvie Castle from an album called Fyvie's Embrace by Chris Duncan, one (if not the) best Scottish fiddle players in the world. He's also a motor mechanic! :-) Chris says it's the best ghost music in the world. I put the show into a local inter-club competition here as my first entry, and it won 3rd (out of 8; 2 analogue, 6 digital). All of the digital were done with GlobFX, mostly I think because of the use of easy to produce multiple image onscreen with seperate dissolves, and the flexible pan/zoom effect. From talking with others, PTE is seen as a lesser option, partly I think because they took a look at it once and haven't come back, and partly because of workflow/functionality. That's a pity because, apart from what I said above, I think I've seen some beautiful shows from PTE as well as GlobFX - it's the images, music, narration, mood, author, etc. that make a show rather than just the software (although it certainly helps!). Thanks again for the comments, and thanks for this friendly forum! Robert

I've been using PTE and GlobFX for some time. It happens that, with my newest show, I needed to show multiple images on the screen at once and have them fade independently, and I also had to pan a bit. So I used GlobFX (until hopefully the new v4.4 effects and multi-image screens :-). I hope people don't feel I'm bagging PTE or anything - I'm not - I just think this is one of the best digital AV communities and want to support it. Our camera group organised a visit to a gaol which is now a historic site. Photographs from this shoot as well as me coming back late one night with a good moon, make up the show. http://staff.dstc.edu.au/mcarthur/boggoroad2.exe (5.4MB) Robert

Sorry Ron, I probably wasn't explicit enough. John's already answered it in the same way: I mean having multiple (not just 2!) slides, which can each be faded/moved/transitioned independently, on the screen at the same time. It is possible to do now by lots of photoshopping, but with new transitions (like pan and zoom? :-), it will get increasingly difficult to do what should be pretty simple (simple as in people with two or more projectors have been doing it for years!). I'm particularly interested in this feature as there are a lot of people in the camera club who refuse to move from trad AVs to digital AVs; either they don't want to learn a program and interface that has no future but is really good (GlobFX Composer), or they don't see the shows having the quality (ProShow) and/or multi-slide feature (almost all including PTE! GlobFX has it). Robert

Thanks for asking! I know you've printed but perhaps some more thoughts to assist... I mostly agree with Richard's #2 and #3, namely 2. Ability to zoom or (I'd say and) pan individual pictures smoothly with control of in and out splines (the sometimes-called Ken Burns effects) 3. The ability to have different fade in and out transition times. This would enhance use of the third image and possibly the use of different blending modes (like Photoshop). I would add to this the request that the images can overlap (natively - within PTE not done from PS or another editor): e.g. I can have a timeline like: image 1 is fading in for 1s, stays on the screen at locn 0,0 for 6s, then fades out for 1s; image 2 fades in 3s after image 1 starts, stays for 8s at locn 100,100, then fades for 2s; etc. ...which brings me to the point I'd add: 1. A timeline view where images and their transition-in time, on-screen time, and transition-out time is visually represented. Since from #3 above multiple images can be on the screen at once, more than one "line" would need to be available (though not many needed - perhaps 3-4). Another "line" could show the background music (as a waveform of course :-), while another could show the individual slide's specific sound track (as waveform). Thanks Robert

Azmi, I sort-of agree with you. I'd add two more for people to check out - memories on TV being the first. I don't particularly like it but some people do. The second, and one which I think for workflow and the so-called "Ken Burns effects" (around long before that of course) is much better than any other one I've tried, is GlobFX Composer (www.globfx.com). What I'd like to see is that PTE takes the best parts of GlobFX and continues developing into the best there is! Things I'd like added are: multiple slides on screen at once, in-program (not photoshop'ed beforehand). Like a multiple projector show where two or more slides can be on the screen; each slide has it's own location on the screen, transition (include separate fade in and fade out timings!), and most importantly, time on the screen. This would allow, say, one image on the top left, another slightly overlapping on the top right, another on the bottom right, another on the bottom left, then a gradual fade-out of the top right one while it is replaced etc. Now, I know I can set this all up in photoshop but it really is a pain - the slideshow program should let me do this - I want to work with images, not screens. I use almost no transitions other than fade in/out. PTE has the best fade in the business - bar none. Hearty congratulations to Igor! I would like the ability to do two more sort-of transitions: 1) very smooth resizing of an image, akin to zooming in and/or out. Mostly our images are much larger than will fit on the screen, and we have to resize them for 1024 or smaller. I'd like to be able to keep my 6MP images and show a very clear 1024x768 version of them, them be able to zoom in to 100% pixel level (at the "normal" 75dpi of monitors). The image wouldn't degrade since I'm still showing 100%. 2) panning of images. GlobFX does a good job of this letting you choose a start point and end point. Even better would be the ability to define a spline path for the centre of the image to travel along. The ability to have the start and end transitions happen before or during the path would be needed. These are both available with GlobFX (try out the demo). I must admit I also prefer the workflow - ie. timeline views - of proshow and globfx. However, I understand why PTE hasn't (yet?! I can hope) gone that way. I find I can get a show tuned in a tenth the time on GlobFX and proshow compared to PTE. Unfortunately, neither have a nice fades and other features (noted in other items in this thread) that PTE has. If both the above could be implemented within PTE, I'd be a very happy chap :-) Thanks Igor and everyone, Robert

Wohoo Bill - PM sent. If that's a problem, you can contact me at mcarthur at dstc dot edu dot au. Robert

Thanks Bill! I'm afraid, though, that I don't quite understand. I'll give a precise example: let's say I have 6 images in my show. I'd like the first one to be on 2/3rds of the screen pushed against the lefthandside and there for 6 seconds. I'd like a second picture, also 2/3rds of the screen in size, to come on after 3 seconds and be hard right (thus overlaying the existing one for the middle 1/3rd - the first shouldn't show through the overlay [although sometimes I'd like it to - is it possible to have it partially opaque sometimes?]). 5 seconds from the start, I'd like the first to fade out (a quick 1s) and another to fade in, 2/3rds size, overlaying the second image. etc. Can you assist me in having this happen in PTE? Thanks very much, Robert

I've seen some beautiful slideshows from people here, and I'm wondering how to do one thing: I'd like to have two or more images on the screen at once, perhaps one of the left, staying put while another is shown on the right perhaps slightly overlaid, then the left dissolves and another takes it's place overlaying the old one on the right, etc. Is this possible? Have I just not RTFM properly ?

I'll remind people that there is software which can do this - GlobFX. I believe lots of people are interested as well. Again (sorry to bore), I love the workflow and flexibility of GlobFX, and the smooth transitions, openness and user community of PTE. I just wish the two could easily be combined! Robert