Problem with text fonts

[Dave Brooker]

I often create maps to use in my travel AVs and am asking if anyone has encountered a problem when exporting as .exe files from Mac.  I am using a Mac mini with M1 chip, Monetrey 12.6.8 and PTE AV Studio 11Pro 11.0.9.

I recently entered an AV in a competition and supplied my AV as an .exe file.  When I attended the competition venue and my AV was presented using the .exe file on a PC laptop, I noticed that some of the names on my map were slightly extended and overlapped the town dot that they were adjacent to.  When I view my .pte, .pteav, mp4 and .exe, on my Mac, all the names are in the correct position. 

Any thoughts please?

[davegee]

The PC on which your EXE was shown probably did not have the same font that you used on your Mac so a substitute font has to be used.

Your best way forward is to use the MP4 option. I think that MP4 is widely used in competitions now and there is no difference in quality if you use High Quality and 60p.

DG

[Dave Brooker]

Thank you davegee.  As a Mac user I had not realised that .exe files were not self contained and relied on fonts being resident in the playing device.  However, having tested quality between .mp4 .pteav and .exe files I have noticed that .mp4 files do lose a little in quality even when created High Quality and 60fps. I suppose the one way to use .exe files safely is to make sure all text is rasterised.

[Igor]

Hi Dave,

Usually EXE shows (created on a PC or Mac) should display exactly the same fonts (size and proportions) on any PC where you run the EXE. Because PTE AV Studio (many years) automatically converts text captions to an array of curves for an EXE show.

If you observe a difference for EXE, please send us a test project. You can copy one slide with a text from your original project and save it as a new test project. Create a backup in a ZIP (main menu > File menu) and share the ZIP file with us through WeTransfer.com or Google Drive. We'll check it.

Another case. It's possible when the same project (.pte file) opened on PC and Mac gives slightly different visual results for font rendering (I mean a project, not EXE show). Because it depends on how Windows and Mac renders fonts. A difference in size of text letters may vary on 3-10 screen pixels, according screen resolution and visual size of a text. So if you work with a project on a Mac, then copy the project in a ZIP to a PC, open the project on a PC and create an EXE show, you may get slightly different visual result between PC and Mac. Also don't forget about necessarity to have the same fonts installed on both computers.

[Dave Brooker]

Thanks Igor.  The problem arose when I created my AV on my Mac and supplied the EXE as a competition entry and of course have no control over the PC it was displayed on.  I don't have a way of replicating the issue but will try and borrow a PC and see if the problem occurs. 

[Igor]

Dave,

Please save a copy of your project on Mac, keep only one slide with a text caption where you observe the problem. Remove all music.

Create an EXE file. And save a backup of the project in a ZIP (see a command in the FIle menu). Send me both files (EXE and ZIP).

Also attach a screenshot - what you see on your Mac.

We'll check for this problem.

[Dave Brooker]

Thanks Igor, will send the files via Wetransfer with a link in the contacts form. 

[Igor]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for sending the ZIP with the project. 

I opened it on my Mac and created an EXE for Windows. When I launched a fullscreen preview on Mac and the EXE on Windows 10. I compared all the maps and they looks identical - no visual defects or offsets. All text captions on the maps are correctly placed.

If you can reproduce the problem, please send me 2 screenshots - from Windows (with the problem) and from Mac, at the same time point.

P.S. I modified your project to allow keyboard control (pause command) and Navigation bar for testing.

[Dave Brooker]

Thank you for your prompt response and investigation.  Unfortunately I have not been able to replicate the problem but will try and get a couple of friends in my Camera Club to try with the test file.

[Igor]

OK, I'll wait. Good luck!