I AM CONFUSING MYSELF

[mightec]

I am getting confused, I have produced a couple of slideshows with a screen setting of 5x4, but when I run these on my SONY Bravia widesreen TV, they fill the widesreen. I am assuming that the SONY TV is making the changes under its 'smart' screen settings. To do this I am clearly losing some of the original image, the upper and lower parts.

Is there a way of setting up my slideshow so that when I change the screen aspect ratio setting in Project Option/Screen that the show will stay in proportion. This would be the ideal if it would then display that way even if I ran on my computer in 5x4 or someone else is computer which maybe 4x3 or a TV which maybe 16x9 or 4x3.

[Peter S]

Hi Mike,

I have a button on my TV remote that allows me to change the aspect ratio of whatever I am viewing. Can't you do this on your TV?

Kind regards

Peter

[mightec]

Hello Peter

Yes I can and the Sony does it automatically for me, so I don't have any problems viewing myself. It is more about other who maybe watching on their own TV, I suppose it not a problem if all TV's are the same and can be altered. But I have noticed on TheDom's Photo Album that what ever aspect ratio I set in Projects Options the album adjusts its self, which is very neat. I would be able to create one template and then the aspect ratio can be set depending on the screen requirements of the user.

[fh1805]

Hi Mike,

I understand your concerns in respect of playback on TVs (presumably off DVD) but don't understand your concerns when playing back on computers. I use v5.04 and have, under the Project Options...Screen... tab the "Screen options" set to "Full screen" and the Aspect ratio to "4:3 PC/DVD".

When I run any shows built this way they appear at 4:3 ratio when projected and when viewed on the computer monitor. My desktop monitor is 5:4 aspect ratio so I get a black band at top and bottom. My laptop aspect ratio is 16:10 so I get a black band at each side. In both cases, and when projected, the 4:3 aspect ratio is preserved.

Are you finding it isn't working this way for you?

[mightec]

Hello Peter

I am possibly trying to be too much of a perfectionist, I don't have a problem when displaying via a computer, having researched this forum, it seems, like me, that the majority of desktop monitors display at 5:4 and that is fine. So this is what I normally work at, but when displayed on a widesreen TV, I have a small problem. The modern TV adjusts the input DVD and shows it at full screen (16:9), but to do this some of the original image is lost, top and bottom. To retain the aspect ratio of the main subject, centre part of the image, I use the zoom function of the SONY, and of course I loose more of the outer parts of the original image.

I was looking for a way that I could set-up the slideshow so that the propositions of the overall image are retained, whether I was working at 5:4, 4:3 or 16:9. The only way I seem to be able to do this is if I create a background for the main subject, of which you would see more or less depending on what aspect ratio I was using.

[Ronniebootwest]

I was looking for a way that I could set-up the slideshow so that the propositions of the overall image are retained, whether I was working at 5:4, 4:3 or 16:9. The only way I seem to be able to do this is if I create a background for the main subject, of which you would see more or less depending on what aspect ratio I was using.

Hello Mike,

I agree with you, the only way to retain the full image is to use a mask (or frame) made in an image editor such as Photoshop. I have been working on a tutorial that will show how this can be done but I have not been able to complete it as yet.

Ron

[Guest Dick Le Bleu]

Hello Mike,

I agree with you, the only way to retain the full image is to use a mask (or frame) made in an image editor such as Photoshop. I have been working on a tutorial that will show how this can be done but I have not been able to complete it as yet.

Ron

Ron,

I used your excellent tutorial on creating a frame border for my lastest slideshow, and I must compliment you on a clear presentation. The only way I could approach the problem above was to create two complete slideshows: 4:3 and 16:9, and make them selectable from a menu screen on the DVD. Of course it doubles the space on the DVD, but that is not a problem for short presentations.

Many of my source images were scanned slides at 3:2 aspect ratio, so the presentation in each version of the slideshows varied. For example, in the 16:9 version, an image could be shown in full whereas the 4:3 version some panning was necessary on some images.

Dick

[Barry Beckham]

You only need a frame/mask to retain format if you intend to animate outside of the format size, otherwise you don't

[mightec]

Barry

Not sure that I understand your comment, my fault, still very much a beginner, what do you actually mean by Frame/Mask. When I add in the Objects window of O&A a Frame, then group everything within the frame (Child) I still cannot get the frame to remain in proporsion when moving between different aspect ratio's. Please see thumbnail below.