Presentation ideas for mis-matched pictures

[dpearcePNG]

I'm looking for ideas on how you folks handle slide shows with mixed portrait/landscape pictures and odd aspect ratio (even square) pictures. I've started doing presentations of archival photos from several different film formats.

Usually I just put them on a static background of some sort and fade the photos in and out. This gets old and I'd like some fresh ideas.

Thanks.

Dave

[fh1805]

Dave,

A little while back I posted a sequence of mine that included both orientations of 3:2 images. The link for it is here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?xn7jvgu0yvy

[dpearcePNG]

Very beautiful pictures. May I ask where the music came from?

One other question: Did you bevel or shade the edges of the pictures themselves, or did you use a mat overlay with shadows and a transparent center?

Thanks for the idea.

Dave

BTW: The MediaFire page was showing a soft porn advert. Rather disgusting. Not your fault though.

[fh1805]

Dave,

Many thanks for your comments.

Very beautiful pictures. May I ask where the music came from?

The music is from a Classic fm 4x CD Collection called "Smooth Classics for Rough Days"

One other question: Did you bevel or shade the edges of the pictures themselves, or did you use a mat overlay with shadows and a transparent center?

I used an overlay with shadows and a transparent centre.

Thanks for the idea.

Dave

BTW: The MediaFire page was showing a soft porn advert. Rather disgusting. Not your fault though.

This has been mentioned before about MediaFire. As you say, it's not my fault.

[Barry Beckham]

The Photo Album is a great way to present odd sized images and on the page below there are two demos. One animated and one static.

http://www.beckhamdigital.co.uk/digitalav/...m?idCategory=84

[Lin Evans]

Dave,

If you're not familiar with how to create a mask using Photoshop, etc., I can give you some quick suggestions.

1. Go "File" "New" give dimensions such as 1600x1200 and set background content to "transparent"

This will be the "bottom" of layers you will work with so keep it on the screen.

2. Open the background you want to use and set the size equal to the above such as 1600x1200. This could be a texture or canvas type background in the color you wish and will comprise the "matt" portion of the mask.

3. Copy and Paste this over the transparency, then close this file because you are done with it.

4. Go "File" "New" and put in dimensions such as 1044x703 and paint the color black or dark grey. You can use the Paint Bucket to make the black background. The reason I suggest 1044x703 is that most dSLR cameras have an aspect ratio which works out when reduced for on-screen use in a slide show to 1024x683. Adding 20 pixels on each side will give you a 20 pixel black "frame" Copy this, close the file and "Paste" this over the canvas or textured background which will place a black rectangle in the center.

5. Go "File" "New" and put in dimensions such as 1024x683 and create a color rectangle and paint it with a bright color such as red. Copy this and "Paste" it which will leave you with a red center rectangle surrounded by a thin black border surrounded by the matt frame.

6. Use the select color range tool and select the red. Use the Eraser tool set to 100% opacity and erase all the red. This will leave a black rectangle but if you look at the "layers" you will see that you are working with "Layer 3" and the selection will still have the "marching ants" dashed lines outlining the 1024x683. Now click in the layers right over where it says "Layer 2" and use the eraser to erase the black. This will leave a thin black rectangle but with the canvas or matt background.

7. Next click in the layers right over where it says "Layer 1" then select the eraser tool and erase the canvas or matt and this will leave you with a 1024x683 transparency in the center and a thin black border surrounded with the 1600x1200 canvas or matt background. Now deselect.

8. One more step. Now click back on where is says "Layer 3" then press "CTRL E" which will merge down one layer leaving you with two layers. Save the file as a PNG.

If you want you can play around with feathering the inside of the black rectangle, etc., change the color scheme, size and so on. This whole thing is much easier to do than to describe but essentially this is one way to quickly make a mask to use for doing the type of thing described in the above thread.