Question on Create menu in v5.6

[Igor]

You know that in newest version 5.6 we have added the special menu with output options when you click Create button in PicturesToExe.

I spent much time thinking on this improvement. But now I thought - could it be too difficult for new a user to make right choice? EXE, MP4, DVD, AVI, YouTube - probably too many equal options. A user tries MP4 and finds that it takes long time for rendering, then he tries DVD - bad quality for computer playback, skips EXE output and finally he decides that the program doesn't meet his needs.

I'm wrong in my concern how you think?

[davegee]

I think that you are right to be concerned - PTE produces the best quality in an EXE file.

However from what I have seen / read recently quality seems to be a secondary issue and the MP4 capability has taken everyone's attention.

For my part I think that the MENU should emphasise the quality of the EXE file more than it does and provide a path to other output options seperately.

DaveG

[Ken Cox]

VERY SELDOM DO I make an exe - ever since dvd choice became available

but i dont have a laptop, beemer etc to do shows outside the home -and i have a good enough raport with av place's of business that i can take a dvd to test a show if req'd

- i just make dvd's for hand outs for family and friends

if newbies dont understand something let them ask

OR

USE THE SEARCH FEATURE OF THE FORUM

ken

[fh1805]

Hi Igor,

That's a good point that you've raised. And I can understand your concerns. You would like the new user to see the excellent quality of image that PTE can deliver. But that requires them to create either an EXE or a Screen-saver, doesn't it?

I don't have any personal experience to draw upon but I guess the next best options would be HD MP4 for PC or MAC, Vimeo and YouTube. Would that be correct? And the lowest quality would come from DVD, iPhone and AVI. Would that also be correct?

If I am right in these very approximate gradings then, would it make sense to re-group them and to provide an indicator to show which is the best and which the worst quality?

regards,

Peter

P.S. And while we're discussing the Create option, in your new system there is no obvious facility to do a Create As. The command is still there but is now only available off the File command menu. When I now want to do a Create As, I've altered my working method to always do File Save As of the project file before doing a Create EXE from the button's pop-up menu. This isn't a request for anything to be changed: just mentioning it in case other users are wondering where it has gone. My new method of working is probably a better one to follow, in anycase.

[Ken Cox]

"And the lowest quality would come from DVD" --- WHY WOULD SOMEBODY PAY 25 BUCKS XTRA THEN IF THEY ARE GOING TO GET CRAP PETER?

THEY CAN BURN WITH ANY BURNER PROGRAM -- A FEW US HAVE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS -- MY WIFE WANTS TO KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO WITH THE 500 OR SO DVD'S I BURNED WHILE GETTING TO THIS STAGE -- HAWK WANTS TO KNOW AS WELL??????????????

KEN

[Lin Evans]

Hi Igor,

Perhaps just place the bottom option (Create Executable, etc.) at the top rather than at the bottom of the list (leave everything else the same) and put the words "Highest Quality and Quick Creation" in bold??

Best regards,

Lin

[fh1805]

Ken,

My experience, admittedly very limited experience, is that I wouldn't want anyone to see any of my work as a DVD presentation. The images are so very soft focus in appearance. Sure, it all works but not at a quality that I'm willing to accept.

Yes, I know that for some people DVDs make a lot of sense - but Igor's concern seems to be to get the new user seeing the best quality. And in my experience DVDs do not provide the best quality - they provide the worst.

However, those of you who have vastly more experience than me are far better placed to rank the various outputs in "quality of image display".

Instead of having a go at me, why didn't you offer an alternative ranking, or an argument to refute the idea of any ranking system?

regards,

Peter

[Ken Cox]

EACH type has a specific purpose and should not be graded

back in the 70's we installed 2 ge frame 7 gas turbines - they were first 2 in N America -- needless to say we had problems and we would have people from all over the world to see our problems - i would take negs, slides

and

polaroid picts and slides for the people who had to return to home asap

and when the slides and prints were done, if necessary send them copies

but they were able to take the polaroids home to show the engineers -- we all know the quality of polaroids but something is better than nothing -- remember the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words"

in later years i would do videos and come home at noon make them copies to take back to the homeland asap

so Igor has given us the opportunity/option to take our pick of how we want to show our work -- we should not be grading his work unless it does not work then tell him asap and he bends over backwards to try and resolve -- he says yes it can be done ar it cant

ken

[deskjet1uk]

Compared to the guys who have already replied to Igors question I have little experience but the first time I needed to create an exe file on version 5.6 I did need to look twice, the new appearence threw me but now its mentioned I can see the need for it to be placed maybe at the top.

But as I do not use the DVD option for myself, I have created more sequences for people who do not have computers, mainly elderly who are wanting family history put on disk so they can like Ken says, "give to family and friends" which in my eyes is equally as important as us that are in camera/photographic clubs, run a web business, etc that have a greater need for exe files.

Ralph

[fh1805]

Ken,

That's fine. You disagree with grading. I have no problem with that. I don't know whether this is feasible for the programmers but if it is: how about a "tool tip" pop-up when the cursor is hovered over any of the options, to give more detailed explanation of the benefits and limitations of each option?

regards,

Peter

[TonyFalla]

I have to admit that the only thing I ever produce from PTE is exe files, I did a couple of years back produce a couple of DVD's but when I played them on my, admittedly ancient TV, the quality was so poor that I haven't bothered since.

I must be getting to be an old fuddy duddy because when I first used v5.6, I had to look and see what some of the options in the Create Menu were.

I agree with others that as PTE was designed to produce exe files, (clue in the name) then it should be at the top of the menu list with the others being specified as other creation options.

Tony

[CreativeIndulgence]

For myself, a very new user to P2E (though I've owned versions going back a few years), I greatly welcomed the new menu addition.

I'm still working through some of the kinks as I'm now trying to produce a quality versions that are optimized each for both .EXEs as well as YouTube (i.e. two separate output files).

I'd love to know more about what the various HD choices are, especially when I explore the custom menu options, but the overall notion of a "Create" menu was a great idea.

All that in the FWIW category

[Barry Beckham]

Igor

No matter what you do "You cannot please all of the people all of the time"

However, I can see what your getting at and perhaps the create slide show button should just create an exe and then a second choice would just say. Other output options.

[stonemason]

Igor in the UK I suspect that a large number of PTE users are camera club or audio visual club members, and for those people the output is primarily .exe files. This is what PTE does best and to my mind the .exe option should be the head of the list.

regards

Geoff

[fh1805]

Whilst agreeing with the implications of those who feel the EXE option should be top of the list, that would be ergonomically unsound if it is thought to be the most used option. In this case it should be nearest to the Create button - not furthest away.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Don't know what all the fuss is about, the software's called Pictures To Exe, so that should be the first if you retain the menu.

Yachtsman1

[nobeefstu]

Igor,

The special menu design with icons looks good and makes the selections quicker for users to identify.

I agree with most ... move the EXE selection to the TOP and follow with the Screensaver selection.

The other selection groups seem fine to me in their order.

I would however add the text Mp4 to :

HD Video for PC and MAC

Creates high quality Mp4 video file

I also believe you should include any file extention names in the text labels for the other possible created files. Many new users dont realized they made the file cause they dont know what to look for.

[davegee]

My preference would be to remove CREATE from the bottom left and have two menu options:

CREATE EXE with its various options & CREATE VIDEO with its various options.

DaveG

[Lin Evans]

LOL - What are we talking about, moving the mouse one centimeter? Most people "think" top down. That is the highest scores on test returns are at the top of the list. Top 10, Fortune 50 companies, richest man in the universe, etc., all from number 1 to #n. Why then would you want to reverse this for the sake of "ergonomics?" when the normal inclination for at least "most" language groups is to read from top down, left to right. I could see changing the position for language groups which read left to right but still they read top-down don't they?

Best regards,

Lin

Whilst agreeing with the implications of those who feel the EXE option should be top of the list, that would be ergonomically unsound if it is thought to be the most used option. In this case it should be nearest to the Create button - not furthest away.

regards,

Peter

[Hawk]

Igor

Directing a user to produce an EXE first for top quality viewing

skips EXE output

PREVIEW - shows the presentation in its best quality.

In regards to Lins comment on reading - left to right

I wonder if the buttons Create & Preview should not be reversed. A new user should then click Preview first - who otherwise may click Create.

Once previewed and the users attention has been drawn to the quality of the .EXE for computers, a change with the "Menu" stucture may be the right move.

My thinking is along the same lines as Barry & DaveG.

For instance when "Create" is clicked it would only list "Executable file for PC" ( Highest quality and quick creation ) - with a "More Options" button - which would pop up a sub menu listing all other options.

[Lloegyr]

Personaly I would put create exe first, followed by screen saver next then the next 2 sections as is, in the order they exist.

Reason

one as others have mentioned "create exe" is the best quality, but it also logically flows, the first 2 options are directly concerned with the immediate computer, the next 4 are extra to the computer and can be on your or other peoples tv's etc and the final 2 are totally remote, ie via the the interent. So the flow is perfect from the immediate EXEcellent quality going through a different quality to the periphery

Mike

Mersea Island

[Gérard de Lux]

Perhaps just place the bottom option (Create Executable, etc.) at the top rather than at the bottom of the list (leave everything else the same) and put the words "Highest Quality and Quick Creation" in bold??

I understand Igor's concern and I share it - it is important that newcomers know that exe files give the best picture quality and are so quickly created !

Thus, I support Lin's (and others') proposal. I also like the variant proposed and illustrated by Hawk with "Screensaver" at the bottom

[Ronniebootwest]

I agree with Hawk on this one!

Ron

[Ken Cox]

Abdol

why did you not enter this in

Ideas and suggestions for next versions

do you mean

pte to Scr etc ?

ken

[Picsel]

Hi Igor,

I just found your concern about PTE users about Create Menu.

Personnaly, I lead a club of photos and videos lovers. Most of them are retired people who have time enough to build slideshows or family videos.

Most of them have already bought either Studio, Vegas, Magix, Adobe...

Some of them tried to work with PTE few others have already bought PTE Deluxe. In our point of view all the discussion concerning Create Menu have no impact on new user behaviour. If they bought PTE they knew it is the best for pictures quality and rendering on slideshow with Exe files. So they will find the "Create Exe" button whatever its position within the menu : they bought PTE for that purpose, they will find it out.

We explain in our club sessions how to use PTE for video exportations but if you spotlighted too much on these possibilities you will have to compete against Studio, Vegas, Magix, Adobe Premiere or other Photos-Videos software and PTE is not the best ranked in this category today (as far as I know).

It is easier to explain and promote the use of PTE for its slideshow quality with EXE files.

You have also to consider that with TV HD and PC for family market development, Full HD LCD screens and laptop with HDMI connexion are quite commons nowadays and people will be able to watch their EXE slideshows on their TV screen without DVD support, without needing to convert EXE to xxx.

We consider, as more important that PTE be improved

- on remaining problems listed on the forum to ease the use for beginners

mainly with all O&A functions ;

- on some more audio management facilities (level management between background and comments,etc..) ;

- on audio/view synchronisation aspects;

- some more surprising handsome transition effects..

Just for contribution,

Daniel.