Question about Version 5.0

[Lin Evans]

Will we be able to drop in small video files such as AVI or MPG4 as a slide and play them seamlessly as with ProShow Gold/Media@Show, etc.?

If so, there are some fantastic text effects software such as WildFX Pro where it's very possible to get literally thousands of dynamic text effects which can be output to SWF Flash, AVI, MPG4, etc., and used on top of images as a brief video show. I use them now with ProShow and Media@Show and they could be very nice to include in a P2E slideshow if it will be possible to simply drop in a video as one of the slides right along with jpg's, etc.

Lin

[Lin Evans]

Hi Lin,

I like Flash flv videos. Even Google's low bandwith flv videos look pretty good. I think the streaming technology in flv videos would work well with p2e.

http://video.google.com/

If Igor could embed a flv playback engine in p2e that would be fantastic.

First things first. I would be happy with pan/zoom/rotate

tom

Yes, I suggested that possibility quite a while ago when I began using Riva Producer, however Wild FX outputs SWF rather than FLV streaming files but is designed to add text to videos whether they be output as QuickTime, MPG4, AVI, Image Sequence, FLC or DV Stream. It's easy and inexpensive enough to convert the AVI output to FLV with tools like Riva, but the purpose of this software is specialized text effects.

With ProShow or Media@Show I can simply create a text intro using WildFX, output it as a small video file and drop it in just as you would a jpg file. The output is seamless in that you can go from the video with over 1000 possible text effects to the regular slideshow and intersperse the specialized text effects whenever you want something flashy.

One of the beauties of a video engine such as the one needed to run the Ken Burns effects (Pan, Zoom, Scroll, Rotate) is that it I believe it can usually run one or more of these video types without much additional programming effort.

One of the beauties of Media@Show is that it has some incredible text effects such as flying, twisting, turning, rolling, scrolling, etc., which "can" add some impressive professional touches when not overdone. Media@Show is pretty much now a "dead" technology since the original code was sold to a Chinese company which appears to not have a good handle on how to continue to improve on it or even fix the present bugs. The great text effects and seamless integration of video came about because the parent company had their roots firmly in the video world and adapted their technology to still slideshows.

In the early days when Igor & company had P2E still in Beta, Media@Show was serious competition, but P2E has just gotten better and better every year while Media@Show has pretty much been left behind. I used to use the "object" capabilities of P2E to call my video clips embedded in a Media@Show executable, but the integration required the intervention of the user via menu which was less than seamless. I began playing with ProShow Gold in beta as well and it handled the video seamlessly, but has always been plagued with an unreasonable (in my opinion) number of glitches and bugs which make it less than desirable as a professional tool. Their new release of ProShow Producer is even worse in my experience and their latest upgrade of ProShow Gold is already showing issues which I'm frankly tired of dealing with.

These are some of the reasons I've been anxiously awaiting the release of P2E 5.0 beta because I know Igor has always been miles ahead of the competition in terms of stability, interface and important features. I think we will find that P2E is about to "leapfrog" ProShow Gold and probably even Producer as the best slideshow tool available next to the ridiculously expensive Vegas Video and its many iterations.

Best regards,

Lin

[Batman]

I'm very much looking forward to the new release of version 5, however, I dont think its going to leapfrog as you say Proshow Gold or Producer. P2E has always been very stable, but I will have to disagree about the UI and being miles ahead of the others in terms of features. Seems to me if anything P2E is now catching up to the others. Ability to add video, Ken Burns, Title effects are things the other programs have had a while now. Creating EXE's there is no doubt P2E is the winner, but the overall winner its not. Its moving in the right direction thought.

Steph

[alrobin]

Steph,

Welcome to the Forum!

I think what Lin was saying was that while ProShow and others have features which PTE lacks, they also have many other problems which PTE also lacks. And while PTE may be lacking today in some areas as you point out, that this deficiency will be more than rectified in the new version 5.

However, only Igor knows at this point, so there is really no point in debating it.

[Lin Evans]

I'm very much looking forward to the new release of version 5, however, I dont think its going to leapfrog as you say Proshow Gold or Producer. P2E has always been very stable, but I will have to disagree about the UI and being miles ahead of the others in terms of features. Seems to me if anything P2E is now catching up to the others. Ability to add video, Ken Burns, Title effects are things the other programs have had a while now. Creating EXE's there is no doubt P2E is the winner, but the overall winner its not. Its moving in the right direction thought.

Steph

Hi Steph,

Of course we all have a right to our opinions about these things, but as someone who has used both products since their beta days I have to disagree. As a professional photographer I must have a product which performs as expected and do it consistently.

From your posting history and forum join date I suspect you have limited experience with P2E and perhaps do not fully understand all that it can do. The Ken Burns Effects of Pan, Zoom, Rotate, and ability to use video clips are "frosting," but far from the "core" ingredients necessary to make a slideshow program truly useful for professional purposes. Yes, it's necessary for P2E to add these features, but let's look at the things which are central to performance.

Try to make a manually advanced slideshow program with ProShow Gold. One which can advance forward, go backward, allow the user to print an image or not, jump to the first slide or to the last slide, etc. These are important core features which P2E has always had and which ProShow and the others still do not have. Try to run external code from within the slideshow then seamlessly return to the slideshow (the ability to use objects) with ANY other slideshow program including Producer, ProShow Gold, Vegas Video, etc., Guess what? You can't. The ability to use "objects" allows the user to customize and create their own menu system which is miles ahead of any other currently produced slideshow program. Try to precisely synchronize sound with ProShow Gold or Producer. It's quite "iffy" and always has been. Want to "go backward" in the smoothness of a Ken Burns Effect? Just install the latest version of ProShow Gold and try to get a smooth pan on a large panorama. Guess what? Two version releases ago it worked somewhat well with some computer systems. Then one version ago the entire release had to be "updated" because any previous shows you attempted to update became corrupted beyond use by the "latest and greatest".

Aside from all the "hype" this has been the history of ProShow Gold. Want to waste $500? Talk to the people who have purchased ProShow Producer. Want to spend a year trying to learn to use a program? Purchase Sony's Vegas series. Want some tech support? Try to get it from Photodex or Sony.

How about transitions? Try to untangle the mess that PhotoDex has and figure out what and how to use their transitions. Want to do some individual slide voice overs? Try it with ProShow or any of the myriad other newer slideshow programs which have the Ken Burns Effects.

But when you are finished with testing these other programs which do in fact presently have the Ken Burns Effects and the ability to drop in video clips, come back to the stability and power in core features that PicturesToExe has always had and you begin to appreciate what can be done with it. P2E is a "tool box" for the professional user. It allows the user to make stable slideshows which work and work correctly on a large number of different systems. It can do thing which no other existing slideshow creation software can and do them seamlessly. Not only that, but you have lifetime free upgrades. Do you know of ANY other slideshow program anywhere where you can get that? I don't - and I have and use about every currently and previously produced slideshow program ever released.

In my experience the ONLY place where P2E is not and has not always been miles ahead of the true competition is in the video areas which allow the so called Ken Burns Effects. These are flashy and highly desired by the masses, but certainly not core features which provide the extreme flexibility of P2E.

Yes, I disagree with you but that's what's nice about our abilities to have different opinions. From my perspective and experience P2E is and always has been the best slideshow program available. With the addition of the new graphics engine and features I'm confident that it will indeed "leapfrog" over ProShow Gold and other slideshow presentation products

in every respect.

Best regards,

Lin

[alrobin]

Lin,

You said it better than I did!

And, if I might add, when you consider the wealth of ready, friendly assistance, information, and discussion here in this Forum, PTE again chalks another plus in its favour.

[ronwil]

So well expressed Lin, and Al your additions are what make the Forum for me my daily tonic (without the gin). Stick with us Steph.

Ron [uK]

[Gérard de Lux]

I fully agree with your last post, Lin ! Well said

[Maureen]

You've certainly hit every nail on the head Lin and said it very well !

It's good to have differing opinions on our Forum but I totally agree with all your points.

Looking forward to trying out the great big massive leapfrog soon!

I've tried the others and still continue to believe P2E is far superior.

I also believe its projected images are usually consistently better than many of the other programs.

But that's my opinion.

BW Maureen