Igor

No doubt that Windows works incorrectly after system restore on your PC. It's necessary to re-install drivers for your video card. If it doesn't help please also re-install DirectX from Microsoft's website.

Probably you've noticed a window which appeared when you try to open any topic which contained a post of Bart. It happened because his signature contained a link to an image from his website http://www.multimediaenthusiasts.com This website doesn't work at all now and you see same window when you try to open it. So I had to edit Bart's signature to fix this problem.

Jean-Pierre, It seems that we've found a good alternative for "Original size" mode. Maybe even better. And it is almost as your "Cale" method.

These owls catch mice on white garden alleys.

Please update drivers of video card. In v5.5 we use more hardware acceleration in main window of PicturesToExe. Probably it reveals hidden earlier the problem with drivers.

"Late Summer at the Garden" All photos from our garden. Owls, too. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/Late_Summer_at_the_Garden.zip (12 MB)

Some DVD player don't play RW rewritable discs. Please burn R disc - DVD-R or DVD+R.

Jean-Pierre, It seems I've understood your method now. You use "Original size" mode for intermediate steps and resulting slide scalable (not fixed size). Am I right? So even if we add "Fixed size of slide" option, it will not be useful for you because you don't produce fixed sized slide. Please could you publish an one slide's project with minimal number of objects which maximally well illustrates your method. I'd like to better understand it.

"Slide size" as a replacement for "Original size" mode Barry, We'll think how to add customization for non-slide area ("black strips"/"borders") to be able choose a color or texture image. Beta 1 will be at the end of September, I think. We didn't change "Original size" mode yet at this moment. It's in stage of idea and discussing. Jean-Pierre, While not, but we'll think about it. Yes. Also you can change opacity to Mask to change common opacity of all embedded objects associated with this mask. There will be "Container" which contains "Mask" image and other objects. So you can create any combinations of movements.Complexity/simplicity of PicturesToExe. We'll try keep simple the base inteface. And hide new professional features under "Advanced" buttons, for example. Brian, Thanks for your advices! I need more time to think. John, It wouldn't be good solution, because we won't issue new v4.4x versions (too old code - difficult to continue improvements) and v5.5 has many advantages in base interface (DVD-Video output, mini-player, scalable objects).I'm grateful to all who have wrote here on raised questions and problems! It helps us better understand the situation.

Thanks for your responses! The battery drains on 15% per day even when laptop is completely turned off. I just returned it to the shop. They should do money back in 10 days.

Thank you for your thoughts and opinions! I'm reading all posts right now and will reply step by step. Now I'd like to reply on the question regarding complexity of PicturesToExe. We will take in attention all seriousness of this problem. Probably I didn't think enough about it before. Please wait for results. I'll add new features carefully trying keep simple the base interface. Thanks, Brian, for the idea. V5.5 still small enough, works fast and reliable. Yes, v5.0 has bring a lot of changes, but after - in v5.1, v5.5 we didn't complicate PicturesToExe. Opposite it became more simple in use due to the integrated timeline and added mini-player. I know it's necessary to think now use or don't use hardware acceleratation, problem with incorrect colors on ATI video cards with adjusted desktop gamma, slow work of slideshows on very old video cards. v4.49 was more simple, yes. But almost all have seen terrific and impressive slideshows/AVs with smart usage of Pan/Zoom effects. So it's necessary. To provide Pan/Zoom effects with high quality sharpness of picture and smoothness we have to use hardware acceleration. No other variants. Payment for this is slow playback some old video cards (more rare with every year). Additionally we've added a special option and it's possible to uncheck "Hardware acceleration". And you can create v4.49's like slideshows with same speed and quality (excluding only Mosaic effect). p.s. I've renamed this topic to more actual name because of various raised questions.

Peter, This problem will never occur again in v5.6 and no old background files in a project file. Haver, I think it's a specific bug and difficult to reproduce. If it will be requiered to release updated v5.5 I'll include this fix.

Sorry for offtopic question. My new portable laptop is ASUS Eee PC 900 and it has 10-15% self discharge of the battery per day. It takes 7 days to fully empty battery and laptop even will not turn on. I found that it's common problem maybe for all Eee PC 900: http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=34479&p=1 How you think is it normal for laptops or defect? I can try to return it to a shop (15 days money back in my country for any discovered defect).

Peter, Thank you! I've reproduced this bug and will fix it. It seems to be a an very old bug. How you think is it necessary to publish updated v5.53 immediately, or leave for next v5.6?

I feel probably there is some misunderstanding of the topic's question. By default settings in current v5.5, in next v5.6 and in all future versions, all objects have relative size in percents. And slide correctly shows at any screen resolution. No need to change display resolution. For example if we use 1024 x 768 image and display is 1024x768 - image shows pixel in pixel without resizing/resamping. But if display 1280x960 image will be scaled to 1280x960 and some authors don't like our resizing algorithm (of course Photoshop does better resizing taking much longer time). This situation similar with watching DVD - video file has fixed size of picture and player scales picture to entire display. Because of this some authors use special "Original size" mode of objects to set absolute/fixed size of an image in pixels. This image never will be resized/resampled. I just suggested to replace "Original size" mode to another more better option on my opinion. However I still recommend to use default settings of images with auto scaling of images. This "Original size" mode and the new suggested replacement intended for advanced users who want to reach some special result.

Patrick, If it's difficult to manage complex Pan/Zoom effects then just no need to use it, like this feature was not presented in v4.49. On my opinion, version 5.5 is simplicity of v4.49 + advanced features (objects and animations). Additionally v5.5 more simple than v4.49 in the next points: - Mini-player in the main window with ability to see any part of a slideshow and quickly play it. - Integrated timeline to the main window. - Easy way to burn slideshows on DVD video disc. All it helps beginners. Next version will allow easily publish slideshows on Youtube and export video for iPhone/iPod. I hope we've built enough reliable version 5.5 and I don't receive bug-reports about crashes of created slideshows. In this topic we discuss one particular professional feature which is interested for advanced users only.

Thanks, I'll try to reproduce this problem now.

It better to discuss. Reduce slide to fit to display or show in its original size. I just talked with Aleksey, we consider that better to reduce slide to fit to display with slide size lesser than display (for example if slide size 1600x1200 and display is 1280x1024). In other words slide can displayed in its original size (not larger) or be reduced on small displays (say iPhone/Youtube for video export)

Xaver, It better to discuss. Reduce slide to fit to display or show in its original size.

Xaver, Already done and works perfectly. Please wait for Beta 1. In v5.6 we'll add this simulated fullscreen mode and it will solve problem with adjusted desktop gamma on ATI video cards. I'd like to enable this option by default, but on slow video cards, or on too heavy slideshows with big images and animation it works slower than in true fullscreen mode. Simple slideshows like my "PteShow" works fine in both modes. Let try and test it when Beta 1 will be published.

We think that "Original size" mode brings a lot of problems: For authors and viewers: - If you create a slide with several objects that all have "Original size" mode, these objects won't be correctly placed at different screen resolutions. - Impossible to correctly export slideshow for DVD, Youtube, iPhone, because of lower video file resolution (480 x 320) - all objects will be shown incorrectly. For us as developers: - The more and more difficult to support it with all new added features. It vastly complicates the code of PicturesToExe. So I suggest to replace "Original size" mode with more better mode. We can make possible for authors to set size of slides in pixels. For example, you can choose 800x600. It's still fullscreen slideshow, but area of slide limited by size 800x600. Other parts of screen around the slide has black color. In "Objects and animation" editor you use "Fit to slide" or "Cover slide" mode (size and position in percents) and if you need exact pixel-to-pixel mapping of images to display you use 800x600 image at 100% size. If display has 800x600 screen resolution you see this image on entire screen. If display 1024x768 you see black strips around the image which still displayed without resamping (pixel in pixel). Benefits: - Correct placement of objects at any screen resolution. - Creating video for iPhone, Youtube without any problems. - Exact mapping of image pixels to display pixels, sharp picture without resizing/resamping, as earlier. For old projects we will add auto conversion for "Original sized" objects to new format. What you think?

Vesa, Please let me know some important details concerning this problem: 1. Did you opened fullscreen view for Slide list or File list? I'm guessing you were working in fullscreen view of Slide list if you've re-arranged images. 2. Can you always reproduce this problem? 3. Does it happens with all projects of slideshows, or only with particular?

Haver, Yes, something like, so slideshows with password will be maximally protected. In the next version we'll implement much stronger protection for EXE files. For all: I'd like to raise the next question. Because far not all authors agree that their works can be unpacked I suggest to avoid publishing name(s) and links to such unpacker(s) on this forum. I consider such tool useful in some cases, but let publish this info on other websites and forums.

I'm sorry about this problem! We can and will improve the protection of EXE files, but I'm sure it will be hacked again. Even the most protected Blu-Ray already hacked. endevil, I've merged two topics into this one.

I've fixed it in future v5.6 Xaver, That's alright right. Slider for common cases and manually you can type values in more wide range.