Igor

Mike, Before you send the file, do you see that problem on these slideshows: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PaintsOfSummer.zip p.s. according our experience I think that problem can be in damaged settings of DirectX or drivers of a video card. Please download and install latest DirectX from Microsoft's website and newest drivers for your video card.

Esben, Probably there are large images with very close interval between them? In this case transition effect may interrupts to show next slide in time.

Thanks, Peter! I'll fix in the nearest update.

Mike, Please couldn't you publish your slideshow? I'll check up. We didn't change slideshow's engine of EXE file in v5.5 It's exactly same as in previous v5.1.

In fact we didn't change format of .pte project file in v5.5 As I remember I've only deleted several fields which not presented in v5.xx anymore.

We already have a very good progress with the next version 5.6. Some new (and often requested) features have reached an alpha state. I plan to announce new features later in June. Ray, You're right, thanks! I just asked our technical writer to rework a description of this option. We'll update PDF file tomorrow.

Thanks!

PicturesToExe Deluxe 5.5 We're grateful to all beta-testers who helped us create this new version! I always remember that we couldn't make PicturesToExe alone without their generous help. Thanks for bug-reports and suggested ideas! Download link: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe.zip (5 MB) User Guide: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/help.htm Press-release: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/press-release/pte-55.html Key features of the new version: + Timeline is integrated to the main window now. + Slide list displays pictures of real slides. + Preview displays real slide at top-right part of the main window. + Added mini-player to the main window. You can quickly play your slideshow in this small preview window. + Added Grid (Ctrl+G) to "Objects and animation" editor. + Improved reliability of VideoBuilder. Full list of new features in version 5.5: + Timeline is integrated to the main window now. - Pressing "Timeline" button switches between Slide list and Timeline. - You can drop new slides to Timeline from File list. - Parameters of the timeline mode are located in Main menu | View | Timeline Options. - Waveform now displays mixed left/right channels. But you can turn on independent view of left/right channels waveforms. See timeline options in Main menu. - "Autospread slides along music" option moved to Project options | Main tab. - Faster work of the timeline on very long slideshows (one hour and longer). - You can adjust end of a slideshow on the timeline (dragging vertical green line after last slide). - Added "Set End of Last Slide at End of Music" command to "Timed points" menu in Timeline view. + Slide list displays pictures of real slides. (See Main menu | View | Advanced Options | "Show real slides in Slide list" option) + Preview displays real slide at top-right part of the main window. (See Main menu | View | Advanced Options | "Show real slide in mini-player" option) + Added mini-player to the main window: - You can quickly play your slideshow in this small preview window (press Play/Stop button) - Quick access to any part of a slideshow. - Left mouse click for Play/Pause. - Right mouse click for fullscreen preview in both states: when paused and when it plays. + Main window now displays duration of a slideshow (in minutes and seconds). + Other improvements in the main window: - Picture/Sound/Comment fields are moved to the top part of the window. - Reworked pictures of a folder, improved view of a selected slide. - Reworked view of a drag'n'drop cursor in Slide list. - Other small improvements. + Improvements in Objects and Animation window: - Added Grid (Ctrl+G) to "Objects and animation" editor. You can adjust parameters of the grid and enable "Snap To Grid" option. - Added "Cut" button to the top toolbar. - Reworked view of Delete, Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste buttons. + New version includes official User Guide in PDF format. + New Welcome screen (when you first time starts PicturesToExe). + Added "Auto Save Project every ... minutes" option. (See Main menu | View | Advanced options). + Visual improvements in Music tab of Project options. + Added support of media keys on a keyboard: Play/Pause, Stop, Next/Preview slide + Displaying of pixel size of main image has been moved to status bar. + Added Farsi language. * Fixed problem with black screen on encoding of DVD-Video disc or AVI file on some PC/laptops with Intel integrated video cards. * Fixed crashes of PicturesToExe (main program only) and VideoBuilder under Windows Vista with DEP protection (NX-bit) option enabled for all applications. * Improved burning of DVD-Video discs. Previously discs couldn't be burned on some PCs with previous versions. Updated build 5.5.1 (July 8, 2008): + Updated language files: Chinese, English, Farsi, French. * Fixed bugs in fullscreen view of Slide list opened from Timeline mode (selecting slides with pressed Ctrl key, deleting slides by Del key). * Fixed incorrect work of "Arrange All Points" function when no music. * Fixed bug with displaying effect time ("About 3 seconds") in "Effects" tab of Project options. Updated build 5.52 (July 15, 2008): * Fixed problem with too high memory usage in the main program of PicturesToExe, especially in case of large images of slides. (The problem doesn't affect on created EXE file of a slideshow.)

Release Candidate 5: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe_beta.zip (5 MB) * Improved reliability of main program of PicturesToExe.

I know that somebody uses "Rasterize to PNG" for special effects (applied in Photoshop). I'm afraid we can't remove this option?

5.2 renamed to 5.5 5.3 renamed to 5.6 In 5.6 we plan to automatically store text objects as vector images (unlimited quality for any display resolution) and a problem with absent unique fonts will go away forever.

Mike, You're right. It's a bug in the Random order function. I just uploaded an updated Release Candidate 4. http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe_beta.zip (5 MB)

Thanks, we'll correct the date a little later.

If you have Intel video card, please try newest PicturesToExe 5.5

Thanks, Robert! I just fixed this bug. Please try updated version: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe_beta.zip (5 MB) Gary, We've sent you PM messages with details on uploading of files.

Gary, I think it should be an old bug, because we didn't change slideshow's engine in v5.5. It's same as in 5.1. I see that you disabled "Hardware acceleration" for one slideshow? We need source files of both projects to reproduce this problem. How large is it and can you send it to us, please? In relatively new drivers ATI added some changes and I don't know how to correctly apply my fix. It's difficult to add such fixes. We think about alternate solution now. In next version 5.6 we will add non-exclusive fullscreen display mode (as an option) which solves the problem with gamma (but Pan effect will not look ideally smooth under Windows XP).Mary, Does the question with "Main Image" option in Objects and animation editor is resolved now? Besides picture in Slide list, it also displays filename of main image in the Slide list. So this option can be useful even in v5.5, I hope.

Andrew, I apologize that it took so much your time! It should be our job in solving such problems. Thank you for all your efforts and help!

Peter, I think this bug with Slide list is fixed now. I've inspected the code of updating of Slide list and reproduced one situation when Slide list was not updated correctly. I've fixed it. Thanks! Release Candidate 2: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr-deluxe_beta.zip (5 MB) * Fixed bug when in some cases Slide list displayed old images after opening of another project.

Peter, Please send three .pte files of these projects where you've experienced the bug with not updated Slide list. No other files are necessary, only .pte projects.

Colin, Please try also re-install DirectX from Microsoft's website. But because I never heard about similar problem with ATI, I think the most likely it's a fault of this video card.

Peter, You're right, of course. I think I'll prepare a new version with some changes tomorrow.

OK, and what about "Auto Save" option?

Peter. Thanks, I'll try to reproduce this problem and will inspect that code of PTE. Currently I've found only one new line of a code I've added to Open function. But it was added to Beta 8. - Are all three projects have same aspect ratio (4:3 for example?) - Do you use Auto Save option and if yes, what interval in minutes? (This option was added in Beta 9).

I remember there were at least two new messages (by Lin Evans and another) yesterday after I've announced Release Candidate. Lin, did you delete your posting, or it's an fault of the forum?

Please note that it's Release Candidate build. It sets an association with .pte project files, Creates a program group and shortscuts without "Beta" prefix in the Start menu. VideoBuilder starts without quick flashing of a splash screen. And if no further bugs more, it will be marked as a final release. I hope we'll officially release version 5.5 within 2 weeks.