Igor

Andrew, You're right about this problem. Unfortunately Bilinear resizing gives such artefacts when image reducing in several times. Bicubic gives much better results, but Bicubic works in 10-20 times slower and can't be used at all here. I see another good solution for this problem. And I hope we'll realize it in the next betas (already in v5.00). p.s. yes, Media Player Classic is a wonderful player I use it, too!

Andrew, Please send me original of this photo to int_support@ [removethistext] wnsoft.com Also let me know please: 1) Do you opened and played AVI file or converted to MPEG2? 2) What media player you used? 3) And how you did these screenshots?

About possible difference in synchronization with Preview. Sorry, we still didn't finished this moment, and we'll make exact synchronization in the nearest beta(s).

Andreas, I noticed that with built-in ATI drivers in Windows XP SP2 PicturesToExe 5 slowely encodes video. When I installed drivers from ATI web site, it becomes work in 2 times faster. About quality of image/resizing for DVD video output. Try to disable "Smart anti-flicker filter" and set "Progressive video" mode. It will give original picture of video without postfilters. We use bilinear downsampling for images, but Bicubic is not possible - it works extremaly slowely (in 10-20 times). The only alternate way you described - using of Photoshop. But it's suitable for static slides with Fade effects only and when you choose "Progressive video" mode. As I tested, sharp images on dynamic slides with Pan/Zoom effects look bad on old TV (50 or 60 Hz) displays. Some kind of flickering occurs.

Tom With our video codec we create temporal AVI file which is in fact contains only audio track. It's bridge/link between PicturesToExe and e.g. TMpegEnc/Ulead DVD MF for lossless sending of frames with video for MPEG2 encoding. This reason why such AVI file requires PicturesToExe for work and removes after closing of PicturesToExe. But we plan some significant improvements in this direction.Al, This effect in global settings causes the logical problem in v5.00, because when this effect choosed duration of transition effects becomes 0 ms. And if keypoints of some objects linked with end of transition effects, they will be shifted in time.

Paul, I've tested your slide show and I have to say that you're right. I also see stutter of Pan effects. And in this slide show it is not caused by video card, because image comparatively small. As I've explorered, it happens because of MP3 music file which is 48 KHz instead of usual 44 KHz. We do resampling back to 44 KHz and this calculations affect to smoothness of Pan/Zoom. So we'll fix this problem in the next beta 5. As temporal solution, please use 44 KHz MP3 music files. Thank you that you found this problem!

I think it's not a bug. Most likely it happens because you adjusted long duration for transition effects (say 8 seconds), but durations of slides are only 4 second. In this case it may work as you described. Open global timeline to see this situation. Then open Project options | Main tab and set e.g. 9 seconds and press "Set for existed slides" button. In the next beta I'll show warning before creating slide show in case of this situation.

Howard, Thank you for send me test project! I see that problem with background, too. But I as checked up it happens because you choosed background image for that slide. Current beta temporarily doesn't support textured background. Only color or gradient background.

potwnc, I didn't understood problem with bitrate. Probably you choosed some another AVI video codec? If I use our preset "HD-1080" and press Create button I receive virtual AVI file, which can be imported for example to Ulead DMF 5 and then burned as HD-DVD or Blue-Ray disc. About 16:9 DVD. Currently we create letterbox 16:9 (with black strips). Because I'm not sure that 3d party programs will recognize correctly compressed size 720x480 16:9 format of frame. p.s. last builds of Media Player Classic incorrectly shows proportions of our AVI file. But file is OK. Please try to open it in Microsoft Media Player. Andreas, 1) What video card you have? 2) What depth of color on desktop (True color 32-bit or Hi-Color 16-bit)? 3) Do you used "Create DVD-video" preset? 4) Try to open Video window and press Preview button there, will it play correctly in media player?

Jimbo, We consider that it better to adjust individual Pan/Zoom effects, instead of random settings everywhere. I'm afraid such auto option will never appear. TomUK, I'm glad that you have now installed beta 4 In the future please look at the caption window when you start setup.exe to install PicturesToExe it should display necessary number of a beta. Fred, About AVI: 1) If "Auto" choosed, PicturesToExe before openening of AVI window analyses type of slideshow and choose optimal mode - Progressive picture (if no animation and only Fade, Mosaic or Quick Transition effects choosed) or Interlaced (all other cases). So you see what PicturesToExe choosed, e.g. "Auto (Interlaced video)". Progressive picture gives better sharpness and details, but Pan/Zoom or Circle, Curling of page effects look not enough smooth. Interlaced video gives more blurred picture, but ideally smooth Pan/Zoom and other effects. 2) "Sound fading" option works for end of slideshow in AVI file. 3) Anti-flicker filter a little blurres picture to solve problem with flickering especially on Interlaced video. Frend, write me to int_support [nospam] wnsoft.com if you wish I can send you one additional variant. Please note that DVD created with Interlaced mode look better on TV than on PC, because on static scenes TV shows same sharpness and details as if DVD was encoded as Progressive. Howard, Please send me your EXE file to my email address - int_support [nospam] wnsoft.com (replace nospam with @ and remove empty space) David, v5.00 should creates shortcut with name "PicturesToExe 5", so I will wait for other responses if this problem will occur again. potwnc, Ok, I'll check up AVI settings for 16:9 and HDTV later today and will write you.

None of us had vacation at this year, only after v5.00

Of course!

I would also say that we're very near to final release. My colleagues and I are working on all parts of v5.00 simultaneously and at this moment you see that we realized all main aspects of v5.00 except of music only and several options. It's the last major feature. We worked on music/synchronization past 2 months and it completed on 95% now. Second graphical engine also almost ready.

Thank you, Ken! I'm glad that AVI video output feature works. It was difficult to realize it in v5.00. In fact we re-wrote 100% of old code.

PicturesToExe v5.00 beta #4 http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.5 MB) Major features of this beta: - AVI video output fully workable again: MP3/WMA/OGG, music, sounds, personal music, exact synchronization. So you can create DVD-Video discs with Pan/Zoom effects right now (using 3rd party DVD authoring software as usually). - Re-activated transition effects. You can see that on modern video card they work even much better than earlier. Especially "Curling of page" or "Circle" with large thickness of smoothing line. Please read full list of changes below. We're still working of full support of all modes for music and synchronization. It's almost ready and will be in beta #5. I also updated my "PteShow" demo with new transition effects: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip What's new in beta #4: + Re-activated transition effects. These effects look very smooth with any settings, especially dialonal "Curling of page" with new graphical engine in v5.00. - "Curling of page". - "Page" (horizontal/vertical). - "Gates" (horizontal/vertical). - "Circle" (to center/from center). Also improved quality of this quality. - All global settings for effects work now. But if you choose effect not realized in this beta, you will see Fade effect instead. + AVI video output window: + It fully workable again in v5.00: MP3/WMA/OGG, music, sounds, personal music, exact synchronization. + Added "Anti-flicker filter" which is turned on by default. + Added "HD-1080" mode. If you slideshow has 4:3 aspect ratio it produces 1440x1080, if 16:9 then 1920x1080 + Added ability to choose color of the back side for "Curling of page" transition effect. + Added "Hide selection on Pan/Zoom/Rotate" mode in popup menu of "Tools" button in "Objects and Animation" window. + Added "Disable scaling of main images" option (Project options | Screen tab) if you don't want that your image were automatically scaled to all size of screen. This option is not recommened. + "... % of the slide to show main image" option (Project options | Screen tab) works again. + New Welcome Screen. + Objects and Animation window: - Reworked order of objects in the list in "Objects and Animation" window. - Added "Cut" action (Ctrl+X) to popup menu. + Preview of slideshow starts faster now. + Several visual improvements. + Improved installer (allows to choose folder where to store settings and templates). * Fixed bug of previous betas with Undo system after Copy/Paste slide(s). * Fixed several bugs in main program of PicturesToExe.

Steve, Thanks, I've understood now the problem you've described me.

Lin, About speed of Pan/Zoom effects. You're right. It happens if move internal keypoints on the timeline of the object. This problem never occurs if object has only two keypoints. I'll think how to help in this situation in the next version. Thank you for your exploration of this question! Jim, Yes, current versions require to change this habit, sorry I'll try to do something in next versions.

Steve, Thank you for letting me know about this questions! 1) Speed. Currently all speeds (Pan/Zoom/Rotate/Opacity) are absolutely linear. In the next betas we will add other non-linear modes (Accelerate/Decellerate, and custom values). 2) About child objects. I've carefully explorered your test project you've sent me. Yes, I see that "Az Hot Springs Hotel Canyons" text-object moves a little different that its parent object at the end of a slide. But it happens because 2nd and 3rd keypoints of this text-object have difference Zoom sizes and Pan values. Just remove 3rd keypoints (located at 00:20:00) and this object will look as part of main map. Or adjust 3rd point with same Pan/Zoom values. Excuse me if I didn't understand the problem rightly. Dominique, I apologize for the delay with my answer! I added both your suggestions to my TODO list. We leaved moving of all keypoints of object(s) to v5.10 and we'll try to add "Nearest resizing" option for objects. It will solve problem with masks you and Ebenist found. Al, Please explain me when it doesn't work? Try to create new project, add one slide, and insert object. Set "Transparent for Click" mode. Select main image. Now you can't visually select second object. Only via Objects list. p.s. we almost finished music, synchronization and all related modes, but we spent more time than expected. Also today we fully finished AVI video output, with HD-1080 mode (1920x1080 and 1440x1080) and some improvements for more picture quality. We realized several "old" transition effects. And we wrote a 50% of code for second CPU based graphical engine (for old video cards). Also startup window, password dialog, help window and date/trial functions are ready.

Dominique, I need time to think about both ideas. Please wait for the Monday or so. On first look, both things can be easily realized.

Probably you turned on "Set comments for all slides as" option in Comments tab (Project options)? In this case PicturesToExe automatically sets all comments according choosed mode (display Picture Name, or Slide Number, etc.)

Sheila, I think problem in old version of DirectX (older than 8.1) or in old video card. Next betas of PicturesToExe v5.00 will support all configurations of PCs as earlier.

Sheila, The problem happens when you start PicturesToExe or when you try to run Preview of slideshow or EXE file with slide-show? What video card you have installed? Temporarily PicturesToExe beta requires modern video card and DirectX 8.1 or higher. Lin, It's very strange! Please help me with solving this problem. Look at questions I asked above.

I just searched in Google and found that it's a known issue which may happens with various programs (games, antiviruses, firewal, even Internet Explorer 6, etc). This is a video driver problem. Please try to install more new version of drivers for your video card (NVIDIA Riva TNT). And Microsoft recommends to update video driver. p.s. please read this topic on our forum concerning this problem: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2787

I would like to say that my colleague in WnSoft is working now (with my small help) on one very long ago awaited feature for PicturesToExe. It will appear most likely in v5.00 or in v5.10 I can't say more now

We plan at the end of August or September.