Igor

This problem should be solved in beta #3 on the next week.

Ken, Reasonable request! It's in our plans.Harold, - With v5.00 final release it will possible to do slide-shows (without Pan/Zoom) which will play ideally smooth on all PCs and all video cards. As earlier with v4.48 - Slide-shows with Pan/Zoom also will play on *any* PC, but not enough smooth (like large Macromedia Flash movies) on old video cards.

thedom, You are always welcome! No problem. You see that we add some new features on the fly on request. We're trying now to complete beta #3 with all promissed improvements.

Harold, I have second PC at my home with Pentium III Celeron 900 MHz and ATI Radeon 9600XT. Pan/Zoom effects in v5.00 work almost ideally. But with Athlon XP 1,4 GH or Pentium 4 1.4 GHz is better. At my work I have Athlon XP 1.6 GHz and ATI Radeon 9500 and it works absolutely ideally on any complex Pan/Zoom effects. No problem with Windows 98/Me So if you have opportunity, try ATI Radeon 9600 card on your current PC. p.s. PC where PTE v5.00 works fine also will work with new graphical interface of future Windows Vista which requires modern video card.

128 MB required for absolutely ideal playback for even largest slides (3500x2300, or 9000x1024). For example, at least ATI Radeon 9500 or NVIDIA Geforce 5500 or higher. It's ideal video card. Such video card can handle any effects for slide-shows. 32 MB - minimal video card to play slide-shows with Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects. I hope we'll find additional optimizations for old video cards.

Jean-Pierre, It's very good suggestion and feature. I added it to our TODO list. We'll try to realize it in v5.00 or v5.10

Yes, it's size of object. And it already exists in .pte project file. See "Size" value of an object. As you know, Images have own size. For Rectangle you will able to set size in beta #3.

Al, We did as you asked. Newely added Rectangle has size as slide with some proportions. Also now it will possible to change virtual size of Rectangle. For example, you can type 1024x768 it's not real size on the screen, but only intended to specify necessary proportions of Rectangle.

Al, A good idea about default aspect ratio of newely inserted Rectangles. I'll discuss your idea tomorrow with Aleksey.

Harold, Slide-shows created with future betas of v5.00 will work on your PC, but slowely. It's necessary to have modern video cards with 128 MB of video memory. Classical slide-shows without Pan/Zoom effects will work as usually on your PC.

PicturesToExe v5.00 beta installs to another folder, has own configuration file, doesn't associate with .pte project files in Windows Explorer. And it creates own program group "PicturesToExe 5" in Start | Programs menu. So you can use new and old version independently.

Thanks! Although I wrote to ATI about this bug in their drivers, we need to have a solution for current versions of drivers for all ATI video cards.

David, Yes, you're right. I just found alternate solution to fix bug on ATI video cards with gamma. Please try this example: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/KeepGamma.zip (380 KB) Thanks in advance!

David, It seems I found way to solve this problem with gamma chaning. Please download and try this example and let me know about result: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/RestoreGamma.zip (400 KB)

David, I finally understood this problem and reproduced on my PC. It's a mistake in drivers of ATI video cards. If initialize DirectX for slide-show in same display mode (width/height/refresh rate as current display mode) this problem occurs. I wrote to ATI about this problem. This problem doesn't happen on NVIDIA video cards.

David, Please try these two tests with Gamma: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/Gamma.zip (350 KB) How these two variants - "Gamma" and "NoGamma" work?

Al, I think it works because new "image-parent" has same proportions as previous "parent".

Al, We understood this problem. It's particularity of system of objects with relative coordinates and relative sizes. The only current solution - copy only one parent-objects with child-objects. I don't know at this moment another solution, sorry.

Jean-Pierre, I noticed you have problem with black screen. It could happen with old video cards. We've fixed bug in future beta #3.

Al, It's not a bug. Objects has relative coordinates linked with their parent. Because of this if you copy several objects to another parent (with another proportions), this relative coordinates gives another results. So you need to copy root objects (e.g. Frame object) which contains child objects. In this case all will be OK. Another example because of relativity. If you have Rectangle which about quarter of screen. And inserted inside Rectangle very small. Copy/paste this small Rectangle to slide and you'll see that it will be larger visually.

It's our main work - we're WnSoft.

Al, OK, we discussed problem of "Cover screen" mode and decided to remove this option from Project option. It's a dangerous option. This option will be available with new Navigation bar from slide-show. Also as I wrote "Cover screen" mode available via command line: Please download my example I just prepared: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/Fit_vs_Cover.zip (900 KB) This slide-show created with aspect ratio 16:9. - So if you run EXE file - you see wide slide on your screen. - If you run CoverScreen.bat file (look at him in notepad) you will see that slide enlarged and covers entire screen.

We tried to give ability of fine customization of keypoints. It's headache for us. Please give us time to think how to simplify work with timeline.

This ability maybe useful in case not linear speeds of Pan/Zoom effects. For example, you can "crop" beginning of smooth panning in the next betas.

Al, For static images it will works. But it is also dangerous option. In case of Pan/Zoom slide should has constant aspect ratio. Motions of objects will be distorted, depended on particular display. Like "Cover screen" it will gives unexpected results. I feel that you understand very well our problems now "Original size" with 100% of Zoom values means that image will be displayed as is in source size (e.g. 512x512) without resizing on any display - pixel in pixel. It can be used for static objects, not for animation. Ken, No video doesn't requires it. But as I wrote Al above, for Pan/Zoom effects we have to specify aspect ratio. All products which suggests these effects uses aspect ratio. Some programs don't ask you, but always locked to 4:3 aspect ratio. We can allows free size of slide like v4.xx, but I'm afraid that there will be many wrong slide-shows if their author forget or don't learn that this option is not designed for Pan/Zoom animation. Sorry, I didn't understood earlier your question, I think it's good idea. I'll try to realize it, but can't promiss exact date. Yes, it will possible. I scheduled this ability. Please wait for the next betas! Dave, You're right, in windowed mode there are no aspect ration and other modes - you determine width/height of a slide and it will work so on any display. In fact you specify aspect ratio. Because aspect ratio = width divided on height Aspect ratio is absolutely necessary thing in Pan/Zoom effects in all slide-show makers.