Igor

Minimal version is DirectX 8.1 It's already included to Windows XP (even without Service Packs). Of course, mentioned DirectX 6.1a is too old for Pan/Zoom effects.

I think in a month or so. v5.00 of course will contain AVI video output. With ability to set HDTV resulutions (e.g. 1920x1080). About your Question 2. It's really intesting and good idea. I added your suggestion to my TODO list. I need time to think how to better realize this idea.

Robert, We don't use specific functions of Windows Vista. So no difference. The benefit that people will use Windows Vista. As you know Vista uses graphical card for new graphical interface (with shadows, translucency, etc) and it gives the next benefits for us: - New model of drivers for video cards with potentially better reliability. - Maximal attention of Microsoft to quality of video cards and drivers for them. - All Vista ready PCs are perfectly intended for PicturesToExe 5 - Much more fast video cards in laptops (requirement of Microsoft).

Option for autoclosing of show will work again in beta #3

Useful tricks in Visual editor: - You can set scale using Ctrl+mouse wheel - On large zooming, hold Alt key and drag slide with mouse cursor (like with Space button in Photoshop on 200% of view) Question. As I can see beta #2 more reliable than previous beta and on modern video card all work fine? Please let me know about all error messages which probably you'll find (except of error messages on old video cards and known limitations of current beta).

It's a really interesting effect, even as emulation.

I installed yesterday new pre-beta #2 build (for developers) of Windows Vista. PicturesToExe v5.00 beta and slide-shows work fine there.

Ken, This effect looks very interesting, I experimented, too. But currently it's not possible to realize it in PicturesToExe as option, Gaussian Blur performs very slowly. And not all video cards are capable to do it.

Maybe we'll solve this problem, don't worry.

There is one problem with jerkness on Pan/Zoom effects on some PCs with some installed antivirus. For example, McAfee. As stand-alone program antivirus doesn't affect to work of slide-show. The problem happens if you have some indexing software, which scans files on your PC. For example, Nero Scout (automatically installed with Nero 7) which continiously builds base of files, ignoring that it shouldn't work when PC is busy and, of course, this activity provokes checking of antivirus on every opened file. Such combination of two software products vastly loads CPU and slows down PC and of course you see jerks on Pan effect. Because Pan effect in PicturesToExe v5.00 looks very smoothly and work of antivirus and Nero Scout in background disturb to work of slide-show. This problem lesser noticeable on Fade in/out transition effect - in both v4.48 and v5.00 This problem also well noticeable even on watching DVD film on PC. In 3D games you'll also notice same problem. And slide-shows created in other products. Because of this you see that it's not problem of PicturesToExe. But unfortunately users may think that Pan/Zoom in PicturesToExe's slide-shows work badly. However we know one universal solution which solves this problem, but it's a very difficult way, it requires long testing, and almost nobody uses this solution. I'm not sure at this moment and my knowledge that it will be right way. Microsoft, many developers of 3D games, NVIDIA/ATI recommend to describe this situation in FAQ, because it's a problem of developers of antiviruses and file indexing software. In fact this problem already fully solved on dual-core CPUs. Where one core used for antivirus and second for slide-shows.

We'll include all features from v4.48 to v5.00 New version is intended to fully replace previous version. I have TODO list and in my nearest plans: 1) Fully solve all several known bugs in v5.00 beta 2) Re-activate again "old" features of v4.48 which temporarily don't work in v5.00 beta

1. Yes, "Close" button will be in the next beta. 2. It's not simple question. Because even main image of a slide in fact object with Pan/Zoom.

Jill, Thanks for your response. With "Hold Time Points" option (checkbox at the right-bottom part of main window) when you sort slides in Slide list, keypoints will NOT be moved. This mode intended for synchronized by music slide-shows. When "Hold Time Points" option DISABLED. If you move slides, keypoints also will be moved. This button starts Preview from a slide, selected in the Slide list. OK, I'll add Ctrl+S key combination to Timeline window and to Visual editor. Although timeline window/PTE should never crash (in final release), I believe.

Al, A little correction, 128 MB enough for ideally smooth playback of Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects. If don't use slides like 3400x2200 8 MPix and larger.

Barry, I still can not see difference in speed. Both - EXE file/Fullscreen Preview and Preview in Visual editor have same speed. I set 100% scale of view in Visual editor to see same picture and all works exactly equally. Maybe it's visual illusion? Or probably in Visual editor Preview is not enough smooth and it gives such effect.

This flickering is moire effect. In this case I found several reasons: - Unsharp mask or Bicubic Sharper method (almost always causes moire, don't use these functions for Pan/Zoom/Rotate). - Tree with high details (frequent reason of the moire) - And using "Original size" for the objects together with Panning. Possible solutions: 1) Apply slight Gaussian blur. 2) Or use more large images (1024x768 instead of 512x384) (with our "Blur" option). In this case you will have sharp picture without moire problem.

Lin, "old moon was too sharp for the small zoom so I made some changes." We plan to add special option - "Use MIP mapping" for such objects with small zoom it will improve visual quality.

I think it's right to that mouse click selects object on the top. But I agree it's difficult to work with objects on several layers. I'll think how to help with this work. It's in my TODO list.

No difference, but our function will include all used files in the project and you will not miss something.

Granot, Please use useful function - "Create backup in ZIP" archive (Main menu | File).

Thank you, Jean-Pierre! A very nice demo, especially animated text!

In the next beta we will show warning for "Create back in ZIP" function in case of non base latin symbols. It's OK now. Thanks We spent much time to reach ability of showing images pixel in pixel without resizing in 3D mode with hardware acceleration. If you have 1024x768 screen resolution and image 1024x768 it will be displayed exactly as is, without bluring and without resizing. Or if you set "Original size" it also will not be resized/blured on any display - exact show pixel in pixel. We compared screenshots in graphical editor (via subtraction of layers) - no difference at all between original and screenshot from a screen. As you also noticed images in PicturesToExe v5.00 can be placed with sub-pixel accuracy (between pixels). Also this sub-pixel positioning of images during animation gives so smooth Pan effect.

Jeff, Radeon 9200 unfortunately is not enoug fast for v5.00 slide-shows with Pan/Zoom. Only reduced images will work fine. In PteShow I used 2400x1600 images - and they requires modern video card. Try this example: http://www.wnsoft.com/test/PteShow_H.zip Does it work better than http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/show/PteShow.zip

Well known, unfortunately, problem in 3D games. If you disable Nero Scout, will "System" process takes 13% of CPU resources? As I discovered Nero Scout all time scans files on PC and probably it provokes antivirus to check up these files. I even don't know how we all will watch HDTV films or slide-shows on PC where such behaviour of antivirius will disturb normal show of TV. We're trying to solve this stupid problem. I posted yesterday specail test slide-show which solves this problem.

Steve, Thank you for letting me know about these two problems! I've sent you email. There will be no problem with producing AVI video in v5.00. We use only offical Microsoft's DirectX API for hardware acceleration. I see very well solution for Pan/Zoom on old video cards: - Smaller images size (1024x768 for example). - Creating of DVD disc via AVI file. - Or using of free Microsoft Media Encoder 9 which produces WMV9 video 1280x720 with HDTV quality. As I know, HD-DVD and Blue-Ray support WMV9 video.