Igor

PicturesToExe v4.40 beta #1 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,5 MB) This new version contains new transition effect. Please look at this small example: http://www.wnsoft.com/beta/RollPaper.exe (500 KB) (Also there is diagonal variaton, but it works slowely and we will improve it) Horizonta/vertical variations work fine even on Celeron 900. You also can adjust diameter and it will look as a scroll. And two styles of curling. All it - work of Aleksey which again created new transition effect! In v4.40 I've fully rewrote "Customize synchronization" window. Now you work with real slides on the time-line. Please let me know what you think about it. This beta doesn't contains all new features. No new Navigation bar in beta #1 yet. Pan/Zoom effect also will be in the next version, because it will work slowely on current graphical engine and we're working on new presentation engine for v4.50 right now. I hope on your responses. And next suggestions. If something is not right, please let me know! I still working on new functions for v4.40. What's new in v4.40: + Added new terrific transition effect: Curling of page It contains 16 variations and ability to set radius of curling. Horizontal/vertical variations of this effect work smooth on any PC. (Note: Diagonal variants require very fast PC. And we'll try to optimize this new diagonal effect in the future.) + Fully reworked "Customize synchronization" window: > You work now with real slides on time-line. It means that every transition point exactly linked with a particular slide. Deleting of some transition point means deleting of linked slide. > Added "Shift slides..." feature which allows to shift all or selected slides. > Added "Shift all slides to right" function which moves all slides outside the music and it allows to work with "Add transition" button as earlier. > Cancel button discards all changes with slides (if you mistakenly deleted slides). > Multi-select and various actions with several selected transition points; > And all usual actions with Shift and Ctrl keys; > Added transition point of the first slide; > Improved preview of transition effects; > Vastly improved show of waveforms. Just click "Waveform" button and all visible waveforms will be shown automatically. > Ability to visually change duration of effect. Drag the small grip at the end of effect strip; > Press Up/Down keys for accurate moving of the cursor; > Press Right/Left keys to move between transition points; > Various another improvements. + Now you can edit personal settings of several selected slides. It means that, for example, it possible to set some transition effect for several slides, but their another different personal parameters will be leaved individual. + Added "Timeline" button to the main window of PicturesToExe. Or use Ctrl-L hotkey. + Improved protection of "Expire date" option. + Added new kinds of protection: "Expire after (days)" and "Number of runs". + Improvemed Navigation bar: > Added "Auto hide Navigation bar after <...> seconds" options; > Added "Hide Navigation bar at startup" option; + Improvements in AVI video output: > It supports Personalized background music now. (If you want to set new playlist starting from some slide.) > Added "Show safe TV zone" option in Visual editor window. This can be useful for preparing slide-show for DVD disc. + "Display slides in random order" option works for synchronized shows now. + Added "Don't interrupt sound comment when next slide appears" option. It allows to play sound comment during several slides. (Project options | Music tab). + Added "Random order" function (Alt+R or see popup menu) for the Slide list. It will help to randomly sort all slides (or selected). + Improved "Run application" action for buttons/hyperlinks or when new slide appears: > It allows to run several applications. Type: "notepad.exe, "calc.exe" > It possible to specify parameter: "C:\My Slide show.exe" 7 Please always use the double quotes for file paths to applications. E.g.: "notepad.exe" "C:\My text.txt" + You can start show of EXE file of your slide-show from necessary slide. Use "Run application" action and type: "C:\My Slide show.exe" 7 + Improved moving of files of project into another disk or PC. (Copy the main folder of your project (which may contains embedded folders with pictures or music) and PicturesToExe will find new file paths.) + Various improvements in the interface of the main window. + PicturesToExe automatically detects protected WMA files if you add them and show warning that the program can't play such files on another PCs. * Improved stability of music player on two-CPU's PC with Windows 2000. * Fixed bug with show of some transparent GIFs in 16-bit (Hi-Color) screen mode. * Fixed small visual bug in Visual editor. * Fixed bug when error message occured after last slide if slide-show was synchronized, with "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option, and first slide without main picture.

I've experimented with 2,3 MB BMP and 350 KB Jpeg (both 1024x768). And loading was equal on 1600 Mhz's PC. And on 3000 Mhz Jpeg will load even more faster. But reading from hard disc almost doesn't depend on speed of CPU.

Interesting thing Thank you Guido for this info! I just carefully compared as Jpeg loads in Irfanview and in PTE and found that Irfanview loads it on 20% faster. But the most likely Irfanview contains very unpleasant mistake! Jpeg format has two ways of loading: Fast and Quality. Quality method on 20% slower. And of course, we always used and use Quality method in PicturesToExe. (If I set Fast method in PTE, it loads Jpeg exactly as Irfanview.) But this Fast method of loading Jpeg which uses Irfanview, in some cases gives a little difference (you even don't see this difference). Some areas may contains defects. We've carefully explored this moment earlier. Just look at these BMP screenshots, how PTE displays Jpeg image and Irfanview: http://www.wnsoft.com/beta/CompareJpegQuality.zip (43 KB) (It's displayed 5 Mpixel JPEG in 100% of view (without resizing) and cropped in Photoshop) Irfanview.bmp contains small white vertical lines. As I just checked PTE, ACDSEE, Photshop loads Jpeg in Quality method and has no difference. But unfortunatelly Irfanview uses Fast method with almost not visible defects. It would be great if somebody could write to author of Irfanview about this problem. With loading of BMP image there is one funny moment Yes, it really loads very quickly, but for example we have 200 Kb Jpeg file and this image in BMP - 2,3 MB. First time, when we read these files, loading takes absolutely equal time. It happens, because it necessary to read it from hard disc or even from slower CD-ROM! Only when you load same BMP again it loads quickly, because Windows already cached this file and it reads from a buffer in the fast memory of PC. I also was very wondered when found this "paradox". So it's not necessary to replace JPEGs and use BMP.

Please tell me what usual time interval between slides on time-line? What configuration of your PC and screen resolution. On 1600 Mhz PC slide with JPEG image (1024x768, 350 KB) loads within 130 ms. (1/7 of second) And about 240 ms. on Celeron 900 Mhz. So no problem with 500 ms. interval between two slides. We have fast JPEG library. I know popular libraries that works in two times more slowely. But of course, there is more fast libraries. ACDSEE works in 1.5 times faster. But PTE loads JPEGs as Irfanview. Duration of loading of JPEG image depends only on size of the file. Resolution of image (1024x768 or 800x600) doesn't matter. So 200 KB 1024x768 Jpeg file will loads in 2 times faster than 400 KB 1024x768 Jpeg file. But please don't increase compression in all cases! It is not necessary (and senselessly) if time interval 1 second or longer. Because even loading of large 350 KB JPEG takes only 1/7 of second! If you want to place some slides very closely, in this case and only these JPEG files better to save with lesser size (150-200 KB).

Thanks, I remember about this suggestion. Maybe we'll add this feature in the future versions (after adding of Pan/Zoom, animations). Can't promiss exactly now when it appears.

Ok, I see now that it's not simple moment as I thought. I'll not change with option and as earlier it will be disabled by default. I understand and agree that exact pixels without resizing gives better sharpness. But personally I prefer fit to screen (as with analogy with TV picture). There is another cases then Fit to screen very useful: 1) For Push effect when whole slide moves; 2) When we add *optional* mode with proportional scaling of objects, pictures, textes, width of smoothing line effect. We never will add non discussed important change. Thanks! Another option. Keep 4:3 proportions. I would offer another *optional* option for discussion. For example, we have Push effect. We have 1024x768 screen and 1024x768 pictures. Picture fully fill area of slide and background is hidden. Push effect moves WHOLE slide from top to bottom, but all looks OK. Now we have 1280x1024 17" LCD display. Such displays has almost square screen. So as earlier slide will all display. But besides main picture we will see background of slide - two large black strips at top and at the bottom of the display. Because Push effect moves entire slide these blackborders also WILL BE MOVED as and main picture. It's not good. So I suggest option which limits area of SLIDE as rectangle with proportions of sides as 4:3. And as earlier with another displays picture will fully cover all slide. 1) This option doesn't effect to main picture and doesn't resize it. 2) No difference on usual displays and only on 17" LCD or widescreen 16:9 displays this option will keep necessary proportions of slide. Also this option will be necessary for future Pan/Zoom, for Push effect, for proportionally scalable objects. This option can be DISABLED by default, but can be automatically turned on in case of using above specified situations. What you think about it? P.S. we can't leave only one effect, because it's necessary to show all possible effects (which works fast on any PCs). But you can create template and only one effect will be used for all new projects.

What you think about turning on "Fit to screen" option by default for new projects? (Of course, this option can be disabled as earlier). I suggested this option by default, because, as you know, when author adds 1024x768 photo it will be placed on entire screen of the display with 1024x768 pixels. And author hopes that it will equally on any PC. But in 1280x1024 this picture will fill only half of screen and there will be large black borders. In 1600x1200 it it will look more worse. So I recommend to use this option because photos always will be shown on full screen, as you watch TV (and it doesn't depends on size of screen or pixels and always on full area of the screen). If you prefer to keep some border and show background, just change option of 100% available screen area to 80% or 60% (in Screen tab) How is your opinion about it?

Of course, this message will appear only when author of slide-show add new protected .wma file in the Music tab (Project options).

I need your advice about converting of WMA files. We just realized code which will automatically detects those protected WMA files and show warning and recommendation how to convert these WMA files. Please couldn't you correct this text and add info about coverters from WMA to MP3 (and is there free converters?) I hope it will help to solve this the most frequent asked question

Please write me what exact problem (with text of the error message) happens with Sonic MyDVD. I've fixed one bug with this software product in v4.31 and really earlier the problem always happened, but now PTE should works fine with Sonic MyDVD. Personally I very like TMpegEncoder and Ulead DVD MovieFactory. Adobe Encore and Pinnacle Studio also are good.

This problem happened with old versions. Please try v4.31 where AVI video output works OK with Sonic MyDVD.

It's a very terrible that so many people are suffering in South Asia now!

Please try to re-install Ulead DVD Movie Factory 3 program. Run PTE and open "Video" window. Then try to again open Ulead DMF3 to add AVI video file. If it won't help, please check up folder: D:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 3 Disc Creator Trial\vio\ This folder should contains PteVideo.vio file.

After you've choosed "Create custom AVI file" option, you also should click "Video codec" button and assign necessary format of AVI file. By default, Windows doesn't contain suitable codecs. The most best are MPEG4, DIVX and Motion JPEG.

Dear friends! I wish you all Merry Christmas! Thanks! P.S. Al, I celebrate both dates

Thanks for your all ideas! I add each suggestion to my todo list. I hope to answer on new messages. By the way, today we've realized absolutely new transition effect for v4.40 (with many variations).

Probably in the next versions. After we've done all important announced features.

PicturesToExe supports only AVI video codecs. It doesn't support DirectShow codecs. But all AVI codecs are supported. MPEG-4, MJPEG, DivX, XVID, etc.

Thanks, Ken. Yes, we want to keep PTE as a smaller and stable software. If we add own MPEG2 encoder it will increase prices, add 3 MB to size of program. After this we will be asked to add own DVD burner and creator of DVD menu I can't guarantee that all it will work without bugs on every PC. So we've added ability for experting slide-shows to any video format via universal AVI file. There are two different ways to use it: 1) Use our temporal (virtual) AVI format as link for lossless transfering of video and audio directly for converting into MPEG2. 2) Or choose "Create custom AVI file" option and choose any AVI video format. MPEG4, MJPEG, or even lossless AVI formats and you'll receive usual stand-alone AVI file. P.S. Also using our own temporal AVI file (PicturesToExe Video codec), then you can open this file in Microsoft Movie Maker program and produce small stand-alone .avi file for playing on PocketPC 2003.

PicturesToExe has own engine for playing of WAV files. Because of this, it can't supports all different codecs of WAV format. Please use PCM 16-bit Stereo, 44,1 KHz format for WAV files (i.e. 100% CD quality). Or it better to convert WAV file into MP3. In this case your slide-show will be more smaller.

I'm working on improvement of these moments right now. It should be much more comfortable in v4.40

Wine is not emulator (W. i. n. e.) as Virtual PC or VMWare. It emulates system calls and functions as in Windows. Their developers customize Wine for almost an each program. But it's a very interesting that slide-shows work without special optimization on Linux

Thank you all for exploring this interesting moment! PTE automatically sets "Exit after last slide" option, if you enable this "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option. I'll turn off this automatical enabling in case of screen saver.

In v4.40 it will possible to play sound comment for the several slides. Also there is an one internal option which allows for "Run Application after last slide" option be always workable, even if user terminates a slide-show by Esc button. Open your project .pte file, find and set 0 for the next string: opt_runapponexitiflastslide=0

I've fixed one bug (with help of Guido) in "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option. The error message always occurs, if your slide-show synchronized; uses "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option; and first slide without main picture. Please try this small update (v4.32) http://www.wnsoft.com/beta/pte432beta.zip