LumenLux

Thanks for the link to show the problem. At least I now understand the issue. As to Igor's thought regarding the Trial version - the trial version shows properly when I run it on XP operating system. The trial on my Win98 expired prematurely, so I don't know how it was there. Does the title frame (thumbnail) ever pick up properly? Try inserting a .jpg file in your Ulead movie line. See if the thumbnail window will pick that up properly.

Since my prior message, it has become more suspicious that MalcolmG and I are looking at different screens of info, even though we are both talking about Ulead Video Factory 2. Maybe Michel or anyone else who is working with Ulead Video Factory 2 can tell us what you see vs. the ongoing descriptions from MalcolmG and myself. Our latest thought is perhaps there are regional versions of the software? Or maybe a different interface for XP vs. Win98?

great story, you gotta love it

MalcolmG, there's still confusion hovering over your attempts. Lets see if this can help clear it up. I am also using only the 30 day trial version of Ulead Video Factory 2. ( IF you are trying to use .pte or .iso or .ixa, - they are all NOT part of what you are trying to accomplish.) Here we go: Use PTE version 4.20 Beta #4 On PTE main screen, choose AVI and on next screen, Create AVI , here you choose where to save the file you will soon use in Video Factory. Now, leaving PTE and the created file open, start your Video Factory program and do this in Video Factory:b Start project click Next Add video - this is where you guide the program to the avi file you created by PTE. The created file you need add here will show up as .avi or .ptev - either way, Video Factory will recognize it as a file it can work with for you. Next Next Next Record to disc Output Unless I have made a mistake, those are all actual keystrokes you can make to burn your SVCD or DVD. Please let us know when you make the "glorious" breakthrough and it works for you.

Ray, see if this helps or tells you (us) anything - I made a test show in PTE 2 min. 49 sec. The PTE produced temp .avi is 29,400 Kb The Studio 8 produced 720x480 avi is 641,776 kb Studio 8 offered 640x480 avi is only 125,592 kb I could not find a way to select different sizes, except by selecting a different codec. The 640x480 came up as the default when I tried the Intel codec. Both the 641,776 kb and the 125,592 kb avi's were readily viewed by MS Media Player on XP and on Win98 SE. If anything, the much smaller file size, not much smaller screen size, was the clearer picture. And yes the mp3 sound is included. Does this confirm the way you have thought it should/could be?

Thank you Igor for the .dll fix. I have tried it so far with Pinnacle Studio 8 on XP system. The result on DVD is much, much better than previously. Almost all the flicker is gone. There seems now to be just a tiny bit of shake of the whole screen at once. Even that shake might not be noticed in many cases. The test I used had PTE set to use 90% of screen. On the TV, this leaves a dark border around the picture and that exposed edge of photo may make the "shake" more visable. In a separate or related (?) issue: On the TV screen, with border showing, the sides of the photos are not straight along the vertical sides. Some are badly curved or scupltured. I would think that is partially a tv problem except not all the photos have the same shape problem and some are worse than others. Do you know why this is? Can it be solved without covering the whole tv screen and thereby possibly losing some of the photo edge area?

MalcolmG, What Ulead Video Factory needs from you is the PTE produced .AVI file. I don't have Video Factory on this machine, so my description here may not be exact. In PTE main screen select AVI then choose VCD or SVCD or DVD. On same screen select Create AVI PTE very quickly produces an .avi file. Is that what you have been doing? Make sure you leave PTE and that file open Then in Video Factory you simply import the AVI file. You will see that Video Factrory 2 has either an Import function or it is under File that you can browse to PTE's .AVI file and bring it thusly into Video Factory. From there it shoud be clear to follow instructions to make movie or create or burn disc or something you will recognize. Let us know how you do.

I'm sorry Granot, I can not find this one to check it out.

Ray, I certainly don't knowthe answer. I have been waiting for Igor to respond to your question. Food for thought though - might be that the file size is dependent on the size of the PTE show, not the eventual output as an avi screem size. A little demo that might offer some insight - Create a PTE show using random transition effects. Use PTE to create a default .avi file. Leave the PTE program and file open, and run the (temp)avi file in some other player or editor. You should observe that the first transition is indeed still random when you run the show over and over again. So it seems it is still the PTE show that is running normally in the mask of an avi file. I know, probably doesn't help. I am sure Igor knows the answer, but it too may not be the one you want it to be.

A simple way and useful for many similar situations, is to just use your FIND command found under your Windows start button. Just ask FIND to find the *.avi files that have been modified in the last day. Once you find the location, then use the file browser (Import) in Video Factory. Good luck.

You are right. I read Zagreb, even thought about it, and still didn't occur to me that it was a different show. I will definitely view it and look forward to your others. As for my old slides of Croatia - I do need to pull them out and see what is there. If I ever do really get around to scanning some, I would be more than happy to show them. Besides looking at the slides, I need to look at a map. When I visited that country, it was still all Yugoslavia and part of the communist world.

Yes I did/do enjoy your show. You have nicely presented a beautiful city. Long, long, ago ... allright, I confess,...... in 1966 . . . I visited Yugoslavia, and Dubrovnik is the city that has stuck in my mind. Every time there has been conflict in that part of the world, I have wondered about the city. Now, with your more current views (date of your photos?) I am motivated to dig out my old slides and compare. Your clever show points out, once again, the power of photography and the value of PTE in presenting that power. We all know, but I am still reminded, how photos (and music) can trigger meaningful emotion. Thanks for sharing.

Sharing a couple of notes - in case they can help you, Igor, or me to refine this stuff. Last night I made a PTE show to test to DVD. The PTE show has 14 slides (large file sizes of c. 1600- kb), mp3 file of 2 min 19 sec. Assorted random transitions. Using 4.20 Beta #3, the PTE/avi produced file was encoded/burned to DVD with each program: Ulead Video Factory 2: 50 minutes Roxio DVD Builder: 28 minutes Pinnacle Studio 8: 1 hr. 10 minutes Playback results: Roxio screen quality seemed best. Video Factory2 showed more pixel-vibration in certain light/midtone areas of photos Studio 8 looked like a disco strobe light show! The encoding time by all three seemed way long to me. (I have not compared them to earlier versions of PTE beta, but I did not think my previous times were this long even on longer PTE shows.) Are these times similar to what Igor and others are experiencing? I did redo the PTE show using same photos but file sizes all less than 100 kb, vs. earlier sizes of 166 kb. With the small file sizes the encode time by Roxio diminished only by a minute or so. If a two minute PTE requires 30 minutes to encode, we will all be as old as Guido before we can view a half hour PTE show on DVD! FYI - I did notice that when leaving PTE/avi open, it is not just "open" for "access" to certain PTE files. It appears that the PTE create function actually runs as it is encoded by the external software. I may not understand that exactly, but what I noticed is that if I previewed the show in Roxio, Ulead, or Pinnacle, the opening random transition of PTE was different each time I previewed. Not just different per the multiple open instances of PTE, but different each time I previewed it in, say Roxio. That surprised me.

I'll add my experience last night with Studio 8. The flickering was much more pronounced than I could see in cc's included example. The 2 minute PTE file took over an hour to encode and the playback looked more like a strobe light with the entire screen flashing rapidly. Each photo seemed to appear smooth from the transition, but would immediately commence the strobe effect.

It will never work Bart! But thank you for the PTE Christmas greeting. You have been a reliable contributor here for a long time. This is a reminder-time of year for many many things good!

Who was the wise old man who once said " Once you understand it, nothing is simple! I think Marco, you summarize the situation. At least until I understand better, it is not worth the whole opperation. I suspect that Adobe either felt Album version 1 had too many problems on Win 98, or that Album 2 has features that can't be easily implemented in Win98 SE. If my conclusion is to wait until a new pc or motherboard/processor, is XP the preferred way to go for a home setup with fairly serious audio/visual usage? Also, the other networked pc in the home is already running XP Home, should that be a consideration for future purchase or modification of "main" machine (the one with Win98 currently?)

My opinion Igor, is the How to would be too broad. For most of the existing forum is already related to how too. I think it might just cause confusion where some postings should go. I think it would be better to simply add a category relating to the avi feature and all the questions and experiences it is generating

This could be a sleeper Granot. I mean it sounds like a potentially very good idea. I am now to dl it. Not even having seen it yet, the question I have is could sound track be added to it?

Ken, T, & Jim - Thank you for the help. I think I am leaning to trying the dual boot method. Do I understand correctly that I can set up the full version XP (not the upgrade XP) on a separate drive. And if I choose the XP option to use Fat instead of NTFS, both XP and Win98SE will be able to see and access all files on all drives?

Pete, I too have observed the occasional glitch. I just attributed it to my bunch of Win98SE little malfunctions. I'm glad you have brought it up so Igor can attack it when he can.

One of the side effects of my love for PTE is the evergrowing number of graphic files, mainly jpg's that live on my hard drives. I have tried many photo catalogue or organization programs over the years. Recently I played around a little with Adobe Photo Album and decided (somewhat to my surprise) that it might be very useful for my needs. A week ago I purchased Adobe Photo Abum 2. As I tried to install the program, I learned that Version 2 will not install on a Windows98 pc! (Version 1, did.) IF I want to install Windows XP Home on this Win09SE computer, what are my options? (I also have a purchased, unused, but open XP home complete, not upgrade, CD) Is there a way to install the XP on my computer without losing all or much of my current setup? Would the task be made easier or possible if I am willing to free up an existing, or install a new hard drive? Or is a dual-boot system feasible, or is the file structure difference a major obstacle. All the jpg files that are currently on the HD's are all under Fat32(?) but would need to be accessed with Adobe Photo Album 2, which will only run if I install XP somehow. I have spent a fair amount of time searching various web sites but have not been able to find simple answers to the specific questions above. I guess, the other question, is - am I even asking the right questions for what I want to accomplish?

Thanks for the report. Sounds like a great success for you all. I like the idea of the DVD play .jpg for TV preview. Though my DVD will play the .jpg files, I had not thought of using it as you suggest. I think (wonder?) if the viewed jpg will not give a preview of the TV screen cropping if the same size images are processed PTE/avi to TV?

This is opinion not knowledge. What you describe seems suspicious to me. Try this. Make PTE/avi file and be sure to leave the PTE screens all open. Open Ulead Video Factory 2 and use the "add movie" (or whatever it says) for Ulead to pick up your PTE/avi file. Then tell Ulead to burn the disc. IF that does not work, then can you try the other codec of yours to see if it will indeed handle the SAME avi that you tried in Ulead and still have open as part of PTE?

I have now tried just a couple of PTE/avi shows to DVD. Using Ulead Video Factory2 (trial). It seems my menu pages don't work quite right. Sometimes the #2 button does not run the #2 show for instance. Is this another variable with an imperfect burn, or a software problem, or maybe I don't understand the remote?

Ray, this is just observation. I have not made time to check it out. Most PTE shows that I have put to SVCD and a couple to DVD, have been 1024x768 in PTE. I have used Ulead Video Factory2 (trial) for burning. I have had no black borders on TV. When I did the first DVD, I noticed severe "cropping" of the image on the TV. I had not noticed that with the SVCD. That sounds strange to me, so maybe I had just not noticed the cropping on the SVCD as I was so surprised by the good quality image of the SVCD. Obviously, this is an issue many of us will have to consider and resolve to our individual needs. I hope we hear some more helpful comments here.