goddi

DaveG... I think the reason I had difficulty seeing what was going on is that I always set my Screen to be about 95% so that I always get a boarder around the slides and the images were mostly landscape. I usually do not like the full screen effect. I tried changing the Mode settings with the Screen set to 100% and I now see what you are talking about. And I see that Cover has a bigger effect with portraits. Thanks for the help... Gary

Peter, I have run across this problem of selection and I did not know of an easy way of dealing with it. Thanks so much for the explanation. Gary

Greetings... I have been creeping along learning some of the more advanced things we can do in the new PTE. I am pretty happy with some of the progress I have made. But now I have come to a brick wall with some of the menu items. I have looked them up in the User Guide but it does not say 'why' I what to use then and what they actually do. I have also searched the Forum but I've not been successful. I have played around with them but it is not intuitive enough for me to see why/when I should use them and what they do. Here is a list of the ones that currently have me baffled. I'd appreciate it if someone would clue me in on why/when I should use the following menu items and what they do: -Perspective correction for Zoom -Transparent to Selection -Time Range -Mode/Fit to Slide -Mode/Cover Slide -Mode/Original Thanks... Gary

This is what Lin stated too. I missread what he said and what you just wrote. It just became clear to me. I thought you both were saying the 'slideshow' started from the beginning as opposed to the 'music'. I see now that with the unticking of the "Synchronize..." makes the music start, as you say, from its beginning, no matter which slide you "Start Preview" from. Thanks for setting me straight on this. The "Synchronize music and slides" should be changed to "Synchronize the beginning of the soundtrack to the beginning of the slideshow". Thanks... Gary

Lin... I have a question concerning the "Auto Spread..." and the "Syn. Music and Slides". While I searched the Forum to see what others have talked about this, I came across your post below. Is your statement that the "Auto Spread..." does no longer work any more still correct? I never noticed that it did not work as you stated. And today it seems to work as expected and does Preview from the current slide. Am I missing something here??? Along with that, I am still confused as to what the "Sync. Music and Slides" choice does. I understand that when the "Auto Spread..." selection is chosen, the 'Time Line' goes grey. However, what is the function of the "Sync. Music..." choice? It does not seem to me to really do anything or prevent anything that I can see. It seems to me that there are 3 ways to create the show: 1-'Sync' (meaning that the 1st slide will be shown as the music starts the slideshow and the last slide will be shown as the music ends the slideshow. Is this the way I should look at it??? 2-'Unsyncd' (meaning that the slides are not tied to any position in the show and each slide will be positioned manually). Why is there not a "Unsyncd" choice? 3-'Auto Spread' (meaning that this will spread all slides evenly from the beginning to the end of the selected music). And now does clicking on the "timed points tab," then clicking on "arrange all points," now accomplish what the "Auto Spread Slides Along Music" feature does. Also, with the 'Auto Spread..' selected, the 'Time Line' goes grey. Makes sense. However, you can still move slides around in the 'Time Line' and you can also affect the spread of the slides by changing the 'Time interval for new slides.' But when you Preview, it follows what you set for the "Auto Spread", not what you did in the Time Line, which makes sense. But, from a practical point of view, why would one want to change the 'Time Line' while in 'Auto Spread'? Is this a useful 'feature' to you? I just ask since you are way ahead of me in using the program. Is this helpful for those who want to toggle between Sync'd and Auto Spread? Thanks...Gary PS Yes, I read the Users Manual and I am still not clear on these issues... =============================

Brian... I accept what you are saying that "You can't use 2 Codecs to do the same job simultaneously, that was your problem". Ok. But here is what does not make sense to me...just trying to understand the situation. I had a bunch of codecs already listed in the PTE's Video codec list. I installed the Essential Codec pak. When I went back to the PTE's Video codec list, there were no duplicates...just the same list. So I did not see that there would be a problem with apparently 2 codecs conflicting with each other...since there were no duplicates listed. So it is not obvious that, lurking somewhere in the PC, there are 2 codecs trying to do the same job simultaneously. It would seem to me that the Essential Codec installation would overwrite the old one and just install the ones you did not have...at least that is what I thought would happen. So it seems that if you put in one codec pak, you would have to eliminate it if you want to try another one??? This seems pretty strange to me. When I had previously installed the Ace Mega Codec pak, I did not have this conflict. Thanks for the explanation. At least I got it back to working again... Gary

Ken... I got the idea of dumping the Essential Codec pak exactly from where you had pointed me to. But I still don't understand what good the Essential Codec pak does if it creates a problem. Brian... Some time ago, I had installed another codec pak--can't remember which one. What good is the Essential Codec pak if it gives me the AVI Chunk problem? I dumped the Essential Codec pak. Should I just live without it? Is there a way around this problem so that it is useful?? Thanks...Gary =========================

I made an AVI of a PTE slideshow using 5.5. I tried several different codecs. But each time, after the AVI is made, I try to play it and I get this screen that says it is an " AVI Chunk Viewer" and it has some sort of a graph in it. I can't do anything after that to get the AVI to play. Never got this before. I closed this screen and I just get backed-out of everything. Can someone tell me what is going on here??? Thanks... Gary ================ I just found out what was going on. I had recently installed the "Essential Codec" package. I uninstalled it and the AVI Chunck Viewer screen went away and the AVI played just fine. Not sure what really caused the problem but now the AVI I created in PTE plays. Gary

Thanks...Gary

Brian... I already had a bunch of codecs, about 25 video & 19 audio codecs. I just installed the Essentials-Codec pack. However, I still have the same number of codecs that I had before when I look in the PTE Video or Audio's list of codecs available. What do I need to do to be sure they are recognized in PTE's drop down list? Also, after getting this long list of codecs, which one of the video codecs is the best...if there is one...for creating a stand-alone AVI in PTE? Thanks... Gary

Yes...thank you. Now I remember I had been through this some time ago and I could not get it to work. I chose Cinepak and it just made a video. I forgot the need to change the PTE video codec. Many months ago, I had tried a dozen or more codecs but nothing really worked well. Now, it looks better. Wonder if Igor tweeked it to work better. If I don't do it frequently, I get brain-lock!! Thanks... Gary

Ok...I am sure this subject has been beaten to death. I have always had problems with it and just gave up. I tried to get answers by using Search on 'AVI' but the Search will not work with 3 letters, and I tried 'Create AVI', etc., but no luck. So I apologize for bringing this subject up again since it seems I am the only one having questions/misunderstandings about it. I also read the Help file but it does not answer my question. I'd like to make an AVI of a PTE without having to burn it to a DVD. It seems this is the only way to do it??? Why can't I just make an AVI right to my harddrive??? I click on 'Create AVI file' and it does make an AVI file. And I can see it and play it off my harddrive if I do not hit 'Finish'. I notice, however, that none of the fade transitions work. If I hit 'Finish', the AVI file gets dumped. I thought, Ok, I will outsmart this thing and renamed the file. However, the renamed file only plays the music with a black screen. I'd like to know if it is possible to create an AVI file straight to the harddrive. If not, why not? I have created DVD's just fine. But what's the hangup with creating an AVI's straight to the harddrive that works??? It seems that 'Burn DVD-Video disc' is used to burn the PTE to a DVD using PTE's engine, and 'Create AVI' is used for burning the PTE using an external program, like Ulead's DVD Movie Factory. Is this concept right? But why can't we create an AVI video to a harddrive without involving the process of burning it to a DVD???? Thanks... Gary

Lin... Not to beat a dead horse, but, at least in my slideshow, it did not matter that some of the still images (with no animation) did not have a keyframe at the beginning. So I don't see why you say it "must". Not arguing but just wondering still. I see it "must" if you want to add Text the way I was trying to do. But if no animation is involved, why "must"? And now I see why I had the non-animated slide with no initial keyframe. Here is why it happened: Say, in slide#1, I had one non-animated image and a second image that zoomed/rotated in. Then, in the next slide in the slidelist, I wanted to replicate the images in slide#1, but not have the second image zooming/rotating in, but have a third image zoom in. So I copied/pasted the two images from slide#1 into the next slide. But I had to dump the initial keyframe of the zooming/rotating image to have it match its final position exactly as it was in the previous slide. Hope this makes sense. I guess I could have gotten the Pan/Zoom figures off the Animation Tab in slide#1 and entered that data to set the image's position in slide#2's initial keyframe (after dumping the second keyframe). Am I getting dangerous now? Gary

Barry... I tried Googling this Sony model you mentioned but it is not listed even on the Sony site. There isn't even a "CD" model. It this just a British available model? Thanks... Gary (USA)

Lin... I really have been trying to understand your explanation. However, I am still at a loss. Lets look at the 'gary1', where you say it must have a keyframe at the beginning of its timeline. When I look at 'gary1', you have highlighted an image that is stationary. I only inserted the image as a still image with no text. It is the other image that zooms in. So this is my first confusion as to why it " there must" be a keyframe at the beginning of each timeline......" when this image has no timeline, it just is a stationary image? Later....Ah...But...I NOW think I see what you are saying when it come to the image that zooms in with added Text. After trying many times, I have been successful in adding Text and getting the handles (insuring that there is a beginning keyframe in its timeline). AND, I just figured out how to make the Text pan from left to right within the image as the image panned left to right. Wow!!! Thanks for getting me to see the forest for trees. Gary

Lin... Thanks for looking at my slideshow. I read your reply several times but I do not see any difference between my version and what you sent me. I tried to understand your methodology but I, apparently, just don't understand what you are instructing me to do. I think I am doing what you say...however, I still get the Text block that does not have any handles. Well, my method eventually got me the handles and it worked so maybe there is more than one way to get the handles to appear. The only difference I see is that I used 'Clone a Keyframe' and you used 'Add a Keyframe', if I understand what you are saying. Either way, the Text block does not have handles. But thanks for the help. I just can't seem to rap my head around your method. I think I DO have a Keyfram at the beginning of the object's timeline and then just do a Clone a Keyframe to get the ending action in the timeline. I'll keep working on it to see if I can see any difference... Thanks... Gary

Menu_May31_2008_14_44_17.zip

Lin... Yes, I was looking at the effect of the "child" relationship when I added a Text block. In my test, I did not chose any object, so the Text was not a "child" of any object. As I explained before, if I leave the image (that zooms/rotates in) to be at the beginning of its zoom/rotate animation (that is, a just a small dot), the Text comes in with the handles. However, if I bring out the image that zooms/rotates from the small dot to full size, and then add the Text, the Text block comes in without the handles and I have to click on "Create New Keyframe here" to get the handles to appear. Though, it is not a 'child' of this zoomed/rotated image, when I do this, the Text block is frozen in the middle of the screen until I click on "Create New Keyframe here". I just don't understand why the addition of the Text block acts differently depending on whether the image that zooms/rotates in is at the beginning or at the end of the animation. At least I now know how to deal with it; I just don't understand the logic behind it. Gary

Lin... It will take a while to digest your explanation. Give me some time. However, I played with another slide I have in this Menu file. Here is what I noticed. It also has an image that rotates/zooms in. If I unrotate/unzoom the image so that it essentially disappears (it is at the beginning of the action) and I add Text, it automatically shows the handles and I can move/adjust it as you would expect. I don't have to click on "Create New Keyframe here". However, when I manually bring out this image to its final open size, and add a Text block, then this Text block has no handles and I have to click on the "Create New Keyframe here" to get the handles. Does this jive with your explanation??? Gary

Usually, I can add Text to a slide and then move/adjust it to where I want to place it. However, in my Menu file, in the 6th slide, when I add a Text block, it appears right in the middle of the image. But when I click on it, I don't get the handles and I can't move/adjust the Text block. I want to put this Text on an image that rotates and zooms in. When I highlight a stationary image, the Text block acts normally and I can move it. But when I try to add it to this specific image that rotates/zooms in, I can not move/adjust it within the image or get it to show the handles. What am I missing here??? (Using RC5). Thanks... Gary P.S. I just answered my own question. After I created the Text block, I just happened to click on the "Create New Keyframe here" and the handles appeared and I could then move the Text block around. This was just an accident that I did this. But I don't understand why this has to be done to get the Text block to become adjustable in this circumstance. Can someone educate me about this??? Thanks... Gary

Administrator Gary, You've wrote us PM message with suggestions. Please couldn't you duplicate it in "Ideas and suggestions..." forum? When I'll work on the next version I'll find and read it. And other users can discuss your ideas. ========================= Ok, here are my suggestions: 1- I'd like the font for the Buttons to be adjustable in size. Now, you can increase caption size by increasing size of an entire button. I would like the Font to be independent of the size of the Button (put a small sized text in a large sized Button). 2-I'd like to be able to add a sound effect to the action of a Button. 3-I'd like to be able to stop the music from playing in a Menu (or Index) slide when I click on a Button to continue on to a main slideshow that has its own music. I have made a work-around using a second slide but it would be nice to just be able to choose this from the Menu's Music tab to have its music stop when one of the Menu's slideshows are selected. Thanks... Gary

Igor... I attached the file but it is about 33MB. I don't think it was uploaded since I now see the max size is 2MB??? Where should I upload the file to be sure you get it??? Your old FTP login didn't work. Gary

Igor, Here are the files Zipped. The error happened when I played the second show ("Steps, Railings...") from the Index file. I just tried to replicate the error but it does not happen now. I hope this helps. Yes, I had just disabled the Hardware Acceleration in the Index file just before the error started showing up. I unchecked the HA box and then did a preview while in the PTE program. It happened only in the "Steps, Railing...." show. Thanks for looking into this. Gary