goddi

Greetings, I would like to have file extensions of videos (and perhaps still images) to be included in the file names in the Timeline View and the Slides View. I understand it might be a rare circumstance when you would have similar video file (or still image) names with different extensions, but I have run across this possibility. I have attached a screen shot example of this problem in the Timeline View. Perhaps the best way to handle this is to have it as a Preference setting to allow extensions to be shown or not shown. This could be applied to still images, too. Thanks... Gary

===================== Yes, it works now. Cool, interesting. The audio has a bit of a problem...seems to jump slightly at times. But it is nice to see different uses of PTE. Gary

======================= I got a somewhat similar error message when trying to unzip the file. See attached. Gary

======================= It is an interesting and, probably, useful idea. I just hope it does not just give use nebulous choice of 'Quality percentage' that the video converter gives (I still don't know what it is doing). Also, I think I would want to be able to re-do the resizing so that it would allow me to overwrite the previous resized images. For example, if I initially chose to resize a group of images and I later determined it was resized too small, I'd like to be able to re-run the resizing so that I have the choice to overwrite the previously resized images to avoid multiple names for the same images. This would avoid the 'filename.converted.converted.jpg' as we get with the video converter if we re-convert a converted video. Gary

=================== Greetings, Gee whiz....let's use a little imagination. This list that I posted is not cast in concrete. Of course, if you used more cameras and want to list them, feel free to expand or contract the list. If you want to say what year the images were taken or when the show was made, modify the text. These items are only a reminder of things that I might want to include. The point is to put in whatever you want, when you want. To prejudge that the information will be irrelevant will not encourage anyone to post anything. I think posting at least some information will open a door for the viewers to ask more questions if it piqued his/her curiosity. No attack, just an opinion. Gary

========================== Peter, Just to give you some comparison to my download, when it first started it was a bit over 900kb/sec. Then it dropped a bit, maybe around 600kb/sec, then when up a bit. Anyway, the entire download took only 60 seconds. I am not techy enough to point to any reason for the difference in download speeds, but maybe it was not their server. Duno... just interesting to see the differences. Gary

=================================== Jeff, As I mentioned in my email to you, I thought your PTE show was terrific. I was disappointed that you did not provide any information about the show. I am glad you are looking into it. This subject of how much info to provide has been tossed about before in this Forum. I made up a template that I pull up each time I post a show so I don't forget something. Everyone has their own way of doing it but here is my list: Location: Year: Aspect ratio: Screen resolution: Videos: Size of file: Run time: Manual control (yes/no): Camera and lens: Any other info that you can provide: Comments and critiques are welcomed. Gary

=================== Greetings, I took a look. Very nice. Well done. Gary

============================= Dan, I took a look at the specs of your camera. I see that it has the 'AE Lock' function. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I think your image is overexposed due to the dark subject you zoomed in on. There have been many suggestions to 'fix' this problem. But you have a function in your camera that, I think, will help you get a better shot in-the-camera. Take a look at this site that talks about using your 'AE Lock' function of your camera. http://www.learn.usa...k_article.shtml Basically, the AE Lock function will lock in an exposure setting. This can be used in the situations like you had when you were trying to take a shot of something very dark (or very white), or really any shot, if you want to take it that far. A camera tries to make every exposure to be 18% grey. So, if you want to be really specific, one would take an exposure reading off a 'grey card' in the light that is shining on the subject and lock in that exposure with the AE Lock function. Then compose your shot and take the picture with that exposure setting. But, if you don't have a grey card handy, you can take an exposure reading off of any other object that is 18% grey or close to it. Sometimes, green folage or grey stones are close, but you get the point. You can get a grey card and learn what other things out there come close to a grey card reading and then you don't have to really carry around a grey card. With this method, your shot in the camera will be much closer to what you want and you will have to do less post processing. And here is an interesting site that talks about using a grey card with some interesting samples of the benefits of using a grey card: http://www.digitalar...nstructions.htm Gary

======================= Dan, There is something I learned back in the film days, and it might also apply to digital cameras today, too. Maybe, maybe not but here is my take. The image looks overexposed. When you zoomed in on the dark object, the camera wants to make it '18% grey', an industry standard. But the light meter says, "Oh, it is almost black and I will open my shutter to let more light in to get close to 18% grey." So the dark object gets lightened. When you have a very dark or very light (snow) as your main object, the thing to do is to take a light meter reading off of something that is closer to 18% grey; then, hold that setting, recompose and take the picture. Or, in your case of the dark object, stop down an f-stop or two to compensate for the darker object. Or, with a very light subject, like snow, open the aperature a stop or two. Gary Link to how to use a grey card.... If you don't have a grey card, you can usually find something around you that is close. http://www.ehow.com/how_5986275_use-grey-card.html

========================= Claudio, I have already responded to how I would reduce my video clips. I'd like to add now an easy way to reduce/resize single image files one at at time or in a batch. I can highlight a group of images in MyComputer and right-click on the highlighted group. Then I click on the 'Resize Pictures' button (I think this came from Windows7 and is standard--if not, I am not sure where this came from). Then I just choose from the size I want in the list. It is very quick and easy. Just another way of doing it. See the attached screenshots. Gary ADDED LATER: As I said, I am not sure if it comes with Win7 or I added it as another program. But I just found where you can get if if you don't have it. See this link: http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/

Igor, My suggestion is to be able to expand the O&A's play-line as we can do in the Timeline with the shift/mousewheel. This is especially helpful when you have a very long slide duration and you have to deal with keyframe placement or adjustments. When you enter keyframes in a slide with a very long duration, they can be sitting on top of each other because the entire length of the slide is compressed into a space that normally would have a duration of only a few seconds. Being able to expand the O&A's play-line will make it visually easier to deal with multiple keyframes. Gary

======================= Peter, Yes, I have seen that the Key Frame Time box is a way of dealing with setting/adjusting keyframes in slide with a very long duration. I mentioned that in one of my previous posts above. But, it would be much easier to be able to expand the O&A's play-line (as we can in the Timeline) to get it close, and maybe use the Key Frame Time box to nudge it. When you have a very long duration slide, the keyframes practically can sit right on top of each other and it is difficult to deal with. Putting just one Text in the middle of a long duration slide will have at least 4 keyframes sitting on top of each other. Very hard to deal with. It's been a good discussion and I have learned some new things. Gary

=========================== Lin, No, I don't think I missed it at all. I understand all of what you are saying. My only point now is that it would be very helpful to be able to expand the O&A's play-line as we can in the Timeline. That would help to see and to place the keyframes more easily. Give it a try. Make one of the slides to be 35 minutes long. Put in a Text box to fade-in and to fade-out. The keyframes sit on top of each other in such a compressed state, it is difficult to work with them. I will put the suggestion in the Suggestion Forum. And thanks again for for your detailed explanation. Gary

===================== Lin, Thanks for the detailed explanation. I understand it now. My problem was that I have always started any text right at the beginning of the slide...so my brain was not getting the concept that you explained. I wanted it to start right at the beginning so it worked just fine. I never tried to put text in the middle of the slide's time as I am trying to do with my long inserted video clip. But...you did not get to my last question. Let's say I have the first Text's keyframe set at zero opacity. Then, I set its second keyframe to be 100% opacity to make it appear. Why is it slowly fading-in between these two keyframes? I have to put them almost on top of each other to minimize the fade-in time. The only control for the length of the fade-in is how close can I get the second keyframe to sit on top of the first keyframe without causing a problem. Is this the only way to control the transition from the zero-opacity-keyframe to the 100%-opacity-keyframe, by having to put the second keyframe right up tight to the first keyframe? What if I want some other transition of the text than fade-in? If this is true (having to put the 100% opacity keyframe right up next to the 0% opacity keyframe to reduce the fade-in), then we need to be able to expand/contract the O&A's play-line as we can do in the Timeline, using the shift-mouse wheel. With a long video (I am working with a single 35 minute video), the O&A's play-line is too compressed to make these fine adjustments or placements of the keyframes. When you are working with a 'normal' slideshow and the single image stays on for maybe 4-8 seconds, you have more 'room' to make these adjustments along the play-line. Same problem holds for the last two keyframe when you are trying to make the Text disappear. After all of this, I think my main points are that we need a way to 'expand' the play-line to help placement of the keyframes when you have a very long video for 35 minutes or if you even have a single image on for 35 minutes, for example. And, is there a way to not have the Text fade-in and fade-out in the beginning and in the end of the Text's keyframes? Not that it is bad, but I'd like more control or possible transitions available for the appearance and disappearance of the Text. Or am I missing something here? Gary

================== Thanks Peter, I had no idea. Gary

========================= Lin, Your clarification that the first keyframe is always set to 100% opacity helps me understand what to do. I tried your steps and it worked. But I may be doing it a bit different, though. I inserted a Text block. I moved the Text block's keyframe to a new position in the video clip where I wanted it to appear and made its opacity to be 0%. I then cloned that keyframe but did not move it and made its opacity to be 100%. I did not move it but it seems that PTE automatically nudges it a bit down the play-line, so the Text block appears nicely at that point. Then I cloned that 2nd keyframe and move it down the play-line to where I wanted the Text block to disappear and set its opacity to 0%. BUT, from the 2nd keyframe (opacity=100%) to the 3rd keyframe (opacity=0%), the Text is slowly fading-out during the entire segment. What is controlling the fade-in and fade-out of the Text blocks? I still find it extremely difficult to 'adjust' the 3 keyframes that are needed to accomplish this because the O&A play-line is so compressed. See the attached. But I have another question. In trying to adjust these 3 keyframes using the 'iterative' approach, I am confused by the differences in what the 'Keyframe' shows and what the 'Animation/Key Frame Time' shows. For example, for several Text blocks that I put in: The Keyframe shows 15.37.516 but the Key Frame Time shows 937516. The Keyframe shows 23:48.414 but the Key Frame Time shows 1428414. The Keyframe shows 14:59:000 but the Key Frame Time shows 899000. Only the bolded numbers correspond. How do I interpret this when I am trying to make adjustments to the Keyframes and they are not exactly the same numbers? Is this a bug? Gary

==================================== Eric, I am not sure what you mean. I am basically using PTE to add Text into a video clip, or insert an image somewhere in the video clip for a few seconds. I have two issues. If the video is long, say 35 minutes, and you view it in O&A, the full 35 minutes is displayed in the O&A window. This makes it difficult to animate the Text because play-line in O&A is so compressed. Very difficult to fine-tune the animation. I'd like to be able to expand it as we can expand the Timeline by using the Shift/mousewheel. My question is, can this be done? But the other strange thing is that if you add Text or a graphic to a video clip it always starts at the beginning of the clip, not where you want to have it appear, say, in the middle of the clip, even if you move its Keyframe. Gary

================================== Lin, Is there any technical reason that would prevent being able to use the "Shift/Mouse Wheel" to expand/contract the O&A play-line as we can do in the Timeline? That would solve the problem. I think I'd rather use the Animation/Key Frame Time to adjust the Text block. Get it close, then adjust with it. This is difficult because the play-line is so compressed but it worked with the Text block I had at the beginning of the video. But I also have a question about putting Text in the middle of a video clip. I was able to put some Text in the beginning of my video, and animate it and make it fade-out. I was just tinkering around and tried to put Text so that it would appear only in the middle of the video for a few seconds. I could not. It always would appear at the start of the video and I could not get it to 'pop-up' somewhere in the middle of the video, even if I moved the Text's Keyframe. Is this, too, not possible??? Gary

Greetings, Normally, when I have inserted a video clip, it has not been at the beginning of the show. However, I just started creating a show with a long video clip at the beginning and I want to put in Text in the intro to the video and animate it and fade it out after a few seconds. The initial video is 35 minutes long. So when I put in Text and then Clone the Keyframe to do some animation, it is very difficult to see and adjust the Cloned Text Keyframe. The entire 35 minute video is fitted into the O&A's play-line.There seems to be no way of 'expanding' the O&A play-line to be able to easily see/move/adjust the Cloned Text Keyframes by small amounts (as you can in an audio editor, like Audacity). When I try to drag the Cloned Text Keyframe by just a tiny bit, it snaps back to the left's beginning spot. I have manually entered Key Frame Time to move the Cloned Text Keyframe but it is hit and miss because the Cloned Text Keyframe is sitting practically on top of the original beginning keyframe. Is there an easier way of working with this type of situation or a way to expand the O&A's play-line to see the keyframes more clearly? Gary

=========== Igor, Thanks for the confirmation. Gary

================= Fingers faster than brain... Gary

=============================== DG, errrr....nobeefstu, Yes, you are correct. I moved the VideoConverter program window. OK...I opened the VideoConverter in 7.06, by itself, and started a conversion. While it was converting, I moved the left side of the VideoConverter program's window to the right. The error occurred. So it is happening in the VideoConverter program, as you posted. Thanks for narrowing it down. Wonder if it can happen to others? I just happen to move the border to widen the cropping line. Gary

========================= DG, I still have 7.06 and, I guess, never downloaded 7.07. But...since it originally happened in 7.5Beta7, I figure that it has not been 'cured' yet. The error message has occurred first in 7.5Beta7, and then in 7.06. Gary

================= Could be, but the conversion process was finished and I was about to close the window. But I just tried moving the left border just to see what would happen, and I got the error again. Gary