goddi

================== DG, Yes, I tried it and it worked. The 'trick' seems to be that you have to move and replace the 'non-standard' images in the "Full Screen View of Slide List". And, using Arrange Selected Points. If the moving is done in "Full Screen...", its customized time moves with it. If the moving is done in the Timeline, it only moves the slide, not its associated customized time. This can get a bit messy if you have lots of slides with customized times. Lots of note taking so you get them back to where you want them. Thanks for the tip. But I would hope that Igor can work this out so none of this extra work is necessary and the Arrange All Points would take the customized times into effect automatically, so no math or note taking is necessary. Thanks... Gary

======================== Lin, Yes, I understand the math needed to spread the slides as you have clearly explained. I was hoping there was a more direct way. Since this really is a pretty simple computation and we are using a computer, I would think that this would be an obvious and simple improvement for PTE. Why put the user to have to do all the calculations each time the slideshow gets adjusted? PTE does the math for Arranging All Points without taking into account any Custom Lengths. I don't see why it shouldn't (or couldn't) be able to make the leap to account for any slides with Custom Lengths. What an improvement it would be for the Arrange All Points function. Well, I hope Igor will take note of this idea. Thanks for your response. And since you don't have any alternative except for actually doing the math each time, there must not be any other 'trick' to do it. I'm sure you would be the one to know! I'll be sure to have my hand calculator next to my computer next time I need to do this... Thanks... Gary

Greetings, I have been adjusting an old show that had worked out perfectly. However, I wanted to trim out some slides so that the slideshow was shorter. In the original slideshow, I had all the slides evenly spread over the length of the several music MP3 files, except that one of the slides has a map with an automated route, which needs to be 16 seconds in length. Somehow, I was able to get the slides and the music to end together. In reworking the slideshow, I removed the excess slides and one MP3 music file. Then, I had a problem getting the remaining images re-spread over the new music’s length, AND keeping the 16 seconds length for the map’s slide. As expected, when I clicked the Timeline/Timed Points/Arrange All Points, the 16 seconds that I had set as the Customized Length for the map slide, reverted back to about 3 seconds (as all the slides did). When I reset the map’s slide to 16 seconds in length, the slides went beyond the length of the music. So, there seems to be no way to lock in the Customize Lengths, and let the Timeline/Timed Points/Arrange All Points re-adjust all of the slides so that all of the slides are arranged to the length of the music (factoring in the Customized Lengths). This would be a very helpful feature that I have asked for a long time ago in Ideas and Suggestions, but not addressed, yet. However, since I think I found a workaround, I wonder if this can be incorporated into the Arrange All Points function. What I mean is that if you have Customized a slide’s length, the Arrange All Points function would not affect slides with Customized lengths, but take them into account in spreading out the rest of the slides to end with music’s length. My workaround is as follows: The music length is 11:25, with 200 slides. The map slide’s length needs to be 16 seconds. I removed the excess slides and one MP3 file from the original slideshow. I re-spread the slides to the new music’s length using the Arrange All Points function. In the Slide View, I added 4 dummy slides to the slideshow. In the Timeline View, I ran the Arrange All Points, re-spreading them. I then re-customized the length of the map slide to 16 seconds. Then, in the Slide View, I removed the 4 dummy slides. Now, in the Timeline View, the slides and the music ended together, while retaining the 16 seconds for the map slide. (I hope I got these steps right, but I hope you get the idea). If I can get this to work in this ‘workaround’, why can’t it be incorporated into PTE so that Customized lengths of slides are not discarded when Arrange All Points is used??? Or is there a way to get this done that I don’t know of? Thanks… Gary

========================= Greetings, I have been using Faststone. Has lots of features and is free. http://www.faststone.org/ Gary

====================== Douglas, If you are creating your own show, I find the best way to have these controls is to use the 'Navigation Bar' that you can add to your shows, which allows use of your mouse for these controls. All you have to do is go to 'Project Options'/'Advanced' and click on 'Show Navigation Bar'. You can then go into 'Customize Navigation Bar' to show the navigation features you want/don't want and the size of the bar and how long you want it to stay on the screen (even the color, and more). I seem to be the only one who uses this feature because I have not seen it in any other show. I think it is a great feature, though many others prefer to only allow the use of keyboard controls and many prefer not to allow any controls for the viewer. Hope this helps. Gary P.S. In fact, I allow both, keyboard and the navigation bar in my shows.

======================== Greetings, Since I don't disagree with how the frame looks, I don't think you need any justification. But for your technical reasons, if the Blu-ray process 'eats up the frame', I can understand your purpose. However, about your 'pause/play' reasoning. I know that others have offered similar reasoning. I don't agree. When we are sitting in the movies, we are a captured audience--not subject to phone calls or door bell interruptions, etc. Sometimes I miss some dialog in a theater and wish I could rewind the movie but I can't. When I am home, things happen. I can pause/play/rewind a Spielberg movie at home, and I don't think he would mind. Having these controls lets me enjoy the presentation more, not less. They even have Directors cuts where someone who talks over the action. After I play a PTE show completely through, I might want to go back and check out an image or a transition that captured my imagination. With no controls, I would have to run through the entire show, over and over again. If I can pause/play/rewind a Hollywood movie for my enjoyment, I don't think it detracts from any PTE show if it had the same capabilities. (Maybe you didn't intend to have the right-mouse button work but if it is clicked, it will allows the viewer manually advance through your show. ) Sincerely, Gary

================== Greetings, I turned off the phone and didn't answer the door. I was able to view the entire show. Really enjoyed it. Lots of nice techniques, music and sound effects. And, I liked the frame! It fit well with the use of the old images. Gary

=================== Xaver, There are YouTube "downloader" programs that will allow anyone to download a YouTube show and convert it to another format. Not much you can do, I don't think you can avoid it. Gary

================== Hubert, Super nice show. I like it very much. The haunting music matched the images. If I were to be very very picky, I would suggest that the couple of zoom-outs be a tad slower and use the "smooth" setting. Other than that, I thought it was great. Thanks...Gary P.S. Oh,yea...add an " ' " to "cant" in the intro. Font is a little hard to read.

================================ Jean-Cyprien, I am trying to find some suitable words that express what I just saw in your PTE show, but I can not. How fantastic! How entertaining! How neat! How in the heck did you do that????????????????? I can see that I am going to have to go back to PTE-Kindergarten class and start over. Really a marvelous piece of work!!!! Thanks, Gary

Greetings, Last month, I spent some time in Providencia Island, Colombia. I made this short panorama to warm up those of us who are suffering from this bitter cold spell. Hope you can 'escape' a little bit and enjoy it. Critiques and comments welcomed. Gary http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloadfile.asp?id=1912

=================== Xaver, I just tried it with VLC and it showed just like what PTE exe showed. All the black boxes were distinguishable...(but again, 8 and 16, not so much). I also tried it with DivX and Media Player Classic and they showed the black boxes in a similar manner as Windows Media Player...only box 32 was distinguishable (lighter black). I am using Windows7. Gary

================== Xaver, When I play your image as a PTE exe, I can definitely see a difference on my monitor between each black square (maybe not so much between 0 and 8). When I play the same file as an MP4 with Windows Media Player, the 32 black square is the only one that I can tell is different (a less-dark black). Both are played on the same Samsung 23" LED monitor. So it is perhaps not the display causing the difference but the way Windows Media Player is showing the image.(?) Gary

================ Xaver, I have the same Samsung TV as you have. I created an MP4 with your sample image you mentioned above that shows the 'shadow clipping' (using the WD Media Player). I now see what you were talking about that 0, 8 and 16 are all the same shade of black when viewed on the Samsung TV. I never noticed any detrimental effects in my MP4s when played on the Samsung, but I apparently do not have such a critical eye as you. However, I am curious what you mean by "This is the reason why I create my MP4-videos using MeGUI via the virtual AVI of PTE"? I see I can download an MeGUI file from SoundForge. But I'm not sure what I would do with it in PTE. Can you explain a bit more about using this MeGui? Gary PS When I play the same test MP4 I made with your sample image in Windows Media Player on the PC, all of the black squares are the same 'blackness' except for 32. (Playing it on a Samsung 23" LED monitor).

Greetings, Has the video file format(s) (.avi, .mov, etc.) been determined yet? If so, what format(s) is/are expected to be usable when PTE allows the integration of video? Thanks... Gary

====================== Asessor, If I read your posting correctly, you are bringing up a concern that I have had for some time. It appears to be about the blue bar that indicates where each music file stops in the Timeline. Originally, I asked that this blue line be made larger or more readable. I also asked if, at each blue line, the number of the music file be inserted so you have some idea as to which music file you are looking at in the Timeline. Then the blue line disappeared. What happened??? If the disappearance of the blue line is your concern, I am with you on that. Igor, bring it back!!!! Thanks... Gary

=============== Xaver, In the PTE menu, the little descriptive icon pictures that are shown for the example results of using MP4's Pan and Scan Enabled vs. Disabled indicate that if black bars are going to be eliminated (using Enabled), you will lose a portion of the image, in order to eliminate any back bars. Since I would never want to have my slideshow cropped like that, I would always choose Disable. Is this the correct thinking for using P&S? It seems to me that Disable should be the default for Pan and Scan. Gary P.S. If I create a slideshow (MP4) using the aspect ratio of 16x9 and it is played on a 4x3 monitor, it would show back bars on the left and right sides, using Disable, right?. If I created the show with Enable, would it stretch the images to remove the black bars and crop out the top/bottom portions of the images??? (I don't have a 4x3 monitor anymore to test this thought).

================ Yes, I tried double quotes, single quotes, etc. This search limitation has bugged me for years but I thought it was only me having problems. Gary

Greetings, I am trying to understand the difference between the Pan and Scan 'Enable' vs. 'Disable' function. When I was making shows in 4x3, I think I saw a difference but now that I am using 16x9 aspect ratio, I don't see a difference. However, my question has to do with the Search feature in the Forum. When I put in Pan and Scan, I get the following error message: "One or all of your search keywords were below 4 characters or you searched for words which are not allowed, such as 'html', 'img', etc, please increase the length of these search keywords or choose different keywords." I can't increase the letters in Pan and Scan so I am not sure how to search the Forum with keywords less than 4 characters. Any suggestions??? Thanks, Gary

======================= nobeefstu... Super...clear and concise. I hope Igor can introduce it in his next upgrade! Thanks...Gary

============================ Ok...I can't argue with that. However, I still feel there needs to be some indication as to what is what. How about putting an "*" at the end of each Deluxe feature with a small footnote saying "Deluxe Feature"? Since we agree that there is confusion, I think some indication as to which features are in the standard vs deluxe would help. Gary

===================== nobeefstu, Thanks for the graphical display showing what exactly is included when you pay for the VideoBuilder addition. This has been a bit of confusion for me since I purchased it. When I try to explain to someone I am recommending to them to try PTE, I can not remember what is and what is not added on when they purchase the 2-year VideoBuilder addition. I think an improvement in the Menu display is to consolidate all of the VideoBuilder functions under a title of "VideoBuilder" and the standard functions shown separately. Why not? Now they are interspersed with the standard functions, which, to me, is confusing. Wouldn't this help in reducing the confusion as to which are and which are not components of the VideoBuilder function, especially since "you will not always see a VideoBuilder title bar on each of the various VideoBuilder functions"? Gary

==================== Brian... Thanks for the info. I'll be spending a good about of time checking them out. But I have a trip to take first. Thanks and much appreciated.... Gary

Greetings, I am not sure if I should post this here or in Brian's new Topic. But I did make a bit of headway into my scanner problem not working in my Win7 32bit PC. I searched in the Hardware Compatibility tab in the http://www.microsoft...ows/virtual-pc/ site. I was surprised to see that the HP Scanjet 4050 was listed as being compatible with the Windows XP Virtual PC Mode in 32bit and 64bit. So it looks like I might be able to get my scanner to actually work. However, I am having a problem getting through the WinXP Mode Setup process. After downloading the proper files, you have to click on the Windows XP Mode (in All Programs) and go through its setup. It keeps stopping me with "You do not have sufficient permissions to create or access c:\...\virtual machines\Windows XP Mode.vhd." I am the Administrator and have all the proper permissions. Not sure why this is happening. So I am at the doorstep but can't get in, yet. I will keep trying once I get back from a trip. But this is just to let others know there might be another way to get your old hardware to run in Win7. If I can work out the problem, I'll post it. Gary P.S. Just to be clear on this issue, the Windows XP Virtual Mode is only available in the 'Windows 7 Professional' or higher versions.