jevans

Hi Peter, Your rubic cube is just a stunning example of the potential of Version 6. I very much admire your ability and dedication in producing this show and would very much like to know how you did it. Regards

This thread has reminded me of another query re the PTE licence. I have the original "reg.txt" file obtained with the purchase of my first version (I think about version 4) and a recent "reg.txt" which I received when recently renewing my "videobuilder" licence. For a complete re-installation, do you need both files, or does the "videobuilder" licence register both the basic version AND the deluxe extension? If you need both files, it might be better in future to give them different names. Regards

To Igor and his Team (not forgetting all the beta testers) : Simply a superb product whose development gets better and better with each new version. Well done to you all Regards Jeff

Thanks guys for the replies. Unfortunately I have lost the original image file so cannot use Lin's solution. I deleted the old avatar and tried to load in a new one. But the old one kept re-appearing and the new one is not loaded. I note that once you have browsed to identify the required image file, there is no "upload" command, just a "save" command. Perhaps the upload command is missing. However it is no great problem. Obviously a bug in the forum system. Regards Jeff

Lin, Seeing your post on re-writing the user manual, I have been thinking along the same lines as yourself. There have been so many changes since we last prepared the manual that it is now out of date. I would not mind contributing again but would want to seek Igor's views first. Also I would want to use the same technique as last time, i.e. describing the functions of the various controls and facilities, rather than producing a "how to" guide. It seems to me that your excellent tutorials and those of other forum members provide good coverage to meet the "how to" requirements. Like you, a re-write is probably in the "too difficult" box and a new approach is needed. Regards Jeff

There is obviously a simple answer to this question but I cannot find it in the "search" facility. When I edit my profile, the original image is still there. I have tried to upload a new one but this will not replace the exiting one, even if I remove the original first. Give me a clue someone Regards Jeff

If you use Version 5.6 to create a menu which calls up a show done in a previous version, you will find that it may not run smoothly. I think this is because the graphics engine changed in 5.6 but this is just a guess. What you have to do is open the old show PTE file in Version 5.6 and re-create the exe file. Then it should work correctly. I have had to do this with a number of my old shows. Regards Jeff

Peter, Not sure that this works in Windows XP. However think you can un-install updates from the "add/remove programs" icon in the control panel but you need to have the "show updates" box ticked at the top. Jeff

Hi Igor, On my old desktop the show is very jerky and un-watchable. However on my new desktop, (spec attached), the show is very smooth. Is that your garden and are the owls real? If so I am very envious. I have a large garden but itis not in your class. Regards Jeff

Cor, What seems to happen on my computer is that, if you load new images into the Slide list and then look at the timeline, the blue triangle's initial position is at the end of the transition of the first slide. However you can position it at the beginning by clicking on this point (i.e. t=0). When you start the player however, there are no jerks and the playback is smooth. As the blue triangle passes the beginning of each slide, the slide number becomes highlighted which gives the impression of a jerk but I don't think that there is any discontinuity in the playback motion.

Peter, If you create a menu in an different version of PTE than has been used for the PTE shows which the menu calls up, then you might experience problems. I have not investigated this with a variety of versions, but certainly if you create a menu in the latest version of PTE (5.6) and try to run shows created in earlier versions, then you will experience inconsistencies in the projects. I would suggest trying version 5.6 and re-compling shows in 5.6 also. Yes I know it is a pain but there is incompatibilities between the graphics engines of older and newer versions. In your case you are using a fairly old version to create the menu. Maybe the shows that this menu calls up were created in later versions which have additional commands which the older version does not recognise.

Igor, Thanks for your prompt action. Beta 5.6.1 cures the problem of the waveform not updating. Jeff

Lynn, This is perhaps not a comprehensive reply but here goes. If you only want to produce exe version of your show, you do not need to purchase the deluxe version. You will be able to do all you want with the standard version. The deluxe version allows you to produce the output in various formats so that it will play on other media than a PC. I am sure you could purchase the standard version and upgrade later if you thought these other output formats would be useful. Note however that you will not be able to produce a show which can be transferred in DVD format onto a DVD disk to be played on a DVD player. From your query, I gues you do not want to do that. Also note that the exe file produced by Pictures To Exe WILL NOT play on a Mac, unless you have a dual operating system installed, e.g. the Mac operating system and a version of Windows.

Igor, Thanks for so rapid a response.

Thanks Peter, you are correct there is a typo. The file should be Audio 02.mp3. Jeff

Dave, I would use the auto save function if I am working on a long complex project. I would set the save time to be 30 mins as a compromise between too regular a save and the amount of project lost if a crash occurs. Having said this, I have not used auto save so far. Nowadays I have the computer connected to a UPS which gives me about 2 minutes to close down if there is a loss of supply which I have had once or twice. Jeff

Tony, Never one to image I don't make mistakes, I have repeated my tests and get the same result. Just to make sure that everything is the same as you and Peter, I used Audacity as the sound editor instead of Audition. Attached is a pdf file with my results. You can see that if you increase the length of the original sound file, PTE knows that the file has changed, but still remembers the graphic associated with the original sound file. If you play the project, you hear the new longer sound file but the graphic is wrong. As I said before, I agree that you should not modify a file and keep the name the same. However I often create a commentary file in bits as I go along and keep attaching the same file to PTE to see how things are going. I don't rename the file unless I have finished it and then make subsequent changes. I think the fact that the graphic does not change is an undesirable action in PTE. Jeff Explanation.pdf

Peter, Although I agree with much of your comments, particularly that processes should not allow saves over open files, the procedure I outlined involved the removal of the original sound file from PTE BEFORE saving a new version. Thus the original sound file was not open. I also agree that version numbering sound files is good practice. However your tests now agree with mine in that the waveform graphic is not changed to match a new version of a sound file with the same name. Irrespective of whether using the same name for a sound file is good or bad practice, the fact remains that PTE should update the graphic. Try adding the sound file, saving the PTE project and closing PTE. Then change the sound file and open the PTE project again. The waveform graphic is not updated. Try this with any other program that uses embedded files. If you update the file, the embedded link usually updates. Anyway I agree completely with your working practices and I don't want to get into an extended argument/discussion with you. I am just highlighting a potential anomaly in the operation of PTE which has already caught someone else out. Regards Jeff

Peter, Operating system is Windows XP SP2, sound editor is Adobe Auditions 1.5. To do the test you must follow this process ; 1. Create dummy project in PTE (just a few image files) 2. In sound editor, create some sound of know length, say 15 secs 3. Export sound file as, say, sound file 01.mp3 4. In PTE project add sound file via "Music" tab 5. Look at time line waveform and compare length with value shown in "Music" tab 6. Remove sound file from "Music" tab 7. In sound editor, add sound to lengthen duration and export using original file name sound file 01.mp3 8. In PTE, open "Music" tab and add sound file. Look at new (longer) duration. 9. Look at timeline. You will see that the waveform retains the original look and duration. HOWEVER, when you play the sound file, it plays the new version. Thus PTE is retaining the waveform graphics although the actual file has been changed. I am sure that this is not correct. Regards Jeff

Peter, Ahh ... but you reduced the sound file length. Try increasing it and see what happens. Yes I clicked OK to exit the Project Options otherwise the change would not have taken place. Regards Jeff

Peter/Xaver, I do not get this result. In Version 5.6, if I add a slide called say Slide 01, then go into O&A window for that slide and change the slide to another using the "Properties" tab say Sldie 02, then O&A objects list shows Slide 02. Going back to the sldie list, you have to click on the slide to refresh the name to the new name Slide 02. Jeff PS : I just realised that I have posted this under the 5.61 topic. My tests were with 5.6, not 5.61. sorry

If you create a new project in PTE (I have tried Versions 5.62 and 5.6) and then add a sound file via the "Project Options", "Music" tab, PTE correctly identifies the length of the sound file and shows the correct waveform on the timeline. Now if you modify the sound file in a sound editor and export the modified sound file with the same name as the original file, then PTE recognises that the file has been changed, shows the new file duration in the "Music" tab and plays the modified sound file correctly. HOWEVER, the waveform remains unaltered as the original sound file form. This effect occurs whether you save the PTE project and close it in between changing the sound file, or whether PTE remains open. It also occurs both in Version 5.52 and 5.6. I have not noticed this before because of the way I have been creating and naming my sound files for various projects. In order to obtain the correct waveform display if you modify and existing sound file used in a PTE project, you must change the file name. It appears that information about the sound file waveform is being retained by PTE, even if this original file is changed. Jeff

But Xaver, the box value alters the quality not the size, at least in my copy of PTE 5.6. Is this not correct?

Peter, Just following this thread and tried to reproduce your explanation above. When I remove the tick from "auto font quality", the box which appears does not enable me to change the font SIZE, just its quality. However I believe it would be a useful feature to be able to specify a font size, as the present method of adding text means that the text size is dependent on the size of the text box and not the default font size. When making a show with similar text on different images, the only way to ensure that all the text is the same is to control the size of the text box. Jeff