tom95521

Interesting question. Not sure if there is a definitive answer as to why the file sizes are smaller when resized automatically (by ffmpeg/x264 or PTE). Assuming the video frame aspect ratio is the same and not letterbox is happening. ffmpeg/x264 has many scale options. http://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#scale Thanks, Tom

Hi Eric, Cool. Clouds are fun to shoot. It takes a long time to capture the images for time lapse. Have fun! Tom

I have decided to make a medical diagnosis. I think everyone is on edge because the beta testing has not started. I am naming this PBS (Pre Beta Syndrome). Not PMS. It goes away when beta testing starts. Don't worry, be happy. Tom

Hi, Graphics card with 64 bit memory bus is very old. Now 128 bit, 256 bit, and higher are common. You really need to use a newer graphics card. Tom

It seems some users would rather have a black border on their slideshows than their slideshows upscaled to the device resolution. Maybe it has to do with aspect ratio or loss of sharpness when upscaled. I select the aspect ratio and PTE resizes to fit the screen. Thanks, Tom

Very good news! The PTE "engine" is the most important part. User interface can be changed but you need the functions/api under the hood first. Thanks, Tom

Hi Igor, Beta testing soon? October? Maybe post a slideshow or screen capture to keep us happy? Thanks, Tom

When Steve Jobs was still alive I remember (I could be wrong) Igor writing he did not want to develop for iOS because Apple could remove his app or develop their own app and promote their app instead of his. Maybe this is no longer the case. I think there is a valid market for Android OS since Igor could always self host the apk file and it can be installed without being in the Google Play/Amazon store. The newer smartphones/tablets definitely have enough CPU/GPU (quad core/octal core) power to play the latest games so I think PTE player (so it can play .ptshow files developed on the desktop PC) would run just fine. If the PTE player is well received then I think it would be a good idea to also develop a PTE editor for Android. I really don't like the Windows 8 tile interface but I guess that could be another option for Intel CPU tablets. Tom

Here is my perspective. There does seem to be an age related division using multimedia software. Unless you are a serious hobbyist the following is what I observe. Ages 18 - 25. At the local university almost every student owns a smartphone and they share photos instantly via email or post to social sharing sites. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. Image quality does not seem to be an issue and they sometimes filter the images to make them look unique. Most of them do not own a dedicated camera. Many of them do not even own a laptop. They use the university computer labs. Ages 25-60. People have careers and families. They take photos of their children and share with relatives. They might use a dedicated camera or smartphone and get one hour prints, email, or social sharing sites. They probably own a tablet and maybe a desktop PC they share with their children. Ages 60+. If people are lucky they can someday retire and have more free time. They travel with dedicated cameras. They have time to join camera clubs. Many own a desktop PC and tablet. This is when multimedia software is popular. Using multimedia software with multiple images/videos to tell a story takes time that the younger generation do not have. The smaller compact cameras are rapidly being replaced by smartphones. Bridge cameras and DSLRs are competing for the dedicated camera market. Tom

Problem solved. Both sample slideshows above upload now. I believe the problem was cause by intermittent DSL network connection. Solved by getting a new modem/router and AT&T tech switched to new data line. Windows 7 laptop was able to upload but not Windows 8 desktop. I have no explanation for this but I still believe the problem is solved. Thanks, Tom

I wonder if the .ptshow file can be bigger than 2 GB since it's not an exe? It's almost like the do not include (video) file option. update 9.14.2014. Testing with Create Safe File for Internet I was able to create a 3 GB zip file in the > 2GB (max exe) and < 4 GB (max zip). It started to play but was missing the video control at the bottom of the screen. So it might be possible for PTE 32 bit player to play larger .ptshow files. Tom

Hi Lin, I agree it would be nice if PTE provided a text object editor using whatever is the best format, maybe HTML, ODF, or RTF. The Atlantis word processor does honor line breaks when I use the enter key for new line. If you just type without using the enter key it will word wrap and is just one line of text. I just don't use text very often in slideshows. I am probably in the minority. Thanks, Tom

Hi Barry, Until Igor has time to respond here are my thoughts on player distribution. The way I thought it might work is to have the PTE player downloaded separate from the slideshow. The player could be downloaded only from wnsoft.com or maybe slideshowclub.com to verify player integrity. The player might be a portable app or maybe an installed app just like any other Windows applications. I can imagine in the future how it might have other advantages to separate the data from the player*. Imagine the PTE player ported to the Android operating system. You could download .ptshows created on a Windows PC and view them on mobile devices with smaller file sizes, interactivity, and higher quality images compared to video slideshows. Maybe even a browser extension that plays slideshows full screen without exiting the browser. Just a couple of examples of what might be possible. *Added 9/13/2014 - it also may allow > 2 GB slideshows using 32 bit player. Tom

Hi Eric, I think he was suggesting adding a spell checker to the PTE editor. The forum software is not something Igor is responsible for programming. Tom

I don't know if I would use a spell checker often. I don't add much text (mostly numbers) to my slides and when I do they are usually personal names that most spell checkers would not have in their dictionaries (unless customized). Probably if I did enter a large amount of text I would copy and paste from a word processor. I like Atlantis. It supports many languages with spell checking. Thanks, Tom

Hi Alan, That's amazing there is no performance loss. Wine must have a method of converting directx to OpenGL API. Thanks, Tom

Hi Igor, Thank you very much for considering this new publish option (and standalone player). Tom

Hi Gary, The retrieval process looks more dangerous than the jumping to me. It would be cool if the jumper had a gopro hero pointed straight down during the jump. Thanks, Tom

More info about executable files and how hackers are testing their malware to make sure it is not flagged as a virus before launch. http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/02/google-virustotal-used-to-test-hacks/ Tom

Nice video. That young lady was worried but did great. How do they recover people after the jump? Do they lower them down the ground/river or pull them back up? Thanks, Tom

Hi Alan, How is the performance of the converted Windows slideshow compared to a native Mac slideshow? If you convert a .exe into Mac format does the file size grow by a large amount? Wine must support DirectX version 9 which is good news. Thanks, Tom

Hi Eric, Android has a couple of lightbox apps. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whimsicalotter.lightbox.free&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sfxbros.lightbox&hl=en Tom

Hi MUR, Very nice. The only problem I see (that might be easy to fix) is at time 22 seconds with blue (azul) and purple (morado) color mix. I think it would more purple and less blue. Having 3 or more objects/layers mixing together is complicated to follow even when using video toolbar. I like you method and will try it in the future. Thanks, Tom

Hi MUR, Interesting. Could you post the project file? Maybe Z order keyframes are not required to do layered transparent objects. I thought they were because of the way colors mix together. Thanks, Tom

Hi MUR, It may not fix your 99% directory problem but I would upgrade to the latest version of PTE (8.0.6). It has an update for DVD playback. Mpeg-2 resolution for DVD is lower than HD video (720 or 1080). Make sure your DVD project bitrate is set to 9800 kbps for highest quality video. http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17226-picturestoexe-8/?p=119327 Tom