alrobin

Igor, Congratulations! You did it! My ATI Radeon 9600 on a 2.8 GHz P4 runs both shows almost perfectly - just an ever so slight minor hitch between 2 images in both shows - hardly noticeable. Maybe if I suspended my virus checker, and email, etc., it would be perfect. But the reduced granularity is fantastic (the dissolves seem to be smoother, too), especially on the large images at high res. I ran the "flowers" show at high-res (1280x1024), and it still looked very good. And the pans and zooms feel like silk. Well done, Amigo!

That's cute!

Anytime I've had or heard of that type of error, it's been caused by a missing file (either music or image, and either from the slide list or a missing object file. And whenever I've opened the object editor and found that an object file had been deleted or moved to a different location, the whole system locked up.

Tom, Welcome to the Forum! Good to have another IT person around when we need one! I agree that it would be nice to be able to toggle the space bar to pause and start a show - this has been suggested a couple of times in the past. Maybe in Version 5?? In the meantime, it is possible to "program" the mouse buttons to pause and/or advance one's show (not someone elses', however, if they have not implemented that capability into their show). And, the "pause" function toggles in that the next time you call it, it de-activates the pause command. Re the new version, it usually comes out first as a "Beta" version, and we will all have a crack at testing it and making suggestions.

Sven, Sometimes the application is listed under the name of the slideshow you are trying to run. Also, check to make sure all the files used in Project Options are in fact where they are supposed to be. If not, this can cause the whole system to lock up.

Depends on which utility you use, as you found out when you tried the RJL version. With the latter you need the four files I mentioned in my previous post. To put the files on a CD, you simply copy the filenames into your CD-burning program the same way as if you were burning a regular data disk. If you create your own "autorun.inf" text file, without using a utility, then you just need the ".inf" file plus the pte file you want to start up. However, as you are finding out, this does not always work the way you want it to. Whatever system you use, make sure you try out your test cd's on different pc's (laptops, desktop, friends, etc.) as the problem may just be with your own system. Other than this, I am at a loss to make other suggestions, as it sounds like burning the files onto a CD is not a problem.

Or, another alternative would be to include a button on the intro show to take you to a second slide which would start up the "intro" music, and return you to the first slide. This music would then play until a particular topic was selected. This would have the added advantage of providing control over whether or not to play the background music after each separate show. You could even arrange it so that there is even a choice of several background selections.

Bill, I've never used an icon in conjunction with an autorun CD. It's just there so you can control the graphic you see in "My Computer" or "Explorer" when you insert the CD. With the RJL utility you have to be sure to collect all files destined for the CD into a single folder before you run the utility. Then be sure to copy all of the files which end up in that folder, including the files created by the utility, onto the root of the CD. In my case, there are four files: "autorun.dat", "autorun.exe", "autorun.inf", and "MySlideShow.exe". Hope this helps.

Yes, it's one I have been using ever since Brian turned me on to it, and have been quite happy with it. It can be found HERE .

Brian, I'm sure Bill will appreciate your helpful information, but the question to which I was replying was I would never suggest that one make their own autostart file. By the way, why don't you steer Bill toward RJL like you did me some many months ago? I'm still using their autostart utility, and it works just fine, even under Win XP.

Bill, You don't need to use an icon in order to make your CD auto-starting. However, if you want to use one, you can convert an image to an icon in Photoshop (provided you have an icon plugin), or convert a resized image to an icon in IrfanView. There is also special software that allows you to draw your own icons (e.g. IconBuilder, IconEdit, etc.). Other programs let you "borrow" the icons used by other programs. Do a Google search and you will find many different programs, some of which are free.

Laura Anne, You have to "compile" the completed one-page show to convert it to an ".exe" file by selecting "Create slideshow as" in the file menu, and giving it a name such as "MyIntro.exe". You have to do the same with the main show you want to start from the Intro show. So, you will have two "exe" files, one accessed from the other.

Laura Anne, Welcome! Ken has given you one way to do it. Another way to interpret your question is this: if you create a separate mini introductory show with only one or two slides, you can put a button on the opening slide, in "Object Editor", which, when you press on it, will open the main slideshow. You have to experiment with the various settings and parameters to get it to work the way you want it. To "program" the button, simply right-click on it (in Object Editor), select "Properties/Action" and "Run application or open file". Then type in the name of the main show, making sure it is in the same folder as the Introductory "exe" file after you have "created" and "saved" it.

Another option is to select a slide on the slide list, and then click on the tiny "slice of toast" at the bottom right-hand corner of the preview window.

Flying, You can also arrange to start the evening with an introductory show, complete with it's own music, and program a button in the Object Editor to end it and start up the main show. To set it up, click on the button object at the top left of the Object Editor window, right click on it, choose "Properties", select "Run application or open file", and type in the name of your main show (or else browse to it). It takes a bit of experimenting to get it right, but it is a very effective way to control a number of options from a main introductory window.

Maureen, I would like to add my vote of thanks to you for putting this show together - I think you did a marvelous job, especially considering the small amount of input material you had to work with. Also, congratulations to Dave for getting this going, and seeing it through to its implementation. I have shown this to several friends and relatives, and they have all been very impressed with the finished production. It is easy to criticize and say that not all of the images denote "Peace", but then it is not really necessary for each one, individually, to do so. We have to remember that AV is the combination of images and sound, and the latter is every bit as important as the former. For me, the images, along with the music you have chosen, do speak to me of "Peace". The most important achievement here is really that we had several photographers/AV-producers from different parts of the world working together toward a common cause - the promotion of "Peace in the World". The fact that a show was actually completed in such a manner, and made available to everyone able to access the Forum and Beechbrook, is significant in itself. It is one more example of the good to which PicturesToExe can be put, not only in depicting the beauty and good in this world, despite all the negative and destructive forces that seem to exist, but also in dramatically reminding us of the evils which still do exist, so that more people will be motivated to work together in eliminating them. Viva PTE!

Yes, sometimes you can replicate the set of options for selecting the prime monitor/projector with one of the function keys. I can never remember which one does what, though, so always end up screwing up the settings and then it takes me forever to get back to where I was! I think different laptops have different function key assignments, too, which doesn't help matters any. On my present laptop it seems to be F4, but then I can never remember whether I'm to press "Control" or "Alt" or none of the above along with it. (that's not a laugh, it's a cry for help!!!)

In order to access the Adobe forum thread, one must log in, either as a guest or a registered user. Chris's comment is as follows: JPEG compression can cause a color shift regardless of the image size or JPEG quality level. Try using other file formats. Jim, are any of the other respondents Adobe employees?

Bob, I too have had this problem on occasion (and I can't remember all the details now). However, I remember I had to go into the video-card setup (right-click/properties/settings/advanced/displays) and make the projector the primary viewing device. The video was then visible in the projected image but not on the laptop.

Markoc, As Ken says, you first have to follow the normal procedure for burning a video onto the DVD (i.e. temporary AVI file in PTE, then use of another video program to take that AVI file and either burn it in video mode onto the DVD, or else make an interim mpeg video file on your HD, and then later transfer to DVD - again using a special video program such as Ulead, Nero, Premiere Elements, Pinnacle, etc.). For more information on this process, read through the pinned thread initiated by Igor at the top of this section. Once the DVD has been "burned", then you can copy other files onto it using your DVD disk drive. However, the "autorun" feature might cause problems as it might conflict with the autorun capability inherent in the video files on the DVD. Also, as Ken says, the DVD would only be viewable in a DVD player (for the video files), and/or a DVD drive on a pc (for the PTE files). If you want others to be able to view the show on their pc's without DVD drives, you could create an SVCD instead of a DVD (this option is available in PTE's video mode), and as Ken says, burn it to a CD (using a video program like the ones mentioned above), and then copy the PTE "exe" file and/or any separate images onto any free space that remains on the CD. Hope this hasn't made the subject more confusing. Best of luck

Dave, I believe that the same font problem also applies to PTE.

Patrick, I clicked on the thumbnail to hopefully view an enlargement of the "unesthetic" hiker, and instead of a larger image received a commercial for "Imageshack"?? Qu'est que c'est?

Another handy way to convert music in your iTunes folder is to use dbPowerAmp Music Converter - you can download a plugin from their site which will convert ".m4a" files.

Peter, What are you using to play back your wide-screen dvd's? I found, on my laptop, that Interactual and WinDVD both play back my wide-screen shows satisfactorily, but Real Player, even in "theatre" mode, does not show them full-screen. This area is very tricky, and you have to have all the combinations of variables and parameters just right, or it won't work. And you are right, about the non-square pixels - Photoshop Elements (and PS CS2) both have the capability of preparing custom menus and title screens suitable for wide-screen shows created in Adobe Premiere Elements, at least, by adjusting the pixel dimensions. I hope to experiment more with this aspect of dvd production when I get home from holidays. It's a "rocky road to Dublin", as they say!

I agree, there is no need to be out of touch while on the road. We've been motoring through the southern US for over 3 weeks now, and through the wonders of "wi-fi" have been able to log on in nearly every town or city we've stopped in overnight. And for free, too! Most KOA campgrounds offer it, as do city libraries, most motels, and a lot of restaurants and coffee-shops. Web mail, Internet, PTE Forum, - you name it. All accessible on the road if you have a laptop or pc with "wi-fi" capability. Jpalm, where are you docked now? We're in Tucson. Blue VW "Westfalia" with licence plate "3POD".