alrobin

Igor, No problem - it's still 7 hours until my bedtime, but you are up after midnight! The "preview.exe" file plays fine. But there is something interesting - the second slide should come up 4 seconds after the start of the show, but it doesn't appear in the "exe" version until 20 seconds after the start. Both for the compiled "ptemusic.pte" and for the new file, "preview.exe". When I select "Create ... and run", the show plays OK, with music, but again the second slide does not appear until after 20 seconds. By the way, I'm using v. 4.44 for these tests. Edit: I just answered my own question - the first image stays on for 20 sec because "automatic synchronization" is selected in Project Options. However, if you access the timeline and start to play the show there, the synchronization quickly switches to "Customize Synchronization" with the first slide on for only the default 4 seconds.

Hold on - I was looking in the zipped folder by mistake. I'll re-do it and send you the file. OK, it worked this time!

Sorry, Igor, nothing happened when I pressed "Copy" on the new utility. I had left "ptemusic.pte" open in "preview" mode as you requested.

JP, I have no problem with that file in a compiled exe show. But still no luck with the preview. By the way, Igor, if I take out the music from my show the preview works OK, so the problem must be tied in with the sound problem somehow.

Igor, All 4 shows run fine, with music. However, preview only brings up the first slide, and this stays on until I press Esc.

Igor, With my problem, the music shows up in the project file OK, and the indicated length is OK, but the preview just won't play properly. When I attempt a partial preview (using the "slice of bread"), the preview just transitions to black with no sound being heard at all. Your second utility ("ShowLength.exe") worked OK, indicating the correct music length for the several mp3 files that I tested, including your "1.mp3". I think I may have a slightly different problem than Ronnie and Gilbert.

With all mp3 files. Same problem with "1.mp3" OK Still same problem. I should add that when I use the "slice of bread" icon to preview from a particular slide, the preview always transitions to black instead of to the next slide. But only on my laptop - everything is OK on my desktop with a similar system setup and win XP pro.

Igor, I have a similar problem with my new laptop. (running Win Media XP Pro, using a single mp3 music file). I can play the "exe" file OK, and I can preview the show in the small timeline preview window, but I cannot preview the show from the main window. The playback stops at the first slide and doesn't proceed any further. Also, there is no music. However, the project music menu tells me that I have music installed and gives me the proper length (1.06 in the case of your example). I do not get a warning message that there is no music on board. This problem occurs in both version 4.44 and 4.45. Everything is fine with the same files on my desktop. I ran all of the tests you suggested above, and nothing helped. The special music test file runs OK and gives me the proper length. Specs: Win XP Pro (SP2) Laptop: HP zd8000 RAM: 1 Gb CPU: 3.192 Gb Video: ATI MOBILITY RADEON X600 External MAudio "Audiophile" firewire sound-module Internal audio: Conexant AC-97 Audio The problem could be peculiar to my own setup, but it is strange that it is similar to the problem that a couple of other members are experiencing.

Gilbert, It sounds like your music files are not compatible with PTE. Try converting them to mp3 files using Audacity or a similar editor and see if that helps. Or, get hold of some other mp3 files and install them temporarily as your music files to see if they are accepted by the program.

Gilbert, I'm not that familiar with Window Media files, but I'm not sure that they are compatible with Audacity. Try converting them first to wave files with dBPowerAmp Music Converter.

I don't have any problem with either reply button. It's the "+ Quote" button that acts strange for me.

Probably because the makers want people to view their shows from beginnning to end. Also, the navigation bar, due to its present design, does not look good on a finished show. Igor is modifying it so it will be less obtrusive. Or, they just don't think about adding such a capability to their shows. Or, some don't know how to program the buttons? I agree that it would be great if the "pause" feature at least was programmed for activation by one of the mouse buttons. I would like to see Igor add a "pause" feature which would be included by default, but the maker could elect to turn it off if he or she didn't want the show to be pausable. Is this plausable?

Gilbert, You may have to open "Control Panel / Sounds and Audio Devices", and select "Audio / Volume ...", and turn on the "Wave/MP3" slider control. Also, while there, make sure the correct device is showing as the selected output sound playback device.

Hi, Jan, Welcome to the Forum! Yes, you can add a pause "button" in several ways. Open the "Object Editor", select the "button" icon at the top left, right-click on it and select "properties", and then choose "pause" for the action you want when the button is pressed. You can also activate the "navigation" bar which has a "pause" capability built in. You can also "program" the mouse to pause whenever you press either the left or right button. Note that if you are synchronizing the show via the timeline, you must check "Permit the control of show" opposite the "Customize synchronization" option on the Main "Project options" menu. Hope this helps.

Dave, I agree that the avi's that your friend is recording via his web cam would be quite small compared to the avi's that result from converting a 1024x768 pte show to video. The avi files from a pte show are much larger than the resulting mpeg's after compression. There is really no comparison between pte "videos" and those from webcams and the video clips from some still cameras in terms of quality. But, as you say, a 1 or 2-Gb pte avi file will fit nicely on a 30-Gb storage device.

jeriline, Welcome to the Forum. I have never done this, but I imagine that if you convert the show to an "avi" video file it would run on a video ipod. However, the file may be too large to fit on your ipod. Check the video section of this Forum for information on how to convert you show to video.

He has to uncheck "Play new background music file" in "Customize slide" for some slide in the show. This can be done easily by selecting all slides on the slide list (click on the first one, and "shift-click" on the last one), select "Customize slide / Music" and uncheck "Play new .... music ..". This will interfere with a synched show even if there is no music in use on any one slide but this checkbox is checked. By the way, this restriction does not apply to sound dubbed over the background music via the "Sound" line on the main window.

I too have had this same problem on my new laptop. When I transfer the pte file over to my desktop, then the sound is fine during the preview. If I "create" the show, then the sound is also fine. I have Win XP running on both laptop and desktop (but the Win Media version of XP on the laptop). Very strange, as this anomaly has never shown up before on either my old laptop or my desktop pc. I'm using pte version 4.45.

Geoff, I am a self-taught do-it-yourself web designer, as I imagine you are too, and I enjoyed surfing through your new site. You have a remarkable collection of excellent wildlife and nature images. Very aesthetically pleasing site, informative, and easy to navigate! Do you use Adobe's "ImageReady" for the design and programming of the navigation buttons?

That's great, Igor! That will do a lot to reduce confusion, especially for people new to PTE. Thank-you!

Igor, At present, as you know, there is one "little" incompatibility between synched shows and shows which rely only on the project option and customize slide settings for their times. (it may be little to some and more significant to others). This discrepancy is the fact that in non-synched shows, the transition time is "outside" (i.e. not included in) the slide duration time. So, if one prepares a non-synched show and adjusts all the times, etc., and then decides to make it a synched show, the timing is all wrong because in a synched show the duration time is the total time, duration plus transition. In version 5 will this incompatibility be fixed, so that the slide duration time will always be the total time between two images, minus the time for the transition?

John, that's correct, the resolution setting of the pc on which you are editing your images doesn't matter, except that you will have a better view of just what it will look like if your screen settings are set at the same resolution as your projector/laptop. A "1280x960" image prepared using a monitor of one resolution will be the same as another "1260/960" image prepared at a different resolution. Just make sure the image dimensions are what you want them to be, and it won't matter what monitor resolution you are using with which to view them. The only time monitor resolution settings will matter somewhat is if you are placing objects on an image in pte - in that case it advisable to set your monitor at the same resolution as that which you will be using to view the show so their position doesn't look distorted in the final viewing. However, even in this case, it is possible to select within the pte "object editor" the monitor setting that you will be using (top left corner), and be able to view the object placement as it will be in the final showing. Re "push/pull", we are all looking forward to Igor's inclusion of the Ken Burns effects so that we don't have to use the "push/pull" transitions, except when we are making a "classical" type slideshow. Two problems with the "push/pull" transitions now are the little hiccup between transitions and the fact that we are limited to only horizontal or vertical directions. Also, it would be nice to be able to slide one image in one direction and an "object" image in another direction simultaneously.

Cindy, I think you've covered all the bases in a nutshell.

Thanks, Marco! Good to hear from you! And a Happy New Year to you too!

Hi, Bill, I sympathize with you - it took me a long time to feel comfortable with the new timeline features and I still don't think I understand them all. My first reaction is to suggest that you must be selecting the "synchronize" option, but have not set up the slideshow properly for that option. For instance, the message you are getting indicates that you have either added background music both in "project options" and also in "customize slide" for some slide. If not the latter, then some slide must have the option "play background music" checked but without any music actually added. This is a "no-no" in the "synchronize" option. Re the black slide, if you make it your first slide in the slide list, it will always start at time "0". You can move the transitions around on the timeline, and change their duration, even if you had first selected the automatic synchronization option. Please let me know if I'm not understanding your problem.