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mdesant, Here is the link to Boxig's utility: RestorePTE. I, too, have not used it, but others have found it useful.

Anborus, Welcome to PTE and to the Forum. Try this: add a transparent object to each corner of the image (e.g. an "empty" text object), and then group all images. In most cases, all objects will then retain their relative positions and also their size.

Hi, Jerome, Welcome to PTE and to the Forum! The "avi" file produced by PTE is not intended to be used for playback of the slide-show - only as an intermediate step toward creation of a VCD or DVD. However, if your intention is to play the show on a pc monitor, simply choose "Create slideshow as" in the "File" menu. The resulting "exe" file can then be played back on your (or other) pc monitor. If you would like further information on creation of video files for playback on TV, perhaps someone in the "How to create video" forum can help if you post a message there. Best of luck!

Hi, Jerome, Welcome to PTE and the Forum! Several others have experienced the same thing. The "avi" file created by PTE is not intended to be used as a playable video file - only as an intermediate stage towards creation of a VCD or DVD in order to play your slide show on a TV screen. If your intention is to create a slide show for use on a PC, simply save the completed show by choosing "File / Create slideshow as" from the top left of the main window. This file can then be burned onto a CD for playback on a pc monitor. If you have further questions regarding video or DVD production, then perhaps someone on the other forum can help if you post a message there. Best of luck!

This is good news, Igor! IMHO, this is the best improvement of all in the new beta! Thanks, Igor!!

When a new version comes out, I always create a new folder (name it PTE_4-20b6, say), and copy all files from the previous working folder to it. Then download the new "zip" file with the 7 new PTE files into the new folder, replacing the same 7 files already existing in it. Finally, double-click on the new file, "setup.exe" and follow instructions, making sure that the "destination directory" is the same as the new folder you created. You can even retain the old icons on your desktop if you want to retain the older versions of the program. Some members have had problems with this procedure, particularly when installing new drives, but if you follow the steps above, you can't go wrong. If you do have problems, first make sure that the registration key, "PTE.KEY", was copied to the new folder along with the other files. Hope this helps some.

Twiggy, Welcome! This subject has come up several times, and one of our members has created a utility just for that purpose. You can find more information about it in this thread: Boxig's utility Regarding printing, though, the qualilty of the prints is dependent on the quality of the images used for the show. Even if you still had the original images, the printed photos might not be any better than those from a screen capture program such as the utility mentioned above.

Hi, Walter, By "image editor" I was referring to an external program such as Photoshop or Photo Paint, etc. You're right, there is no image editor in PTE.

Hi, Alan, Welcome! No, the fonts must be resident on the viewer's system. So, if you want to use a really obscure font, you are best to add the text in your image editor if you want other viewers to see it as you have designed it.

JG, Welcome again to the Forum! You must be finding this in the project mode, not the compiled show. In "Customize slide / Music" you need to un-check "Play new background music file". If synching to music, you have to add the files in "Project Options". Edit: Sorry, I started responding before you added the second posting. Glad you sorted things out! Your suggestion to set a default when synching is a good one and one which applies to a few other options in PTE.

I had no trouble downloading and running "UK". There are some examples of "third image" but they are very fleeting and not as pronounced as Ron's example on Beechbrook. The dissolves are very well thought-out, however, in having just the right juxtapositions of slides dissolving into others, and the images, of course, are excellent. Ron's short demo is a very good example of the power of PTE, combined with an image editor, in making more sophisticated "third images" than would be possible with two "ordinary" projectors. With digital techniques it is possible now to choose only the portion of the second slide which one wants to use as part of the "third image", whereas, with the older technology, this would not be possible, as the entire slide would have to be used.

Stu, My show was set at non-sync, but I had the "hide mouse cursor" option checked, so of course the nav bar didn't show up. As I had never tried this combination before, I thought that it was peculiar to the new transitions, but apparently not so. I still think some options in PTE should be defaulted when certain other options (such as nav bar) are chosen. Michel: I'm really, really, really sure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stu and Michel, I'm not talking about "Sync" mode. This occurs for me in non-sync mode as well. And, we shouldn't have to click "show mouse cursor" if the nav bar is on - the program should be primed to automatically show the cursor (overriding any other settings) if the nav bar is requested.

I appreciate Igor's efforts in giving us the new transitions. The techniques used to effect the push/slide transitions, once they are smoothed out, hopefully will lead in future to the ability to pan across an image. I would like to add to Harold's excellent comments by making the following additional observations: 1. With the push transitions, the comments also move when sliding from one slide to another. It would seem to me to be more appropriate to have them simply fade from one to another as they do now in other transitions. This is probably tied in closely with the problem several others have pointed out with the patterned backgrounds moving. 2. In the new beta, the navigation bar is not visible when previewing the show. However it does show up when you click on a slide in the preview window in order to view it in full-size mode.

Patrick, I, too, enjoyed your slide show of Vietnam very much, expecially the section from Halong Bay. That is the most picturesque bay in the world, IMHO, and you captured it beautifully - much better than I did when I was there some ten years ago. I especially enjoyed your photos of the fishermen (and fisher-women and -children) from that area. I also like the way you have divided the show into sections, along with maps to show what we are seeing. And the music is very appropriate.

Here's a computer translation, if that helps: The problem, as I understand it, is this: users want to have the picture (crept?) for the still background. At present this is possible in that event only, as if a background is used or solid (potting?) (Parameters of project -> Screen -> Adjusting a background -> Background color ), or used solid background picture. To do so, as users want, is possible only by tearing away the background picture from the current slide. ????????? not that to defaulted on, but (merry?). Similarly, you could add an additional button "Background picture" in panels "Adjusting a current slide" when Push and Slide effects are used. Or I ????????? (in the sense of separate buttons)

Bert, The root is the main starting area of the CD where you would add files and folders. All I meant was not to put it in a separate folder. To add it with Roxio, create it first on your hard drive in some folder, perhaps. Then find it in Roxio, click on it once to highlight it, then click on "Add" to add it to the list of files to be "burned" to the CD. Then add the slide show file in the same way, and run the Roxio program to "burn" the CD.

Hi, George, Welcome to the PTE Forum! The easiest way is to create a text file called "autorun.inf" by adding the following two lines in "Notepad" or other text editor: [autorun] open=MyShow.exe where "MyShow.exe" is the name of your slide show (including pathname, if in a different folder). Then you save this text file as "autorun.inf" to the root of your CD.

Isabel, When you are in MIDI mode, you can readily slow down the playback by changing the tempo in a sequencer program such as Orchestra Plus (Voyetra), or Cakewalk. Then when you transmit from your keyboard to the sound card for recording, the tempo will be as you want it. This would be preferable to changing it after you have already recorded it. The steps would be as follows: Create a MIDI file of your playing on the keyboard. Modify the tempo using the sequencer program. Save the resulting MIDI file and play it back on your keyboard, recording the result as you are now through your sound card.

Hi, Eric, Welcome to the Forum! No, you're not doing anything wrong - just that you're not doing it right! The easiest way to "sync" to the timeline is as you did - spread them evenly over the length of the music. Then you have to either adjust the last slides manually and readjust the other slides to fill in the large gap, or use my "Adjustor" model to modify the delay times between slides. It is available as a download on Beechbrook. If you are not familiar with MS Excel spreadsheets, though, this model may be a little difficult to understand. And, if you do not have Excel 97 or 2000, you won't be able to run it at all. If you change the delay times between slides using "Customize Slide" the program will ignore them when you are in sync mode, as PTE obtains the timing for the slides (except for transition times) from the timeline. The easiest way to change the timing on the timeline is to use the "New Transition" button to "drop" the slides where you want them according to the beat of the music, and according to approximately how long a delay you want between slides. You may even have to make several "runs" at this before you get it right. Hope this helps!

Hi, Isabel, You're most welcome! And the mini show looks and sounds great! Did you draw and paint the images or are they Photoshop "water colours"? They are super images. Anyway, glad you finally made it, and we look forward to more shows, with more original music.

Congratulations, Isabel! Looks like your patience has paid off. I, too, look forward to seeing your show and to hearing some of your original music.

Isabel, As I mentioned in my reply in the other thread, try temporarily disconnecting the power cord to your laptop while recording and playing back.

Hi, Isabel, I use a Dell 8000 for recording sometimes and you're right, the quality is ugly. I can improve it some by temporarily unplugging the power cord and running on battery while recording. There seems to be a loose connection inside, too, which I can resolve by jiggling the plug around inside the jack. On my laptop, the line-in is the one furthest to the back of the 3 jacks. The jack in the middle is for my headphones, and the one toward the front is for a mic. Good luck! You are a trooper for sticking with this so long!! Could someone close to Isabel please run over and give her a hand!

Hi, Mike, The zoom stays put for me. You have to click "OK" in the sync window for it to register. Then save the PTE file if you want to come back to the same setting. The update button registers the transition start time if you enter a numerical value. Then you also have to press OK to save it.