JRR

I frequently use a "launch" page when doing PTE presentations to a group. (Single page PTE shows with OBJECTS to start the individual shows) I am working on one now for next week with 8 PTE presentations and I have noticed something slightly different. Several of the shows go back a year or so, made on early versions of PTE. I get a "loading" comment on 4 of those shows, the smallest of which is 26mb. But one made with the current version (4.4) I do not get a "loading" comment despite it being a 41mb file. Am I correct in assuming that this is because Igor has worked wonders with the starting up of the new shows, and if I "re-compiled" the old shows in the new version, the loading comment would be a thing of the past ? (Yes I know generally shows should not have files this size, but there are reasons why they do )

Igor: A thought about another PROPERTY for OBJECTS. I use PTE to "lecture" with, it would be nice if on various pages I could click on an OBJECT and OPEN A FILE. I would be describing how to do something in a software or whatever and then click on OPEN A FILE, do a live demonstration and then close the file and return to the original PTE presentation/lecture. I suspect that might create problems that were discussed several week ago regarding putting a damaging instruction in a PTE show. If that is the case, then I guess I will have to forgo this thought, but if not, it sure would be handy. Thx

I want to make a number of OBJECTs for a presentation of a number of PTE shows. I quite often use thumbnails with feathered edges as my OBJECTS to start an individual show. Normally my "launch" page is a solid colour, so I can use a jpg file that was created using a feather selection from one image placed on a background to match the launch page. But this time I seem to have out-smarted myself. The background of launch page was created using the CLOUDS filter so it is not a solid colour. I tried to put a feathered selection from a RGB file onto a transparent background and save it as a “gif”. But that removes the feathering and leaves a hard edge. Anyone have any suggestions ? Thnaks

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you ditto ditto ditto......

Igor: As you know from previous posts over the last 1-2 years, many of us have asked for scaling of OBJECTS. I know PAN and ZOOM is a highly requested addition and I am looking forward to it (despite my fears of the over-use it will be subjected to ) but I would think OBJECT scaling must be the second most requested upgrade. (Or at least it seems that way to me, but I might be biased ) But take a good break before tackling thse changes please, you deserve it.

"encore" to all the above comments !!!! As Alrobin says, take a good vacation now Thank you very much

picman: Use the CREATE TEMPLATE: FILE > TEMPLATES > CREATE TEMPLATE FOR this show That creates a ".pt" file in your folder with the PTE software. In the .pt file are your images and sound files, plus the .pte file That should give you what you want

Jeanie That is exactly what we are saying. PTE is a VERY flexible program. It will run fully manual shows, fully synchronized shows on "automatic", and it will run synched shows on Automatic, but with a manual over-ride. And a heckuva a lot more too

Jevans I did a quick search for Conflow's Manual slide show, but I did not turn it up (I know it is there however) But quickest way to do a manual PTE show: PROJECT OPTIONS>MAIN turn off "DISPLAY SLIDE FOR ......." PROJECT OPTIONS>ADVANCED MOUSE OPTIONS (I usually use the following) Left: NEXT SLIDE Right: PREV SLIDE You might (NOT) want to use the NAVIGATION BAR Yes TEXT is likely a little faster in PPT, but I find it almost as fast in PTE. You can cut and paste from a WORD document into the TEXT tool in PhotoShop I suspect Graphics might be a little hadrer, but I do remember saving some charts, maps etc from a Graphics package like PPT as jpg files and running them in a PTE show. Yes it is an extra step. No, you're right PTE does not have motion. You can run your auto-run PTE shows from OBJECTs on whatever appropriate spot in your presentation and it will come back to where you left off.

Of course my question would be why are you using Power Point ? PTE can do it all and there is no problem mixing maunal and auto run portions

Linda: Most of us use files about 200kb (actaully they range from 100-just under 300) I'll go out on a limb and say pixel-wise, many use 1024x768 (But you'll like hear from many that they use different sizes) I assume you are using a mp3, not a WAV sound file.

Linda: This has come up before. Often (but not always) is that the CD drive can not send the data to the processor fast enough Either the drive is too slow, or the images are much larger than need be. But more info will certainly help

Simon: One club I know uses THUMBSPLUS, another uses ACDC Thumbplus has the advantage of being colour managed. ANother club designed their own software. Based on my experience, I don't think PTE is the best option here Although PTE being so flexible, there is little it can't do.....

Bill: Igor already is working on it. He is hoping to have it in the next series of beta once the current beta is released as an "official" version. I am looking forward to pan and zoom too, BUT Based on shows prepared by others using a competing AV softyware that does have pan and zoom, I have a lot of hestitation. Many of those shows over-used the pan and zoom leaving viewers dizzy. One has to remember to show off your images, not the software.

Mark: It is there now, one way is in the set up of PTE , click on the small box with the arrow pointing up, above the areas listing the images/thumbnails. BUT I doubt if you want to give your clients the .pte file and the images as they would have to have the PTE software too etc etc You could do it in a finished PTE show by using OBJECTS. Set up a page with as many thumbnails as you want. Lay invisible buttons over them and your clients can click on the one they want and go to that individual piture you have alreay loaded in the show. The USE of OBJECTS and making invisible buttons has been discussed frequently in the forum. I am sure a quick SEARCH will turn up a thread that will help.

There are a couple of ways If you are on the main screen, select the image where you want the preview to start and click on the "slice of bread" to the bottom right of the larger image in the top right of the main page If you are on the timeline, click on the transition number you want to preview from and click on the PREVIEW on the right side of the timeline dialogue box

We have had threads about batch running files to a size that works well for AV shows. Several options were discussed: Irfanview, PhotoShop etc Well here is another that does even more... My wife just gave me a day-late birthday present She pointed me to the following site that has a free utility to convert a series of images of one file type to multiple file types, convert the colour space, "fit image" to maximum size length or width, sharpen, save jpg to desired quality etc. (But I don't think it makes kitchens sinks ) The one thing I would like it to do, but it doesn't, is to save jpg's to a file size (# of kb) rather than quality. That would be a unique request from AV'ers? (I have found that for plain background images, you sometimes need to bump up the quality to preventing pixellation particularly when projecting shows) The site has a tutorial, plus a second shorter tutorial that updates the first one, plus the download Look for Image Processor 2.3 here

Ken: I downloaded it about three weeks ago to two new computers and did not run into and troubkle with it not being free. But things can change quickly

I guess the advice is worth what you pay for it (this time)

Fuzzy: There are more knowledgeable people than I who will come along, but I suspect you "might" be able to using OBJECTS. But I have never used video clips so I am only guessing

Igor/Inna I have posted them on the forum for our Photo Club (and gave Al Robinson and Guido Russo a plug too for their tutorial/sites) Thank you very much, Inna

Jack: TC is correct. Of course you can use any sound editing software. Audacity is an excellent free one. You can add your voice over several ways, but with the current beta I use the sound line at the bottom of the main screen. (over top the row of pictures/file list that are being used in the show) . (Make sure of course that the image requiring the voice-over is selected) If you go to PROJECT OPTIONS>MUSIC you can click on "don't interrupt..." at the bottom and then your voice-over will carry on over more than the one image if you want. Generally it takes practice to say what you want succinctly. If you can't say it in about 6 seconds, bring on another slide so people don't get bored looking at one image for too long. (6 seconds is a GUIDELINE, I have some images up for 15 seconds of voice over, but there has to be a good reason for it.)

Guido: Sounds great !! Thanks for all your work. Now I have to go check out the new music

Ednys You are right, Audacity as downloaded will not write a mp3 file. MP3 is a propriatory (spelling ?) format, but the AUDACITY site points you to various places to download the missing file. All you have to do is download it, save it and point AUDACITY to it and you'll be able to save as mp3.

Ednys I use Audition and it is great There is another software that can do almost all Audition can (Well I am not sure about "all" ) AUDACITY, its free. Just Google it and you'll find it. Hope things are fine across the "pond"