JRR

Thanks Les Guess who has WinMe ? Me damn it !!!! Jim

Sorry about the last post, Somehow I hit a short cut I did know about and it was posted before I was finished. Truelight 1. This has nothing to do with Russian translating to English. I tried to summarize in the last (but one post) that it is an issue of one term (project) being used for two purposes. SAVE and SAVE AS work the same in PTE as they do in MS WORD (Not that WORD is a best software in the world) 2. I understand IGOR looks at all posts and he has done, and is doing a great job with the software. I have seen his comments on many posts. Considering the price we pay for this software it is a freebie, then consider the constant improvements that we get based on requests from users who use PTE for many different uses and thus ask for the sky. I have NEVER come across a software that can do so much, be so responsive in terms of changes for users and yet give it away. Maybe you would like Microsoft or Adobe to take this software over? The price would go up 20 to 30 times the current price and updates would have to be paid for. Jim

Truelight: 1.

One last word on this (from me anyway) As there is some confusion as I might not have stated it properly and Al Robin clarified something to me. The real issue here is that there seem to be two things called PROJECT, that get intertwined. When you go with a new show, you hit FILE-NEW and you are asked for a "project" name. This is the name that goes up at the very top of your screen. Lets assume I give it the name "FARM" As you work though your show and SAVE it as you work, the .pte file is named FARM.pte. No problem, But when you decide to make a slightly different version and want to keep both, you do a SAVE AS and call it FARM2.pte. The name at the top of the screen is still FARM, even though you are working with FARM2.pte. The only way you know whether you have FARM.pte or FARM2.pte active on the screen is to do a SAVE AS and see what file name shows. The initial Project naming of FARM is the overall project you are working on. The FARM.pte and FARM2.pte are really 2 files within the project. Unfortunatley they are called project files as well. Hence the confusion. Using PROJECT- CHANGE PROJECT NAME changes the overall project name but not the underlying .pte files. (and will not clobber either of the two versions of the show providing you have saved both versions before. I incorrectly stated that before and have re-confirmed that.) What I (and Guido I think) would like to see is BOTH names at the top of the screen. The overall project name and the individual .pte file that we are working with. Or better yet, simply the .pte file active at the moment. In my examples above, The overall project name is FARM, the individual files are FARM.pte and FARM2.pte. The top of the screen would be better to say FARM-FARM.pte if FARM.pte is active, or FARM-FARM2.pte if FARM2 is active. (Or simply drop the "FARM" and go with FARM.pte or FARM2.pte. Hope that clarifies it

Thanks Ian, but it really does not work as Guido says. If I use the SAVE AS route, I get both "A" and "B" saved, but only A shows as the project name at the very top of the screen regardless of which one I have open. If I save A, then tweak it and SAVE AS "B" then use PROJECT CHANGE NAME to "B" I lose "A" Jim PS: I am always amazed at how great this forum is, so many people keep and eye on it and jump in to help !! Thx

I just tried changing the name through PROJECT - CHANGE NAME, it deleted the old name and gave it the new name. As an example I had "A" saved, tweaked it and then used PROJECT - CHANGE NAME to call it "B" "B" was there, but I lost "A". I need both A and B, but I want the top line to show which one I am working with. Maybe I am asking it to do something for which there is a better way to do it ?? Should I go back and set up a new project when I do the tweaking ?? Jim

Found it Guido thanks But.... That actually changes the name of the existing .pte file I already have the pte file saved as "B" I am trying to get "B" to show on the very top line when I have "B" open. Is this making sense ??? Maybe I should be changing the name of the project using this route rather than SAVE AS when I tweak "A" to "B" ?? Jim

Thanks Ian That sounds what I am looking for. But, says he sheepishly, I can't find the "change project name" button in Project Options. Which tab is under ? Guess I need to be lead by the nose right to it. thx Jim

I am not sure if this is a problem with me or the software. I think it applies to previous versions, but not sure as I only have the beta 4.0 loaded now. When I create a new show I give it a project name of course. Lets call it "A". Then I will often tweak it a little for various reasons and not want to lose the original project "A", so I do a SAVE AS and call it "B". It is saved as "B" (I can see it in my folder) and if I hit preview, "B" runs. But the project name at the top of the screen is still "A". Even if I go FILE OPEN "B", it still shows as "A". I suspect I am not understanding something here so if someone could point me in the proper direction on this I would be very happy. It is very confusing now I as I have double check to try figure out what version I have loaded. Thanks Jim

Hi Al: I am using MS IE 6.0. I find if I am patient and click on the small button indicating there is a new reply, read the new reply(s), and then click on "back to pictures to exe" at the bottom, then everthing behaves as it should, the little button on that topic is gone. If I am impatient and run through all the little buttons, clicking plus SHIFT key, I get many new sessions of MSIE going and I can look at all the new stuff very quickly, but when you finally come back to the main page, some of the little buttons are gone, some aren't. I usually REFRESH at that point, or LOG OUT and LOG IN again. Jim

Have you looked at http://www.findsounds.com/ (Not all royality free though) To get a feel, click on "need examples" below the search box. or http://www.acoustica.com/mp3-audio-mixer/s...?src=newsletter (these are royality free) Jim Robertson

Igor: You asked about loading times for large files with the new 4.0. The largest show I have right now is 10 minutes, 99 images with a 14MB sound file. Exe file is 26MB. I have not noticed an appreciably shorter load time from either a CD or the hard drive compared to 3.8. It takes about 1-3 seconds. (not a problem) I have a P3, 256 RAM, 400hz (?) Not sure if that helps you any. Jim Robertson

Robert: I am sure there are people miles ahead of me as I have been digitally recording/mixing only for a few months. I still use my tape deck to record narrations and then run the LINE OUT of my tape deck into the LINE IN of my computer's sound card and record using Acoustica MP3 Audio Mixer. While it is called MP3 Audio, it works with .wav files. I record my music (off CDs) using Music Match. I have only recently acquired Cool Edit 2000 with the Studio plug-in that will do much more, but I have not figured it all out yet. It will likely replace the above two softwares in due course for many functions. In theory you should be able to record directly using the MIC LINE IN on your sound card once you find the necessary jacks etc etc The use Cool Edit or Acoustica MP3 Audio Mixer to mix the sound files Hope that helps a a little Jim Robertson

I'll second Alrobin suggestions and his thanks for the work done !! Jim Robertson

Mea Culpa !!!!!! Looks like I spoke to soon, the "different" naming appears to have been me. It has not happened on further testing. Sorry

Just noticed something else in 4.0 The show's exe file is retaining the ".pte" in its name. For example the exe file for a show called "mypteshow": - in previous releases was "mypteshow.exe" - in 4.0 it is "mypteshow.pte.exe" Not a problem, just different Jim Robertson

Thanks Igor !! Appreciate the work and all the effort that goes into keeping a bunch of demanding people happy !!! In addition to Harold's post re his two anomalies, I would like to add one more and a comment: The transition time for a "cut" shows as shadow on the time line for what looks like 1.5 seconds, when really it is instanteous. But if you change the transition to a fade and show 20ms, then the time line looks right and the "cut" transtion still works. Maybe there is someway to show "cuts" with no shadow ? The comment is that I mis-read (over-anticipated ) the changes as I was expecting the transition to be "editable" from the time line, without having to go back to the custom edit slide screen. (see Al Robin's comments as well) Again THANKS

Al: It works great !!!!!!!! Thanks, it will save a lot of time on my long shows Jim Robertson

LumenLux I appreciate your not calling me names <grin> I have not used P2E extensively but I have 5 shows right now. One 10 minute and four 2-3 minute. All are very carefully synched to the music or sound effects. One thing I like about P2E, unlike other softwares I have tried, is that moving the shows to other computers has NOT affected the timing on the synchs. I have run the shows on aboiut 5-6 computers of various age and specs. Any computer that did not freeze when I started a show has run it exactly as I set it up. Some of the computers were low end, several years old, P2's without a lot of RAM. Maybe I have been lucky ?? Thank Jim Robertson

You can do exactly that. That is what is so great about release 3.80. When you have made your timing changes, press PLAY on the synch bar, yes it starts at zero, but move the scroll bar to where you want to check a change and click on the time line, the music and review skips right to there. Don't hit STOP, hit PAUSE and you can skip around forever clicking on the timeline and adjust to your heart's content. The odd time you will overload the software, no problem hit STOP and repeat above. SMOOTH>>>>>>>>>>> Jim Robertson

I suspect I will get a reaction with this, but why would you want to auto synch anyway ?? Slide shows should be synched to the music, not to the number of images. Auto synched: same timing for all slides, same transition speeds puts audiences to sleep. I can imagine the names that I will get called for this, but.....

Thanks for the advice !!!! Obviously I need to experiment a little more !! jrr

I have been away from P2E for a little while working on other stuff. The current version is GREAT with the ease of synchronization and "previewing" from the Synchronization "bar". I have tried other software and keep coming back to P2E I just put together a 10 minute show with 98 images and have come away with two requests for future consideration: 1. After I had the show synched, I had to add 6 seconds of silence to the front end of my sound file so that the images would appear from #1 when running the preview. The sound file (105MG .wav file) started properly but the images hung back until #3. It would have been VERY nice to have been able to add 6 seconds to each transition start time with a single entry, rather tha have to adjust each of the 98 images times. 2. I had to change the transition effects on several images. It would have been nice to be able to that from the synchronization "bar". Thanks