cagney123

I also dumped AVG for the moment, but the problem goes beyond your own personal machine. Millions of folks use AVG and they will not be able to open any shows created by the new 7.0 PTE. My wife just tried to download and open a new show and couldn't due to the virus report as she uses AVG. Hopefully AVG will fix this situation soon. Jeff

I've got the same problem. Now I can't create any new shows. I can work fine but when I go to create I get the same Trojan Horse bit from AVG. It also flags shows I created days ago. I just updated my virus definitions from AVG today, so it has to be very recent info that they've added. It worked fine a day ago. AVG won't let me send the file for some reason..it just say's "transfer failed". I'll try again tomorrow. Glad to see I'm not alone and Igor is aware of the problem, though it has nothing to do with his fine program. Jeff Lunt

Jeff - So glad to see that you're back. I enjoyed the slideshow, and you've brought your talents back stronger than ever. I've been away myself, but for different reasons. About a year ago I made the shift from stills to DSLR video (Canon T2i). Whole new world for me. I kept trying to do video with stills and slideshows, but just couldn't go further. Now I have a lot more room to express myself, but frankly, I'm in over my head most of the time. Video is difficult! Anyway, it's great to see your stuff again. BTW, how do you keep Sammy out of the rattlesnakes? Take care, Dave

Robert and Colin... Robert...glad you're still at it. I'll be looking forward to your next show. I think we both love the red rock country...and both have pretty easy access to it. Every time I come down the road from Monticello and see the cameo cliffs I'm stunned. I keep thinking I'll get tired of it, but it always looks different and spectacular. Thanks for the kind remarks. Colin...you reminded me of something very important. Years ago I would make what I thought were entertaining travelogues on video...similar to what I do here. When I returned from an adventure I'd have my parents over and present the show. I'd glance over to see if they were paying attention. My mother would be knitting, never looking up, and my dad's head would be fallen back with his mouth open...a sure sign he was asleep. It made me very self conscience about showing anything. But you reminded me that people on this forum are here because they love seeing new places and other people's talents with a camera...and of course, my favorite part, mixing it all together adding music with PTE. The right audience for what we enjoy doing and showing. Show and tell. I always enjoyed that in grade school. My wife still has show and tell with her good friends. If the show isn't too long I'll keep the pace a bit more relaxed so as to be able to examine each picture before the next one pops in. Since I wasn't too pleased with the pictures until I did some post processing, I moved them along...plus I felt it got a little redundant in places. I wish I could afford the 7D...but actually I was looking for an SLR with the articulating screen as my back is quite a mess...and a few other parts. I got the 60D at half the price of the 7D. The HD video works pretty well...and matches my camcorder HD perfectly. Okay, this has gotten to be a reply of saga proportions. All the best to you, Jeff

Thank you all so much for making me feel welcomed back. It has been a long time for me and health has kept me from being around on a regular basis. But a very warm welcome has given me strength to keep on plugging away. Your kindness won't be forgotten. Thank you. Jeff Lunt

It's been a while since I've announced anything, so I just wanted to say I've got a new show up at beechbrook.com entitled Another Week Along the Trail. Basically it is a week of adventure in southeastern Utah, my favorite camping spot. I like to travel light, so it was just me and Sammy, my dog, and Ragnar, my 4Runner. No tents or trailers. I do take a tarp for protection from rain and wind. I hope some of you will enjoy the show. Jeff Lunt PS...I used the Beta version 7.0 and loved it. The last shot in the show is from HD video.

Hi Maureen...I actually downloaded your show way back on it's first day. It is just wonderful. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I've been out of town and at the doctor's office a lot. The out of town is the good part. Anyway, the photos are spectacular. Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to more great shows from you. Jeff

Hi Davy...I really enjoyed your show. Stunning photos. The young smiling men going off to war and facing such horrors. Those that died long ago and those that got to return home and live out their lives are nearly all gone now. What a nice memorial to them. Great show and a terrific ending. All the best to you. Jeff

Mary...It's nice to know you have a great place to live, with good proximity to so many great places. Thank goodness you can still get to some of the off the beaten path places with being able to take along the 4x4. Traveling light is very difficult as time passes. I'm just hanging by a thread and before long I too will get a trailer...a very small one. I've always gone with big dogs as my sister's dogs always killed my cats as a child. The first dog I got as an adult was a Great Dane. I had no idea why I always got big dogs until my wife, Karen, pointed out the childhood trauma. Funny about the spider. I never know where people are from. We have a ton of Black Widows here. Robert...good to hear from you. It has been a long time since I've been in the swing of things, but it is coming back now. I was going to go in an entirely different direction with the show, but I just wasn't getting a good feeling about it all and then I changed the music radically. With the change in music and a different tone altogether, I just changed everything with the beginning and end and think I got a better result. I bet you know all about that. You get stuck with an idea and just can't let it go. I just keep on doing it over and over again. I'll learn one of these days. Jeff

Hey Dave...I was just writing a reply to the others who posted. I guess we crossed paths in cyberspace. I agree. We share similar interests. And I did see the movie Into the Wild recently. I actually liked what he was doing to a point. The scene where he is parked in an Arroyo was exciting. To sacrifice all those friendships and travel on was a bad choice. Some folks are just too driven and don't see all the flowers passing them by. I used to hit the road for a month at a time when I was younger...and did it every other year for many years. It was wonderful, but I had a job to return to, so I never went too crazy. Horner composes some sweet airy themes that are beautiful without being too intrusive. I put him near the top of my list always. And thanks for the get well remarks. I am feeling like getting out there and that means I must be better. Last year I knew I was very ill when I just didn't want to leave the house, or even my bed. Now that is just awful. I started looking at some old video from 1990 to about 2006 and realized I'd seen so much and enjoyed it so much that I needed to make a real effort to walk and develop and keep an upbeat attitude. It really helps. Thanks Dave. All the Best, Jeff

Mary, Ken, Patrick, Thanks for the kind remarks. Mary...where did you come from when you visited the area last spring? That spider was a tarantula. They were all over the place, migrating I suspect. The next day it snowed. Ken...I have no idea how you get around so much with your computer. You are everywhere! Patrick...that fender bender happened in the city near my home. Like they say...most accidents happen within two miles of home. Thanks so much. I am definitely getting back in the swing of things and enjoy this site very much. Jeff

After nearly a year and a half of inactivity on this site, due to health issues, I’ve finally gotten to the point where I think I can participate again. I didn’t want to comment on others’ work when my head wasn’t clear, and I didn’t want to post shows for the same reason. Either I was in discomfort and might be negative, or I was on narcotics and too positive. Either way it wouldn’t have been honest feedback. I’m just saying this to let anyone who cares know that I will be around more frequently as long as my health holds steady. This show is more of my usual stuff…if you don’t like scenery from odd spots in the Southwestern U.S. you won’t care for my shows. Karen and I love camping, and so does Sammy, our Akita. We both love photography, Karen not Sammy, and we combine these two great activities on holidays. Lately our schedules have conflicted, so I take trips with Sammy while waiting for Karen to free up a week. I stay away from the National Parks because they are too crowded for me. We have a lot of BLM land in the Southwest and most of it hasn’t been over advertised in magazines and TV. We can still find spots where we are all alone. One last comment and then I’ll get off the soapbox. I received a couple comments a while back about my dog Sammy. People think I let her run wild and terrorize the wildlife or cattle in the area. To date Sammy has never hurt anything and being 8 years old I doubt that she will in the future. She is big boned and can’t catch anything, and even when she does find something close to camp she just looks at whatever it is and then looks at me. No real terror going on. She did approach a cow one time. I hadn’t seen the cow on the open range and had let Sammy off leash. She ran in front of the cow and tried to play with it. Of course the cow didn’t understand dog body language and I got Sammy back on leash quickly. If a rancher had come along and thought Sammy was attacking his cow and shot my dog I would have had no argument as it was totally my fault. Also, we don’t make new trails as there are plenty out there. I guess I’m making a long winded comment that really means, we camp responsibly. That is a lot of words off topic, so now, on with the show. Nearly a week in The Mojave Desert area of California. There is a readme file with the show. Comments are always welcomed. I hope you enjoy the show…it is in 1920x1080 format. Thanks for listening. Jeff Lunt Link: http://www.beechbrook.com/pte/downloadfile.asp?id=1731

Hi Lin. Sorry to hear the news. I've been dealing with cancer since January 2007 and chronic pain for much longer. I don't know what illness your wife has but I will keep you both in my thoughts and keep the good thoughts flowing. If ever you need to talk just drop me a line. My wife is probably going through similar feelings if you need to talk to her. My email is jefflunt123@msn.com Drop me a line anytime if you need or want to. You guys are in our thoughts and prayers. Jeff Lunt

Hi Dave....I've just downloaded and viewed your latest show. We obviously share the same passions, camping and photography. You and Trixie look like you had a great time in the Ozarks. And you used one of my favorite composers, James Horner. Dave, I do believe you are the master and capturing the winding road. They are just so inviting. My kind of show for sure. Since I don't get out as much as I used to, it is good to know there is someone who gets out there and shares the view...and has similar tastes. Keep em coming. Jeff Lunt

A great show... You must be very proud to have such a sensitive and thoughtful young man as your son. All the very best to both of you. Jeff Lunt

Thanks Neil. I debated about the title thing. I thought about narrating, but really I just wanted to comment on a couple images and since I wasn't pushing the artistic envelope I figured a couple quick notes would fly. But, truthfully, I totally agree. I do understand the homey pics thrown in...it is intentional as I like to keep perspective and after all, it is just Karen and I having fun along the trail. Any ideas on the title thing...how to convey some information without printing on the picture? I'm not sure my voice is good for narration, and actually I really like to convey a feeling without voice-overs...though some stories require it. Thanks Neil....you pretty much brought home what I suspected. Jeff

Hey Bob...good show. Enjoyed it. I bet you guys are ready for another adventure when the weather warms. I can't wait. Thanks for sharing, Jeff Lunt

Thanks Dave...funny thing...I liked section 2 the best...but I'm very sentimental and it worked for me. I guess it is a good thing we mix it up a bit. I actually sleep better on a cot than anything else. Last year I slept on a cot every night until it dropped down into the 20s. I sleep on a futon now...and Sammy, my female Akita, sleeps right next to me. Karen gets up all night letting the cat in and out so I decided to move into my music studio and just live there. It works great. Hadn't noticed a message you sent a while back, but I did return a message to you with some personal info. Hope you got it. I tend to camp light...just a cot under the stars, but I always bring a tent just in case. I am thinking that in the future I might get a second had extremely small trailer just for base came...mainly for cooking and sleeping in bad weather...even that gets old in a tent. In the past I've just hooked a tarp to my SUV and used that for shelter...and that worked great. I think I'll look into that for now. I drilled holes and used plumbing pipe plus a tarp. Wind is a huge factor here and you really need heavy duty equipment to stand. 70 miles an hour can happen on any afternoon. Glad you were checking out the gear. I do the same on yours. I think we are birds of a feather on the outdoor and photography scene. Hope all is well on your end and glad you are about to head out more often. I always look forward to your shows. Jeff

I'm very interested in this too as it makes it much easier to work on short specific areas and then combine. Thanks for posting. Jeff

Images were taken in March 2005. They are primarily in chronological order so you get a sense of how things moved along. Due to the extreme danger that is very much present at all times, and especially at night, I wouldn't recommend doing this trip at this time. The route is in the first part of the show. This area has incredible desert vistas and a feeling of openness that I love so much. Hope you enjoy the show. I kept the various parts to about 3 minutes or less. Each is quite different from the other in mood and images. Hope you enjoy...and as always feel free to comment. Jeff Lunt

Great show Dave...I must have missed this one earlier so I can't say better or worse, just great show. Perfect music for the job. Really beautiful images...another keeper. Jeff Lunt

I hardly noticed the fire slide...surely not a problem, But...I did like the new pictures you included. They are all very inviting and I will include Kansas in my todo list. All the best Dave...can't wait til you are out and about all the time. Jeff

Hi Alan I enjoyed your show. I will probably never see that beautiful part of the world due to finances. Thanks for sharing. I must agree with Dave...you overdid the pans and zooms...in my opinion. I think you just loved the program and used everything you could on your first show. Also, I felt you used a piece of music that ran for the length of time needed. A change of pace might have been nice. These are small niggles on some good images...and some talented work...as in the canon shot. Nicely done. Really, I enjoyed your show and I'm looking forward to your next adventure. Jeff Lunt

Hey Dave...I loved it. Just my cup of tea. It actually made me want to go to Kansas...and that is saying something. The road shots and the old quiet buildings resting in the trees or out in the plains...man that is my nut. Thanks for putting this show together. It's a keeper. Jeff Lunt

Great show. I might have missed it if Ken Cox hadn't given me a heads up. You have a terrific voice which lends itself nicely to narration. I had no problems with stutter, or any other problems to note. Having never been to Scotland, and due to finances I probably never will, I really enjoyed the extra info you passed along and map notations. Just a pleasant show all in all. Jeff Lunt I have just completed an experimental slideshow, which I have had some issues with. There is a link to this slideshow at the bottom of this page. I would appreciate some feedback/comments with regards to the functionality – concept – and content of the show. The issues that I have experienced have related to; A: the synchronisation of the audio track (a voice-over) B: Pan & Zoom stutter. With regards to the sound,,, I have now resolved this issue,,, initially I was using a ‘.wav’ file, recorded and saved (with MP3 compression) through Sound Forge,,, a program that I have always used for soundtrack creation. However, what I discovered was that synchronising the voice-over to the slides themselves was impossible (!!) as the ‘waveform’ in the Timeline did not match the sound that was coming out of the speakers - the waveform and the actual sound itself slid progressively out-of-synch the further through the show you went. Worst still, when the finished ‘.exe’ files were created, the sound-to-slide synchronisation differed again in timing from what was heard during preview. No matter what I did I just couldn’t get an accurate sound-to-slide synchronisation !? Believe me, I made dozens of adjustments and nothing would work. The problem with the sound was eventually rectified by converting the original (uncompressed) audio track to a proper ‘.MP3’ file using Audacity. Having done that, the waveform, and what came out of the speakers, matched exactly, and the resultant ‘.exe’ also synchronised precisely with what was laid out on the timeline. (Lesson learnt) As for the Pan-&-Zoom stutter. This appeared to develop, progressively, the more modifications I made to the show. I have tried re-creating the ‘.exe’ file a number of times (on each of two suitably capable computers) but it would seem that, unless I create the slideshow all over again from scratch, these erratic movements are here to stay. It will be interesting to hear if these animations ‘stutter’ on your computers as well – in particular, the panoramic image early on in the show !? Maybe my computers are not as capable as I thought they were (?). By the way, there are 17 slides in the show that use A&O functions. As for the voice-over itself. It could be better. Unfortunately, there are a number of errors (pronunciations and comments) that I ought to go in and correct,,, but for the time being it-will-have-to-do,,, maybe !? The zip file for this show is a 54MB download – unfortunately the MP3 audio file I used, created by Audacity, was 17.5MB, as opposed to the MP3-compressed .WAV file, that Sound Forge created, which was just 3.25MB. I look forward to hearing whatever comments/observations you might have to offer. Link to file download --- http://www.lsaps.org.uk/PTE/Inversnaid2007.zip bjc