Lin Evans

If you want to change the opacity of a child with the parent, just put them in a mask and change the opacity of the mask container... Best regards, Lin

Particle Illusion 3.0 is still available here: https://www.genarts.com/shop?q=shop&/product=35 I find that it works just fine with my Win 8.1 as well as with my Win 7 and Win XP. What specific incompatibilities have you found? I have many animations using RGB alpha channel output created with Particle Illusions as well as with BluffTitler. The Huffyuv 2+ codec is available for download on the web in many places. It functions fine - I'm not certain what "support" is necessary. It either works or it doesn't. Unfortunately, in a presentation slideshow product, extensive chroma key extraction features are not a huge priority. Those type features are generally found in sophisticated video editing software and although there are some really nice video editing features in PTE, it's not designed as a stand-alone video editor. Perhaps in the future there will be more sophisticated chroma key extraction capabilities but not yet. If you have a subject which will function well as a monochrome object, by desaturation or use of the color filters (sepia, etc) it's possible to get a very satisfactory and halo-free solution, but for color objects it's as you have said, lacks refinement. If you want to use MOV or other than RGBA alpha channel you need only create or obtain an alpha matte which can then be used as a video mask - see the help file. With the alpha channel video running under the alpha matte as a mask, the other types of alpha channel videos work perfectly with PTE 8 or 9. As igor said, the current version of PTE doesn't directly support other alpha channel formats but there are plans for them in the future versions(s). Best regards, Lin

John, I'm assuming you mean in "Projects Options" rather than in "O&A / Audio" ? If so, perhaps it's because the timeline visual audio indication is a relative measure from a baseline. The Projects Options Audio Tab is an absolute which sets the baseline. Are you expecting to change the percent of baseline audio in Project Options and see that baseline be reflected in the starting position of the Timeline relative audio line? Best regards, Lin

Two new tutorials added to PTE Made Easy. The first shows the user how to create PNG puzzle pieces using the PanosFX puzzle animation. The second shows how to use these PNG puzzle pieces to create a PTE animation. Find them at the bottom of the links - numbers 57 and 58. Best regards, Lin

Thanks Ken - here's a link to the EXE... http://www.lin-evans.org/ken/arches9.zip (about 14 meg zipped exe) Lin

Hi David, You need to use the "File" "Create Backup In Zip" feature. The PTE file is only a template telling PTE what to do with the images, videos, audios, etc. It doesn't contain the actual files. The Create Backup In Zip will put all necessary files into a zip archive and only then can someone else diagnose the issue for you. Zip it and post a link to the zipped file. Best regards, Lin

Just a little fantasy video created using the PanosFX puzzle Photoshop action to create 20 puzzle pieces then animated in PTE 9.0 Lin

Hi Skipper, Since I don't have Elements - I'm sort of out of ideas - probably best to ask Panos or see if he has a video guide on his site to help. Best regards, Lin

I don't have Elements, but I suspect the if it works like Photoshop, you don't "Export" but rather click on "File" "Scripts" then "Export Layers to File" and if offered a choice do not "Trim Layers"... Best regards, Lin

My suggestion for using the puzzle action output for PTE is first to resize your images to no larger than perhaps 2000 pixels on the horizontal. The reason for doing this is to prevent an absolutely HUGE and impossible for many video cards and systems file size. What you will be doing is running the action which creates individual PNG puzzle pieces, then you will use the Photoshop "Files" "Scripts" "Export Layers to Files" as Transparency (check box) and uncheck Trim Layers. You need the full size of the untrimmed puzzle piece in order to be able to properly position the pieces for the assembled puzzle. Once you have all the pieces (suggested in a folder by themselves" then open PTE and create a frame in objects and animations. Add each puzzle piece except the background which you should add last and do not put it under the frame. Once all pieces are added you will have an assembled puzzle. You can then create keframes for each piece and move them from their assembled position anywhere and manipulate them (pan, zoom, rotate, 3D, etc.) but make your last keframe for each puzzle piece 100% on the zoom and zero on the Pan and Rotate. By doing this, all fying, spinning, rotating and moving pieces will proper align themselves at the end of the animation. Best regards, Lin

Hi Craig, Glad we could help - sharing information helps us all make better use of a fantastic tool !!! Best regards, Lin

Hi Guys, Yes, and as I understand Igor is considering adding bezier curve capabilities to PTE in the not too distant future. On the other hand, even if we had this capability today it would not really suffice for the same purpose with text as we can achieve with individual letter manipulations. For example, if we want a line of text to flow in a curved way with twists and turns, each letter needs to be manipulated differentially at different points along a curve but in three dimensions rather than two. So in a sentence consisting of say 30 letters and spaces, each individual letter would still have to follow a "formula" along that curve. I suppose we could achieve the curve in two dimensions with a normal Bezier curve, but the letters also need to be manipulated along a three dimensional path so not so easily accomplished with a Bezier curve. It's possible right now to create a 3D path via keyframing for an individual letter then copy that keyframe sequence for each additional letter in the message. I haven't created such an example, but I think it would not be too difficult to achieve. Best regards, Lin

Hey George, Maybe when I get time to learn more about PTE 9, there can be a "sequel" LOL... Hopefully more people will lend their creative juices and create some new and exciting shows just for fun. There are plenty of people who have incredible talent who will probably eventually find time (Dave, Manuel, Jean-Cyprien, Peter, Charlie, Tom, Barry, etc. Best regards, Lin

You might PM Dave Gould - I believe he has a style for 10 bordered image in landscape orientation called Pack of Cards... Best regards, Lin

Hi Jose, It's your master frame (frame2) which is causing the problem.You have a blur value attached to the master frame which supercedes everything below it. Set the master frame (frame 2) blur value to zero and everything will work as intended. Lin

Kathleen - temporarily remove the entire sound track and see if the exe runs. The easiest way to do this is to save the project under a different name, load the duplicate new project, remove all sound, save the duplicate project under a different name, create the exe and run it and see if it stops like the original did.. Best regards, Lin

Best to let Igor have a look at it - If you could zip the video and post a link, we can try to sort out what's happening. It's "possible" that PTE is trying to set the aspect ratio to whatever the original aspect ratio of the video was. I've experienced some distortion with videos which were originally 16:9 but changed to 4:3. They play normally in some players but not in others and not in PTE. If we can get copy of the video for the development team to look at, perhaps a solution can be found. If there is no distortion in the video, just black on either side, it can easily be constrained in a mask to eliminate the black on either side, Once in a mask it can be resized as needed without affecting the integrity or aspect ratio. Best regards, Lin

Project Options - Main Tab - What is your aspect ratio set for? The "default" which can be changed, is 16:9 Best regards, Lin

I was just informed that our beloved friend and forum member Maureen Albright passed away this evening. Maureen was such a delight to all who knew her and even though we never met in person, I always felt that she was a close friend. Maureen passed from the very same illness that took the life of my late wife Sherry - brain cancer. Fortunately, she did not suffer great physical pain. Lin

Manuel, George, Great that you guys are working with PicturesToExe - Manuel, you have presented a number of great demos in the last few years! You are being very creative with PTE! Keep up the great work! George - great that you were able to use the tutorial to get started with all the possibilities this great product provides for us. Users can not only create beautiful shows using their photos but can also be creative and explore the myriad potentials of expression this product allows. Truly the limitations are only in the desire of the user! The product offers us all a plethora of amazing tools and only gets better with each new iteration. Best regards, Lin

Recently I made a couple templates (on the Tutorials and Articles page) for people who want to experiment with creating text circling a planet or other object. A few years ago Dave Gould showed us how he created text in a curved circle and we played with the idea for a while. Lately there has been some renewed interest. It's possible to create a video in Photoshop Extended which has this effect, but then one is stuck with a video and no way to modify the text except create another video. In PTE because we can save a template we can quickly create many variations. In pte it's far easier to change the fonts, colors of letters, do creative and complex animations, etc. - Actually, I find doing this in PTE far superior to doing it in Photoshop. So here is a simple little example which uses different sized fonts and even colored fonts where the "color" is painted on only one side of the letters so when you see the back side they are white. It's very easy to have the back side the same color as the front too - PTE is very, very versatile. What you can do with PTE which is much much more difficult with Photoshop is change the distance between letters - sort of a manual kerning if you will. Lots of potential for those who wish to experiment. Anyway here are PC and Mac simple examples.... http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/simplythebestpc.zip (about 25 meg) http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/simplythebestmac.zip (about 26 meg) A little video embellishment below - the download of exe files are, of course cleaner, but this adds a little for fun: You can download this in Mac and PC format from slideshow club. That version has a bit more animation to the words PicturesToExe which appear from behind the mountain...Link here: https://www.slideshowclub.com/files/category/2-demos/ Lin

Yes more than one way for certain. I added an additional tutorial and additional template for those wanting to use for non round objects where the back of text should also be visible. It requires modifying the text both above and below the video but allows the increased versatility of having larger circles of text or text circling non round objects so that the back side of the text is also visible as in your sample. Best regards, Lin

HI Manuel, That's correct but the versatility is to allow a user to change the colors and fonts individually if they wish. Each letter as in my sample (see it on the Facebook Group) can be a different color, different font even. Yes, it's very easy to change all fonts or colors simultaneously by selecting all and applying the change... It's nice to have versatility.. Best regards, Lin

Recently there has been some interest in creating text circling an objext such as the Earth rotating, etc. I have created a "template" to help people understand this and to allow anyone to add their own text up to a total of 23 letters and/or spaces to create text circling the rotating and zooming planet Jupiter on an animated starfield background. Doing circular text is really not completely amenable to a "style" although it "can" be done and I will eventually produce a style which will allow the user to add their own text similar to what Dave Gould did, except more complex. This "Template" allows anyone to very quickly put their own text in and create a nice animated zooming planet on an animated starfield. It only takes about three minutes to produce your own text on this and I have a video also linked here which explains the procedure. Essentially, you download the zipped PTE file, extract to a folder and open. Then you can quickly run a preview and see an "X" circling the zooming and rotating planet Jupiter. You simply substitute your own text beginning at the bottom of the series of "frames" with "text" - set each letter's opacity from zero to 100 and save your work. Set the opacity of the "X" to zero and you will have your own animated text circling the planet. With a little care you can change the font, color, closeness of text to the planet, shadow of text on the planet, etc., but this is not designed as a complete tutorial on how to create the effect, only a quick and convenient way for you to create your own example and use it as you please - all necessary components are in the zipped PTE file. Once you get comfortable with this, you can substitute a video of a rotating Earth, Mars, the Moon, etc., or even some PNG object of your choice - or perhaps a "cube." There are plenty of possibilities and I've taken the work out of it for you. http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/circulartexttutor.zip (video tutorial) 50 meg http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/experimentalforcirclingtext.zip (zipped PTE files) 12 meg Continuation - Manuel demonstrated another option below which got a little ahead of my tutorial so I produced a second tutorial and an additional template linked below. My first template allows the user to quickly create their own text circling an object - in this case the rotating planet Jupiter. It's quick and easy to do but there is a small downside. The rotating text is perfect if the text is very close to a completely round object such as a planet. On the other hand, if the object is not round or if the user wants to have the text circle larger, the back side of the letters are not visible. In order to have the back side of the letters visible but not crossing the "front" of the object when they reverse, it's necessary to duplicate the child letters of the frames and place them on the back layer behind the masked object being circled, and to turn off the front view of the letters and turn on the back view. I have created a second tutorial video explaining this and a second template for the user in which it's necessary to modify the text on both the upper series and on the lower series. On the upper series of child text of frames, the front of the circling letters are shown. On the lower series of duplicated child text of frames, the back of the circling letters are revealed whenever the text is not hidden by the rotating planet... http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/backandfronttext.zip (tutorial) http://www.lin-evans.org/tutorial/circleletterstemplate2.zip (template) Have fun, Lin

Hi Jose, I haven't checked on all my systems (XP, Win 7 and Win 8) but on my XP system the "Blur" feature with a negative number has the identical effect on video as on still images - it creates a very visible sharpening. Perhaps let Igor know your operating system and the type video card you are using. Also on my XP system the unsharp mask effect is on both screen and published videos.. Best regards, Lin