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Dave, Think "collating sequence". Beta10 comes after Beta1 and before Beta2. Beta9 IS the highest Beta value given the way of expression things that has been used. It is a bug in that these should have been "Beta 9", Beta 10", etc. The embedded space would have corrected the perceived problem. regards, Peter

Brian (blackboxAV), The requirement to use the same version of PTE for the Menu and the target sequences applies only if you use "Run Slideshow" or "Run Slideshow and Return". If you use "Run application..." then you can drive any .exe file from the PTE menu. regards, Peter

Bruno, Welcome to PTE and the PTE forum. In Project Options|Main do you have "Synchronize music and slides" ticked? Did you add the music via Project Options|Music? Have you downloaded and read the User Manual? Have you read the "Frequently Asked Questions" section of the forum? http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10505 regards, Peter

pushu, Although you said in your previous topic that you had uninstalled all previous versions of PTE from your desktop system, it is possible that the product key is still sitting in the registry on that machine. You can use a nifty little utility written by nobeefstu to recover the key from the registry. Download the utility here: http://www.mediafire.com/?mzimoduazzy Once you have the key files, you can take them to the laptop and see if installing those keys on the laptop gets you past this hurdle. regards, Peter

Andrew, When you join in a PTE beta programme you learn how to run very fast in order to stay in one place! But it is fun, isn't it? regards, Peter

Pushu, I, too, have noticed problems with both Lightroom and Photoshop Elements recently - not responding and requiring me to use Windows Task Manager to kill the task. I eventually identified the cause of this problem to be the two external hard-drives that I bought specifically to hold the RAW image files, the Lightroom catalogue and the backup copies of these. These drives draw their power down the USB connection and very quickly go to "sleep" to conserve power. If they are asleep when I launch Lightroom it never starts. If they go to sleep while I'm working in Elements, this program can become unstable. Now, before I launch Lightroom I use Windows Explorer to view a directory content on each drive (to wake it up!); and if I get a "Not Responding" condition I repeat the wake up on the two drives. So far, this has always got things moving again. If you have recently added some external, USB-powered devices these might just be a factor in your problem. regards, Peter

Pushu, I'm starting to grab at straws now: Are your sound card drivers up to date? Is it possible your anti-virus software is interfering with the loading of the sound files? What changes were made to your system in the days immediately prior to your encountering this problem for the first time? You say that everything used to work OK. Therefore, something has changed: we ought to try and identify what it was. regards, Peter

What file format are these sound files? With what software were they created? regards, Peter

Look at the Title bar of the PTE main window - or - Help About as with any other software will give you the version you are using. Visit the WnSoft website to find the latest "official" version. Visit the PTE forum to find the latest beta version. If you have no previous experience of PTE beta programmes, I, and others here on the forum, can assure you that the code is usually very stable from the very first beta of a new version. The new function gets added in small amounts and any bugs are quickly ironed out (usually within a day or two). Just to give you the "facts" as they currently stand: - the "official" release is v6.0.4 - the latest beta release (as at the time of writing) is v6.50 beta 13 regards, Peter

Yes, in v6.5 which is in beta at present. You can download and try a copy from the main Pictures-to-Exe part of the forum. regards, Peter

Eric, In the Rubik's Cube sequence, the cube WAS the prime image. regards, Peter

Mac, Sorry, I hadn't spotted that you were not the original poster (Brian Tosh). I should know better than to reply to posts on the forum after a couple of glasses of red wine! regards, Peter

Brian, The explanation for copying slides from one sequence to another is here in the FAQ section of the forum: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10516 regards, Peter

The key for the Deluxe element of PTE has a two year life. If you bought the Deluxe version more than two years ago you need to buy a fresh Upgrade of your working Standard edition to Deluxe edition. regards, Peter

Why do you want to introduce a visual element that will distract attention away from your prime image? regards, Peter

Dave, Magic! Thanks. Now, be honest, this is just your first step in a "softly, softly" approach to get me to move over to Capture NX2, isn't it? regards, Peter

Dave, Ah, now I understand. It shows as a NEF icon - no image. regards, Peter

Dave, Sorry but I don't fully understand your question. What thumbnail are we talking about? And how will I know whether it is a JPEG image file or an ICO file? Where will it be stored? regards, Peter

Dick, I'm assuming that the code that sets up the 8-bit file in Lightroom and the code that converts the 16-bit image to 8-bit in Elements is, if not identical, then based on the same algorithms. Therefore I save a mouse click or two on each image by doing the conversion as I leave Lightroom. Colin, Fair point! I am using sRGB throughout the workflow because the only use I make of my images is to project them when they have been built into AV sequences. regards, Peter

If you are using PTE v6 then the simplest way to understand what is Standard and what is Deluxe is to click on the Create button. The options to create an "Executable file for PC" and "Screen saver" are the Standard edition features. The remaining options on the Create button are the Deluxe edition features. All features associated with the actual construction of the sequence (Images, Audio, Objects, Animation, Mask Containers, etc.) are part of the Standard edition. The Deluxe component is separately priced and separately "key protected". When you buy the upgrade to the Deluxe version you will be given a licence key for the Deluxe features that lasts for two years. Your existing key is good "for life" on the Standard Edition features. At the end of two years the Deluxe key will expire but will still work on all versions of PTE that you have installed on your system at that point. The Deluxe features will not work on any subsequent versions that you install unless you renew your licence for the Deluxe version. regards, Peter

Gary, Your understanding is quite correct. A 1920x1080 show will fill the Samsung. And on the Dell it will behave as you expect depending upon your choice of "Fixed size of slide" on or off. regards, Peter

Joy, If you can read a waveform (in terms of picking out relevant passages, then you can use it to help identify the points in the audio file where you want the start and end to be. But more usefully still, you can use it to reduce the volume of one track when set against a second track playing at the same time - known as mixing. For complex soundtracks, involving several pieces of music, sections of voice-over and perhaps natural sounds or sound effects, most AV workers prefer to use a specialist audio file editor such as Audacity or Audition. But I have found these new features of PTE v6.5 to be useful for doing a rough cut: assessing whether the music and images are working well together and whether the music and other sounds are working together. I then create the final soundtrack mix in Audacity. As with all these things, be it PTE, Photoshop, Lightroom, NX2, Audacity, Audition or any other piece of software, the individual user has to determine how best to include them into their personal workflow. regards, Peter

Joy, Your last post, #13, seems to be a duplicate of your post #10. regards, Peter

Many thanks to all those who have contributed to this topic. My workflow has been extensively modified by what you've taught me and what I have learned in addition whilst investigating your teachings. To summarise my new (but liable to further refinement) workflow: Image captured as Nikon RAW (.NEF) file and imported into Lightroom Highlight clipping and Black clipping warnings both activated White Balance adjusted if needed or desired Auto Tone investigated (sometimes used sometimes rejected) Use of Exposure, Recovery and Fill lighting to try and deal with any clipping Use of Clarity (seems to my eyes to offer a better (or should that just be different) option to sharpening Export as 8-bit TIFF (using 8-bit because Elements doesn't offer much tool support for 16-bit) Open the 8-bit TIFF in Photoshop Elements Check Levels using an adjustment layer Crop to desired size/composition Sharpen with Unsharp mask - using a selection to keep any large areas of even colour (e.g. sky) out of the sharpening process Save as JPEG quality 8 I feel I am now getting consistently better results than with my previous (and fundamentally flawed) workflow. regards, Peter

Joy, Further to my previous post. The Play button in the Audio Clip Properties window does not recognise the effect of the Offset but does recognise the duration and the fade out. regards, Peter