fh1805

Carole, Remember, "In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king". When it comes to this new technology, you only need to be half-a-step ahead of the rest of us to become an instant "expert" in our eyes. Although I have no plans to go down the HD-TV+Blu-ray route just yet I do sense that this is the future for home viewing. So I'm following this thread with interest. regards, Peter

Andrew, By the sound of things, you're going to be using this PNG file as an object which you will then animate to give it motion. You don't have to have your PNG file and your Main Image file at exactly the same size (expressed as pixels by pixels). Your main images might all be 1024x681, for example, if they started as 3:2 aspect ratio. Your PNG file could be, for example: half-size = 512x340 pixels. If you place this PNG file as an independent object (not the child of any parent) and then use the Zoom values to change its visible size, everything outside the area covered by the PNG image will be seen from the underlying image. You don't have to cover all of the main image with transparent data. Is that where your mis-understanding lies? regards, Peter

Recent discussions here - http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11443 - have highlighted a need for improved consistency in the way that PTE handles Object Names in the Objects List in the O&A window. This post, an amalgamation of the thinking of Ed Overstreet, nobeefstu and myself, proposes a possible solution. The underlying principle is that there should be consistency in the way that items are listed in the Objects List of the O&A window. When the Mask Container feature was introduced, there were two separately named objects: the Mask Container and the mask image file. It is proposed that there should be two separate objects for ordinary image files: the Image Object and the image file name. The Image Object’s name would be editable via the Common tab. The image file name would always be the name of the file as stored on the disk drive. If the user then replaces the image file with a different image file by whichever technique of their choice, PTE would update the image file name but not the Image Object name. The attached JPEG image (supplied by nobeefstu) shows how the Objects List might look. Igor has indicated elsewhere on the forum - http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11309&view=findpost&p=72906 - that the next release of PTE will include a “Go to Slide slide-name” feature. If this new feature uses the proposed Image Object name rather than the image file name, there should then be full flexibility of operation for anyone who wants to create manually-controlled sequences that have complex navigation built into them – and almost no possibility of confusion. regards, Peter

Martin, Isn't the simple solution to contact the judge a day or two before the judging meeting and get the requirements from him/her and then build the PTE sequence with the "chosen few" copied to the end of the sequence. I am a judge on my local cicuit and that is how all the clubs operate. regards, Peter

Sorry for the couple of days delay in getting back. I did ask our members what they used and the results were as follows: Level 12 - seven people Level 10 - four people Level 9 - three people Level 8 - six people Level 6 - two people and one member said he didn't use JPEG levels but used "Save for web" and aimed for a particular file size. He said this option gave him a range of compression between 0% and 100%. I don't know whether that helps inform the debate, but I promised to report back - and now I have done. regards, Peter P.S. If it's of any interest, I'm one of the six using level 8.

Thanks Ed. I don't mind doing the post but I'll wait until Stu gives his reaction here before I do anything. regards, Peter

Ed, Please to hear that you've resolved your problem. As to whether it is a bug or not, consider this: If you had changed the name of the objects using the Common tab before you changed the image files around, would you still have wanted the image file names to replace your carefully chosen object names? As Stu points out, there is no simple solution to this problem. But I agree with him that it would of great help to us all if PTE was consistent in its naming standards and behaviour. As regards the names given by default to objects; I'm happy that PTE should assign the image file name as the default object name. But, if I then change the image file for a different one, it seems logical to me that PTE should also change the object file name. However, if I elect to change the object file name via the Common tab then there should be a tick box on the Common tab that allows me to "lock" that object name so that it doesn't change if I assign a different image file. Between the three of us (you, Stu and me) we should be able to formulate a suggestion to go in the Ideas sub-forum. regards, Peter

Ed, Further to my post above and arising from Tony's post. If you are witnessing what Tony describes then my suggested re-build technique should "clean up" PTE for you. regards, Peter

Ed, I've tried to replicate your problem using 6.01 and cannot. Might I suggest the following: Create a new, empty project Use the "Hawk" method to copy across all the slides EXCEPT the three troublesome ones Save the project and close PTE Relaunch PTE Add "Slide10" Check the sequence and slide details File Save As newname Close PTE and re-launch Add "Slide11" as object to "Slide10" - NO ANIMATION Check the sequence and slide details File Save As newnewname Close PTE and re-launch Add "Slide12" as object to "Slide10" - NO ANIMATION Check the sequence and slide details File Save As newnewnewname Close PTE and re-launch Add animation as desired At least this will tell you at what exact point in the build the problem first appears. regards, Peter

Allan, Is your TV an old CRT model by any chance? On the few occasions when I have dabbled with creation of a DVD-Video from a PTE sequence, I have noticed that the vertical sides are not always straight. I've come to the conclusion that, in my case, it is an artefact of the CRT technology. regards, Peter

Andrew, The simplest technique to do that is File...New and start from a known empty project file. regards, Peter

Don, You could have built the sequence to be more "user friendly" for the comparison. I would have loved to have manually switched to and fro between the adjacent JPEG12 and JPEG6 images but couldn't. Although I could pause the show with the spacebar and then use the arrow keys to move forward and back, this technique skipped over the adjacent JPG12 and JPG6 images. I was taken from the screen of text about them straight to the 4-up and back again. I didn't notice too much difference between any of the images. But then I'm not a hyper-critical person. I didn't find the 4-up particularly useful. I'm the coordinator of our local A-V Group and it's our meeting tomorrow evening. I'll ask the members what settings they use and report back sometime over the weekend. regards, Peter

Maybe the G&T is the secret to success. You did pour it into the PC and not down your throat, didn't you!!!! regards, Peter

I know that feeling well! Recharge your batteries (and your glass) and unwind for the rest of the day. regards, Peter

I concur with Jim. Open your project in PTE and do File Save As under a new file name. Then close down PTE and re-launch. It should open the new version of your project. Now remove the sound from slide 1 and play the sequence without music to confirm the slide times are all working properly. Then add the music back in but via Project Options. The purpose of "Synchronise music and slides" is to ensure that, if you do a Preview from Selected Slide the music is correctly positioned to the correct start point. regards, Peter

Hi Nettleton, You say that you had sound OK then made some changes and now you don't have sound. Under normal circumstances one would suspect the most recent changes. However, you say that your changes were to some slide timings. I cannot think of any way in which changing slide timings would cause a loss of sound. Therefore I have to ask whether anything else changed in that same time period, possibly something whose effect you're not fully aware of; such as a Windows update being installed or an anti-virus update. regards, Peter

Andrew, You're still working your way along the learning curve. Take your time and build up your knowledge and understanding slowly. You will get to this point eventually - and when you do, you will then understand! regards, Peter

APLman, It is my understanding that when using "scale keyframes..." the four special cases that you identified do not move. Only the keyframes between the end of the previous transition and start of the next transition move. The four special keyframes will change their time positions only if the transition durations are changed. Are you seeing something different to this? Overlapping keyframes are, in my opinion, best dealt with by clicking on the time flag and adding a few micro seconds until each of them has a unique keyframe time. Then you can study each of them and decide which you want where. From your post it sounds as though you are investigating the project file with a view to understanding it so that you can write some routines of your own to process it. Do remember that the structure of the project file might (will?) change with every PTE version as Igor adds in more function. You are setting yourself up to have to do constant maintenance to stay abreast of PTE's future development. Also, and as an aside, the best way to package your project is to do File...Create Backup as Zip. This will place the .pte file and all its associated image and sound files into one zip file. In your specific case you would then have needed to add the other .pte files into that zip manually to give us the complete package. regards, Peter

Eric, TomUK, RobertG et al, After studying the Photoshop Elements v7 help file (online via Adobe website), I came to the same answer as RobertG. Place the .atn file in the C:\ProgramData\Adobe\Photoshop Elements\7.0\Locale\en_US\Workflow Panels\Actions folder. BTW, the ...\Locale\en-US\... is the same for my installation. When I then launch Elements and use the Guided Edit to run the Action Player, Icons appears in the list of available actions. Job done! However, for something as simple as an icon, I'll continue to Crop manually or Resize, and then File Save As using the ICO file format. regards, Peter

Eric, The .ico file extension is the one used by icon files. The .atn file extension is the one used by Phtoshop Actions. You need to extract the ICOFormat.8bi file into the Plug-Ins/File Formats folder (as Den indicated). Then, when you next start Elements you will have a new file format (ICO) available in the drop down list when doing File Save (or Save As). As yet I don't know where the .atn file should go. regards, Peter

Eric, I've never installed the action file, only the ICO file format. That goes into the Plug-Ins/File Formats folder as Den stated. Last time I did it I was using v4 of Elements but I've just copied it into the v7 folder and it still works. I'd like to try the action as well but I cannot find any folder that contains ATN files. I'll have to go and delve into the Elements Help files. I know I've seen reference to being able to use actions written for other versions of Photoshop: just got to find the damn thing again! regards, Peter

Eric, Den's little routine works fine with Elements.And I'm using v7; haven't found a need to upgrade yet. regards, Peter

Ken, My father was a qualified electrician. He taught me two things about electricity: - a fuse blows for a reason: don't just replace it, get the fault found and fixed - if you don't know what your doing, get someone who does in to do the work; electricity kills the ignorant Priority job today is to get a sparky lined up to come and investigate and fix. However, its blowing a blizzard outside so finding one that will turn out in these conditions might be a bit tricky. Thankfully I have two table lamps that I can move from room to room as required. cheers, Peter

John, I switched to Vista because that was the only operating system being offered by my nearest PC retailer on new laptops. I needed a new laptop because my old one had proven incapable of running PTE v5 animations smoothly due to its low spec of graphics. I wanted to be able to include PTE v5 animations into my sequences. Had I, at the time, been able to obtain via my local retailer a suitably spec'd laptop that came with XP on it, I would probably still be running XP. I agree with you on another point that you make. Like you, I have never been one to acquire the latest technology simply because it is the latest technology. My desktop PC is three years old, my laptop is 4 years old. My old laptop is six years old. My Nikon D70 is five years old and was second-hand when I got it. My Dell projector is five years old and was second hand when I got it. My TV is four years old and is CRT technology. My mobile phone is coming up 10 years old. I don't own an MP3 player, iPod, or any other "hand-held" gizmo. I don't have a Facebook, YouTube or Twitter account. I don't have a website. More than once on this forum I have said: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". I stand by that. As I write this, the fuse covering all my lights in the house IS broke. That I will have to get fixed - tomorrow. regards, Peter

Eric, There comes a point in time when you just have to "bite on the bullet". Perhaps in your budgetting for this new PC you should include a contingency for unexpected spend on replacement peripheral devices and/or replacement software products. I've no idea how much to suggest, perhaps 25-50% (depending upon your best estimate of which items might be troublesome and what it might cost to replace those). regards, Peter