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I have come across this problem with someone who was using very large file sizes on a laptop with a 4k screen. I think it was just taking a long time to process the images and couldn't keep up. Also it would not load images into O&A. I told the person to reduce the image sizes and this seemed to cure the problem. I think it was pte9 and windows 10 Jill

Glad you are getting somewhere and managed to get rid of the file name. There is nothing you can do about the brief flash when the MP4 starts, at least I haven't found a way. To make it return to the menu at the end, make sure that 'quit at end of playlist' is ticked under the media menu. If you press ESC when it is playing it will show a minimised VLC window and the sequence will keep playing and you have to close it down using the usual X button top right. But you shouldn't normally be pressing ESC when running. If needed you can pause and resume with the space bar as with PTE. Jill

Hi John, Running many competitions we get lots of different file types. MP4, AVi, Mov, WMV etc For all video type files we use VLC Player as the default. You can set it to always open full screen, not show any controls & exit at the end of the video. Clicking from a PTE Menu this is then as smooth as running an exe If you are not currently using VLC then taks a look at it - it is free to download & use. Jill

can you post a screen grab of what you are seeing in PTE Looking at the image size that you have posted it should be OK.

Have you tried copying the images from the USB stick on to the Microsoft Surface? What size - resolution & dpi - are the images? Do you see any thumbnails in the file view? Jill

Thanks. Eric. I will have to have another look at those. Maybe you can show me on Friday. Jill

In Photoshop (CS3) the blend modes I use most often are 'Overlay' , 'Screen' and 'Multiply' I don't have 'Add' blend mode - is this the same as 'Multiply'? It would be useful if PTE could replicate the different modes in Photoshop if at all possible. Jill

The Free download is the full version. It does everything the paid for version does. There are 2 versions Deluxe, which has lots of extra features and the Essentials which is more basic but still very poweful. You can switch between the 2 versions in the Free download to check out the features of each to decide which one to buy. If you do buy the Essentials you can then upgrade later to the Deluxe for an extra charge. To switch click on Settings from the main Menu bar, then select Preferences and on the Editions tab you will see the button to select the version. You can compare the versions here https://www.wnsoft.com/en/picturestoexe/compare/ Jill

Running competitions means that I make Menus to run all the entries a lot. It is interactive in a sense in that I have to click to get the next show to run. We get many different formats entered - Exe made with PTE or another program - eg. Proshow Gold or Proshow Producer, Wings, M.Objects, DGFects We also have MP4 or AVI again made with various different programs and sometimes WMV files. A Menu made with PTE will run all of these shows perfectly and seamlessly. (using VLC Player to run the Video files) I would not like to lose this capability. Wether exe or another format when downloading I always virus scan the zip file and then the individual files once unzipped. With entries coming from many different sources one cannot be too careful, even though I usually know the people who sent them. Also dissolves in Exe's always seem to be smoother than with a video type of file - although PTE video output is usually better than with other programs. Jill

Thanks, no rush V10 will do.

Igor, is it also possible to reinstate the dragging of the vertical lines at each end of the O&A timeline to adjust the time range? This worked in V8 but not in v9 Jill

Mike, the easiest way is to set the text up on the first slide how you want it, including shadow, position etc. Then copy and paste that text object to all the other slides that you need. All you have to then do is change the actual words. This gives the advantage that your text is always in the same place on screen so the audience knows where to look. There is nothing worse than the text moving around the screen as by the time the audience has found it they usually then don't have enough time to read it. Jill

Hi Lin, Well you learn something new every day! All the years I have been using PTE & I never understood what Time Range was, this could have saved me a lot of effort in some of my previous animation! Thanks to Pieter for asking the original question. I now see how to do this, thanks to Dave's video. Bit confusing at first as you have to add all the zeros - so for 3 secs you have to put 3000 I rarely work with the numbers and just do things by eye dragging the keyframes to the required position. Looking at V8 you could drag the 'lines' at the start & end of the O&A timeline, much easier than having to go to properties & type in numbers. There doesn't appear to be a way to do this in V9? if not then a suggestion to Igor for V10 to reinstate this. Jill

Lin, I sought of get what you are saying, but the only time I have accidentally moved the 'lines' I have just ended up with black. What I think you are saying is that it only applies to one object at a time? What happens if you want different Objects to appear at different times? I will have to experiment when I get a chance , as at the moment I cannot visulise how this will work. I have done a lot of animation, just not the type of animation you do. JILL

Lin, I think an example may be needed as I couldn't follow that by reading it! I have seen the 'lines' at the start and end of the O&A timeline but have never used them or really understood their purpose. If I needed something to be hidden or revealed then I have just used two keyframes next to each other. Maybe your method would be easier? If you can post an example showing how you use this method it would help. Jill

And in the UK!

Just had another thought PicturesToEx(cellence) We all know the high quality that PTE produces and this would maybe help to reinforce that. Will have another think tomorrow to see if I can come up with anything else. Jill

I don't think PicturesToAV is a good idea. We are continually trying to convince video makers to try PTE especially as V10 will be a lot more video friendly. But a lot still want nothing to do with anything AV. Changing the name to contain AV would put them off even more! Not sure what would be best, everyone knows it as PTE. So to keep the same letters how about PicturesToEntertainment Jill

CTRL+A to select All is another very useful shortcut, especially in O&A when you want to show multiple timelines. Also CTRL+S to Save, but this doesn't work from O&A. Jill

This is something I would like to see in PTE, especially when working with video. Jill

We are holding the UK judging in Capel Curig, Snowdonia, most likely Sunday 9th June. Details will be on www.avnews.org.uk once the room is confirmed. Jill

I also thought it faded out rather than ended naturally, forgot to mention that last night. If you haven't already submitted it to MidPhot, then see if you can find another version with the last notes on it. Martin is sure to spot the Fade! JT49 you mention beats, backbeats etc. That is fine if you understand music - I don't, I do not understand all the different terminology - I just know if something works or not. I can listen to a piece of music & normally I will know in the first few seconds if it is right or not. I can know if two pieces will blend together & I can cut & join a piece to shorten or lengthen it. But knowing what are beats, bars etc I haven't got a clue! I have to 'see' the waveform to know where to put the transitions, I cannot do that by ear. Jill

Hi Brian, I can only imagine the amount of work in Photoshop but it was well worth it. Some beautiful 3rd images created. I think that maybe facebook has lost some of the quality as some of the dissolves weren't quite as smooth as I am sure they are in an exe. On the slides where you are doing a wipes have a look at the thickness of smoothing line. Try increasing the value from the default 30 to a much higher number. This way you get a smoother edge to the wipe & it is much less noticable. If the viewer notices something then it is a distraction. Also there were a couple of points where there was a cresendo in the music but nothing happened on screen. Have a look at the waveform in the timeline & adjust the transitions to coincide with the peaks in the music. You may need to tweak it a few times to get it just right as it depends on the content of the images as to when it actually appears on screen. Have you thought of entereing this in the Bridgend 5to8? It is a good Photoharmony sequence. See www.avnews.org.uk on the calendar page for details of this & other events/competitions Jill

A good mix of close up & long shots with a few good third images created. Personally i don't like movement happening during a dissolve, I find it very distracting. Also some of the images didn't quite fit for me & took me out of the mood of the show - the one with the runner in yellow - the background jarred with the other icy images Suitable music, but I couldn't hear all the words, but just listening on my laptop which doesn't have that good sound. But the line about 'cold last night' & the empty bench with the hat does work well I always try to fit the music/lyrics to the images & if they don't quite work then I will edit the music to fit. Jill

I would say not interactive as the show will run on its own. I consider interactive to be a show where the viewer has to make choices as to what happens next by selecting a button, text, image etc to click on. I have never actually seen a show like this. Using a Menu is a convenient and slick way of presenting several shows at an event. Yes the Menu itself is interactive, but is not something you would normally post online. Step through shows where the presenter talks about an image live to the audience and then presses the arrow key to move on to the next although not automatic, but could easily become so for posting online. I do not consider these to be interactive. Jill