ContaxMan

I'm not sure from your description but here's a "talk-through" of how it's done: 1. In PTE, click on "Project Options", then the Music tab. 2. Press the "Add" button and browse to find your music mp3 file. 3. Once you find the music you want, double-click on its filename. 4. This takes you straight back to PTE where the filename should show in the large white window. 5. You'll now notice that "Play background music" is ticked. You have other options available at the bottom of the window - "Show music duration" is reassuring! 6. Having added a single mp3 file, go back to "Project Options" "Main" and select "Customise slideshow to music duration". 7. Check it all works OK by clicking on the "Preview" button. In general, you should only use one main music track. Combining music needs a sound editing program such as the free "Audacity". But you can add small sound files to individual tracks in the main preview window - there's a window to add a sound file at the bottom of this window. I hope you can follow this.

Yes - you're right. But what's a little inconvenience measured against the wealth of help and information available on this forum?

So I still wait with bated breath for someone to explain or show me this effect - it must be good, people keep asking for it. Perhaps Godot knows where it is - but where's he go to?

I use a technique that sounds similar to your idea. All the elements of an evening's lectures - slideshows, images, programs, etc run from a simple one-page menu which has a background image and buttons. This menu is a one-screen pte show that continues to run in the background. The secret is to put hyperlinks for each show, program or whatever in the middle of the buttons using PTE Object Editor. Any slideshows included have the options to "Show transition effect from desktop" and " Show transition effect to desktop" (in Project Options - Screen) selected. In this way, when a slideshow ends or a program is closed, the menu reappears for the next stage of the presentation. I hope you can follow this - it's a lot easier than it sounds.

You can fiond what you need (for free) at: http://www.bishopthorpe-camera-club.com/Re...ces/goodies.htm

Your English is fine - no problem at all. I enjoyed the show - very evocative. Thank you for sharing it with us.

Have you tried ticking the box that says "Repeat music after playing" (Music Tab) and/or the option to "When show ends keep last slide on screen" - in each case without synchronising the show to the music.

Thank you for posting your description of the development(s) of your show "What do you see". I found this to be both interesting and informative. In fact, after reading this account I just wish I could watch the show again to relate the description to the end-product. Your comments regarding Audition with Audacity were also very interesting. I also upgraded from Cool Edit to Audacity but have found the latter frustrating in that it crashes when I try to Rip a cd or load a track from a music cd. I find myself in the rather ridiculous situation of having to use other software to obtain the file before I can edit it with Audacity - most annoying! If you have any experience of this problem it would be interesting to know how/if you managed to get round it.

"The Stations of the Cross" sounds like an excellent theme to hang a show on for one who is "in situ" all the time. I'd love to see this - unlikely ever to experience these scenes in person.

I don't have access to the Holy Land, unfortunately, but would love to see someone else develop a show along the same lines. In my case, I'm trying to illustrate the ideas expressed in "A cold coming..." rather than an interpretation of the biblical Epiphany story. Clearly there are many common features but important differences. As I read it, "A cold coming..." evokes far more than an interpretation of the season of Epiphany. It seems to me to be more about human emotions and relationships and it is this area I hope to explore. The reason I posted my thoughts on this was not to suggest that others might try to do the same thing (although it would be an interesting exercise), but to encourage other people to share their thoughts on how they go about devising and developing an idea for a show. This is what I understand the phrase "Creative Juices" to imply. There again, it wouldn't be the first time I've taken hold of the wrong end of the stick!

No problem with the spelling (apart from an odd typing error) - and thanks for your contribution. This thread continues as "Creative juices".

Will look forward to these.

Congratulations, Maureen - perhaps you might like to tell us the story of this one.

Thanks for the candles - at present I may need a floodlight. I hope you get struck by an idea for your new show soon. In the meantime how about filling us in on your very evocative "What do you see" that I saw and enjoyed at Haworth last March?

I enjoyed this show too - as I did the original version. In view of the thread on creativity running elsewhere on this forum, it is interesting to compare the two versions to see what lessons might be learned from the changes. Thank you very much for posting this lovely show.

Is anybody else going to add their ideas? Don't leave me on my own - I get lonely!

Thanks for the candle, Alan. Well, for what it's worth, here's how I've made a start on this: 1. I've gone through the poem "Journey of the Magi - T.S. Eliot" and highlighted words & phrases that suggested visual images, e.g. "long journey", "ways deep", "weather sharp", "very dead of winter", "then at dawn", "three trees in the low sky", etc. 2. As this is essentially a religious poem, I've looked up a few reflections on it that have suggested metaphors that are not immediately obvious, e.g. the three trees could be an allusion to the Crucifixion, as could "dicing for pieces of silver". It turns out that the first 5 lines of the poem are a direct quote from another person so I'll be following that up too. 3. The work done so far suggests images to take for the show - winter landscapes, church interiors including stained glass, crucifixes and bibles, other images suggestive of, and contrasting "A cold coming" with warmth and hospitality. 4. I need to make up my mind how to use the words of the poem in the show - probably a combination of narration and written text. So I'm now in search of a reader with the "right kind of voice" (whatever that might be). 5. The choice of music will be critical - likely to be a composite track to match the changes in mood as the story unfolds. Will I use sound effects/natural sounds recorded for the purpose? Copyright issues impinge on the choice of music. Well that's it so far - still a lot to do so don't hold your breath! For starters I need some good frosty weather and also snow fall. (But some images I already have may prove useful). That's my take on this - over to someone else to talk us through a show of theirs - whether already completed or in the pipeline. Let's hope this theme runs & runs - everyone could benefit from thinking about their work in this way, rather than just worrying about technicalities. (I know I'm much more confident in handling the technicalities - creativity comes much less readlily).

Barry's stuff is excellent. But my text tutorial for this is free!

I wish I could help but it's all Dutch to me (sorry).

Yes Sir! Come the first signs of heavy frost/snow I'll be on the North York Moors/Yorkshire Dales/Lakes looking for the perfect pictures. But please can I have some decent light!

I don't know - but, after watching a selection of Alan Green's wonderful shows last night (at our Camera Club), including a Christmas sequence set to a Cumbrian dialect poem, I woke in the middle of the night with the words "A cold coming we had of it, Just the worst time of the year For a journey, And such a long journey: The ways deep, and the weather sharp, The very dead of winter. " - T.S. Eliot Journey of the Magi. going round in my head. So I guess that's my work cut out for the next few months. Where next?

I use a purpose made database, written using MS Access. For a ready-made solution, try "Thumbs Plus": Creates a thumbnail view of all your photos. You can quickly and easily batch process any changes to your pictures including auto-rename. You can then add keywords and auto-create web pages of thumb-nailed pictures. http://www.cerious.com/

Thanks for posting the new version & supplying the background information. I enjoyed it very much - it reminded me of what I love about being in the Yorkshire Dales or the Lake District. I guess this kind of response must be pretty common in your country too.

Glad to hear from you Barry - I knew you'd talk a lot of sense on this. I've noticed that using digital makes people take more pictures and be selective about them. This must be a good thing. Add PTE to the mix & you get a powerful motivating and learning tool. I find that many shows are more than the sum of their parts (in my trade this is called "synergy"). When I do camera club talks on digital manipulation (ie Photoshop or Photoshop Elements) I always try to stir things up a bit by asking what people do with their pictures. I make prints for competitions - some go into competitions, some get sold, some end up on my walls, most get stored away. My slides are all catalogued and stored away. But the images I've made into PTE shows get looked at, over and over again. So regardless of whether we can make award winning av's, this technology makes it a lot easier to enjoy our images and to share this enjoyment with others. Long live PTE!

Thank you for sharing this excellent presentation - very enjoyable.