Ronniebootwest

Hello Alan, I like the idea of using a slide copier, but my only experience was with an older copier (very cheap) with o Nikon 35mm film camera and the resultant slides were not up to much! What copier do you use and would it fit on to a SLR type digital camera, or just a 'point and shoot' fixed lens job? Ron

I am very pleased with the DVD's that I have made with 'Video Builder' and the way they look when played on my 42" wide screen digital television. The other day, I hooked my laptop up to the TV and expected that my PTE slide shows would display in 'wide screen' mode but they only played in a small portion at the centre of the screen. Clearly I am doing something wrong and need some guidance! Can someone post the basic steps for creating an slide show (exe) that will fill a wide screen when played on a television please. Ron West

I agree with you Dave, but the idea of producing a large high resolution image from the scan, is that you can CROP out that part of the image that you want to keep. Most images have some surplus around the borders that can be 'lost' in the crop.

I agree with Lin, better to scan at the highest resolution possible, this will give you much larger images from which you can then down size to the more usual image size of 1024 x 768 pixels. Ron

Is the term 'HDTV' being misused here? As far as I am aware (at least in the UK) HD (high definition) is not yet being transmitted. Is the reference to HDTV meant to be DIGITAL TV that is HD ready? Ron

Hi Paul, Thanks for that information. I have done as you suggest and it seems to work OK now. However, I could not find this bit, ' make sure 'always use the selected program to open this kind of file' is ticked. I am using CS2, if that makes any difference. Ron

I have always used the 'Ctrl+W' keys to preview a slide in Photoshop. Now, when I use these keys, the preview just shows up in the 'Windows Picture & Fax Viewer' Anmyone know how to restore it so the preview is in Photoshop? Ron West

Hi Dom, Your envelope effect is going to be very popular with everyone - it is an excellent piece of work. However I have just 2 comments to make that you may like to consider: 1. The picture should stay visible on the screen for a little longer just after it has 'zoomed' in, instead of sliding immediately off the the screen. 2. I am not sure that displaying your logo in the bottom right corner is wise, it will propably put people off from using the template for thier own slide shows. Ronnie West

Hello Igor, My site has a download page where tutorials and slide shows are available. Here is the address. http://www.ronniewestdigital.co.uk Thanks. Ronnie West

Well I seem to have rattled some of you into action (please forgive me). It is as I thought, most people do not seem to have used the 'Templates' or 'Back up to zip' feature because they quite simply haven't found out just how useful it can be. That is why I had thought to make a tutorial on the subject in the first place. Some of your recent replies have re-insired me to do just that! When you have been shown how to use this feature, you will wonder how you managed without it - it really is a lifesaver, especially if you have a computer crash or move your image files to a different folder after having made a PTE Project. Wait for the tutorial and you will see what I mean. Ron

Hi Limey, I think that your answer will need a little more clarification before people will fully understand what you mean. e.g. where is the template and where is the .ini file etc. Ron

Hello Andrew, No I don't think that my question has been answered by default, I askes "how many of you use the template feature" this required an answer of either yes I use it or no I don't use it. Some members have replied and have been good enough to explain just why they do not use the feature and that is a bonus. Anyway, enough said, clearly there is insufficient suport, so the intended tutorial (that I was going to make) can now be abandoned. Ron

There have been 160 views made of this post but only 4 of you have bothered to reply. That is sad! I spend an awful lot of time producing stuff for this forum and your replies to any questions only serve to keep me motivated. It does help to know that you folks will bother and make the effort to respond sometimes. Well it is Monday morning, so I will stop moaning now. Ron

Just make them invisible by reducing the opacity to zero. Ron

Hi Dom, yes I have noticed that some are having difficulty with using your 'DVD Button' template. I will have a look and maybe prepare a pdf for it. How are you getting on with your new template for the 'Envelope' I am keen to get a copy of that one! Ron

Hi Dom, You are very welcome and I have no objection to your including my tutorial on your site. I am glad to be of help because I know just how much time that you already give to us. Thankyou! Ron

From the posts (and emails) that I have recieved, I thought that you might like an easy to follow pdf tutorial on how to use The Doms excellent 'Shadow Effects' Paul (Sparky) explained it all to me so I will pass the knowledge on to those who need it. Loading_and_Using_the_Dom_Shadow_Template.pdf

Thanks for that Lin, I will take a look at it and see if I can follow your instructions. Your work is always appreciated! Ron

Hello Lin, Thankyou for another of your detailed explanations, though I find it a little difficult to follw. I am sure that, even us older guys are not yet up to speed on this sophisticated rotation stuff Yes please, we do need an AVI tutorial on these effects, then maybe I can break it down into a detailed pdf so that we can all understand how it is done. Ron

I have noticed that some users are having difficulty in finding the 'Templates' folder, usually because they have not switched on the 'display hidden files and folder' option in Windows Explorer. I am prompted to ask this question "How many of you actually use the default folder, or have you changed the default and moved the PTE Templates to a different folder and drive on your computer? I ask this because I have been asked if I would produce a pdf tutorial on how to find and then move the folder. My own preference is to leave the default folder where it is and just create another folder on another drive and then periodically copy all PTE templates from the default folder to this new folder. This prevents the loss of those precious templates in the event of a 'CRASH' Please let me have your opinjions! Ron West

Many times I have seen comparisons between other software and PTE, but I have never found one that can beat the quality that Pictures to Exe brings to slide shows. I agree with the above members conclusion that investment of time is essential. Ronnie West

Hello Paul, I can see what you are trying to achieve and now that Igor has fixed the 'bug' that you found, you should be OK to proceed. If you visit my web site (Tutorials Page) you will see a CD called 'PTE Organiser Menu'. This will allow you to run hundreds of slide shows and it also lets you place slide shows into categories, e.g. Holidays, My Family, Places etc. You might find it useful. It is based on an idea originally posted by Ken Nickles. Ron

Bruce, I find myself agreeing almost entirely with your comments. Thank you for being so forthright. However, as one who tries to assist members with my pdf tutorials, I must point out that it does take an awful lot of time to create them. Writing a full blown 'Manual' would be a major, major task and would need a whole host of knowledgable people to achieve the ultimate goal. There are many on this forum who have the ability and I am quite sure you are aware of who they are but, they would need an great deal of encouragement in order to convince them to invest the time. Ron West

Paul, You certainly seem to be complicating matters and maybe you are just expecting to much from the program. I have created a 'One Page Menu' that will run as many slide shows (exe) as you like. and it all works perfectly. I think that the trick is to call up each slide show from the 'Menu' and not with buttons on each separate slide show. I am, hoping to produce one of my pdf tutorials on this menu, in the near future. Ron

Many thanks to those of you who have responded to this thread so far, you have all been added to the group listing. For those who have not responded, please do so otherwise you I will not be able to send you any future tutorials. I have now made arrangements to back up the details you send to me so this situation will not happen again. Ron