jt49

Logarithmic or exponential increase? Regards, jt

I would like to second this statement. When I give a lecture while using PTE, I use to prepare the texts for my slides in LibreOffice with transparent background, export the documents to PDF, import them into Photoshop, and export the MediaBoxes as PNG images. This may sound complicated, but once you are used to this process it really works with a few clicks. Of course it would be fine to have rich text features in PTE. Regards, jt

Which PTE version do you use? I made a test with 7.5.10, and 8.0.6. Both versions indicate just one conflict when trying to produce a backup in zip (but not all conflicts at the same time). So you can solve one conflict, start the backup process again, and then you handle the next one ..... Regards, jt

Sorry, but my remark does not refer to your production. It just explains to Dieter how to realize transitions of still images with a video as a common background, and hopefully it is an appropriate answer to his question. Regards, jt

Es gibt keine zweite Bildleiste in PTE. Du kann jedoch dasselbe Video in aufeinander folgende Szenen (Slides) einfügen, das erste davon als Master, die weiteren jeweils mit Link dazu festlegen. Dann kann das Video im Hintergrund über die Szenengrenzen hinweg durchlaufen. Gruß jt

Chessapup, this discussion is not a new one. You may have a look here. Regards, jt

There are not only the video editors, but also the classical AV editors like Wings and m.objects that should be mentioned here. These programs use mainly independent multiple image tracks. Transitions take place between consecutive single objects (images, videos) on the same tracks. This model has its advantages when using overlapping objects, in particular objects (animated or not) that live for a long time (longer than the typical lifetime of a PTE slide). PTE has only one image track, but the objects on this track are complex scenes (called slides), and transitions take place between these scenes, not between single images (or videos). Inside the scenes we have hierarchical structures, so called scene graphs (here called parent-child-constructions), and these constructions are the major reason why PTE is ahead of its competitors regarding animation. In my opinion, it is not an easy exercise to keep PTE's concept of transitions between complex hierarchical scenes, and the introduction of additional image tracks. There might be ways to do it ..... Regards, jt

Did you try to start PTE 8, and then open the old projects (*.pte files) via PTE's file menu (File > Open). Maybe you have problem with file associations? Regards, jt

It is quite interesting to read these suggestions, but I see some kind of problem here. The PTE editor works exactly with those media (images and audio clips) that the user enters into the PTE application. PTE typically handles this data in a non-destructive way. The features that are asked for are (to some extent) destructive. So what should PTE do in case of trimming an audio clip? Here we see a difference between PTE and two other (continental) AV tools which do not run the entered media directly, but which work with automatically generated copies. This allows to resize images and to work out destructive operations on audio clips. If needed, these programs can always go back to the originals and generate new copies. IMO the new suggestions contradict the way that has been used by PTE until today. Regards, jt

I'll try to do my best without writing a book. The attached project shows the case of a single image that is animated across several slides (here 3 slides) using 2 key frames. Your example is slightly more complicated but can easily derived from the method provided here (see also my post 8). Here we see an image (SD_blur) with a combined pan and a zoom (both with speed options 90/90 (acceleration with smooth stop)) starting in slide 2, and which ends within slide 4. The simple trick (as far as I know invented by Jean-Cyprien) works as follows: You insert the same image (here: SD_blur) into all three slides (2, 3, and 4) using 2 key frames. For animation start and end, insert corresponding values for positions and zooms. Then run through all starting key frames, and enter positive or negative values (milliseconds!) into the boxes 'Key frame time' in a way that in all slides the absolute start times coincide. In my example we see: 00:06.150. Do the same with the end times, in my example: 00:20.750. That's it This is a kind of workaround. During execution, the animated image is loaded and processed 3 times. Not elegant, but it works. I have been asking for a long time to see a better mechanism to link images and their animations across slides. Let's see what will happen. Regards, jt ZAS_2.zip

512 is a power of 2 (2 to the 9th power), typically a number that computers like to have. It might be more convenient to have 1024, 2048, or 4096 (2 to the 10th, 11th, or 12th power). On the other hand, 512 does not work that bad. Chose the appropriate size for the mask container, while choosing for the mask just the aspect ratio that you like to see. Examples: 510x340 for 1.5 (3:2), 512x288 for 16:9, 500x400 for 5:4, 512x384 for 4:3, etc. Use the Windows calculator Regards, jt

Again we have the situation where two more or less independent problems are discussed in a single thread: 1. Zoom (or any other animation) across several slides (the question of the original poster) 2. The question how perspective correction for zoom should work. My example in post 8 refers to problem 1. This post includes a remark on Denis' example on correction for zooms. Denis' example includes a nested group of 11 rectangles whose sizes decrease exponentially (by a factor of 2 from step to step with an overall zoom of 102400%). Linear zoom in PTE really is linear. So, what we see in the first part of the example is quite natural. What Denis wants to see (third part of the example) is a visually linear growth of his exponential rectangles. So what he asks for is just a standard exponential zoom. Part 2 of the example shows PTE's option "Perspective correction for zoom". This function is even more extreme than a standard exponential growth. Here we see exponential growth while the time points run following a geometric series. So in Denis' example, the zoom starts slow and ends up very fast. Which kind of zoom is to prefer? When using zooms from 100% up to say 300% (the range that I normally use for normal images), the given perspective correction isn't that bad. Question: Who normally uses zooms from 100% to 102400%? Regards, jt

Part of the sequence using Jean-Cyprien's method. Regards, jt Zoom-J-C.zip

There is a much more sophisticated solution shown by Jean-Cyprien by placing key frames outside the slides' time intervals, see here. Nevertheless, this is only a workaround. What we really need is the feature of linking images and animations across slides that hopefully is still on Igor's to-do-list, see here. Regards, jt

Wouldn't it be fine to have the option for the mini player's screen to be shown in a separate window that could be placed on top of the editor? Regards, jt

The French are the best! Let's see what will happen on Friday Regards, jt

Some time ago, I made a proposal on the export of soundtracks (see here) which seems to become a feature of 8.5. With this function you could easily transfer the soundtracks of your parts to the overall project, without resetting the envelopes. But also with 8.0 you can go this way, using a workaround: Open the project files of your parts. Publish the projects as H.264 videos at low resolution (e.g. 128x72), one-pass quality, but the audio parts at the highest bit rate (320). The results are high quality audio files encoded with AAC including low quality video parts. In order to get rid of the video parts, use a tool like XmediaRecode. You may also open the videos with Audacity and export them as MP3. Regards, jt

I also would like to see keyframes for several objects on separate tracks. But I also like Daniel's suggestion (for a single object) to have an option for separating the timelines for pan, zoom, rotation, opacity, blur, etc., i.e. having independent keyframes for all kinds of animations. There should be a vertical guideline when shifting a keyframe with the mouse. This guideline should change its color when reaching the precise time position of some other keyframe (with some kind of magnetic behavior). Regards, jt

A new concept where all keyframes are scaled automatically cannot be a solution !!!!! In my opinion, the duration of a slide, and the flow (rhythm) of an animation must not naturally correlate. So, once having built an animation, a later change of the slide duration should not automatically change the positions of keyframes. I often create slides where the transition is followed by an animation in order to build up some arrangement (collage) of images. In a later process of development, I change the positions of the transition points according to the music (with the consequence that the slide durations change). But this synchronization process should not have any influence on the positions of keyframes inside the slides. There may be scaling options for keyframes, but there also must be an option for keyframes which fulfills the following 2 requirements: 1. Keyframes on transition endpoints should stay at these positions, on changes of slide durations and on changes of transition times. 2. Changes of slide durations should not change the absolute positions of keyframes (relative to the slides' starting points) Regards, jt

There is no need for running through all slides: In the project options you just set "Show Next Slide after Indicated Time Interval" as the default value for all slides simultaneously. Now you only have to change the setting for the first slide in the slide options (Wait for key press ...). Regards, jt

Dies ist inzwischen geschehen!

The test version shows the behavior that you have mentioned. So, if I select several slides at the same time, I have to activate the change of transitions. I like it. It does not provide the mechanism of a square check (as you call it), but in my opinion there is no need for that. Regards, jt

Ich meine, dass dieses Topic "pinned" sein sollte. Eine entsprechende e-Mail habe ich an Igor geschrieben. Gruß jt

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17226-picturestoexe-8/#entry114592 Gruß aus München jt

This suggestion refers to the this topic. I wold like to see tick boxes in the transition tab of the slide options. Why? If a user wants to apply the slide options window to a group of highlighted slides he should be in the position to decide if the transition types and the transition times of all highlighted slides should be a matter of change, or not. There are boxes of that kind for slide durations and backgrounds. So, why not for transitions? I sometimes want to change the individual backgrounds of several slides. But I cannot do it with a simultaneous application of the slide options window, as this would spoil the individual transitions. Regards, jt