syncronisation problems

[petere]

Hi, I am hoping someone can help me, please. I am a new user to P2E. I purchased v5.6 and upgraded to v6.0 but I am having problems with the syncronisation of slide transitions to specific points in the music file. This has been the case ever since I started using the application. I hoped the upgrade may help but, alas, it didn't.

I have JPG files laid out against a timeline of music from a 320k mp3 file. I need the transitions of the slides to be syncronised with the changes in musical phrasing etc to provide mood and emotion in the final 'movie' or slide show. When I create this in the application and use the small preview player in the top right hand frame the transitions are perfectly timed to the music. I can also see that 'visually' the slide start points are aligned with the various peaks or changes in the waveform of the mp3 music file.

However, when I use the "preview" button on the bottom tool bar and the movie/show plays full screen the syncronisation is affected. Where the slides were perfectly sync'd to the music they are now out of sync. It is usually that the slides are 'late' on the transition points I initially created.

I am wondering if this is an issue with the software, my use of it or something else. Rendering for the final file or preview perhaps? I have created an EXE file and the sync issue is apparent there also.

I am running Windows XP Home, Pentium P4 processor with 3GB of RAM. I have no additional video or graphics capability other than the on board stuff.

Any help, ideas or suggestions would be most welcome.

thanks.

[thedom]

Hello Petere,

This is certainly a problem of codec (you can read http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10324)

Open your sound file with a sound editor (Audacity by example) and export it as an mp3 file.

Use this new MP3 in PicturesToexe, it should be ok.

[petere]

Hi - thanks for the swift reply. I'll go try this now.

[petere]

TheDom - that seems to have sorted it out. Thank you very much for your assistance.

[8321]

Hi petere,

I think I had the same 'problem', when I started using PTE. If The Dom's suggestion did not help, check Project Options, Main, tick Synchronize music and slides. Might help.

Regards, Jeff

[rogern]

Hello Petere,

This is certainly a problem of codec (you can read http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10324)

Open your sound file with a sound editor (Audacity by example) and export it as an mp3 file.

Use this new MP3 in PicturesToexe, it should be ok.

Reading this and previous topic, I have found that I can correct the problem by using iTunes to convert the MP3 to WAV and then use this file in PTE.

Is there any reson to convert it back to MP3 before using in PTE?

Roger

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Reading this and previous topic, I have found that I can correct the problem by using iTunes to convert the MP3 to WAV and then use this file in PTE.

Is there any reson to convert it back to MP3 before using in PTE?

Roger

Yes, a WAV file is at least 10 times the size of an MP3 file, so when you create an exe file or DVD you could have problems either emailing or storing the exe file, and maybe fitting it to a DVD. Also if you are light on Ram & have used animation in your images, your hardware may protest. Use MP3.

Yachtsman1

[rogern]

Yes, a WAV file is at least 10 times the size of an MP3 file, so when you create an exe file or DVD you could have problems either emailing or storing the exe file, and maybe fitting it to a DVD. Also if you are light on Ram & have used animation in your images, your hardware may protest. Use MP3.

Yachtsman1

Point taken and have downloaded Audacity and the Lame encoder and this worked thanks.

I have noticed that the problem seems more prevelant with older tunes. Is there any logic to this?

Is there a possibilty that this problem could be resolved in a later version?

Thanks again

Roger

[sah]

I too am having the same problem, I match the music beats to slides and they work perfectly on viewing the show in the Preview Panel and also work perfectly ok when I press Preview and view full screen.

However when I Publish the synchronization does not work in the same way.

I read the comments and although my music is an MP3 which I mixed in Adobe Audition I have just used a Program to Convert the track to an MP3 file format just to make sure the file is an MP3.

There is still a problem after I have Published it into an Exe File yet it works ok when I press Preview. Any ideas?

[PGA]

Running your show from the Preview button and Publishing an EXE should give identical results because the Preview button "publishes" a temporary EXE file and then runs that for you. I know of many AV workers who use Audition (and many who use Audacity). There should be nothing wrong with an MP3 created by either software.

Can you describe the "out of synchronization" more precisely? Is it out by a fixed amount all the way through the show? Is sound running ahead or behind the images? Is it creeping further out of sync the longer the show runs? How much is it out? We cannot see your screen or hear your speakers, so lots of detail, please!

[xahu34]

Running your show from the Preview button and Publishing an EXE should give identical results because the Preview button "publishes" a temporary EXE file and then runs that for you ...

This has not always been the case. There have been situations where the Preview did run better than the corresponding Exe, see here.

Regards,

Xaver

[sah]

Running your show from the Preview button and Publishing an EXE should give identical results because the Preview button "publishes" a temporary EXE file and then runs that for you. I know of many AV workers who use Audition (and many who use Audacity). There should be nothing wrong with an MP3 created by either software.

Can you describe the "out of synchronization" more precisely? Is it out by a fixed amount all the way through the show? Is sound running ahead or behind the images? Is it creeping further out of sync the longer the show runs? How much is it out? We cannot see your screen or hear your speakers, so lots of detail, please!

I have attached a Capture of my Pictures to Exe Window showing Timeline with Music. The music is only out by an absolute fraction and its the image that shows before it should. This is then carried on for the rest of the show which is not important as the music, words and images do hold together alright for the last three quarters of the show. Its the first 17 images that matter the most and the images do not come on the beat, in particular the ones with no fades/transitions. The first slide has words which should show on certain beats.

There are 83 slides in total. Music is MP3. I did have the images as 1600 x 1067 pixels, just changed down to 1400 x 934 pixels but it still has the same problem. The show is 94.8 MB.

[sah]

Sorry, here is the attachment.

[sah]

This has not always been the case. There have been situations where the Preview did run better than the corresponding Exe, see here.

Regards,

Xaver

Well the Preview and Publish are not the same. See my reply. I have just made sure that all my files are from the same source/folder but still no difference.

[PGA]

Looking carefully at your timeline screen grab I would say that slides 2-9 are all coming in between 0.1 and 0.2 seconds too early. I find that, for a Quick change, the slide really does have to come in spot on the beat. I would suggest that you need to position the slides with greater accuracy in order to achieve the result that you seek. Try adding somewhere around 0.1 - 0.15 seconds to slide 1's duration. That should "nudge" everything along a bit. You might then need to find a slide further into the show where you need to take the same amount off its duration in order to bring the rest of the show back to where you want it. Remember, in PTE you have precision down to the millisecond (0.001s). Be prepared to make small changes to get the precision that you seek. Are you aware that you can zoom in to the Timeline? Use Ctrl+F11. You can also zoom out using Ctrl+F12.

[PGA]

...There have been situations where the Preview did run better than the corresponding Exe, see here...

Xaver, that was in association with animation, where PTE has to render several frames every second. Sheila hasn't mentioned animation - yet!

[sah]

Xaver, that was in association with animation, where PTE has to render several frames every second. Sheila hasn't mentioned animation - yet!

This could be the problem, my first slide has animation, text 4 times going from zero opacity to 100% plus a black slide as an animation. Perhaps I should make the same slide 4 times and this could very solve it.

Will try a little later, may not have time today but will do something about it and let you know the result.

[xahu34]

Xaver, that was in association with animation, where PTE has to render several frames every second. Sheila hasn't mentioned animation - yet!

Sorry, that's not the point of my remark. You were talking about identical results (Exe, Preview). I just wanted to say that this may not be true. Not less, not more

Regards,

Xaver

[PGA]

Sheila,

If I have envisaged what you are doing on slide 1 correctly from your description, you can achieve the same effect by alternating your text and black slide and doing: black -> fade to text -> fade to black and repeat. I do not know whether that will make a difference to how PTE uses your computer's resources - but I suspect that it might.