Inserting drawing objects

[grahamiwa]

Hi I am new to this forum and P to exe

I have created some slide shows but would like to be able to put drawing obkects like speech baloons into some of the slides

Can anyone help?

Graham

[nobeefstu]

Welcome, Graham

This can be done. ____________________________________________

First though ... you must create/edit your image objects (ballons) in some paint program (Ms Paint, PS, PSP etc) ... PTE does not create them for you.

During the creation of your image object ... give it a solid color background.

Save image as jpg,bmp, or gif.

Using/Inserting into PTE: _______________________________________

Insert this new image object ( your balloon) using the Object Editor button on your selected slide.

Now insert your image object using the Picture button ( in top left of interface)

Once you place this new image object where you desire on the screen ... right click the image to set the properties. Set properties of the image's background color to transparent.

Now you have just the shape of your balloon visible.

Add text to your balloon using the Text button in the Object Editor

Good to go !

[think(box)]

Stu, Graham --- I would like to add this consideration: It may be necessary to put the text within the bubble first from within the photo app, instead of adding it in the object editor. Then the entire graphic and text will scale together as anyone's screen area setting goes, although it will grow or shrink relative to physical monitor screen dimensions. The text will stay within the bubble this way.

Graham --- Igor plans to add support for object (and text???) scaling with next release --- by around year-end if history repeats on release dates. With that support they will not change appearance at different screen area settings. For now objects and text maintain their pixel dimensions, such that for a given object size when compared to physical screen dimensions at 800x600 pixels screen area setting, it has one-half of that relative size at 1600x1200 pixels setting (for example). So if your slideshow will for sure always be viewed at a consistent setting, matching the one that you use within PTE's visual object editor during design, then there is no problem adding text in PTE's visual object editor.

One other helpful fact: The objects have a placement "origin" or 0,0 coordinate that is somewhere near their lower left corner (not exactly at the lower left corner). So when you place them think of it as the object origin is being placed at the indicated percentages, x and y on screen. If screen area is changed during different playings of the slideshow the apparent size change of objects and text will make their spacing and position appear different. You can simulate this by using PTE's screen area setting in the visual object editor. This way you can see what things look like in advance of playing back the slideshow at different screen settings.

And don't forget that you can "nudge" the position of selected or group-selected objects in visual object editor by using left and right keyboard arrow keys. This allows precise pixel placement.

[nobeefstu]

I guess I should have mentioned after entering the Text Object :

Select both your new image object and the new text object and right click your mouse.

Select Group. Grouping objects together will maintain their relative position to each other. This way your balloon image and text will be consistant on various screen sizes encountered.

However, Grouping does not maintain screen position relative to your slide when various screen sizes are encountered. To maintain correct postioning of all objects in all screen sizes encountered ... you must make a windowed mode show ... or create a single image containing all your objects and slide.

As Bill mentions ... new features are on the way to resolve this postioning issue when viewed on various screen sizes using full screen mode.