But Can She Swim

[Don]

I’m new to PTE and have learned much from these forums, the User Guide, the tutorials, related sites, and more than a few late nights of experimentation. I am clearly aware, however, that I am at the very early end of the learning curve, with much to conquer before me. To aid my efforts now, I would like to get some feedback from those far more capable than me. So, I’m posting my first slideshow: “But Can She Swim?” It runs 3 minutes and 53 seconds, prior to the credits (which run another 37 seconds.) It is 19.1 MB.

The images were shot prior to me knowing about PTE or other slideshow software. Accordingly, there is some mixing of portrait and landscape, which I hope is not too objectionable.

I believe that my PTE skills will grow best if I get clear, detailed, critical comments about my work. My skin is thick and my desire to improve is strong. Please provide your comments with this in mind.

In addition to general comments about your reactions to the show, I would also be interested in some specific areas which are listed below:

Did the show display properly on your screen? My image dimensions are 1920 x 1200 pixels. While this fills my monitor perfectly, I do not know how it will display on other monitors, especially those with different dimensions.

Are the images sharp enough? I experimented with varying ways of saving them, trying to balance sharpness against file size.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected?

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? My intent was to enable control from the viewer’s spacebar and arrow keys, as well as through a navigation bar.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer?

Did the Mac version work? I have absolutely no way to know this, as I only have a PC.

I hope you enjoy the show.

For PC: http://www.mediafire.com/?zzyzgjmiily

For Mac: http://www.mediafire.com/?3tnzynzqymo

Don

[jfa]

Don

For a first PTE AV you have done very well indeed. A novel and interesting idea done in a creative way with excellent sound effects/music and images. Well done.

Did the show display properly on your screen? My screen is 1920x1080 and the 1920x1200 AV displayed with a small black area on the left & right of the screen which is to be expected with this screen and AV dimensions. I find this quite acceptable.

Are the images sharp enough? Yes.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected? Yes I believe so. The file size, (zipped and unzipped), will not only be determined by the duration of the AV but also by the effects used in the show. Panning, zooming and other effects will increase the size.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? They all worked fine for me. Some authors indicate these controls are available at the start of the presentation, for anyone not familiar with PTE and its functions this may be a good idea. I did use them on the second viewing.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer? This is one of my hobby horses but in this type of show and the way you presented them I found the orientation of the images OK.

Did the Mac version work? Not a Mac person so cannot answer this. I'm sure others will.

I'm looking forward to viewing more of your work.

[fh1805]

I believe that my PTE skills will grow best if I get clear, detailed, critical comments about my work. My skin is thick and my desire to improve is strong. Please provide your comments with this in mind.

Don,

If you want clear, specific advice it would be a great benefit in future to include the slide number as a displayed comment. We could then identify very precisely which image or group of images our comments applied to. To do this use Project Options...Comments, Insert Template and select Slide number and then Set for Existing Slides.

I'll answer your specific questions next before I go on to my personal opinions.

Did the show display properly on your screen?

My monitor is 1280x1024. Your show filled it across the horizontal, with black bands top and bottom - exactly as I would expect.

Are the images sharp enough?

The only image that showed any visible degradation was the "proud father" - and then only at the very end of the deep zoom in.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show?

That file size is pretty much what I would have expected for a sequence of that duration using images of that size. The EXE file contains images (already compressed as JPEGs) and sound (compressed as MP3s) You will not get any significant additional compression during the zip process. But zipping is necessary because some Internet Service Providers do not allow the downloading of executable code in its native form.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed?

Yes, the viewer control functioned correctly. However, I use the nav bar only for a manually controlled sequence (an illustrated talk). But all my sequences have the manual control feature activated and available in a "hidden" form via the spacebar and arrow keys. That way I can turn the display of the mouse cursor off completely in the automatic sequences and avoid unexpected "pop-ups" from a navigation bar - which I find visually intrusive when it happens.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer?

Not the way you've handled it - by grouping them together and displaying them as picture-in-picture. This is arguably the best technique for mixing the two orientations.

Did the Mac version work?

Don't know -like you I'm a PC person.

Firstly let me say that I think you have done extremely well with this first attempt. Your soundtrack is particularly worthy of commendation. Most folks confine themselves to just one piece of music for their first sequence. You've mixed in some appropriate background sounds and got the mix levels of these versus the music spot-on.

As I'm sure you realise, this kind of "story-telling" sequence really cries out for a voice-over. You already have a draft script of that voice-over in the text on the caption slides. So it would not be a huge amount of extra effort to create the voice-over and mix that in with the existing soundtrack. I feel this sequence would benefit from that re-work. The break-out from image to caption and then back again was, to me, totally disrupting the smooth flow of the story-telling.

Are you heading in the right direction? - Oh, yes!!! And I'm looking forward to seeing either a re-worked version or your next sequence. This has been a cracking good first attempt.

regards,

Peter

[Lmoreels]

Hi,

The show run's fine on my iMAC. I agree with the comments of Peter.

However the dissolve is not flowing on my screen.

All last posted MAC show's ran perfect on my iMAC. Are the images very large?

intel iMAC dual core 2,6 GHz 4 GB ram ATI radeon HD PRO with 256 Mb video.(1680x1050)

Luc M

[trailertrash]

Hi Don and welcome.

That was great. I love the symetry of the images and the fact that you used an outline round them to keep them in bounds.

Others have mentioned the tech side of things so here's my take on it:

Very imaginative story well told. I think tho the text would have been better scrolled along the bottom of the appropiate image rather than take me out of the company.

The captions were imaginative and I do like the font.

Just one techie point.. If you have a border [stroke] round your images it should be the outer limit of any zoom. That is not having the border go off screen as one image did. [this is of-course only my opinion]

All things considered superb. Dont you just love Jack Russell's. I had one for 19 years and he passed away last year.

Andrew

[Lmoreels]

Hi Don,

I restarted my iMAC with Windows Vista( Bootcamp) and this time it ran perfectly and smooth.

Greetings

Luc M

[dpeterso]

I’m new to PTE and have learned much from these forums, the User Guide, the tutorials, related sites, and more than a few late nights of experimentation. I am clearly aware, however, that I am at the very early end of the learning curve, with much to conquer before me. To aid my efforts now, I would like to get some feedback from those far more capable than me. So, I’m posting my first slideshow: “But Can She Swim?” It runs 3 minutes and 53 seconds, prior to the credits (which run another 37 seconds.) It is 19.1 MB.

Welcome to the PTE forum Don.

You have an interesting show, a show that demonstrates some daring regarding techniques. First off, the image quality is very good and the text is easy to read. When dealing with portrait oriented shots, you've employed what seems to be the least disruptive method. However, the blue water background clashed with the vertical images regarding color. A more earth-tone background may have worked better. Regarding the zooming in, it didn't serve any purpose for me. For me, effective zooming (and panning) tells the audience more about the scene or subject. I find that zoom-outs work well for providing a context to a closely cropped picture. Rarely have I seen where a zoom-in provides anything but a distraction.

The story-telling using text was fine, and even inventive, but the cutting back and forth broke the continuity a bit. I don’t know what I would have done here myself. Maybe have the text overlay the image (as earlier suggested) or use audio. You are no stranger to using a mixture of soundtracks, so a voice-over might be just the ticket.

You also did something that I’ve been studying for some time now. You created a video sequence using still pictures. I have this urge to create a video sensation with stills used in a slideshow. When I shoot, I have a slideshow in mind. Then I start thinking of scenes, just like a cinematographer would. A scene is designed to tell some part of the whole story. So the question becomes, what photographs do I take in a particular scene to convey the scene’s message? And then how do I arrange said pictures, the music, the voice-overs, and what tools (zoom, pans, etc) do I use to get my message across. Believe me, it really helps to know what the message is. I’m really a novice at this “scene creating” thing, and when I looked at your show, I could see some of what I’ve been thinking about.

Good job Don, and I look forward to more of your work.

Dave

[fh1805]

Dave,

I've sent you a PM (don't want to hijack Don's topic).

Peter

[Bruss444]

Hello Don, thanks for posting your presentation which I enjoyed very much on the MacPro.

Did the show display properly on your screen? My image dimensions are 1920 x 1200 pixels. While this fills my monitor perfectly, I do not know how it will display on other monitors, especially those with different dimensions.

The show completely filled our 24 inch Cinema Monitor which has a resolution of 1920x1200.

Are the images sharp enough? I experimented with varying ways of saving them, trying to balance sharpness against file size.

I would prefer them to be a little sharper but that is my view only.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected?

It took less than 1 minute to download.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? My intent was to enable control from the viewer’s spacebar and arrow keys, as well as through a navigation bar.

Sorry Don but I didn't really use that feature.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer?

Not at all.

Did the Mac version work? I have absolutely no way to know this, as I only have a PC.

Yes Don, it played perfectly-both video and audio on our new MacPro Quad 2.93 and 24 inch Cinema monitor.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Yes I did, and Don when I was a child we had a dog very similar to you friend and he too was an excellent swimmer. Thanks Bill.

[LumenLux]

Let me guess - are you an engineer by profession? Your presentation certainly seems well planned out and carefully implemented. But it is creative too - so - good all the way around. I smile at how well you have used many features of PTE - a credit to you and Igor.

[Don]

Don

For a first PTE AV you have done very well indeed. A novel and interesting idea done in a creative way with excellent sound effects/music and images. Well done.

Did the show display properly on your screen? My screen is 1920x1080 and the 1920x1200 AV displayed with a small black area on the left & right of the screen which is to be expected with this screen and AV dimensions. I find this quite acceptable.

Are the images sharp enough? Yes.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected? Yes I believe so. The file size, (zipped and unzipped), will not only be determined by the duration of the AV but also by the effects used in the show. Panning, zooming and other effects will increase the size.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? They all worked fine for me. Some authors indicate these controls are available at the start of the presentation, for anyone not familiar with PTE and its functions this may be a good idea. I did use them on the second viewing.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer? This is one of my hobby horses but in this type of show and the way you presented them I found the orientation of the images OK.

Did the Mac version work? Not a Mac person so cannot answer this. I'm sure others will.

I'm looking forward to viewing more of your work.

Hi John,

Thanks for your kind comments.

I am considering changing the pixel dimensions for future shows to 1920 x 1080 due to the issue that you mentioned. My friends and family will more likely be viewing it in that format.

Regarding the “portrait vs landscape” issue, I am going to attempt to try to stay in the landscape orientation for much of my future shooting. I do have some events that I previously shot with a mix, so they will likely appear in future shows. Additionally, if there is a compelling creative reason to use portrait, I will. But, exclusive of these considerations, I think the rule for me should be to shoot in landscape.

I like the idea of putting a notification at the beginning of the show about navigation.

Thanks again.

Don

[Don]

Don,

If you want clear, specific advice it would be a great benefit in future to include the slide number as a displayed comment. We could then identify very precisely which image or group of images our comments applied to. To do this use Project Options...Comments, Insert Template and select Slide number and then Set for Existing Slides.

I'll answer your specific questions next before I go on to my personal opinions.

Did the show display properly on your screen?

My monitor is 1280x1024. Your show filled it across the horizontal, with black bands top and bottom - exactly as I would expect.

Are the images sharp enough?

The only image that showed any visible degradation was the "proud father" - and then only at the very end of the deep zoom in.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show?

That file size is pretty much what I would have expected for a sequence of that duration using images of that size. The EXE file contains images (already compressed as JPEGs) and sound (compressed as MP3s) You will not get any significant additional compression during the zip process. But zipping is necessary because some Internet Service Providers do not allow the downloading of executable code in its native form.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed?

Yes, the viewer control functioned correctly. However, I use the nav bar only for a manually controlled sequence (an illustrated talk). But all my sequences have the manual control feature activated and available in a "hidden" form via the spacebar and arrow keys. That way I can turn the display of the mouse cursor off completely in the automatic sequences and avoid unexpected "pop-ups" from a navigation bar - which I find visually intrusive when it happens.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer?

Not the way you've handled it - by grouping them together and displaying them as picture-in-picture. This is arguably the best technique for mixing the two orientations.

Did the Mac version work?

Don't know -like you I'm a PC person.

Firstly let me say that I think you have done extremely well with this first attempt. Your soundtrack is particularly worthy of commendation. Most folks confine themselves to just one piece of music for their first sequence. You've mixed in some appropriate background sounds and got the mix levels of these versus the music spot-on.

As I'm sure you realise, this kind of "story-telling" sequence really cries out for a voice-over. You already have a draft script of that voice-over in the text on the caption slides. So it would not be a huge amount of extra effort to create the voice-over and mix that in with the existing soundtrack. I feel this sequence would benefit from that re-work. The break-out from image to caption and then back again was, to me, totally disrupting the smooth flow of the story-telling.

Are you heading in the right direction? - Oh, yes!!! And I'm looking forward to seeing either a re-worked version or your next sequence. This has been a cracking good first attempt.

regards,

Peter

Hi Peter,

Thanks for taking the time to provide your reactions to the show.

I was not aware of the ability to number the slides. I followed your suggested steps on a test show and it works quite nicely.

I think I’ll be more careful next time when executing a deep zoom. I’m thinking that the “proud father” image would have benefited from saving the JPEG at 12, which I did not do.

I did not realize the zip requirement of some ISPs. That alone is enough reason for me to zip my files. It only takes a couple of clicks.

Combining your suggestion regarding navigation with that of John (i.e., note the navigation in the beginning of the show), it seems that the best course for me is to enable the spacebar/arrow keys only, thus avoiding the unexpected “pop-ups.”

Your point about the disruption introduced by the captions is one that I had not considered, but can understand. You young guys who grew up with “talkies” seem to have a different tolerance for text on the screen. Just kidding <G>. I’m not quite that old. Actually, I think I’m going to find a microphone and experiment with your suggestion.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement, as well as the suggestions for improvement.

Don

[Don]

Hi,

The show run's fine on my iMAC. I agree with the comments of Peter.

However the dissolve is not flowing on my screen.

All last posted MAC show's ran perfect on my iMAC. Are the images very large?

intel iMAC dual core 2,6 GHz 4 GB ram ATI radeon HD PRO with 256 Mb video.(1680x1050)

Luc M

Hi Luc M,

Thanks for your remarks. Also, thanks for taking the time to see how my show ran via Windows on your iMac. I’m wondering if it ran successfully the second time because you used the Windows operating system or because of the re-boot. At times I find that shows run smoother for me if I reboot, thus clearing out any unwanted elements absorbing RAM.

Don

[Don]

Hi Don and welcome.

That was great. I love the symetry of the images and the fact that you used an outline round them to keep them in bounds.

Others have mentioned the tech side of things so here's my take on it:

Very imaginative story well told. I think tho the text would have been better scrolled along the bottom of the appropiate image rather than take me out of the company.

The captions were imaginative and I do like the font.

Just one techie point.. If you have a border [stroke] round your images it should be the outer limit of any zoom. That is not having the border go off screen as one image did. [this is of-course only my opinion]

All things considered superb. Dont you just love Jack Russell's. I had one for 19 years and he passed away last year.

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

I’m glad you liked the show. Also, thanks for your suggestions.

Sorry to hear about your Jack Russell passing away. As we all know, pets quickly become family members. And after 19 years, it must have taken a toll on you. My view is that people are just not “programmed” to bury their children. Yet when one buries a pet, that is what we are doing.

Don

[Don]

Welcome to the PTE forum Don.

You have an interesting show, a show that demonstrates some daring regarding techniques. First off, the image quality is very good and the text is easy to read. When dealing with portrait oriented shots, you've employed what seems to be the least disruptive method. However, the blue water background clashed with the vertical images regarding color. A more earth-tone background may have worked better. Regarding the zooming in, it didn't serve any purpose for me. For me, effective zooming (and panning) tells the audience more about the scene or subject. I find that zoom-outs work well for providing a context to a closely cropped picture. Rarely have I seen where a zoom-in provides anything but a distraction.

The story-telling using text was fine, and even inventive, but the cutting back and forth broke the continuity a bit. I don’t know what I would have done here myself. Maybe have the text overlay the image (as earlier suggested) or use audio. You are no stranger to using a mixture of soundtracks, so a voice-over might be just the ticket.

You also did something that I’ve been studying for some time now. You created a video sequence using still pictures. I have this urge to create a video sensation with stills used in a slideshow. When I shoot, I have a slideshow in mind. Then I start thinking of scenes, just like a cinematographer would. A scene is designed to tell some part of the whole story. So the question becomes, what photographs do I take in a particular scene to convey the scene’s message? And then how do I arrange said pictures, the music, the voice-overs, and what tools (zoom, pans, etc) do I use to get my message across. Believe me, it really helps to know what the message is. I’m really a novice at this “scene creating” thing, and when I looked at your show, I could see some of what I’ve been thinking about.

Good job Don, and I look forward to more of your work.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your comments. I appreciate the encourage as well as the suggestions for improvement.

I’m clearly getting the sense that I should use only landscape unless there is a compelling reason to resort to portrait. As I mentioned in another response above, I may still use some portraits that I currently have in inventory, but the general rule for me should be landscape

.

I hadn’t considered the color clash of the portrait images against the blue water background. I stayed with that background to keep the visuals simple and consistent. Your point is well taken.

As I mentioned above, I’m going to experiment with voice-over instead of text. I think it might make for a smoother presentation. I’m really not very experienced with mixing soundtracks. I only started that quite recently, along with my PTE experiments. I’ve found Audacity relatively easy to use. They have enough documentation and tutorials for the “non-techies” like me to catch on.

Thanks again for your kind words.

Don

[Don]

Hello Don, thanks for posting your presentation which I enjoyed very much on the MacPro.

Did the show display properly on your screen? My image dimensions are 1920 x 1200 pixels. While this fills my monitor perfectly, I do not know how it will display on other monitors, especially those with different dimensions.

The show completely filled our 24 inch Cinema Monitor which has a resolution of 1920x1200.

Are the images sharp enough? I experimented with varying ways of saving them, trying to balance sharpness against file size.

I would prefer them to be a little sharper but that is my view only.

Does the file size seem reasonable given the length of the show? Also, I was surprised that zipping the file only reduced its size by 2%. Is that to be expected?

It took less than 1 minute to download.

Did my attempt to provide navigation control to the viewer succeed? My intent was to enable control from the viewer’s spacebar and arrow keys, as well as through a navigation bar.

Sorry Don but I didn't really use that feature.

Does the mixing of portrait and landscape orientations jar the viewer?

Not at all.

Did the Mac version work? I have absolutely no way to know this, as I only have a PC.

Yes Don, it played perfectly-both video and audio on our new MacPro Quad 2.93 and 24 inch Cinema monitor.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Yes I did, and Don when I was a child we had a dog very similar to you friend and he too was an excellent swimmer. Thanks Bill.

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your responses. I’m happy that you enjoyed the show.

It’s good to know that my show displayed properly on a Mac.

I can understand your preference for “a little sharper” images. I visited your website following your post here and was quite impressed by the sharpness standards that you hold yourself to. I’ve put on my “to do” list the assignment of creating sharper images. My first step is to use my dreaded tripod, at least some of the time. My second step is to learn more about sharpening in Photoshop. I’m familiar with the unsharp mask, as well as some techniques for luminosity sharpening. But, I believe that there are far more effective methods than I’m using.

Andrew, in an earlier comment, also mentioned having a dog similar to the one in my show. Given that there are at least two dog lovers in the forum, and likely more, I would like to pass along some additional information about the dog in my show.

My daughter and her husband adopted this dog, named “Solly,” from a rescue shelter about 15 months prior to this event. According to their vet’s estimate, she was a little over two years old at the time I shot these images. The best guess is that she is a mix of Basenji and Jack Russell Terrier.

The rescue shelter indicated that Solly had been severely abused. She was under-weight and petrified of just about everything and everybody, except other dogs. The only way to get her out of her crate was to tilt it so that gravity would cause her to fall out. She had all sorts of behavioral issues. The people at the shelter admitted that this is the type of dog that will never get adopted.

My daughter and her husband wanted to take on this challenge. They were confident that they could bring her around. I was hopeful, but concerned that they had gotten themselves into a situation that wouldn’t turn out well. This was the first dog either of them had. Accordingly, their confidence was based more on their desire to save a distressed animal than on experience.

Fortunately, they were right! After receiving much love and training, Solly has made surprising progress. When with people that she knows, she now behaves normally. And, she is gradually learning how to not be quite so fearful when meeting new people. She certainly still has further to go, but it is wonderful to see the progress that she has made. My wife and I love being with her, especially when she is dropped off at our home for week or so of dog-sitting.

Don

[Don]

Let me guess - are you an engineer by profession? Your presentation certainly seems well planned out and carefully implemented. But it is creative too - so - good all the way around. I smile at how well you have used many features of PTE - a credit to you and Igor.

Hi LumenLux,

Thanks! I appreciate the compliment. No, I’m not an engineer. The credit goes to Igor. He has put together a program that even someone with no prior AV experience can operate, provided they view the tutorials, read the manual, etc. I enjoy the challenge. And I like the fact that there are many aspects of PTE that I’m aware exist, but haven’t yet used.

When I was exploring different slideshow software, I had read that PTE’s technical aspects were superior. But what also helped to push me into the PTE camp was the comments I read about the WnSoft Forums. They pointed out that support was there for both beginners and those that are more accomplished. It was also noted that the community was simply a delightful place. I have found these comments to be true.

Don

[KyDan]

Hi Don,

I'm envious. My first attempt was not nearly as slick as yours.

I'll just chime in to agree with some others.

I found the blue water text slides somewhat distracting.

I liked the title slide but on the rest I suggest a text over on the slide itself.

I did this on a few of mine by simply adding the slide twice.

Put text over on the 1st and then fade to the 2nd copy without the text.

It allows the viewer to see what you are talking about while they read.

Purely my opinion.

All in all a very nice show.

I may have to check out some of those sound effect credits you gave at the end!

[Don]

Hi Don,

I'm envious. My first attempt was not nearly as slick as yours.

I'll just chime in to agree with some others.

I found the blue water text slides somewhat distracting.

I liked the title slide but on the rest I suggest a text over on the slide itself.

I did this on a few of mine by simply adding the slide twice.

Put text over on the 1st and then fade to the 2nd copy without the text.

It allows the viewer to see what you are talking about while they read.

Purely my opinion.

All in all a very nice show.

I may have to check out some of those sound effect credits you gave at the end!

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your comments. I value the opinions of those in this forum. I've consolidated them into a "bullet point" list that I'll review as I put my next show together.

Don