PicturesToExe Deluxe 6.5 Beta 15

[dpletts]

Hi,

What does the following mean?

When you use "Synchronize music and slides" option, you cannot use personal playlists of slides

I have been trying to put music on 2 tracks.

If I turn off "Synchronize..." option I get no sound at all in Preview nor when I create the .exe file. However, I get sound when playing the slide show in the Preview Window on the main screen.

Cheers,

David P

[Guest Yachtsman1]

When the first PTE "sound editing" version came available, I didn't download it a) because I'm an Audacity user, and because I could forsee there would be a long learning curve before PTE could come anywhere near Audacitie's features, maybe this is why others haven't thrown their hats into the ring. I read all the posts on this thread and IMHO PTE's sound editing looks more involved than Audacity

Yachtsman1.

PS the smiley in the middle of the text is a PTE anomoly reported some time ago where if you use a lower cas a followed by a bracket, you get the smiley, not what it should be.

[JEB]

yachtsman1,

It is possible you (and others) are missing the point.

It is my understanding that PTE's new audio facility has NOT been designed to replace Audacity.

I understand that the features being provided are simply to give us greater control over the synchronization between audio and images than is possible using the likes of Audacity remotely. Audacity should be regarded as another great preparation tool in much the same way as Photoshop is for images. Clearly, there is, and no doubt increasingly over time there will be more overlaps. I don't think it has ever been claimed that this would be a "sound editing" version. Audacity will always be the tool for that as is Photoshop for images.

I certainly have found that using PTE's new facility has given me much better control than I could achieve working with two programs (PTE/Audacity) independently.

Neither must we lose site of the fact that we are still working with a Beta version and if I am not mistaken Igor has also indicated that there will be further more sophisticated developments with the next issue (6.6 or whatever).

Regards

John

[davegee]

I agree John,

Being an AUDITION and SOUNDBOOTH user I find Audacity to be a little on the BASIC side.

However, although having been sceptical about the introduction of this feature into PTE, I am happy to join in with its development.

Being inquisitive about its features and how it fits in is natural to some. Also when asked a question about it being able to understand the question helps.

DG

[Guest Yachtsman1]

John

I know this is a Beta version, but would it not have been better to issue it to a selection of "Super" users rather than let whoever might stray onto the forum, having just bought the software download it and wonder what the heck is going on? As an example, how many versions of Audacity have been produced since you started using it?

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1.

[dpletts]

I am also an Audacity user, but I can see (hope) that the audio arranging features of P2E could be a useful alternative to Audacity when undertaking audio arranging work without having to swap programs. Already simple arranging (provided one keeps to just 1 track) with not too many different files to work with is easily accomplished, but a lot more work needs doing to this part of the program, which, of course, we have been promised.

One example of what I think is needed (just a personal opinion, and it may not be right):

I am told, and provided I didn't misunderstand, that it will never be possible to repeat a sound track with crossfading by clicking on Repeat music after playing in Project Options/Music thus making the whole track seamless. The work-around is to add in all the same files again and set the crossfading time again. Anyway, even this won't work if you choose Repeat show until ESC is pressed in Project Options/Main which is a pity. This is something which Audacity can't help with.

My vision would be to use audio in P2E as a sophisticated audio clip arranging tool dedicated to easily adding audio files with accurate timing. The basics are there and I believe that the programmer(s) can and will improve on this.

David P

[davegee]

The question I am being asked at the moment is:

"Will it be possible to lower the volume in the middle of a background track (and raise it again) when a spoken comment is required".

This is easy in Audacity, Audition, Soundbooth etc but I can envisage that it would be even easier if PTE would do it (and perhaps more flexible).

DG

[Igor]

PicturesToExe Deluxe 6.5 Beta 7 is available

Download link:

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/picturestoexe-beta.zip (7 MB)

Changes in this beta:

+ Added video output for iPad and iPhone 4.

* Fixed bug (Beta 1-6) with zero length of WMA/OGG audio files as sound comments in projects created with previous versions of PicturesToExe.

* Fixed bug (v6.0-v6.5 Beta 6) with an incorrect view of a text object which contains some symbols in specific fonts.

* Fixed bug (Beta 5-6) with incorrect work of waveform of the timeline if a project has an option "Play songs in random order".

* Fixed bug (Beta 1-6) when sound comment disappears if open Slide properties window and then click OK button.

* Fixed minor bug (Beta 1-6) with "Set defaults" button in Slide properties window. It didn't clear personal music playlist.

* Fixed two visual bugs (Beta 1-6) in Project options window, Music tab and in the main window (in some languages).

* Fixed bug (Beta 1-6) with incorrect calculation of audio clip duration in Project options | Music tab.

[dpletts]

Thanks, Igor.

Regards,

David P

[aplman]

The question I am being asked at the moment is:

"Will it be possible to lower the volume in the middle of a background track (and raise it again) when a spoken comment is required".

This is easy in Audacity, Audition, Soundbooth etc but I can envisage that it would be even easier if PTE would do it (and perhaps more flexible).

DG

This is an excellent example of something that only PTE can provide. It is the feature that I am waiting most anxiously for.

It's not about altering a sound file - that's a job for Audacity. But it is about how the sound files interact in a PTE show. A voice comment is attached to a particular slide; background music is not. Only PTE can determine which passage of background music needs to be lowered in volume, because that changes whenever:

(1) the slide is moved within the slide list;

(2) a prior slide is removed or added; or

(3) any change is made to the duration of a prior slide or transition.

I appreciate what Igor and his team are giving us - it's marvellous! I shall be delighted when this promised feature is available. Thank you Igor!

Ken T (APLman)

[Barry Beckham]

Yachtsman

I am an Audacity user too, but it hasn't stopped me from taking to the PTE sound editing. I would suggest that for every 100 slide shows made, perhaps one needs the facility to fade music in strategic places.

Already, making demos and the more conventional slide shows is easier and quicker to complete using PTE sound. Especially the adding of silence at the start of a track. You really should try it and not worry about those who have troubles with it. It really is quite easy once you spend a few minutes with it.

JEB

I see this much the same as you, but in time perhaps we can see the same facilities we now have in Audacity. Especially if Igor's intentions is to add all the sound editing to the time line. Perhaps we will have a Slide List, a Time Line and a Soundtrack switchable in much the same position as the time line is now.

One thought that came to me a couple of days ago is this. Currently we can effectively chop off a section at the front of the music or the end and fade it in/out.

We can use the offset to effectively place silence at the start of our music. (probably the most useful of all)

We can mix two or more pieces of music using crossfade and we can lower the volume of the entire track, another great option in my view when you need some music, but when it is not essential to the plot. Just background.

Until PTE is able to allow us to reduce volume in strategic areas of our soundtrack, I wondered how possible it would be to have a facility that would allow us to export our sound track out of PTE. You can see the reasons. Imagine you are almost finished making a slide show and then get the idea for a little commentary or sound effects to be added to your sound track. You would effectively have to start from scratch in Audacity to achieve that. If we could export the PTE sound track out as one Mp3 we could use an external editor for the jobs PTE cannot do yet.

The Time Line

Has anyone else had these thoughts when working in the time line. I often find that I want to be able to see the next slide before I hit the new transition button to add it to the time line. Especially important when using PTE as a medium for tutorials I find. I need a reminder to help my decision making on where it is placed on the time line.

[JEB]

Just a thought Barry,

Do you think one of these utilities that can strip audio out of a video file would do what you are suggesting?

John

[Barry Beckham]

I have used Audition to do that in the past and just tried it on a PTE exe file. Nothing happens and it seems to be only looking for just a video file.

I suppose if you converted your slide show to a video first it may then work, but I think to be a practical thing it needs to be simpler than that.

[davegee]

I think that the approach I would like to see is a direct parallel to the Timeline for slides.

At any point on the waveform I would envisage the ability to add a Keyframe which would then give access to all associated parameters for the sound in a given track.

The parameters would be Volume (obviously), Effects (Reverb would be nice) etc.

Two Keyframes would allow for a Fade-In or Fade-Out, increase or decrease in the amount of any effect available etc.

However, being able to see ALL waveforms and their respective keyframes would be quite a challenge. (Being able to see all keyframes in all images in a slide at the same time must be a challenge or we would surely have had that facility by now?).

Any other approaches out there?

DG

[uuderzo]

I'd love to see an Adobe Premiere like approach.

Slides timeline as usual, and tracks timelines under, with the ability to hide all tracks or to visually collapse on a single waveform.

Obviously, the audio "editing" is enabled only when all tracks are expanded and the collapsed mode is only to gain screen estate.

With audio editing i mean, more or less, what we already have now (only visual) plus volume enveloping.

I know this is really a challenge, but IMO it's the most versatile solution. Should be ok for users that want to keep audio editing in Audacity (just add a single track with single audio file) and for users that want to perform audio fades directly in PTE.

Greetings! Umberto

[thedom]

Hi,

I have an error message when running an exe.

Each time I run the exe, the error happens at the beginning of the 4th slide.

I started the project with v6.5 beta 5.

But the same problem occurs with v6.5 beta 7.

The problem doesn't happen when I watch the project in Preview mode.

[denwell]

I can confirm this error - I get the same message on your excellent typewriter animation download.

[dpletts]

Don't try this:

Project Options/Music/Customize

Click on Crossfading then try to change the Offset time or vice-versa. After clicking [OK] in the resulting message, cancel and start again.

Cheers,

David P

[Guest Yachtsman1]

To all users of the new PTE sound feature.

It would be helpful if those of you who are using the new feature would post a few screen shots of it's operation and what to expect., then those of us who are dithering may be persuaded to have a go.

Yachtsman1

[davegee]

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11969

DG

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Saw that last week, it was screen shots I was asking for.

Yachtsman1.

[fh1805]

Igor,

Whilst trying to set up some screenshots for yachtsman1 I found a bug in the Project Options|Music tab. The up/down arrow buttons on the scroll bar do not function - but the scroll bar does: it can be dragged up and down. Also, if you click in the space between the scroll bar and the up/down button there is hardly any movement of the track list display.

I'm also baffled as to why the two tracks appear a total of four times. I have set up each track once and once only. I'm fairly sure that PTE itself has, at some point, duplicated these items. I cannot prove that this was the case and so will keep a close eye open for any repeat of that behaviour.

Eric,

The screen grab shows 8 Tracks with the first item in Track 1 opened in the Customized window. This item has had its duration set to 1m50s (i.e. stop playing before it gets to its end. It has also had an 8s fade out applied to the last eight seconds of that duration and had its volume reduced to 50% throughout its whole duration. Clicking the Offset radio button and supplying a time there would delay the start of the item until the offset duration had elapsed. Note that you cannot offset and crossfade the same item. I haven't explored Start Time so don't know how its behaviour differs from Offset.

All items in a given Track run one after the other. The Tracks run in parallel with each other - just like Audacity tracks do unless you apply a time shift. By the way, at present I do not use these new audio features to assemble the final soundtrack - but I do use them to try out pieces of music and fade effects.

regards,

Peter

P.S. Although the screenshot shows beta 6, I have confirmed that beta 7 is just the same.

[davegee]

Peter,

Re Start Time.

If you add a piece of music of X minutes length and use a Start Time of 10 Seconds with a fade in of 5 Seconds the Track will ignore the first 10 seconds of the MP3 and start to fade in 10 seconds into the music.

0 seconds on PTE Track = 10 seconds in on music track.

DG

[fh1805]

Dave,

So that's what it does. Thanks!

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Hi Peter

Thans for the SS, however, I think I will hang on a bit longer before giving it a try. My medical problems trundle on, going for an MRI at James Cook Friday, 6pm of all times I've also picked up a severe chest infection so my patience level is at a very low ebb. Keep up the good work, from my observation it's "a long and winding road".

Regards Eric

Yachtsman1