Can you place a guideline in the Timeline?

[goddi]

Greetings,

I am now using the Timeline more frequently. First I use the Autospread function to arrange the images equally across the selected music. Then I want to be able to move a selected group of slides. However, when I do a Shift-End to select the slides, the screen shifts to the end of the Timeline and I visually lose the point where I want to shift the group of slides to.

What I would like is to be able to do first is to input a guideline (like in the new Wave Form and Envelop Tool) at the point where I eventually want to shift the selected group of slides to. For example, say I want to move the group of slides to a specific point where a beat of the music is at. Is there anyway to put in a mark or a guideline in the Timeline before I do the Shift-End so I know exactly where I want to come back to???

Thanks... Gary

[fh1805]

Gary,

The selection of a block of slides works just as easily if you select the last slide first (Left click) and then come forward along the timeline and select the first slide in the block last (Shift+Left Click). And now you are positioned where you want to be to drag the entire selection to its new start point.

regards,

Peter

[goddi]

Gary,

The selection of a block of slides works just as easily if you select the last slide first (Left click) and then come forward along the timeline and select the first slide in the block last (Shift+Left Click). And now you are positioned where you want to be to drag the entire selection to its new start point.

regards,

Peter

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Peter...

Ah....I didn't think of doing it backwards!!! Ok, that works to be in a better position to drag the block of slides. However, I still want to be able to preposition a guideline so I know exactly where to drag the group to (for example, the beat the music). I think this would be a good thing for Igor to add. Since he has it for the new Audio customization window, I hope he could add it to the Timeline. How about this idea???

Gary

[Barry Beckham]

Gary

One of my strengths is I am never embarrassed to say I don't understand and I don't understand this thread at all.

Where is the benefit of moving a group of slides to match the beat of music? Surely only one slide can match the beat of the music, so why do you need to move them all.

Can you explain please

[goddi]

Gary

One of my strengths is I am never embarrassed to say I don't understand and I don't understand this thread at all.

Where is the benefit of moving a group of slides to match the beat of music? Surely only one slide can match the beat of the music, so why do you need to move them all.

Can you explain please

==============

Sure. We don't all work the same way so maybe you just have not had a similar problem that I have had. Let's say you have put in a lot of slides that are positioned to appear at the beat of the music or just spaced exactly as you want them. Then you add/delete a slide or even delete a section of the beginning part the the music. Now the group slides that were just right, are now off the beat or just not right. You then want to reposition this group of slides exactly as they are, all at once. If you highlight the first slide and then click on end, all the slides in the group are highlighted but now your view is at the end of the group of slides. You then have to drag the Timeline back to where you were and find the exact spot of the beat you want to drag this group of slides to. If you do anything besides drag them, you lose the highlighted group. So what I am saying is that it would be nice to be able to preposition a guideline at the exact spot you want to move something to, in this case a large group of slides, prior to highlighting the group of the slides.

I had over 100 slides that I wanted to move all at once, without changing their spacing, up to a new point in the Timeline. If I were able to preposition a guideline at that point, it would have been much easier.

I hope this is clear. Maybe there is a way to do this but I have not found it. What would also be nice is to be able to insert a guide line in the Timeline to the beat of the music as it is being played, like New Transition, but nothing would get moved yet. Basically, all I am asking is that Igor put the Guide Line function in the Timeline as he did in the new 'Wave Form and Envelope Tool'. It would be helpful.

Gary

[davegee]

I'll second that Gary.

Not exactly the same thing but...............

A couple of years ago I did a show which was around six minutes long using a fairly upbeat piece of music and every slide was synch'ed to the first beat of of every bar of music. (None of your dreamy stuff here!).

At the time I saw a need for selectively dividing the time interval of a slide (in O&A) into 3, 4, 6 or 8 equal portions so that while the bar of music played images/objects could be accurately dropped in "on the beat" in O&A.

Calculating the length of time for each bar of music is easy peasy and can be set as the Time Interval in Project Options. Having the sub divisions for each slide would allow for the accuracy of the beats.

I made a suggestion along those lines but obviously no one else, at that time, saw the need and it got a very cool response.

I hope your suggestion does better than mine!

DG

[xahu34]

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... I had over 100 slides that I wanted to move all at once, without changing their spacing, up to a new point in the Timeline ...

Did you try the function "Shift Points" (Timed Points menu)? First, determine the exact time you want to shift your 100 slides in seconds and milliseconds. Highlight your 100 slides. Open the Shift Points window, choose the shift direction and enter your shift time.

Regards,

Xaver

[goddi]

Did you try the function "Shift Points" (Timed Points menu)? First, determine the exact time you want to shift your 100 slides in seconds and milliseconds. Highlight your 100 slides. Open the Shift Points window, choose the shift direction and enter your shift time.

Regards,

Xaver

============================

Xaver,

Yes, I see that you can do this and it is a neat feature. However, it is difficult to read the little milliseconds bars and add them up and eyeball the exact position. There is no way to put a marker where you want the shift to go to. I think if we can place a marker (guide line) where we eventually want the shift to go to, it would make this process much easier.

I would like to be able to place a marker (guide line)at the point of a music beat while the music is playing. Then I would be able to just drag the slide or group of slides over to that marker (guide line). Those little milliseconds bars get to be a bit blurry after a while of looking at them and having a marker (guide line) to guide you would be a little bit of help.

Or just being able to put markers on the Timeline as points of reference would be helpful.

Gary

[xahu34]

.... However, it is difficult to read the little milliseconds bars and add them up and eyeball the exact position ...

Gary,

This is not a question of eyeballing, but only of reading numbers and doing a calculation. Instead of your marker, place the cursor at the position you like. In the mini-player you can read its exact position in minutes, seconds, milliseconds; write it on a paper. Then highlight the transition point of first slide of the group you want to shift to the marked position. The white field near to the Timed Points button shows the exact position of the transition point; write it down, as well. The shift time now can be calculated easily.

Regards,

Xaver

[goddi]

Gary,

This is not a question of eyeballing, but only of reading numbers and doing a calculation. Instead of your marker, place the cursor at the position you like. In the mini-player you can read its exact position in minutes, seconds, milliseconds; write it on a paper. Then highlight the transition point of first slide of the group you want to shift to the marked position. The white field near to the Timed Points button shows the exact position of the transition point; write it down, as well. The shift time now can be calculated easily.

Regards,

Xaver

================

Xaver,

Thank you very much for teaching me something that I had not really played around with too much. I tried it again with your directions, and it worked just fine. Yes, this is a good way to shift a slide or groups of slides. However...I would still want to be able to input a guide line as a reference point. So I could do the math as you suggest, or I could just drag the slide over to the reference point (a guide line), with no math involved. I'd prefer the 'guide line + drag' approach. Is this not a reasonable approach???

And to get the correct start time of the slide in the miniplayer, you have to manually drag the solid blue vertical line from the end of the transition to the beginning of the transition. This is why I suggested to put a small icon at the bottom of this solid blue vertical line so all you need is a click and it is accurately positioned onto the slide to the correct millisecond. Yes, you can also click on the dashed vertical blue line that on the slide but you might be off a millisecond. It would be easier to have a bit larger target to click on.

So we would be able to choose to do the math, or drag.

Gary

[xahu34]

... I'd prefer the 'guide line + drag' approach. Is this not a reasonable approach??? ...

Gary,

I do not begrudge anybody a particular feature that he/she likes. What I do not know is, how many programming effort your feature will require, and I do not know how many people will use it on and off. Overloading the user interface with features will not raise its stability. On the other hand, if WnSoft will provide your feature, then I will be glad to see you happy . I only wanted to show that there already exists a reasonable workaround.

Best regards,

Xaver

[goddi]

Gary,

I do not begrudge anybody a particular feature that he/she likes. What I do not know is, how many programming effort your feature will require, and I do not know how many people will use it on and off. Overloading the user interface with features will not raise its stability. On the other hand, if WnSoft will provide your feature, then I will be glad to see you happy . I only wanted to show that there already exists a reasonable workaround.

Best regards,

Xaver

================

Xaver...

Programming is something I know nothing about. I marvel at what these guys do. They program in things I didn't know I actually wanted! However, a good program, to me, has to be intuitive and easy to use. I love PTE, though it is not as intuitive as it could be. The two features I would like are really already there. Igor already has the guide line feature in the new audio feature. And clicking on the vertical line is already there. All I am asking is to make it easier to click on it by putting in a little icon to click on.

Well, thanks for the discussion and teaching me a new trick.

Gary

[nobeefstu]

Gary,

If you do anything besides drag them, you lose the highlighted group.

Just a helpful hint ... PTE also allows use of some of your Keyboard Keys (PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN) to aid you in scrolling the Timeline/Waveform and still keeps your selections highlighted. If your Mouse has a scroll wheel ... it too can scroll the Timeline/Waveform.

[goddi]

Gary,

Just a helpful hint ... PTE also allows use of some of your Keyboard Keys (PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN) to aid you in scrolling the Timeline/Waveform and still keeps your selections highlighted. If your Mouse has a scroll wheel ... it too can scroll the Timeline/Waveform.

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nobeefstu...

Wow...I learn something every day!!!! There are so many 'hidden' things in PTE. I am starting to use the Timeline more now so this will come in handy.

Super thanks... Gary