Project Option > Main Tab

[Barry Beckham]

In the Project Option > Main Tab >there is a tick box that says Autospread slides along music, but I can't get it to do anything. Iexpected Auto spread slides along music to take my 60 images and my 3minute music track and spread the slides evenly through the length ofthe music. Or, if there was a need, spread 4 images evenly through a10 minute music track, but it doesn't appear to do that, or if it does I can't seem to find out how.

We CAN auto spread slides along the music,but we have to do it via the time line, selecting all the images andgoing to the Timed Points button. Then we can choose Arrange allPoints.

I must be missing the obvious here and perhaps someone can assist me, but I cannot see any use for the Project Option > Main Tab Autospread slides along music option. Does anyone use it and for what purpose please?

[fh1805]

Barry,

Having ticked that box, did you then run a Preview? The option is applied "dynamically" when running a Preview or when Publishing. It doesn't seem to do anything if you only view in the mini-viewer. If you select the Timeline tab before ticking the box, you will see the warning that the option is in effect displayed across the top of the waveform area.

Peter

[Barry Beckham]

Peter

Thank you for enlightening me, but how confusing is that?

I expected to see the images spread along the time line.

[xahu34]

Main Window > Timed Points > Arrange All Points.

I have never used this feature

Regards,

Xaver

[fh1805]

I agree, it is very confusing. I expected it to do what the Timed Points > Arrange all points does.

I've just done a bit more experimentation. Within the PTE project file, use of this option does not destroy the "manual" synchronisation data. You and I, and many others, build our sequences manually (setting each slide's start point to match the soundtrack content). Having built the sequence in that manner and then saved it, it is then possible to apply the Autospread (why anyone would want to eludes me) and save the sequence again - over-writing the previous file if so desired. One can then open that version of the sequence into PTE and remove the Autospread setting and, lo and behold, all the manual synchronisation values are re-instated. Again, why anyone would want to do that sort of thing baffles me. But that seems to be how it works and what it does. As for why? - who knows?

regards,

Peter

[xahu34]

There may me people who just arrange their images in the said way, which normally ends up with a poor synchronization. But if you do it, and if you then change the background music, the function "Arrange All Points" seems to be useful.

Regards,

Xaver

[Guest Yachtsman1]

IMO this feature is a throw back to pre sound manipulation where someone had a piece of music & a number of slides and wanted the show to finish when the music ended.

Yachtsman1.

[Barry Beckham]

Xaver

Sometimes to be able to make a very quick automatic show has its appeal. After all PTE is not only used to carefully sync images to music in a traditional AV. I have a slide show playing in a local printers and framers for customers to view images, so this option is perfect for that.

I am not the most intuative person and I miss the abvious sometimes, but you have to ask the question :- If an experienced user of PTE cannot make head nor tail of an option it needs some changes made to make it better to understand.

[goddi]

In the Project Option > Main Tab >there is a tick box that says Autospread slides along music, but I can't get it to do anything. I expected Auto spread slides along music to take my 60 images and my 3minute music track and spread the slides evenly through the length of the music. Or, if there was a need, spread 4 images evenly through a10 minute music track, but it doesn't appear to do that, or if it does I can't seem to find out how.

We CAN auto spread slides along the music,but we have to do it via the time line, selecting all the images and going to the Timed Points button. Then we can choose Arrange allPoints.

I must be missing the obvious here and perhaps someone can assist me, but I cannot see any use for the Project Option > Main Tab Autospread slides along music option. Does anyone use it and for what purpose please?

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

Barry,

I brought this subject up back in July 2010, and got no responses. When I started using PTE, the ability to Autospread the slides over a music selection(s) was what got my attention. No other program did this at that time that I could find. But it seemed a bit quirky since you had to, after selecting Autospread, then go into Timed Points/Arrange All Points to make it actually work. Now I am using the Timeline more, but I appreciate both functions, but as it seems, the Autospread is a bit tricky.

http://www.picturest...h__1#entry77713

Gary

P.S. I notice that I also brought up this issue back in November 2008:

[goddi]

In the Project Option > Main Tab >there is a tick box that says Autospread slides along music, but I can't get it to do anything. Iexpected Auto spread slides along music to take my 60 images and my 3minute music track and spread the slides evenly through the length ofthe music. Or, if there was a need, spread 4 images evenly through a10 minute music track, but it doesn't appear to do that, or if it does I can't seem to find out how.

We CAN auto spread slides along the music,but we have to do it via the time line, selecting all the images andgoing to the Timed Points button. Then we can choose Arrange allPoints.

I must be missing the obvious here and perhaps someone can assist me, but I cannot see any use for the Project Option > Main Tab Autospread slides along music option. Does anyone use it and for what purpose please?

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

Barry,

I just discovered something. After reading these posts, I went back and started to play around with the Autospread function. It seems that there has been a change to this function or I did not understand fully how it worked in the past.

Now, whether the Autospread is ticked or not ticked in Project Options/Main tab, you can autospread all or selected groups of slides. If you select Timed Points/Arrange All Points, all of the slides get spread evenly over the music(s) selections. If you highlight a group of slides, and then select Timed Points/Arrange Selected Points, only the highlighted slides are spread over their own time lengths--the other slides are not affected and the ending slide ends at the original ending point. I did this with the Autospread being ticked and unticked and it did not make a difference. Perhaps this is what you were pointing at in your original post.

So it seems that the Autospread function in Project Options/Main tab should have a note for the user to then go into Timed Points to actually make it happen. Seems like the only thing ticking the Autospread does is to grey-out the Timeline (?).

Gary

[fh1805]

Gary,

Read my post at #5. One "feature" of the Autospread option is to leave all the manually coded synchronization values intact whilst allowing the user to do a simple "even spread" of the slides. At any future point in time, the user can then "untick" Autospread, and all their carefully planned and coded manual synchronization will magically re-appear! Autospread seems to function like a "temporary Timed Points/Arrange all points" that can be saved and then, at a later date, can be removed to reveal the original timing pattern. As I indicated in my dialogue with Barry above: why anyone would want that feature, I do not know? But it's there!

Peter

[goddi]

Gary,

Read my post at #5. One "feature" of the Autospread option is to leave all the manually coded synchronization values intact whilst allowing the user to do a simple "even spread" of the slides. At any future point in time, the user can then "untick" Autospread, and all their carefully planned and coded manual synchronization will magically re-appear! Autospread seems to function like a "temporary Timed Points/Arrange all points" that can be saved and then, at a later date, can be removed to reveal the original timing pattern. As I indicated in my dialogue with Barry above: why anyone would want that feature, I do not know? But it's there!

Peter

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

Peter,

Apparently, I am not seeing what you are seeing. When I tick the Autospread, the Timeline gets grey-out, and nothing else happens. After highlighting a string of manually coded synchronized slides, I have to select the Time Points/Arrange Selected Points to get PTE to autospread them amongst their section in the Timeline (not affecting any other slides). If I understand what you are saying, I should be able to untick the Autospread feature and all the formally manually coded synchronized sides that I just Autospreaded will revert back to where they were? I don't see that happening.

That does not happen to me. As I mentioned before, it seems the only thing the Autospread does when ticked is to grey-out the Timeline.

What am I missing? When I first started to use PTE, I used Autospread for every show because I did not want to deal with the Timeline. I never was able to Un-Autospread them even if I had first manually adjusted any of the slides before I did the Autospread.

Are you saying that by only ticking the Autospread feature (and nothing else) that something happens (besides greying-out the Timeline)?

Gary

[Barry Beckham]

I think my knowledge of PTE was the cause of me not understanding the auto spread of images. I expected to see the same thing as you would if you used the times points method which is what I have used for years. That is the images all spread evenly along the time line

Perhaps a newer user of would take the label at face value and not have any issues because they would not know about the other method.

Gary, you have to ignor what your seeing and play the show, that was Peters first explanation which is right. The show will spread the slides along the time line, it just doesn't display them that way.

It works a treat, but hard to fathom

[goddi]

I think my knowledge of PTE was the cause of me not understanding the auto spread of images. I expected to see the same thing as you would if you used the times points method which is what I have used for years. That is the images all spread evenly along the time line

Perhaps a newer user of would take the label at face value and not have any issues because they would not know about the other method.

Gary, you have to ignor what your seeing and play the show, that was Peters first explanation which is right. The show will spread the slides along the time line, it just doesn't display them that way.

It works a treat, but hard to fathom

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

Barry,

Yes, it is coming back to me now. I remember when I started using the Autospread that I 'complained' that the Timeline did not display the actual spreading of the slides. I now understand what Peter was saying. I have transitioned to using the Timeline more now and I forgot all the problems that I had when I was trying to understand how the Autospread function worked. Funny how you forget things that you think you will never forget.

Thanks for reminding me...

Gary

[fh1805]

Are you saying that by only ticking the Autospread feature (and nothing else) that something happens (besides greying-out the Timeline)?

Gary,

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying!

After setting up a sequence manually, save it. Then re-open that sequence. Tick "Auto spread". True, the only "apparent" change is that the Timeline is grayed out. Now Preview that sequence. The slides have been "Auto spread". Now save that sequence (to protect your original masterpiece, do a Save As and give it a new name). Now close and re-open PTE and open the sequence you just saved. Preview it and the slides will still be "Auto spread". Untick "Auto spread" and Preview again, and the original manual timings will be back!

As I wrote in that earlier post, "Auto spread" seems to behave as a "temporary Timed Points/Arrange All Points" that can be undone at any future point in time. Use "Auto spread" on its own and you can revert back to the previous manually set synchronization. Apply Timed Points/Arrange All Points, and you completely destroy all record of the previous manually set synchronization. By the way, you do not need to use both; just use which ever is appropriate - Auto spread for a temporary change or Timed Points for a permanent change.

Hope that makes things clearer for you.

Peter