Auto Spread Slides

[jkb]

The Project Option 'Auto Spread slides along Music' is not something I would normally use. However needing to make a short demonstration sequence to explain how a beginner may want to use this I ticked the box.

All it seemed to do was put a message on the Timeline & grey out the timeline so you couldn't move the times manually.

So I used the 'Timed Points/arrange all points' option to spread the slides evenly along the Timeline.

This then spreads the slides & everything looks & works as you would expect.

However a beginner is unlikely to find this option as they may not venture into the Timeline view.

Having now played around a bit more with Auto Spread I see that if you publish the exe, or preview full screen, then the auto spread does in fact do just that.

What is confusing, to myself an experienced user of PTE, so will certainly be to a beginner, is that in the main window the overall time shown is the length of the slides & not the length of the music.

Also playing in the main window it plays to the timing of the slides & cuts the music off abruptly at the end of the last slide.

Would it be possible, if 'Auto Spread' is selected to amend the overall time shown in the main window to be the length of the music rather than the slides. Along with a message to say 'Auto Spread - Time changed to music length' & for the main window to play as the full preview/exe do.

It really is confusing when a sequence plays differently in the main window & Preview.

Although far from creating an ideal sequence, the Auto Spread option is useful for a beginner & allows them to make something quickly when first starting. That way they can feel they have achieved something without too much effort & will hopefully go on to explore the full potential of PTE & not give up at the first hurdle.

Jill

[fh1805]

Jill,

I agree with you. From the point of view of a beginner it would be far better if "Auto spread slides along music" did what "Timed Points | Arrange all Points" actually does.

Peter

[RobertAlbright]

I agree entirely with Jill's comment.

Experienced users know how to work around this but as she says:'Although far from creating an ideal sequence, the Auto Spread option is useful for a beginner & allows them to make something quickly when first starting. That way they can feel they have achieved something without too much effort & will hopefully go on to explore the full potential of PTE & not give up at the first hurdle.'

I have, like her, only used this feature when demonstrating PTE at camera clubs - but this is how many beginners start, so the description 'Auto Spread slides along Music' needs to do what it implies.

[goddi]

The Project Option 'Auto Spread slides along Music' is not something I would normally use. However needing to make a short demonstration sequence to explain how a beginner may want to use this I ticked the box.

All it seemed to do was put a message on the Timeline & grey out the timeline so you couldn't move the times manually.

So I used the 'Timed Points/arrange all points' option to spread the slides evenly along the Timeline.

This then spreads the slides & everything looks & works as you would expect.

However a beginner is unlikely to find this option as they may not venture into the Timeline view....

Jill

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

Jill,

I brought this topic up back in '08 when I mostly used Autospread because the Timeline was a bit scary at first. To have to go to Arrange All Points to actually show it it the Timeline did not make much sense to me then, and it still does not. I was a beginner then and it confused me a bit. Now, I am more into using the Timeline. But, if I remember right, even though you choose Autospread and then Arrange All Points, and the Timeline goes 'greyed-out', you can still adjust the display times of individual slides along the Timeline. My posting in '08 didn't get much attention then. Seems there is more agreement with your posting now.

I tend to use the Timeline function now. I can use the Autospread/Arrange All Points just to get them spread out for the start of the processing with some music thrown in, and then I switch to Timeline for the serious processing.

But I agree that beginners would not necessarily find that ticking Arrange All Points after choosing Autospread is intuitive. I certainly did not. But once you learn the quirks, one just accepts it. Learning curve...

http://www.picturest...h__1#entry57219

Gary