Zoom and Panning for Panoramas

[mikejduk]

Hi all,

as a complete novice with PTE I guess I'm trying to run before I can walk but then that's often the way I find things out. Like how much it hurts when I crash out

Ok, I have a Panorama image that I would like to slowly Zoom in on and pan to the right. However, as I reach certain areas in the image, (It's a Panorama of my home town, I would like to insert and expand in size, images that are related to the area reached in the panorama. In a video editing program I would slice the image precisely at the spot where I wanted it to stop, insert my area related image, then stitch back what was left of my original panorama.

I hope y'all can understand what I mean and there's a few bright sparks out there that can offer me some advice on how to do this.

Regards

mikejduk

[fh1805]

Mike,

Why not build up to your finally desired result in a series of smaller "learning bites"? First, learn how to zoom an image. Then learn how to pan an image. Then learn how to introduce a "picture in picture". Then put all three pieces of knowledge to work and build the sequence that you really want.

To zoom or pan an image you need to be working in the Objects and Animation window. You need to assign two keyframes: one to specify the start conditions and the start time of the effect, the other to specify the end conditions and the end time.

To introduce a "picture within a picture" you need to add an additional image object to your existing image (again working in the O&A window). This additional image object can be animated using the same technique that you used for your main image.

As you seem to want to "play to learn", I'm not giving you step by step instructions - just a pointer as to what to do. If this isn't enough detail, come back with more specific questions about the things that still baffle you.

regards,

Peter

[Lin Evans]

Hi Mike,

Peter's advice is a good way to proceed - but if you need to produce this effect and have time constraints, there are a couple ways you might want to consider depending on how you intend to present this slideshow.

The first consideration is whether this is to be an auto-running show in the video type format, or whether it will be intended to run only on a computer as an executable type. The reason it is important is that there are differences in the way you may want to proceed. I'll try to briefly outline the possibilities.

First, let's consider a slideshow you would present manually for an audience. If you will be sitting at a keyboard where you can control the show, it's very easy to pan your video then "stop" it at some point, click on an area of the panorama which will then elicit a zoomed image of that area, then click on a specific invisible "hotspot" on the zoomed image and continue the pan. This is easily done via the ability of PTE to allow the user to place hidden objects such as "frames" which have no opacity (i.e., invisible) but can be used to direct the show to a different slide or even run an external program, etc. This is a very powerful feature of PTE, but only will work with executable code and only if you are going to "drive" the show.

The second way would be somewhat similar to what you described, but it would not be necessary for you to "cut" and "splice" you pano to achieve the desired result. You simply load the pano multiple times (no penalty in file size for an exe show) and stop the pan and/or zoom at the point where you want to go to the zoomed view. Then simply place the zoomed view slide as the "second" slide. Then place the original pano, zoomed or panned or both to the position you left it on the first slide as the beginning of the third slide. The show would run seamlessly this way and no need to go to an image editor.

There are also alternative ways, but it would help to know more specifics about your intended use of the show - whether you want it to be able to be run on a television (video mode) or you in control on a computer or send the autorunning slideshow to friends, etc. Just a bit more information would help us determine the best way to help you proceed...

Best regards,

Lin

[mikejduk]

Peter and Lin many thanks for your replies.

Just when I think I'ved cracked it another obstacle jumps out on me It's a good job I'm trying this out on my PC and not on my laptop else I'm sure it would be out the window by now! I'm not PC illiterate, I do for instance get by quite happily with software like Adobe Photoshop, CS5, Cyberlink Director etc. However, for some reason, when I import my images into them and I try to zoom in the resolution is lost and they just become blurred. This PTE program just doesn't do things logically. And the fact that control 'Z' doesn't work like it does in most programs doesn't help. Is there a PDF manual I can download somewhere?

My only reasons for trying this program out are, firstly, a few weeks ago we had a slideshow presentation at the camera club I attend and the presenter used PTE. Like all experienced users, I guess, he made it all look tremendously easy; too easy, and the results were excellent. We have an Audio Video competition coming up in the next few weeks and I would really like to use PTE for it. We have to create a 5 minutes video using no more than 10 images. Background music or narration are optional.

I would like to produce it as an Exe program that will run on any PC. One of the new difficulties I encountered was when I entered text. Firstly it wrapped the text into a small space. I found a way of making it run on one line as it was intended to accompany the long Panorama image, but it stayed centred and bunched up on three lines. When it puts a purple frame or box around part of the image how do I get rid of it. You can see the dilemma I'm in.