PicturesToExe v4.20 beta #8

[Igor]

PicturesToExe v4.20 beta #8 is released

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1,4 Mb)

What's new in beta #8:

• Vastly improved quality of smoothing line in all effects. For existed projects also please increase thickness from old 40 to 60 points. In all effects such as "Hour hand", "Circle", "Rectangle", "Page", "Gates" this line looks very smooth and on large values of thickness it may give amazing smoothness of transition. Earlier you can observe a viewable borders of this smoothing line especially on contrasting slides.

• Small optimization for Mosaic effect.

• Updated language files.

[denwell]

Congratulation Igor!!

P2E goes from strength to strength.

Den

(NEast UK)

[JRR]

Thanks Igor !!!!

You continue to amaze us all

[Igor]

This improvement is exceptionally work of my friend - Aleksey. He've created optimal and quick algorithms for this effect.

I'm glad that it possible now.

Please try to create new slide-show.

Add several pictures, turn on "Show first transition effect from desktop" option (Screen tab), then select "Circle" (from center) effect only for the first slide with 7000 ms. duration and 400 points of thickness of the smoothing line. Now run produced .exe file!

[cici]

BRAVISSIMO, Igor !

Igor,

I express all my enthusiasm and my congratulations for your last improvements about fade transitions!

My show: 257 pictures 250 – 300 kb , sometimes even more ( one 680 Kb picture just following a 480 Kb one, because I…forgot to compress)

Almost 3’’ fade transitions

Resolution 1024 x 768

My computer is not a so fast one: Win 98 SE Pentium III 128 Mb Ram 500Mhz

ALL FADE TRANSITIONS ARE P E R F E C T

Improvement about Push transition is visible too, but they still need long times.

IMHO anyway I think that is important to go on all requested improvements about this transitions: coupled to Transparent Gifs we can do very, very interesting things

[cici]

and of course, bravissmo and thank you to Aleksey too

[Bubba]

Igor,

It works great! Very nice effect for the first slide. (Actually the second slide because I put a blank 1 pixel black slide first).

Thank you and keep up the great work!!

Bubba

[alrobin]

Thanks, Igor and Aleksey! It just keeps getting better!

[LumenLux]

Uh Oh, this won't be a popular report. But unexpected results is why Igor can find us useful - right?

My present playing and testing Beta#8 is revealing NOT so smooth fades as same show in Beta7!

I used Beta8 to open an existing project (.pte) file. Per Igor's suggestion, I changed thickness from 40 to 60 points.

The project has 199 slides, each less than 200kb. Mp3 files (4) for show length 13:47. Show has random transitions except first 4 slides and last 7 slides, which are 2500ms fades.

Beta 8 shows unpleasant flickering. I saved .pte in Beta8, then closed Beta8. Opened Beta7 and then opened the same .pte project. The show is much smoother (no flicker) in Beta#7. The result is the same whether I am running Preview or actually running the Create as .exe file.

Does this make sense Igor? Anyone else observed similar?

[Michel]

Hello,

in your picture, you have "informations": certains have a little, other more.

The little "flickering" appears in a picture with many "informations" but with a thickness over 200 on my computer.

In a picture with less informations, one can use a thickness to 500 with no problem.

But, perhaps also, this come from your computer's configuration ?

[Igor]

LumenLux,

Not a problem! In the last resort, I'll return ability to use previous variant of code.

As I've understood you have a difficulty not with effect with smoothing line, but only with "Fade" effect? So probably you forgotten to enable opt_FastFade=1 option in apr.ini file in the new beta #8 as you did earlier in beta #7?

I just checked up speed of Fade effect in beta #7 and beta #8. And beta #8 has on additional 9% more smooth Fade effect under Windows 98.

If flickering comes (not with Fade effect), but with "Circle", "Hour hand", "Page", "Gates" effects. Will the flickering disappears if you set back from 60 to 40 thickness of smoothing line?

[Michel]

opt_FastFade=1

I don't understand why this option is not included in the 4.20b8 apr.ini ?

Why we must add manually ?

[Igor]

Michel, if you install newer version over older, then this option will remain. But if you will install PTE into new folder you need to add opt_FastFade=1 manually.

(As I said earlier I'll include this option by default in the next version.)

[Guest guru]

Igor, here are my results (always with opt_FastFade=1 in apr.ini) :

Pentium II 450 : rather good fading effects, good smoothing lines (till 60-80), not so good slide/push effects.

AMD 2500+ : excellent smoothness in fade effects and smoothing lines, good (but not perfect) smoothness in slide/push effects.

No perceivable differences between beta#7 and 8.

My OS: Windows 2000 Pro. Video cards: Intel 740 (8 MB) and nVidia Riva TNT2 64 MB

[Michel]

My tests:

PIV, 2.4 ghz, Video Nvidia 128 mb Geforce 4TI 4200

With apr.ini (fastfade): all is perfect.

For "push" it's very good now, but one must remind to use <300ms or >3500ms, but I think it's very difficult (in this moment) to have a perfect smoothness with this effect, Igor ?

[LumenLux]

So probably you forgotten to enable  opt_FastFade=1 option in apr.ini file in the new beta #8 as you did earlier in beta #7?

You are right - I missed this for #8. I added, and now all works well. Only the fade was not well before.

Thanks not only to you Igor, but also Aleksey, and now, I understand, think(box)bill. Everybody!

[Igor]

OK!

p.s. please try new opt_SmoothFade=1 too!

Michel,

Yes, I've tried several variants to optimize Push/Slide effects and one gives a well improvement, but that variant worked unstable and it depended on video cards. Because of this I'm looking for another ways.

[Michel]

a well improvement, but that variant worked unstable and it depended on video cards

But you will make this "stable", I'm sure...and perhaps also an option as smooth fade for choice ?

[Igor]

New optimizations of Fade effect and effects with smoothing line are very much stable and carefully tested. I'll turn on them by default in the next version soon.

Of course, if we find a good way to optimize Push effect too, it will be added immediately, but I never add unstable variant even as option.

[Ken Cox]

Igor

4.3 beta 8

should both lines of code be inserted or just one

pte_MusicInitDir=

rem_feb 25 04

pte_SoundInitDir=

rem_opt_FastFade=1

rem feb 25 04

opt_SmoothFade=1

i learned the rem command 20+ years ago

ken

[Igor]

Using both new options for Fade effects apr.ini file contains the next two strings after pte_SoundInitDir=

opt_FastFade=1

opt_SmoothFade=1

I recommend to add them both.

(Please don't add another words such as "rem_feb 25 04", because apr.ini isn't .bat file with batch of commands.)

[Ken Cox]

ok will delete the rem

but how can i id the change for reference

k

[Guest guru]

With opt_FastFade=1 and opt_SmoothFade=1 I noticed a good improvement, well visible on Pentium II machine.

On the other (AMD 2500) is more difficult to see a real difference, since all fadings are excellent even without these additions.

No difference, as expected, in "Push Effect", but I know this is a very difficult and critical task.

Good work, Igor, and thanks once again!

[ecps]

P2Exe gets better and better.

I love the effect of the first transition appearing from the desktop. I wonder whether it is possible to follow on from this by getting the last transition to disappear back to the desktop at the end of the show.

Just a thought.

Eddie.

[Guest guru]

A very good idea, Eddie! I'm supporting your suggestion...