Timeline in the new O&A editor

[Igor]

1. What you expect from the timeline window in the Objects and animation editor?

2. Displaying of keyframes for several objects on separate tracks?

3. Editing of properties for several keyframes at once? (Pan/Zoom, Opacity, etc).

[davegee]

Copy and Paste Key Frames between Objects?

DG

[MUR]

Igor, for the questions: YES and YES, and contract or expand keyframes, like audio in timeline view.

MUR

[jkb]

Hi Igor,

I would definately like option 2 - display keyframes of several objects on separate tracks.

With the option to show/hide objects/tracks if possible

Also to be able to expand the timeline as we can on the main timeline to see smaller time intervals.

To be able to see the waveform of at least one sound file (user choice which one)

To be able to select a group of keyframes (for one or more objects) & move them along the timeline as a block as we can with images.

Jill

[Lin Evans]

Hi Igor,

I agree with all the above suggestions as potential improvements and especially with MUR that expanding the view of the keyframes on the timeline would be very helpful in many cases.

Presently, when keyframes are very close to one another, I find it difficult or actually impossible to move a keyframe a short distance by dragging because it "jumps" to coincide with an adjacent keyframe which creates an illogical situation - thus an error. The only way I've been able to move a keyframe which is very close to the adjacent keyframe a tiny distance closer is to manually enter the values. I think by expanding the view it might make dragging the keyframe (for convenience) much easier.

Best regards,

Lin

[PGA]

To be able to select an object or a collection of objects and drag and drop them from their current parent(s) to a new parent.

To be able to see at least one user chosen sound file's waveform

To be able to zoom in/zoom out on the O&A timeline to make precise position of keyframes against sound events

To be able to select a collection of keyframes and be able to drag and drop them to a different object, or Copy and Paste them or Cut and Paste them

Peter

[Igor]

Thanks for your comments!

We don't plan to display audio waveforms in the timeline of the O&A editor in future version. it will be implemented later.

1. How user should activate a display of keyframes for several objects in the timeline?

2. Should we implement displaying of Animation tab (Pan/Zoom/Rotate, etc) if user selects several keyframes?

a. Several keyframes within ONE object?

b. Several keyframes for SEVERAL objects?

Please think carefully.

P.S. Please keep the subject of this topic. We discuss here questions related with the timeline in the O&A editor.

[vilara]

"We don't plan to display audio waveforms in the timeline of the O&A editor in future version. it will be implemented later."

It's a real disappointment to read it. It is the only thing that seemed essential in O & A

[Igor]

Simply imagine how complex the task is - the new timeline in the O&A editor will able to display multiple objects (keyframes) with drag'n'drop and editing. How to fit waveform in a small screen space? No doubts, it's useful function, and we will improve O&A editor step by step.

The new O&A editor will ease creating of complex animation. We'll add new tools and features and together we found a way to simplify the user interface.

Patience, please

[Lin Evans]

Thanks for your comments!

We don't plan to display audio waveforms in the timeline of the O&A editor in future version. it will be implemented later.

1. How user should activate a display of keyframes for several objects in the timeline?

Select multiple objects with CTRL Click - click on a checkbox (display keyframes) - Object name should appear next to keyframes

2. Should we implement displaying of Animation tab (Pan/Zoom/Rotate, etc) if user selects several keyframes?

Just the option to do so... but name of object must appear with each PZR display to avoid confusion

a. Several keyframes within ONE object?

Yes

b. Several keyframes for SEVERAL objects?

Please think carefully.

This might be very difficult to implement without confusion.. See #1 - if the primary goal of doing this is to coordinate animation of objects. It seems that this might be redundant since it can already be done by making objects children of a frame and manipulating the frame. The only advantage of having multiple objects and their keyframes displayed simultaneously would be to control objects independently. Having their keyframes displayed simultaneously might facilitate this, but whether it's really necessary considering the amount of work to accomplish this is questionable in my opinion.

P.S. Please keep the subject of this topic. We discuss here questions related with the timeline in the O&A editor.

[Picsel]

Hi Igor, that is an important source of improvement for the future of PTE!

1. What you expect from the timeline window in the Objects and animation editor?

2. Displaying of keyframes for several objects on separate tracks?

3. Editing of properties for several keyframes at once? (Pan/Zoom, Opacity, etc).

Yes, I would appreciate

1) to be able to display on separate tracks one or several keyframes timelines at the same time depending on the object selected ( why not a tick box associated with each object )

2) to be able to "mask" one or several objects without having to modify their opacity (exactly like it is today in V8 with the mute track function for the audio track)

3) That the slope of the movement would be on smooth by default

4) To get keyframes tracks object by object, in order to get separated keyframes timelines for pan, zoom, rotation, opacity, etc...and the ability to adjust the slope of the movement at the same time (in this case, a double click on the selected object would display the keyframes tracks related to this object, as an example)

Best regards

Daniel

reedited

[RobertAlbright]

If it could only be one of these options it would be Displaying of keyframes for several objects on separate tracks.

Some time ago I remember suggesting different colours for each keyframe but separate tracks is a better solution.

[MUR]

As Wnsoft really hear their users, something very rare, I will take that are redesigning "Objects and Animation", to expose some additional ideas to what was raised. None of this is essential but simplify our lives when we want to animate the projects.

I'm no expert in Pictures to Exe and perhaps some of this is already implemented or there are reasons not to.

Keyframes

Lock some keyframes, to avoid accidentally move them when selected with the mouse.

They may be indicated when locked, changing the color, as when two coincide and appear red or blue when selected.

To move them, you have to unlock or hold down the shift key during the opetation.

The keyframes are the cumulative time from start of the project, it would be good to change, if needed, show the time of that slide, as seen in the time frame

Be able to select what you want to see on the keyframe, rather than time, such as: opacity, zoom, horizontal position, rotation about the X axis, etc..

To move one or more selected keyframes, using the keyboard, with two options: key: moves the Keyframe 1 second, key + Control: moves 0.1 seconds. Currently the horizontal arrows move a keyframe to the next position, would you solve this.

Toolbars

In zoom, marking the difference between having or not, the box to select the independent movement of vertical and horizontal zoom, should be more noticeable, as not selected white and selected gray.

Could the small arrows in zoom, pan, rotate, will be larger, possibly one at the side to the other (I think there is room).

Arrows must be intuitive, currently in vertical motion, if I press the down key, the object moves up and the selection of movement to the right or left, are arrows pointing up and down. I would also like to move with the keyboard, or the entire object keyframe (keyframe shift).

The values ​​could move with the arrow keys, with two alternatives, arrow: 1unit, as now and arrow + shift: 0.1 unit.

Rotate requires two arrows because the slide bar is very inaccurate.

Like the 3D toolbar can be opened and kept open, my life will things if I can do the same with the tabs Properties, Common, Animation and others. I know that cover the screen, but could be done as in other programs that show or hide the toolbars, pressing the tab key.

MUR

[jt49]

I also would like to see keyframes for several objects on separate tracks. But I also like Daniel's suggestion (for a single object) to have an option for separating the timelines for pan, zoom, rotation, opacity, blur, etc., i.e. having independent keyframes for all kinds of animations.

There should be a vertical guideline when shifting a keyframe with the mouse. This guideline should change its color when reaching the precise time position of some other keyframe (with some kind of magnetic behavior).

Regards,

jt

[Cèlou]

Hello,

At first, I welcome the initiative of consulting Igor users PTE before making a change in the program.
Anyway, if it was necessary that certain changes, here are my suggestions.
-Have the ability to select several key points at a time and then you can move on the time line.
-In the Objects window, you can move these objects simply by using the mouse.
-For the text tool, we currently have, Left, Center, Right, could we not also have "Justify".
And the last that I think will satisfy everyone would have for each image, the music track.

Here and thank you in advance for all the work done.

[Igor]

Thanks for your suggestions!

New O&A editor will allow to select what parameters you would like to assign/interpolate at a keyframe (Pan, Zoom, Rotate, opacity, etc).

[MUR]

As a clarification to my previous post, I mean, it would be very useful to select from a menu or check boxes, what I want see on each keyframe in the timeline, as an alternative to time from the start of the project that is standard now, By example, select the time for that particular slide or opacity or horizontal position or rotation around the axis XX, as much opcions as practical. All that information is already in O&A, but I must select the keyframes one by one and take notes (my memory is not very good, for complex animations).

This combined with the simultaneous view of the key frames of multiple objects, would be a blessing.

MUR

[Jean-Claude]

Thank you Igor for continual improvement of PTE.

I expressed my wishes some time ago, developing the OAK software.

(see post http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?/topic/14655-oak/?hl=software#entry110411)

for those who do not know this utility (it is still available here http://syp.pagesperso-orange.fr/setup_OAK1.zip)

Below are the features I considered essential for true mastery of timing objects among themselves and with the soundtrack

They are impemented in OAK.

1. view all object timelines together
2. or choose only those object timelines that you want to display
3. compress or expand the space vertically to display timelines using a horizontal slider . Appearance of a vertical scrollbar if necessary
4. implement a zoom on the object timelines
5. select keypoints one to one (CTRL + click) or by block (SHIFT + click)
6. move the selected keypoints together
7. delete once selected keypoints
8. assign the same parameters values to the selected keypoints (opacity, PZR(not implemented in OAK))
9. compress or expand a certain percentage time between keypoints on selected lines, according to a rule of proportionality
10. allow precise alignment of keypoints located on several lines by the implementation of an additional line of "magnetic" markers
11. keypoints can be attached to a marker by dragging (magnetic attraction )
12. move together these attached keypoints by the movement of the marker
13. displaying on the line the light curve of the object brightness (opacity setting)
14. display in a table choosed parameters for each keypoint.
15. digitally edit values in this table

---
16. visualization of sound waveforms (not implemented in OAK)

[Jean-Claude]

... How user should activate a display of keyframes for several objects in the timeline?

... How to fit waveform in a small screen space? ...

It seems to me that the problem of available space for viewing multiple objects and a soundtrack waveform in the Timeline window is a false problem.

Various techniques allow to solve it.

The purpose of viewing multiple lines at once is to perfectly synchronize the various events occurring for some objects only rarely all.

- It is possible to only display the relevant objects

- This selective display can be controlled by checkboxes in the window of the object tree.

- You can also consider changing the order of objects lines with a drag & drop.

- With a sliding separator it is possible to enlarge or reduce the space available. If lines then become hidden, a vertical scrollbar should appear on the right of the window

- Viewing the waveform is useful only temporarily. A button that allows you to display or not the waveform can be implemented

- and why not consider for users who use two screens (or a very large screen) to move the composite image itself in a separate floating window.

[Aginum]

+1

Igor ,

Visualization of the sound waveform is essential !

[vilara]

I am totally in agreement with the requests made by Jean Claude.

This is a major improvement for O & A

[Igor]

Hi Jean-Claude,

Thanks for your suggestions!

We have really difficult task, because we need to add many new functions and we want to keep simple the interface of the new O&A editor.

I can't promiss that we'll all these functions to v8.5, but we'll implement some important improvements which will allow you to create complex animation much more easily, with less number of keyframes. We'll solve the problem from another side.

I have one question:

8. assign the same parameters values to the selected keypoints (opacity, PZR(not implemented in OAK))

Does it really necessary? Please give me several possible scenarios when you need this function.

Probably our other improvements will reduce this need?

In each keyframe you will able to determine which parameters you want to use (interpolate). For example, you can set "Zoom" parameters and leave "Opacity" not active (opacity will be interpolated from other keyframes where opacity is set).

[Jean-Claude]

Thank you Igor for taking into account the requirements that are expressed in this post.

Your approach may be different from the one I proposed, The main thing is ultimately to lead to a tool that allows to synchronize perfectly and simply objects together and also with the soundtrack.

By putting this wish (# 8) in the list of important functions I think I went a little too far.

I actually think this function is not necessary in most cases, but it can be an interesting aid for authors that perform complex operations.

I'm not en experienced slideshow author, but some members of this forum may have more specific ideas on the interest of such a function.

My idea was that if a floating table(like an Excel spreadsheet) is constructed (lines: objects, columns keyframes) we can easily put in each cell a particular parameter of the keyframes and so if the table is editable, change once the characteristics of all selected keyframes.

For example, in this view from OAK, you can see in the table the TIME and OPACITY values.
One could imagine to be able to display on demand any numeric parameter and modify once those from selected keyframes.

[Barry Beckham]

I appreciate my style of audio visual creation is a little old fashioned and I am not into complex animations as much as others, but I have to put forward another view.

The thought of using a spread sheet to create a slide show would bore me to death. Personally I need to see and hear what I am doing when placing images to music and I have a suspicion that most others do too. .

[Lin Evans]

Hi Barry,

Sometimes there are simply too many variables to enter manually for seriously complex animations which some users create. I'm reminded of JPD's Penser Avec son Pinceau which was recently posted to the Demo section of Slideshow Club. Have you watched it? It's difficult to even conceive of creating such without the help of a spread-sheet or at least a tool such as OAK to aid in the calculation and distribution of the data.

Obviously, the vast majority of users will never create nor even want to create such an incredible masterpiece, but the need remains for those who do to have a means of doing so. Another example is the creation of bezier curve motions. It sometimes requires thousands of keyframes to accomplish the desired results. The "points" at which certain motions coincide with the background music might be set manually with some facility, but the intermediate keyframe values are often far too complex to calculate for manual creation and entry.

The idea for future advancement of PTE would be to have a tool which allows both the novice as well as the experienced presentation engineer and also the experienced animator to more easily build their desired artistic creations, I think.

Best regards,

Lin