Improved video output

[potwnc]

I am writing from the perspective of someone who only uses PTE for output to video.

While PTE has grown a lot over the years in terms of video capability, it is seriously behind the competition in 2018. In a search for something like "consumer non-linear video editors" it is hardly represented. Maybe WnSoft doesn't want PTE to be marketed as such. If so, I think that's a big mistake.

Some of the necessary improvements, such as a wider range of video framerates, have already been discussed recently.

We now live in a world where wide-gamut viewing devices (not only TVs, but devices on which video content is created) are becoming more common and less expensive. That trend will only continue. People now expect a High Dynamic Range experience - even if they don't understand what that actually means. PTE does not support that. The comment was made in my "PTE versus a competitor" thread that the two videos could be made to look the same. Well, yes they could if I chose not to take advantage of Vegas PRO's support for DCI-P3 output. But what would be the point of doing that?

Maybe the solution is for WnSoft to spin off a separate product, PTV (Pictures to Video) - although that wouldn't reflect the fact that video can be used as input as well. In any case, I would hope, at a minimum, that the next version supports two things that are essential for a competitive NLE product: (1) output to at least DCI-P3 (and, eventually in a later version, to Rec 2020 when that becomes the norm); and (2) a timeline that is - or can be switched to - marked in seconds and frames instead of seconds and thousandths of a second.

I'm sad to say that after making two full-length documentary films using PTE in the past, I no longer use it at all for serious video projects.

[Lin Evans]

Something to keep in mind. PicturesToExe is not a video editor, but rather a presentation slideshow product. The "competition" for PTE is not non-linear video editors, it's presentation slideshow products such as Proshow Producer, Wings Platinum, Aquasoft products, Animoto, etc.  So to say that PTE is behind the competition in 2018 assumes its competition are video editors rather than presentation slideshow products and is misleading IMHO. The fact that the majority of serious AV competitors use PTE would seem to indicate to me that PTE is funtionally well ahead of the competition. To consider it behind would be to make the unwarranted assumption that the product was intended to compete as a video editor. It's rather like saying Photoshop is behind the competition because it does not have the video editing capabilities of Premiere Pro. 

The fact that you only use PTE for output to video is a specialized and somewhat limited use. Seriously good video editors have limited and awkward capabilities for still image manipulation and seriously good presentation slideshow products have limited manipulation capabilities for video editing. 

When I said that the two videos could be made to look the same, I was referring to the limited visible dynamic range on the Sony sample on the left. The PTE sample on the right showed greater dynamic range with the blues in the sky and much more dynamic range in the black gentleman's clothing and face. Not having the original videos, but only the screen capture, my comments were only concerning what was visible. The levels feature along with saturation, hue, brightness and contrast are all available for video as well as still images, but keep in mind that again, PTE is not nor does it pretend to be a video editor. It's a presentation slideshow product with limited video editing capabilities.

Whether of not development wants PTE to be marketed as a non-linear video editor is something only Igor and his associates can answer but consider that the product name is PIctures To Exe, not Pictures to Video. At any rate, it's something worthy of discussion IMHO..

Best regards,

Lin

[jt49]

If we look at the competition like m.objects or AquaSoft Stages we see that they (to some extend) are ahead of PTE. They offer at least a few tools for video editing, and it may also be regarded as an advantage that they work with multiple image and video tracks (instead of a single track of containers (slides)). I think that all programs for AV or slide shows cannot compare to video editors like Edius or Premiere Pro. Nevertheles it would be fine if PTE would improve its video editing capabilities, as far as possible.

[Lin Evans]

LOL - yes, in terms of video editing having multiple tracks of video and images, but AquaSoft Stages is far, far behind PTE in animation capabilities. They finally can rotate an image or video - something PTE has been doing for years and years. They are on a totally different track of development as I see it. Not getting any traction with serious AV competitors that I have seen...

From current advertising for AquaSoft Stages:

"360 degree rotation

In Stages you can rotate your images, videos, and titles the full 360 degrees. This looks especially great combined with animated camera pans as well as to create Prezi like shows or rotate titles, making your videos stand out from the crowd."

Oh whoop!  I've not seen any ability to change the center of rotation at all with AquaSoft and with even Proshow Producer, changing the center of rotation is awkward to say the least. 3D capabilities? Neither have any so for the price, it's difficult to get excited over AquaSoft Stages. 

Best regards,

Lin

[jt49]

I know about all your arguments. But here we are talking about video editing and nothing else. Think of a new customer. He will not know that much on animation in 3D. But he might see that some AV tools offer "video editing", and this might be an argument. The competition offers video editing at frame level, and it might be good for PTE it it would offer something of that kind, as well.

[Lin Evans]

I agree completely that it would be nice for PTE to offer more and better options for handing video. On the other hand why would a "new customer"  be any more likely to be impressed by AV tools such as video editing  than by animation ability? AquaSoft Stages is advertising "animated camera pans, rotating title to ""make your videos stand out from the crowd"" I don't believe there is anything you can do with a video in AquaSoft that can't be done in PTE, but there are lots of thing you can do with video in PTE right now that you can't do with AquaSoft. How about video as a mask? Alpha channel video and using an alpha matte also as a video mask for alpha channel video? How about 3D animation of the entire video, not just rotating the video on center? Or even more fun, try to make a rotating, zooming  icosahedron with 3620 individual video screens playing videos simultaneously, or the rubik's cube which Jean Cyprien created with either AquaSoft Stages or any version of mObjects. I'm not holding my breath. Point being that yes, the way of using multiple tracks for images and videos is a great idea which PTE could definitely use, but to call either of these products serious "competition" is a stretch IMHO.

Again I agree that there is plenty of room for improvement in PTE's video editing capabilities and having multiple channels for both video and still images would be great but the cost of AquaSoft Stages is about 73% higher than that of PTE Deluxe and PTE Deluxe does much, much more.  Just saying it's a bit difficult to visualize them being "ahead" in any functional way or even being serious competitors  - PTE's only real competition is probably Proshow Producer... One must go to mObjects Creative, complete with a stupid "dongle" (which Producer did away with years ago) at $400 or 300% higher in price to get some of the major features in PTE.  AquaSoft Stages just doesn't have the features available in PTE. We are in complete agreement that it's really not possible for AV products such as PTE or AquaSoft or Producer or mObjects to compete with dedicated video editors as editors, nor is it possible for dedicated video editors to compete with the AV tools in any reasonable way. 

Best regards,

Lin

[Igor]

No worries, we will improve PTE in many aspects, step by step. Please don't forget that we are small software company and can't implement all requested features too quickly.

In future PTE 10 we already vastly improved work with video: support of all modern video codecs, fast and smooth playback of video clips, hardware acceleration and reduced CPU loading. We also added two professional features for video encoding.

PTE 10 will able work directly with H.264 video files with smooth playback.

Also a half of our team is working on Mac version of PTE 10.

[Tonton Bruno]

1 hour ago, Igor Kokarev said:

Also a half of our team is working on Mac version of PTE 10.

Christmass in July !

Thank you Igor !

[Lin Evans]

Hi Igor,

We all want nothing but the best for wnsoft and PTE and realize that it takes time and that it is progressing very well!  Congratulation on continuing to improve what we all know is the finest product of its kind available!!!  Thank you !!!!

Best regards,

Lin