PicturesToExe v4.30

[Igor]

Dear friends!

I'm very glad to introduce PicturesToExe v4.30!

Only with your help and support it became possible.

Thank you very much!

New version has new interface: thumbnails view of File panel and Slide list. Full-screen light table for easy organizing of slides in your slide-show (press F4 hotkey) or adding new slides (F3 key). Visual drag-n-drop and standard multi-select in Slide list and File panel. Waveform feature will help to synchronize show of slides to music. Vastly improved smoothness of Fade effect and Push/Slide effect especially on old PCs. Ability to rotate pictures (lossless method). Please read the full list of many new features below:

How to download:

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr.zip (1.4 Mb)

What's new in v4.30:

+ File panel and Slide list now can be displayed as thumbnails or in its classical view (table) (to switch between these views press Ctrl+1 and Ctrl+2 (for File panel or Slide list accordingly), or via small "V" buttons).

+ There are available second layout style (Slide list in full width of the window). And third layout when Slide list shown vertically in full height of the main window. Press Ctrl+F1 and Ctrl+F2 and Ctrl+F3 to switch between classical and two new layouts. Or visit Main menu | Options.

+ Main features of thumbnails view of File panel or Slide list:

> Easily resizeable items in real-time by trackbar or Ctrl+mouse wheel;

> Ability to display pictures without text captions (Shift+1, Shift+2);

> Resize items by moving new splitter between Slide list and Preview area.

+ Light table (on full screen). This mode allows to concentrate on adding of new pictures or re-arranging of slides. Press "F" buttons or F3 key to see light table for File panel or F4 key for light table of Slide list.

+ Multi-select in file panel and Slide list. With mouse, or with Shift, or with Ctrl keys. Now it works as in Windows Explorer.

+ Visual drag-and-drop. Dragged items looks semi-transparent as in Windows XP. And it works in any Windows!

+ Actions with with several selected slides or files. You can easily delete, shift, re-arrange and copy any count of items at a time.

+ Improved transition effects:

> Fade effect works in two times (i.e. on 100%) more fast and smooth. So now Fade effect shows smoothly even on old PC with Pentium 233-400 Mhz;

> Vastly improved Push and Slide effects. It should works more smooth now.

+ Waveform feature in "Customize synchronization" window. Set the cursor to range of necessary music track on the time-line and then click "Waveform" button or press Ctrl+W. This feature may help you to exactly assign transition points to necessary moments in music.

+ Now you can rename files in the File panel or in the Slide list. PicturesToExe will automatically update path of added slide which use renamed picture.

+ You can rotate pictures (Ctrl+F). It's a lossless rotation and it provides exactly original quality. Open popup menu in the File panel or Slide list to rotate picture(s).

+ Also portrait JPEG pictures with EXIF (shooted by digital cameras which write orientation of a photography) will be shown rotated automatically.

+ It's possible now to choose folder where to store your templates. Open "Manage templates" window (Ctrl+E), set new folder and click "OK" button.

+ Added advanced popup menu for the File panel (by right mouse click) as in Windows Explorer. This advanced menu allows to perform standard actions: copy, paste, delete file(s) and etc. It also works for several selected files, too.

+ New style of work of the mouse wheel (so-called X Mouse) in the main window. (But you can turn this mode off. Visit the Main menu | Options | Advanced options)

+ Added "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option (see "Screen" tab).

+ It's possible to add your own copyright logo to all slides. The best visual results can be reached using of 32-bit .bmp images with alpha channel or with transparent GIF images. (See Project options | Advanced tab).

+ Improved music player:

> Transition effect shown in the moment between two music tracks will not jerk more.

> Really random playback when this mode is choosed. Always new track from playlist.

> Preparing of slides with sounds works a little bit faster.

+ Another improvements in the "Customize synchronization" window:

> Right mouse button click to show popup menu.

> To start full-screen preview from first slide, click "Preview" button when there is no selected transition point.

> The window can be resized;

> Transition point to the last slide is shown in more gray color;

> Mouse wheel works for scrolling of the time-line now;

> To scale time-line you need to use mouse wheel with pressed Ctrl now.

+ You can go to a next or to a previous slide keeping Pause mode in the synchronized slide-shows.

+ You can see full screen preview of a picture by pressing of "Space" button. It especially can be useful in full screen mode of thumbnails view (light table).

+ It's possible to move selected slides to the end of the list (Ctrl+End) or to the top of the list (Ctrl+Home). Or see popup menu.

+ You can open for editing current picture by Ctrl+W hotkey.

+ PicturesToExe will automatically update thumbnails and preview of pictures which you modified in graphical editor.

+ Improved "Welcome screen" which appears after installation of PTE. It helps to choose necessary view of PicturesToExe.

+ Added "Disable F1 key" option (Project options | Advanced tab).

* Various minor improvements.

* Fixed several minor bugs.

p.s. I've added two changes to the final release after beta #14. It shows file size of picture to the selected slide in the status bar. And using "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide" option in Preview mode may again blinks one time. I've returned previous variant to prevent slow work of effects in Preview mode with this option.

[hotmetal]

Well Done igor & the team, this is the best!

Thank You

Alan

[loweskid]

When I click on the link above I'm getting version 4.20 ... ??

[Igor]

Try again, please. The URL is absolutely correct.

[Ken Cox]

loweskid

it is likely your isp's server at fault -- they need to flush their cache - happens quite often

i downloaded it at +- 13 00 edst at got the final edition of 4.30

from history

PicturesToExe v4.30 (August 20, 2004)

ken

[loweskid]

You are probably right Ken, though I downloaded the beta 14 version last night with no problems so why has it gone back to 4.20?

I'm with ntl (uk) though and I've had similar strange things happen. Someone on a photographic site was complaining about his photos being copied on a Chinese site but I couldn't see any graphics with my ntl broadband connection. I tried it on a dial-up connection with freeserve and they appeared - disconnected from the dial-up, hit refresh and the graphics disappeared again.

Actually, that's given me an idea... I'll try the link above with a dial-up connection.

[loweskid]

That's it..

Thanks for the tip Ken. Connected with freeserve and got the correct file. Bloody NTL ...

Thanks Igor.

[Bob]

Once again Igore you've made a great program even better!! Following the progress of this software over the years has been as much fun as using it.

Bob..

[alrobin]

Igor,

Congratulations to you and your team for an excellent job! The rate of improvements to PTE seems to be exponential. I hope that the rewards for you are equally good. You deserve the weekend off! Maybe even the rest of the summer!

I hope you have a favourite place to go and celebrate! I wish I could be there to buy you a beer (or two)!

By the way, I just finished a new show - but I burned the cd with beta #14 just before I read that v. 4.30 was out! I'll have to cut another one, just to be able to say it is "official". Thanks for everything you've done for us over the past few months!

[bharkins]

Just want to add that I have followed and downloaded all the betas and they get better and better. Now with v4.3 I hope I'll have time to study and learn all the new features. Those betas were coming fast and furious. I have promoted PTE many times at our computer club with my shows and members are starting to install it. Thanks again for a great program and constant improvement.

[JRR]

Igor:

As I said before with the last version, and will say again after you play some more and produce 4.40.....

Way to go !!! Thanks for all your hard work

[Jimbo]

Fantastic! Well Done to Igor and all the team.

Jim.

[Marcovelo]

Congratulation Igor (and all the team), this is a very very good work !

All these new usefull features... and still a tiny .exe code !

Very good implementation of thumbnails view and light table.

Thank you very much.

Marco

[Guest Techman1]

Igor & Team,

I wanted to chime in with everyone else. To me, this is the most significant version of PTE ever released. If this version doesn't make new customers come along to this program nothing ever will.

You and your team have implemented a very significant release of PTE and I'm personally very grateful to you all. This has helped to make this product as effective as it can be. I now can produce an excellent slideshow within only minutes with the new light table feature.

Again, I wish to thank you all for the positive improvements that you have made to this new version. Keep up the great work, but do take a break for now. And as Al said, if you are ever in Texas, please drop me a note and I'll certainly buy you a beer or two or three or ......

Best regards as always,

Fred

[dagrace]

I'll just add my congratulations to the team. Shortly after I bought 4.2 I started seeing talk of new betas, etc., so this has been my first experience seeing and participating in the beta process. It has been an exciting process to watch and be a part of.

Igor, you and your team are great. You have set the standard by which I will measure all other software enhancements from any vendor.

Excellent work!

[RonH]

Igor

I know that you have been swamped with praise for v 4.3 but I MUST add my thanks to this list. I have been producing AV programmes since 1971 when I had to make my own mechanical devices. Since I have gone digital with PTE it has revived my enthusiasm and once more it’s a pleasure. I am in awe of the skill of your team and greatly admire your determination to write the perfect programme.

I would also like to thank the contributors to this forum who have tested the beta versions, I tried to do this and all the betas worked fine for me. If it had been left to me the programme would have gone out with some niggling little faults which the ‘experts’ have now discovered and the team have cured.

I hope that all of your hard work will reap the rewards and once again thank you Igor and the team.

RonH UK (blueyonder which downloads OK!)

[Igor]

Thanks for all you responses!

I feel necessity to confirm that v4.30 became possible only with your help!

[johndigi]

Igor,

I have to chime in here, too. I have been busy on some projects so I have not downloaded any of the 4.30 betas or even read about the new features - I didn't want to be tempted But when the final version of 4.30 came out, I downloaded it and read the release notes. I couldn't wait to try it! The improvements are huge and I'm sure the new interface will convince many who were on the fence to come over to PTE. Thank you so much for all your work. Most applications would consider this a MAJOR UPGRADE and change accordingly. Thanks for making it a MAJOR UPGRADE but keeping it free for registered users. The initial price I paid becomes even smaller as time goes on and PTE just keeps on getting better.

Thank also to all the beta testers who provided such valuable feedback to make the final product so good.

Now, one small suggestion for a future enhancement: Would it be difficult to set a default image editor in PTE instead of just using the file associations in Windows? Not a big deal, though.

Thanks again.

John L

[Igor]

It's possible not officially right now:

Open apr.ini file, find string:

GfxEditorPath=

and specify path to any graphical editor.

p.s. I'll reply some later on next messages.

[Marianne]

Hello Igor,

I played around all day with the new version 4.30. At the end of the day I realised I forgot all day to save my work. Program never once failed. This is a very stable version without a single bug, as far as I can see! I am very happy with it.

Furthermore I tried the new feature Use last transition effect to show desktop. I used a fade of 10 seconds from a black slide. Almost no visible hick! I have just one little comment on this one. In the Dutch version this line is not translated. It is put in English. Is this forgotten or haven't you got anyone to do the translating?

I have read all the messages on the forum and have seen there is already a new list of wishes growing. Can I add one?

Could it be possible to select several slides and change the slide setting for all of them in 1 action? I was half the way of my project when I wanted the rest of the slides have a longer fading time. I had to adjust all the slides one by one while all the fading times from that point on had to be the same.

Anyway, I can imagine you are fed up with it for the next few weeks. But maybe after that?

I for one promote P2E whenever and whereever I can. Early next year I am going to give 3 workshops for the members of our photography club on how to create slideshows. Guess which programm (demo) I will be using? Hopefully it will bring you some customers.

Thanks,

Marianne

[alrobin]

Marianne,

I second the motion! This would be a very handy feature, especially now that we have the light-table. One could select any number of images, and then have a button that would open up the "customize slide" menu, and allow one to globally set the parameters desired.

Carrying this a bit further, in addition to the light-table, I would like to see a "spreadsheet table" where each image would be listed, along with all the parameters for each, allowing one to change any parameter(s) by simply typing in a new value. These features would be simple to design, and would be extremely useful.

[johndigi]

It's possible not officially right now:

Open apr.ini file, find string:

GfxEditorPath=

and specify path to any graphical editor.

Igor,

Thanks! This is so cool - requested enhancements are already there

John L.

[think(box)]

Igor, thank you so much. I was thrilled during beta testing to see all that has been added. Now I have installed the 4.30 final release and performed final tests. Feature, function and visual quality are still the very best.

The waveform view is great help for slide-to-sound sync. The sound content graphical view below slide timing makes presentation design a breeze.

And the light table, slide thumbnail and list thumbnail views - all with variable sizing - what a handy addition. The fast display followed by sharpening on a second pass display update permits the most rapid view to the user - what an excellent idea.

It appears that one requested feature did not make it in this round of improvements: The ability to pass parameters to applications in object editor action buttons and links, and in customized slide application calls. An example: For "Run application or open file" the box could contain the following utility application name and parameter argument to set wave sound to 25% volume level. This still does not work, as the parameter is not passed. Please add parameter support to your wish list -- thanks!:

SetVol.exe 25

Igor, I don't know how you keep increasing such a rich set of features in both Apr.exe and in the produced slide show application file - with only a handful of additional application file bytes. I email mini .exe file slide presentations frequently, and the file size beyond my photo and sound content is very important.

You and all at WnSoft should win awards for this exceptionally good product. It has been our pleasure to add to your pool of improvement ideas. Congratulations!

[LumenLux]

Thank you Igor. I have waited long enough now all the specifics have been highlighted. Please just know that every user of PTE very much appreciates your effort, your skill and the results.

May I add thanks also to your official programming team and also the Forum members who have been instrumental in bringing this latest version to light. (And I recall Bill, your early encouragement and counsel on the waveform addition.) Looks like a winner.

[HaroldB]

Igor,

Great work on 4.30, and thanks for the GfxEditorPath= feature! I found that to be very useful today!

Harold