Suggestions for the next version

ADB · September 16, 2004

Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom, Pan & Zoom,

In case you didn't get that Pan & Zoom..... :-)

Why?

With Pan & Zoom Pictures To EXE will be the choice of Slide Show softwares ahead of the likes of Proshow Gold.

Alan Lyons · September 16, 2004

Hi Igor,

I've red through the points raised and I think the following is the way to go.

We edit our sound in a sound programme.

We edit our pictures in an image editor.

That way P2E can consintrate on delivering the final show.

The additions I would like to see are:

Images in the time line with the transitions made by cross fade lines as used in music editors. The fade area would then have a button to select an effect.

Lock an image to a point in the time line. This would also be handy for a selection of images (from slide x-z in this time frame).

Lock objects in the editor so they maintain their positions on the image when res. is changed.

A statue erected to you and your team where ever Audio Visual workers meet

Enjoy the trip to France,

Thanks for everything,

Alan

mbskels · September 16, 2004

Hi All,

My top request (apart from Pan and Zoom) :

I find it difficult to transfer slideshows to other computers because the location of each slide is defined by the full path + filename eg c:\slideshow\slide1.jpg.

How about splitting the path from the filename by creating a new path field? This would be a single text field to hold the default path for all slides in the show. The existing field could be retained to define the individual slide filename.

Changing the path for all slides in a show would then be a change to a single field.

If the new default pathname field was left null then the existing field could still be used to hold the complete path and filename as at present. This would ensure that existing slideshows would still work and also accomodate those who do not use a single folder to hold all images.

Apologies if this functionality can be achieved within the existing product but I have been unable to see how to do it.

Malcolm

DennisG · September 16, 2004

The pan/zoom feature with high quality would be all that I can think of. That would be soooo nice!

Dennis

RonH · September 16, 2004

Igor,

3) If you are ambitious and want to do a larger project, the ability to "build" a slide. You'd start with a slide and then you'd be able to "add" another slide transparently over the first with a transition (useful for slide buildups, and for adding text dynamically). You might want to consider also allowing the "removal" of such an "added slide". Powerpoint has been doing this for several releases now, with good quality, so it's obviously do-able.

Harold's suggestion would be a real winner and if there was a choice to either remove (fade etc) the original slide or the superimposed slide with the normal FX transitions, then we would be back to the days of multi-projection AVs where a 'third' picture could be formed by superimposing slide 2 over slide 1. At the moment this is the only (I think) downside with digital AVs (I do this in Photoshop but it's not as good as it would be in p2e)

Please try and fit in the lock slide to time-line feature.

I also am happy to leave the sound as a separate programme and let p2e fully take care of the picture.

Thanks again Regards RonH (NE UK)

RonH · September 16, 2004

Hi Igor and team,

Here’s an idea! Having read all of the posts about what to include in the next version of PTE the only difference of opinion I have notice is; should there be an audio editor included in p2e or not? Personally, I believe that the audio should be a separate programme on the grounds that one programme which does everything you ever wanted in vision and another that does everything you ever wanted in audio is preferable.

What is missing, however, is a bridge – a link where you could import the mixed sound track into p2e adjust the slide order and transitions as we do now, then export the audio track back to the audio editor with say a timeline showing the transition points (slide numbers) so that the soundtrack could be retuned to its editor then imported back into p2e for the final output.

I don’t know the technicalities; for example, would this be an Igor written good quality sound editor with a compatible back-end, or would it be a separate ‘bridge’ or ‘link’ from an existing audio editor. Either way I for one would be very happy to buy another programme from you to do this job.

I often use Avid Xpress DV to edit film and chopping bits out of the audio to fit whatever pictures you have is simple. You can make multiple audio or video tracks and overlay pictures and sound – ideal but, of course, this is an $800 £600 programme. I feel sure that, already having a high class visual programme like p2e it would not be beyond the considerable talent of the Igor team to ‘bridge the gap’.

Just an idea for when you get really bored – Regards RonH (NE UK)

Hemjr · September 16, 2004

Greetings all. This is my first post to the forum. My name is Howard and I have been enjoying the use of PTE for 3 or 4 years now. Also have been enjoying the forum and getting awesome help. I have downloaded the latest version of PTE and want to congradulate you Igor for the tremendous improvements!

As a suggestion for the new version, I would like to see an easier way to use mpegs within the slide show. I have read the posts over the years and have not been successful with any of them. I have more recently downloaded Boxig's Flashvideo and Flashme3 but can not get them to open, They show as running when I "cntrl, alt, del" but nothing is on the screen. Am I missing something?

Thanks again for all the help.

JRR · September 16, 2004

Igor:

You are "a bear for punishment aren't you ?"

I think I have mentioned these before, but just to have them in one place:

- OBJECTS that stay aligned regardless of screen resolution (I think you have been hearing this for a few years)

- "jump to" using a hot key (no navigation bar on screen)

- Something to tell the screen saver not to come on during a show

- "run application after last slide" that would work when in PREVIEW mode

- getting rid of paths without having to use TEMPLATES

If you can do half the things we are asking, you will deserve a long vacation

Michel · September 17, 2004

All in a new post !

lathompson · September 17, 2004

I wish for three things and three things only...

1) Ken Burns effect

2) Ken Burns effect

3) Ken Burns effect

Oh... I just thought of another effect that is important enough to ask for...

How about a Ken Burns effec?

Larry T

Bert · September 17, 2004

Hi,

This is not a big thing, but something I noticed over the last upgrades.

I don't know if it is only on my computer but the Lay-out for the Project Options is getting a little small and some of the boxes are close together. Also some of the text does not fit in the boxes anymore. Maybe it is possible the make some more space for the Project Options lay-out in the next upgrade. Again not a big thing just esthetics.

Regards,

Bert

Michel · September 17, 2004

Dear Igor,

which future work :rolleyes: for you and the team !

Time Line

- to move all the points or selected points to right or to left after

- if possible, don't begin the first picture with the music beginning (impossible ?)

- possibility to add some soundtrack at the beginning or a the end (don't change the arrange existing points if we change the music length with audacity)

- to fix any point before moving

- thumbnails display in the time line instead of to...2

AVI output

- to sea "the safe zone" (by selected zone display): many users are disappointed with these 90%...

- optimization also for HD TV (1280)

- to develop your own encoder MPEG2 and more...

Object Editor

- auto-rescaling, when we change the screen display

- to resize the picture into this window

- to edit directly the picture (CTRL + W) puted as object in the Object Editor

Navigation bar

- a new navigation bar more fresh , with new features (go to picture n°..)

- screen display possible on/off by key

Transition effects

- page curl or curve, as we read a book

- page or picture who fall with magnification

The slide show must have some "artistic" effects now and I would like also to be able adjust the effect: stop the fade at 50%.

Good luck !

Igor · September 17, 2004

I plan to improve various aspects of "Customize synchronization" window. Also I hope to improve synchronization. I'd like to discuss several moments a little bit later (to find better solutions).

Navigation bar (and all concerned functions) will be improved.

As usually, after first beta, we will discuss new Navigation bar, if I miss some necessary function.

About Pan & Zoom effects.

I can't promiss exact date when they appear, because there are many technical difficulties how to realize smooth Zoom effect right now. However I think we'll find optimal variant, and I'll write you! Pan effect is much more easy to implement. We'll try to realize Pan effect in this version, if it's possible.

Apparently auto-scaling of objects will be added in v4.50.

We've scheduled new graphical engine for it and for another things (it's a long work, which will be started soon).

Guido,

Please write me more about p.4.

Ron,

I hope Audacity, CoolEdit, or some another product will more suitable.

We will not create own audio editor, but some absolutely another product

I'll try to place somewhere button for quick access to synchronization.

I plan to add option for embedding of fonts.

Solve some cases when AVI video output doesn't work.

And many another features. It's far not full list, because all in process!

Sorry, I'll reply in details on all another suggestions a little later, because I must carefully process all suggestions and determine when and how they can be realized. I've printed newest version of this topic and working with it. On some difficult questions, I'd like to reply and discuss later (but soon).

There are so many wonderful ideas! Thank you.

ADB · September 17, 2004

Fantastic!

In my humble opinion changes to PTE like adding a Pan effect add so much more to PTE in terms of your final visual result, many excellent suggestions have been put forward however many of them work towards making it easier to do the same things PTE has always done.

My requirements from PTE are simple, I want to synchronise high quality images with music while at the same time being able to show panoramas....so Igors news about Panning being in the next version (maybe!) is awesome!

Also I don't know if many have picked up on this but if PTE can include panning and if this is able to be done vertically, it means ........ we can have scrolling titles just like in the movies!

Michel · September 18, 2004

I forgot this suggest:

you have (in Project Options - Advanced) allowed to restore original pictures (by print-save button on navigation bar), well.

But if we haven't the navigation bar enabled ?

- as said possibility to display/mask the navigation bar by key

- or to use the mouse button configuration to call this same function (restore-save the original picture if allowed)

Michel · September 19, 2004

Dear Igor,

still a little problem to be solved :rolleyes: !

when I work with a project, initially sometimes, I don't add the sound:

to see (in first) the full slide show and to know his time duration (before to find a soundtrack).

But for that, I must use a stop watch :blink: !

I would like to have the possibility of determining this standard time (without the sound) by a button.

Is it a very difficult task for you ?

PS: good tip from a new french user = create avi and, after, properties (temp avi) shows the time duration (without sound)

Michel · September 19, 2004

Still a new suggest, I know, that done much work...

But this is very important (thanks to my friend Patrick Bantzhaff):

when we use the time-line and the function "zoom", the cursor move and we don't see the work's zone for the point.

If possible, when we use the zoom, it would be perfect if the cursor move and stays centered, visible at the point choiced.

alrobin · September 19, 2004

Michel,

Doesn't "autoscroll2" work the way you are suggesting?

Michel · September 19, 2004

No, Al, sorry !

When I use the button "Wave form", this one appears.

By example:

- I see the first transition at 0mn15s

- I use CTRL + F11 several times to arrange exactly the point

What I see ? The point 2 moves to right and now I don't see it.

We must be able to keep this point on the screen with any zoom.

The zoom must be "around" the point and the point to stay at the center.

Do you agree ?

Ed Overstreet · September 21, 2004

There is one new feature that I'd like, and a fix to a problem I've been having, that I think are higher priority (for me at least) than new transition effects like Pan and Zoom.

The new feature is an optional spreadsheet display for editing, particularly block-editing, of timings and perhaps transition effects as well. In the block editing, it would be very useful to be able to adjust the timings of all images in a block by a fixed amount. For many of my shows doing such edits in a spreadsheet display would be much easier than the current alternatives in PTE.

The fix relates to a vexing problem that I've noticed in setting the Project Options to use for example the file name as a comment. In some of my shows, I would like the file name displayed on some slides but not on others. So I set the Options to show the filenames, and then clear the comment field on those slides where I don't want the file name displayed or where I want something else displayed. Unfortunately, if I do this in a project on which I'm working, these changes seem to get lost even when I've saved the project, when I go back in to do further work I discover than the file name is showing as a comment on those slides from which I had earlier removed it. I haven't yet figured out exactly under what circumstances this does or doesn't happen (I think it hasn't happened in a couple of cases, but it usually does). It is quite annoying.

Other than that, I am delighted with version 4.3 especially the light table and waveform displays. Great work, guys!

alrobin · September 21, 2004

Michel,

I understand now what you were suggesting, and I agree with the recommendation 100%.

Ed,

The problem with the comments is an old one and one mentioned many times in the past. It would be nice if a more user-friendly way of setting and retaining comments could be found. There is a "work-around" but it involves doing things in a certain fixed sequence which unfortunately one sometimes forgets to follow, and goes back into "Project options" and thus loses all the custom work.

The way comments work is as follows:

- Suppose you go into Project Options and set comments as slide number.

- You can now exit PO and preview the show and see the slide numbers just as you instructed PTE to show them.

- If you go back into PO and un-check "set comments for all slides" and preview again, the slide numbers will still be shown. The way to clear them is either to reset the option to a different set of comments, or click "clear comments".

- If you have "slide numbers" set, for example, and then go into "Customize slide" and enter a custom comment, this will be cleared every time you go into PO for something else unless you first set up the option and then uncheck "set comments for all slides". This way the slide numbers will still appear except for any custom comments you have set up on certain slides. The moment you check the comment option in PO again (for example, in order to change to another option), or click on "clear comments", you will lose all the custom comments.

Hope this helps.

HaroldB · September 21, 2004

I just wanted to second Jim's suggestion of preventing the screen saver from kicking in during a show. And it should work under all operating systems.

Harold

sjhein · September 21, 2004

Now that we have a great "light table" to help us select and sort the images in our presentations, I would like to have this concept extended to the EXE file to improve navigation during slide shows. I mostly use PicturesToEXE for manual slide shows and would love to be able to pop up a light table during the presentation so that I can quickly navigate to earlier or later slides.

-Scott

September 21, 2004

Igor,

I know you have already been working on the list here, but I thought I would chime in with my request anyway. The following are the primary items I would like to see added in future releases:

1. Music fade out options (Menu, at end of slideshow, etc.). Not a music editor, but the ability to control the volume/sound at a given point.

2. Zoom Effect (I know you will work on this when you can and when it fits well).

3. Scaling of objects so they don't lose position with various monitor resolutions. Can you read the current settings in the various operating systems and set this programatically?

4. Better control of the Sync Time-line (this has been addressed many times in this request for enhancements already). I just wanted to put my request in for it also.

Thanks to you and your team for everything. I look forward to beta testing version 4.40 soon.

Fred

bharkins · September 22, 2004

I agree with Techman's item 4. I have to do a lot of fussing with lining up the slides and transitions across the music track. I cannot get the Automatic syncronization to equally space images across.

Bill

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