PicturesToExe v5.00 beta #1

[LumenLux]

Thanks to Igor and his team for the hard work on the latest vesrsion. I have tried it on two computers -a laptop using a gforce nvidia go6600 and a shuttle using a gforce ti4800se with no problems at all

So I have put on my web site a demo of version 5 beta 1 - a test sequence lasting about 7 minutes with a variety of sizes of images from small to 14,000 x 1200. Now it is quite large -36 megs and as the traffic is very high on my site ( due to about 750 visits a day) I may have to withdraw it if the traffic gets near my 20 gig a month norm. You will find it at the bottom of the following web page

http://www.rtfract.com/digiview.htm

right click and save as target.

Its just a quicky to try out the effects.

rt

Thank you Richard for your personal tour. I enjoyed the perfectly smooth round-the-world view from midfield. And the drop of the snail.

I too have been overdosing with excitement as I try various implementations. I am astounded what an open-ended tool this is! But I am not sure whether tool or toy is more fitting. I expect it to be a great tool for some and pure entertainment for others. Igor, you have a triumph on your hands. I wonder if any PTE user could have imagined the vast new world this opens. I don't yet know how everyone or even I will ultimately incorporate it, but the possibilities are nearly infinite I'd think. So thanks again and again for your dedication to this fine program.

[nickles]

Thanks to Igor and his team for the hard work on the latest vesrsion. I have tried it on two computers -a laptop using a gforce nvidia go6600 and a shuttle using a gforce ti4800se with no problems at all

So I have put on my web site a demo of version 5 beta 1 - a test sequence lasting about 7 minutes with a variety of sizes of images from small to 14,000 x 1200. Now it is quite large -36 megs and as the traffic is very high on my site ( due to about 750 visits a day) I may have to withdraw it if the traffic gets near my 20 gig a month norm. You will find it at the bottom of the following web page

http://www.rtfract.com/digiview.htm

right click and save as target.

Its just a quicky to try out the effects.

rt

Richard,

Just viewed your test sequence several times. Very, very nicely done...and using "first time out of the box beta software". Your sequences demonstrate the many possibilities of looking at images from an entirely different perspective. Ran flawlessly on the first pass but seemed to have some difficulty as it cycled through on the repeat pass...had to escape and restart.

Thanks for the superb demonstration.

ken

[bfreas]

I'm getting these two error messages (see attached files) when I try to preview a show or play a created EXE show with 5.0beta. I can hear the music but don't get any visuals.

[Adda]

Hi Igor and all Fans of PTE V5!

Preview is not possible on my computer.

I deinstalled V5 and reinstalled it.

But it does not help.

Is this normal in the beta or is this a bug?

Best regards

Adda

[LumenLux]

Igor, I report this event now after it has happened a few times. I have not been able to determine the common circumstances that may be part of it.

A Beta 5 exe will suddenly apparently quit. But the task bar still shows a part of it is open. I think the task bar shows that PteViewer3 PreAlpha1 is still open. The most recent occurence still had the .exe music playing but it did not loop. When the problem happens, the Windows Task Manager shows that PteViewer3 PreAlpha1 is "Not responding." I am able to "End task" and continue all work without having to re-boot.

[Igor]

Adda,

Please write me to int_support (at) wnsoft.com

1) So you can run produced EXE file, but can't run Preview from PTE? What exactly happens when you press Preview button?

2) Try to call "Create slide-show and Run" (or Ctrl+F9) from main menu. Will it work?

p.s. Thanks for your slide-show!

bfreas,

Please also write me to int_support (at) wnsoft.com

and send this project as ZIP archive (from Main menu | File | Create backup in ZIP).

LumenLux,

I just sent you email. Please read it, if you didn't receive it. Write me a letter to int_support (at) wnsoft.com

[denwell]

Is there anybody (Igor) who's going to give me some information re my last post?

DEN (NE UK)

[Ken Cox]

Den

i dont think the feature is enabled as yet

my attempts run continuously no matter what i have selected

esc stops it

ken

[denwell]

Thanks for that Ken - I was begining to think there was a bug, but thankfully not.

We await further developments but I've got to say - IT'S JUST GREAT!!!!!!!

DEN (NE UK)

[Adda]

Start playing at a certain keypoint

Hi Igor!

Jumping from Keypoint to keypoint with < and > Buttons is very helpfull. But it starts every time at the beginning.

To control large pans with start and go and zooms, it would be great, if it would possible to start "play" at the different keypoints.

Best regard

Adda

[nickles]

To control large pans with start and go and zooms, it would be great, if it would possible to start "play" at the different keypoints.

Best regard

Adda

Igor,

I concur with Adda. This would be a nice feature.

ken

[bfreas]

bfreas,

Please also write me to int_support (at) wnsoft.com

and send this project as ZIP archive (from Main menu | File | Create backup in ZIP).

I've narrowed down the cause as being the "Show transition effect to desktop after last slide". When this is checked I get the error messages and no video, just audio. As Lumenlux says I also have the PTEviewer Prealpha1 program running in the taskbar.

Also, when I try checking the "show first transition from desktop" checkbox it doesn't appear to work (trying to use "fade" as the effect).

I've zipped the project and it's a 27Mb file. Should I still send it (did'nt know if you're set up to receive email that large)?

[Igor]

I'm very grateful to you!

We found two different bugs in PTE and will fix them now.

Don't send the project, please. I reproduced it now.

[LumenLux]

HELP - should this beta be able to control the "Close show after last slide" or "When show ends keep last slide on screen" options in Project Options? - I seem only able to get the show repeating, despite setting these alternatives.

Is it just me or is this how this first beta is meant to operate?

DEN (NE UK)

I believe an earlier post indicates the condition is knowingly the intent for ONLY this Beta stage.

[wideangle]

While I am a staunch supporter of PtoE v4.**, I have to say that this 'beta' release is a bad move, and is a likely to be a bit damaging to the reputation of what is a quality product. It is not developed fully enough yet to warrant being called a beta - alpha testing still has a long way to go. That is verified by the large number of critical comments so far, on what seem to be a wide range of problems. To use descriptions such as unbelievable, amazing, marvellous, or whatever, at this stage is misleading, although, given time, I am sure they will be the case.

On a slightly different point, can I refer to the production of DVDs. This again has prompted a lot of discussion over a long period of time. Why is there still the suggestion of using Ulead DVDFactory 2 in the PtoE software- it is up to version 5 now? I bought the Ulead v5 product for use in this way, only to find that PtoE, when set up for Ulead MovieFactory, produces a video file with a ptev extension, which isn't recognised by MovieFactory 5!!!

A friend tells me the same is true if you use the previous version of MovieFactory as well. Yes, i know I can play about with custom avis, but that is missing the point.

[nickles]

Igor,

I am so very pleased that you decided to make this early BETA release. I know your team has been extremely busy to bring the new graphics engine to this point. I'm sure that most of us PTE users had no idea as to the potential capabilities that your endeavor would produce.

Your very early release is highly unusual for a developer. Most finalize their development before releasing...which is too late to obtain useful input from the potential users. Now that we've seen the potenial that lies ahead...we should be able to offer you many suggestions that you can consider as you finalize your developments.

PTE is an unusual product in the support you give to it. Please continue with your unusual mode of operation...and I think I speak for the majority of us that use your product and participate in this forum.

Onward with your PTE development...and we will hopefully provide you with an array of ideas that will assist you in making PTE 5.0 the "Leader of the Class".

Very Sincerely,

Ken

[bharkins]

Good comment Ken. It has always been described as a beta release, not for prime time until finalized and is advertised on the Wnsoft web page. Since testers must have a separate HD or partition to place the beta version, one has to assume that we are not "using" v5.0 at all, but merely testing it, as Igor has stated. I'm comfortable with that status until things evolve, and in the meantime there is new life on the Forum - not that it has ever been dull!

Bill

[nickles]

Igor,

Just a suggestion that your team has most likely thought of. It would be very convenient to have a set of grid lines that could be turned on or off in the visual editor display window. This would be nice for more precisely locating multiple objects within the display scene at their starting and ending key points...maybe at spacing of 10% horizonal and vertical inclusive of a cross hair at the central point.

Not of much consequence at this point but as you more nearly finalize your product.

ken

[mcarthur]

Wonderful Igor. Superb :-)

Now, can I make some suggestions :-)

These are all animation related (since that's what I'm concentrating on)

• is there an option to see all the objects on the timeline at once (preferably colour-coded)? It would be easier to synchronise them to be able to see them all at once
  
• if find myself needing to often modify the length of time the slide is shown for. Can the timeline be modified so I simply move the endpoint further right, rather than needing to go into the "slide" button?
  
• the keypoint time for the first and last in the slide are the same - 0 - should this be so? (I tried adding some to the last keypoint but it didn't like that! :-)
  
• I can hardly wait until the variable speed version! :-]
  
• I can hardly wait until the defined path version :-] :-]
  
• Is it possible to go back to the light table or main screen after starting the animation screen? I couldn't find a way... Right - found it! The animation screen opens another one fullscreen and hides the underlying one. The windows toolbar still only shows a single window open for that project (ie. not MDI) which threw me. Perhaps add a button or something to the animation screen to send people back to the main.
  
• I'd still love a way to do what I used to, which is have multiple images per page with seperate timelines/fades/etc. Now the v5 gets me closer since I can add images (objects) to a slide but it's pretty clunky (in terms of control, not in terms of the beautiful animation and new delivery engine!).
  
• what I find amazing is that so far there's not been a bug. Now I can't undestand a person who doesn't comprehend that when something is labelled "beta" that it means it's a beta. The sort who when presented with "Danger! Don't touch this or you will die" is a budding Darwin award winner! But this is beta software and, apart from what's purposely left out, there's not a bug! I, for one, and someone who's been programming for years, am amazed - GO IGOR!
  

I was going to put up a 30s show of the fun I've had with but 3 slides, but realised I don't have anywhere to put it! Doh.

Regards

Robert

[Tripstrilles]

Beta doesn´t works with old Win NT SP 4

Greetings, Rainer

[ronwil]

I go along with Ken's post about early release of 5.00 Beta. My earlier problem of it overwriting my version 4.47 whilst I was in the middle of a project was solved by placing 5.00 Beta #1 in a separate folder and re-installing 4.47.

Yesterday I discovered that when I tried to open some of my old projects from their respective folders they opened in the 5.00Beta. I solved this by moving 5.00 Beta further down the file line than 4.47. Now all is well.

One final point. Why oh Why has DVD and Movie Factory crept into this thread. Cannot members see that there is a separate place for this. It is the third heading in the Forum "How to create a video".

Ron [uK]

[Lin Evans]

Wonderful Igor. Superb :-)

snip

[*] I'd still love a way to do what I used to, which is have multiple images per page with seperate timelines/fades/etc. Now the v5 gets me closer since I can add images (objects) to a slide but it's pretty clunky (in terms of control, not in terms of the beautiful animation and new delivery engine!).

[*] what I find amazing is that so far there's not been a bug. Now I can't undestand a person who doesn't comprehend that when something is labelled "beta" that it means it's a beta. The sort who when presented with "Danger! Don't touch this or you will die" is a budding Darwin award winner! But this is beta software and, apart from what's purposely left out, there's not a bug! I, for one, and someone who's been programming for years, am amazed - GO IGOR!

I was going to put up a 30s show of the fun I've had with but 3 slides, but realised I don't have anywhere to put it! Doh.

Regards

Robert

Hi Robert,

You do have multiple images per page with separate time lines now. I think you don't yet understand how this works. When you add additional "objects" (images, text, etc.) and when you select the text or image the time line and all the keypoints you add or you see is unique to that image. You have total independent control over each image added on a single slide point.

Go back and just work with two images to start with for a show. Place only one in the queue and "add" the other via the right mouse click and select from the drop down window. Now use the two small arrows at the bottom right just beside the time line to switch back and forth between the two images. Go up to the green rectangle surrounding the images. Set the percent to something less than auto like 50% so you can see both images and the green rectangle. With two images you need to click on each and notice that the green rectangle changes from one image to the other. Let's call these image A and image B. When image a is selected, the time line you see is specific to image A. When you select image B the timeline is specific to image B. This is the only sensible way to do this so you don't have to scroll through a long series with separate individual time lines displayed simultaneously so that you loose site of the image when trying to manipulate the kaypoints, etc. Put a couple keypoints on the timeline for the first image and then switch via the select of green rectangle to the second image (See My Tutorial Page Link) and you will see that each image has it's own timeline. Can you imagine how the Fractal.exe show could have been possibly built with twenty separate images all having individual motion and animation without individual control??

Click on my link below and download and play my zipped executable. Notice on the opening slide that there are actually four separate images of which three are doing separate things simultaneously. The main or "anchor" image of the coyote is stationary (though it doesn't have to be) while the smaller coyote image on the lower left is rotating counterclockwise and changing opacity slightly. The small coyote image in the upper right is rotating clockwise and the text scrolls up then down while simultanously changing zoom. The coyote on the left stops rotation while the one on the right reverses its rotation.

Robert my friend you have "complete" control over all objects in their own separate simultaneous animations on a single slide! You can have dozens of these happening on each slide - not that you would necessarily want to - LOL. This is EXTREME power which no other software that I'm aware of can do and that includes ProShow Producer and Vegas Video, etc...

Here's the link:

http://www.lin-evans.net/p2e/coyote.zip

Best regards,

Lin

[mcarthur]

You do have multiple images per page with separate time lines now. I think you don't yet understand how this works. When you add additional "objects" (images, text, etc.) and when you select the text or image the time line and all the keypoints you add or you see is unique to that image. You have total independent control over each image added on a single slide point.

Go back and just work with two images to start with for a show. Place only one in the queue and "add" the other via the right mouse click and select from the drop down window. Now use the two small arrows at the bottom right just below the time line to switch back and forth between the two images. Put a couple keypoints on the timeline for the first image and then switch via the arrows to the second image (See My Tutorial Page Link) and you will see that each image has it's own timeline. Can you imagine how the Fractal.exe show could have been possibly built without individual control??

Hi Lin,

Oh yes, I've found that. What I used to have with my other (unnamed here) software is independent control of each image at any point in the show. So instead of any notion of a "slide", there was simply the multiple notions of time and individual image. Let me prompt in case there is and answer and I've just missed it Say I want to have two images moving across (L-R, R-L continuously) throughout half of my slideshow, always in the background (I've seen something like this done really well in a competition, so it's "real"). All the other images in the show, for the first half say, come ontop of those two which are semi-opaque so the images on top aren't "drowned out". In PTE5, I can have a single slide with multiple images, all with their own paths etc (yee haa :-)), but I can't see a way to have this cross over into the "next slide". Now, I can make the entire show a single "slide" (in PTE terms) and just have all my images moving inside that, but then I lose all the other wonderful things like music synchro and the lighttable. Is that clear? Is it possible?!

Regards

Robert

[Lin Evans]

Hi Lin,

Oh yes, I've found that. What I used to have with my other (unnamed here) software is independent control of each image at any point in the show. So instead of any notion of a "slide", there was simply the multiple notions of time and individual image. Let me prompt in case there is and answer and I've just missed it Say I want to have two images moving across (L-R, R-L continuously) throughout half of my slideshow, always in the background (I've seen something like this done really well in a competition, so it's "real"). All the other images in the show, for the first half say, come ontop of those two which are semi-opaque so the images on top aren't "drowned out". In PTE5, I can have a single slide with multiple images, all with their own paths etc (yee haa :-)), but I can't see a way to have this cross over into the "next slide". Now, I can make the entire show a single "slide" (in PTE terms) and just have all my images moving inside that, but then I lose all the other wonderful things like music synchro and the lighttable. Is that clear? Is it possible?!

Regards

Robert

Hi Robert,

I think you might do this by loading the individual slide with it's animations on each successive frame. There is a copy/paste capability with p2E, also a Keypoint copy, and though I've not attempted to do what you describe maybe if I get some time tomorrow I'll give it a shot. The transparency is no problem because you can control the opacity of any object and change it across real time. I've not had time to totally digest the possibilities yet and there are a few "features" which have not yet been implemented. The only down side I see with having to do this on a "repeat" basis is that the position of the moving objects when the transitions happen would need to be synchronized so that the object moving across the plane of each slide appears to stay in the same relative position or the position it "would" have been in considering the trajectory and speed had the previous slide still been playing.

ProShow and Producer have a feature which Igor may eventually want to implement where it's easy to match the position in terms of zoom, pan, etc., of a previous or "next" slide. What it essentially does is copy the "numbers" representing the percentage of zoom and the position of scroll, etc., from one slide to the next. Of course one could simply copy down the "numbers" from the display and match them manually, but it would be nice to just click on a choice and have that as an option. I would also like to see an optional grid so I can more easily match positions on subjects from one slide to another. One of my favorite techniques for wildlife shots is to zoom tight in on the eye of say a mountain goat mother and with a fade out followed by an overlapping fade on the following slide begin with an already zoomed in tight close up of the eye of her lamb which then zooms slowly out to the full frame. This is facilitated by having a grid with which to more easily match the precise positions. Of course it's possible to use the "center" dot on the green rectangle as a position marker with P2E beta 5, but then that forces me to have the eye in the very center of the frame which is not always the most pleasing aesthetic.

As this product evolves, I'm sure Igor and his development team will make adjustment to make things work in the most efficient way. i'm just blown away at how good this beta is and the incredible power of the new graphical engine.

Best regards,

Lin

[Igor]

Adda,

I noticed that even on my Geforce 6800 you perfect slide-show pan_and_zoom.exe has jerks.

We explorered this problem and found that it happened because of low-bitrate MP3 music file. Of course, it was our problem and we fixed it! Now your slide-show re-created with future beta #1 will have ideally smooth Panorama. Thank you

Ken,

Ok! I added idea with grid lines in Visual editor to my TODO list.

Rainer,

With second CPU based graphical engine in next betas v5.00 will work again on Windows NT 4.0

Ron,

In beta #2 we will use another folder for installation than v4.xx and temporarily don't associate v5.00 with .pte (until more complete last betas) projects.

I'm very grateful for all your help with beta-testing of v5.00!

Currently we're working on increasing of reliability of v5.00 and fixing problems/bugs.

Please give us one-two weeks for this work. While I'm afraid I'm not able to response on all messages during this period, sorry!

Robert,

is there an option to see all the objects on the timeline at once

I think next version.

the keypoint time for the first and last in the slide are the same - 0 - should this be so?

It's OK. It means that these keypoints exactly docked to particular event - beginning/ending of the slide.

Is it possible to go back to the light table or main screen

No, sorry.

I agree that we have many necessary ideas for Visual editor, but a little later, after other things will be enought ready.

Thank you