PicturesToExe v5.00 beta #2

[alrobin]

Has anyone else noticed this: When I play a sequence in the timeline view that is synchronized to music, the music track (a .wav file) begins playing immediately. But when I hit the preview button or create a .exe, the music doesn't start playing until about 3 seconds into the show.

Ray,

Igor hasn't finished developing the synchronized mode in the new beta. For example, I set up my music to start about 5 sec into the start of the show, and the images are all late by 1 sec., relative to their beats in the sound file. This is with fast "cuts" and reasonably small image files (wide-screen) 5 seconds apart. When the show recycles it is even further delayed relative to the sound.

However, as you experienced, in the timeline view everything is bang-on.

[JohnFeg]

Is it known yet when the function, "Add Sound" to a slide (When in the main menu screen) will be made operable?

V5 is really a great joy to work with.

Congratulation on what the team for a great achievement.

John

[Ken Cox]

thedom

see

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2362

think it is about 18 pages long

ken

[Igor]

We'll include all features from v4.48 to v5.00

New version is intended to fully replace previous version.

I have TODO list and in my nearest plans:

1) Fully solve all several known bugs in v5.00 beta

2) Re-activate again "old" features of v4.48 which temporarily don't work in v5.00 beta

[thedom]

Fist off all, thanks Igor and Ken for you answers (even if it's not exactly what I was waiting for .

Don't know if it's because of my video card (NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4800 SE), but i think I found two display bugs.

In "Project options", I set :

- screen custom ratio = 1,77

- gradient filling (pink to green)

Here are the display bugs :

PTE Bugs #1 and #2

The display bug #1 only appears when the candy "enter" the screen.

The display bug #2 is here all the time.

The bug #3 (something i made wrong ?) is that the candy doesn't disappear from the screen when I preview my show in the main window but it does if I play it in the Objects and Animation window (!?!?).

PTE Bug #3.

Here is my show (including the .EXE and the PTE project with images) - 509 KO :

So, what do you think ?

Thanks.

[nickles]

Hello Igor:

A suggestion for PTE 5:

I believe the additon of a Gaussian Blur effect to Objects and Animation would be a highly useful feature. Similar to your Opacity feature with a means of selecting the extent of blur (1-100). An example would be in my KenBurns demo. It would have been nice to start of the show with a Gaussian Blur as the image was initially being zoomed to fullscreen...with the Gaussian Blur removed as the full zoom keypoint is achieved.

I have found that Gaussian Blur can be very beneficial in removing the pixelation caused by changing a photos display size. I use it quite often when I create a DVD from a PTE show...to get rid of what some people call the "shimmering" effect. Another area I think benefits would result is when you are putting more than one image on the display in PTE 5. At times it would be very desirable to blur one or more of the images to center the viewers attention to a sharper image.

I don't know how feasible this would be...but to me it would be a very nice enhancement. Maybe others will comment on this suggestion.

Sincerely,

nickles

[alrobin]

Ken,

I agree that this would be a useful addition to the capabilities of PTE.

However, I would not like to see Igor spend a lot of development resources on it, particularly before all the usual features have been programmed in, as it is possible to apply it while "dressing up" one's images for inclusion in a PTE project.

The progressive blur idea is an interesting one, though, if it were possible to work it into the program without an undue amount of effort.

[thedom]

We'll include all features from v4.48 to v5.00

New version is intended to fully replace previous version.

I have TODO list and in my nearest plans:

1) Fully solve all several known bugs in v5.00 beta

2) Re-activate again "old" features of v4.48 which temporarily don't work in v5.00 beta

What about the "Add text" function ?

Will it have all animation features (PZR and Opacity) in final v5 ?

From my point of view, it would be really "time saving" to be able to add simple text and to animate it directly in PTE...

[thedom]

I believe the additon of a Gaussian Blur effect to Objects and Animation would be a highly useful feature. Maybe others will comment on this suggestion.

Yes, why not, but - if it is possible - the cursor should go from "Blur" to "Sharp".

And I think the adjustements features like "brightness", "contrast", "colorize", "white and black point adjustements" and "hue" would be as usefull (or even more ).

[nickles]

Hello Igor:

A suggestion for PTE 5:

I believe the additon of a Gaussian Blur effect to Objects and Animation would be a highly useful feature.

I created a simulated demo show of this effect here:

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4425

Ken

[Igor]

Useful tricks in Visual editor:

- You can set scale using Ctrl+mouse wheel

- On large zooming, hold Alt key and drag slide with mouse cursor (like with Space button in Photoshop on 200% of view)

Question.

As I can see beta #2 more reliable than previous beta and on modern video card all work fine?

Please let me know about all error messages which probably you'll find (except of error messages on old video cards and known limitations of current beta).

[potwnc]

Igor,

Can you answer my questions from a few days ago?

As I posted a long time ago, I don't expect many people to have PCs that can handle the file sizes I'm working with, which are mainly 4 times the size of full 1080p images - 3840x2160 pixels and about 8MB each on average. I'm working on what will be a 90-minute show, and I'd expect that to produce about a 12 Gigabyte .exe file! So my main interest is, at least until PC technology catches up, in video output. That's why my file sizes are so large, in anticipation of the new Blu-Ray and HD-DVD technologies that are just now coming onto the market and that support 1920x1080 video.

Question 1: When do you expect to support .avi output in version 5? Is it a few weeks away or a few months?

Question 2: Is this possible and are there any plans to do this in version 5: Although my images are too big to produce a .exe file that most PCs will support today, most PCs today will support DVD-quality images. So could I start with my large files, set my output window size to 720x405 (16:9) and then PTE will reduce the image sizes in the final .exe file? That would reduce my .exe file size from about 12 GB to about 2GB without having to use a photo editor to resize every image before I produce the .exe file. This ability would be a big plus so that we could customize our .exe shows to different target users who have less powerful PCs.

[LumenLux]

Yes, why not, but - if it is possible - the cursor should go from "Blur" to "Sharp".

And I think the adjustements features like "brightness", "contrast", "colorize", "white and black point adjustements" and "hue" would be as usefull (or even more ).

Seems that Igor with Ver5 has a product that may turn much of the animation world on it's ear! I really would not be surprised to see some expensive professional applications replaced in some circles. ( I know nothing really, just I am so impressed with the expandability of the Ver5 functions.) Now, seeing your suggestions, which I like, starting with Gaussian, and some thoughts of my own, - even Adobe may be scratching their head. It does seem there may ultimately prove to be several Photoshop functions that may be done as well and possibly easier right within PTE. Once Igor perfects all current features, he may indeed need something to keep his bright mind and team busy.

[Igor]

Question 1: When do you expect to support .avi output in version 5? Is it a few weeks away or a few months?

I think in a month or so. v5.00 of course will contain AVI video output. With ability to set HDTV resulutions (e.g. 1920x1080).

About your Question 2.

It's really intesting and good idea. I added your suggestion to my TODO list.

I need time to think how to better realize this idea.

[sanewcomb]

Please first update to DirectX 9.0c , your DX version is totally outdated !

Marco

Will DirectX 9.0c the minimum DirectX version required to run P2E ver 5.0?

If not, what will be the minimum?

Steve

[Igor]

Minimal version is DirectX 8.1

It's already included to Windows XP (even without Service Packs).

Of course, mentioned DirectX 6.1a is too old for Pan/Zoom effects.

[nickles]

IGOR:

I noticed something when I created the silly PotatoHead demo. From the original photo I cut out all the individual facial parts and saved as .pngs. When I brought the .pngs in as overlays to the original photo, the required zoom factors were all over the place in order to achieve proper alignment. I would have thought they would all be 100 as they were cutout from the original with the exact same scale. Maybe this is a property of .png files? Made it a challenge to get the precise overlay effect. Do you have any thoughts?

Ken

[alrobin]

Ken,

I had the same experience with a travelogue I'm working on.

I found that the size of the "png" image was influenced by which object "level" I was importing to.

It's easy to adjust the zoom factor back to "100", though.

[nickles]

Ken,

I found that the size of the "png" image was influenced by which object "level" I was importing to.

Hello Al,

I noticed there was an effect on scaling with "level". But I haven't yet figured out exactly what "level" does.

Have you?

Sincerely,

Ken

[alrobin]

I noticed there was an effect on scaling with "level". But I haven't yet figured out exactly what "level" does.

Have you?

Ken,

The "levels" are used to associate a "sub-object" with the properties of the object to which it is "attached".

You're familiar with "object-oriented" computer programming. It's the same sort of idea, except applied to "objects" in PTE. You can see all this in action in the script file for your PTE project if you open it in a text editor.

For instance, you can associate a number of objects with one on a higher "level", and by simpling panning and zooming and rotating the main object, all of the sub-objects will behave in the same way. So, you don't have to create the same "hitpoints" for each image - just the one at the higher "level" with which they are all associated.

Attached is an example - "van-2" is "subservient" (or at a lower "level" than) to "Rectangle", which is, in turn, a "sub-object" of "background" (the dark slide).

[nickles]

Ken,

The "levels" are used to associate a "sub-object" with the properties of the object to which it is "attached".

Thanks Al,

I'm going to have to study this a bit. Headed out the door for Austin, TX. Going to watch my son be annointed as an official member of the Texas Bar...recently graduated and just passed the bar. Guess he'll now have to practice "chasing" ambulances...ha.

Hope there are some Texas wildflowers in bloom along the way....my cameras are prepared.

Ken

[alrobin]

Ken, I envy you being so close to all that desert down there. Have you had any rain yet this spring? When we went through in mid-Feb it was dry as a bone. Needless to say, we were way too early for the flowers. Any bluebonnets out?

I'll have to get your son's coordinates before our next trip down that way, just in case we run into any trouble with the law!

[thedom]

What about the "Add text" function ?

Will it have all animation features (PZR and Opacity) in final v5 ?

From my point of view, it would be really "time saving" to be able to add simple text and to animate it directly in PTE...

Up.

[Igor]

Text objects will be available in the next beta versions, of course.

With same Pan/Zoom/Rotate effects.

p.s. we almost finished beta #3. We couldn't show new beta earlier because we worked on vast improvement of graphical engine. For potentially more reliable work in various situations. Also antiviruses will not disturb to work of slide-shows anymore. And we spent additional time for testing under Windows Vista (beta). All worked fine.

[jevans]

I have some questions about the Objects Editor window. My default screen resolution is 1280 x 1024. If I prepare an image of 1280 x 1024, it exactly fills the black rectangle in the objects editor window which represents the screen. If I change the monitor resolution to 1024 x 768 and prepare an image with this resolution, then the image again exactly fills the black screen background. Thus the black rectangle always represents the monitor dimensions on which it is displayed. However in the editor window, the window can be scrolled horizontally and vertically with the scroll bars. What dimensions are represented by this additional area? Presumably this has been designed to allow images to be placed outside of the normal screen viewing area.

Igor has indicated some keyboard shortcuts in a posting. One of these is ALT + Drag. If you try this on the black screen rectangle in the editor, it is possible to move this off centre. If you then add an image, this covers the screen rectangle in its new position. Why should you want to displace the screen position indicating rectangle from its default centre position?

Finally I note that in previous version of PTE, changing the global time duration for the project will change the duration for all images which have been added to the project window. Thus a global time change can be applied to all images. This cannot be done in Version 5 and I assume that this is because it is necessary to avoid messing up the individual movement edits for each image. Thus the only way to make a global change (remember that users may not want to use any image movements) is to select all images in the slide listing and apply a custom edit to change the global image duration.

Jeff