PicturesToExe v5.00 beta #2

[Jill]

Hi Igor

I have finally bought a new PC with an Nvidia Geforce 7300 GS PCI Ex video card with up to 512 mb memory. The processor is AMD Sempron 3000+ with 1GB RAM & Win XP. Screen resolution is 1024 x 768.

So I can now run Version 5. Seems to be very smooth on the tests I have done so far.

Very easy to use once I got my head round it (& Win XP).

Don't know if these have already been mentioned but a couple of points that would be nice to have are:-

1. Allow an option of short file names in the Properties & main (show image) windows instead of the full path.

I have found that with Win XP 'My Documents' that the actual path name is VERY LONG. Wasn't a problem on my old Win 98 PC as I had a second drive for data.

2. Include a Grid screen on the Properties window, similar to Photoshop, to help align objects when zoom & pan.

Jill (North Wales)

[thedom]

2. Include a Grid screen on the Properties window, similar to Photoshop, to help align objects when zoom & pan.

Jill (North Wales)

I totally agree Jill.

Go have a look here but let's be patient :

Features of the previous version have to be included first.

Btw Igor, do you have an estimate date for the release of the next beta you are talking about two messages above ?

[Jill]

Hi theDom

Thanks I have just downloaded the grids. Tried to make one myself in photoshop, but not very succesful, will give these a try.

Jill

[Igor]

Please wait for the next beta #3 where I improved Visual editor with several new important options.

Grid in Visual editor in my TODO list. I'll not promiss exactly when.

We're finishing work with re-initialization of video card. DirectX is a very complex interface and even minimizing, restoring, or Alt-Tab during watching of slide-show require to fully re-initialize slide-show.

[nickunwin]

We're working on beta #3 now and also we're testing PicturesToExe 5 under Windows x64, Windows Vista and Windows Vista 64-bit. All is OK and work is successful.

Hi Igor,

So far your 32bit app runs fine under x64, I've not had any issues at all in either 4.48, or V5 Betas. I'm not too sure if there'd really be any benefit in you doing so, but out of interest - do you plan to release a native 64bit version?

[Igor]

No plans at this moment, because no benefits for slide-show. We need not to have memory usage more than 2 GB.

32-bit software works fine under Windows x64 if it doesn't contain dangerous optimizations/tricks.

[thedom]

Please wait for the next beta #3 where I improved Visual editor with several new important options.

Grid in Visual editor in my TODO list. I'll not promiss exactly when.

Yepeeeee !!!

[steveP]

Finally found time to have a good look at Beta 5. So i created a folder placed some prepared images and sounds an started. I have a usual routine involves setting the project options to gradient background, Image size to "90% of screen to show images" and turn all Effects off except fade. When I previewed the image it was full screen and no matter what i did. The images are all within 1024x 768 I was playing on my laptop which is wide screen and 1920x1200.

Is this a bug or am I missing something with the new tools etc.

[alrobin]

When I previewed the image it was full screen and no matter what i did. The images are all within 1024x 768 I was playing on my laptop which is wide screen and 1920x1200.

Is this a bug or am I missing something with the new tools etc.

Yes, "fit to screen" is the default, and there is quite a discussion in another thread on this relatiing to aspect ratios. However, you can set individual images to "Original" if you want to force the size smaller on your laptop, but the best way to accommodate a show is to reduce the resolution of the laptop to something similar to the image sizes. I suspect Igor will be making a few changes to the default settings, etc., before v.5 is finalized.

Not all of the features are activated yet in v.5, so you will find that quite a few of your settings will not have any effect.

[steveP]

Will have to wait for the final version then. There are two reasons I always set my images to less than 100% is that i prefer a border all round and as many of my slide shows are used via a projector and screen I cannot guarantee that the projector is set correctly for the screen so 90% gives me a safety margin. For this same reason I always work within the 1024x768 aspect ration as most projects accept this but it is still ok on the few that are better and the many that are 800x600 the fact that the old PTE managed to handle this and still maintain a border was a great asset. I have also been playing with the Timeline and have been adjusting the slide duration and transition duration. When I preview from the time line the default transition I set in project options is changed to a Circle out transition if I have changed, by dragging, the transition duration. But none of my changes stay when I close the timeline. I hope this is another function not yet activated.

[Lin Evans]

Will have to wait for the final version then. There are two reasons I always set my images to less than 100% is that i prefer a border all round and as many of my slide shows are used via a projector and screen I cannot guarantee that the projector is set correctly for the screen so 90% gives me a safety margin. For this same reason I always work within the 1024x768 aspect ration as most projects accept this but it is still ok on the few that are better and the many that are 800x600 the fact that the old PTE managed to handle this and still maintain a border was a great asset. I have also been playing with the Timeline and have been adjusting the slide duration and transition duration. When I preview from the time line the default transition I set in project options is changed to a Circle out transition if I have changed, by dragging, the transition duration. But none of my changes stay when I close the timeline. I hope this is another function not yet activated.

Hi Steve,

Only fade in/out and the circle are presently activated. More effects will be activated in Beta 3 and eventually all will be included in the release version. Features are added a few at a time to facilitate debugging.

Best regards,

Lin

[steveP]

Hi Steve,

Only fade in/out and the circle are presently activated. More effects will be activated in Beta 3 and eventually all will be included in the release version. Features are added a few at a time to facilitate debugging.

Best regards,

Lin

Thanks Lin

Getting impatient I think, as I have been waiting to be able to use the timeline without sound for some time, having to add silence files was not the best. I create a lot of simple presentations through my job and have to do them quickly. Being able to add simple effects like shadow a smaller than full screen with gradient and adjust the slide times quickly has made life simple, this is especially true as all my exe files to date have been relatively resolution and aspect ratio independent when view on a large screen. But patience is a virtue and it looks like it will be well worth waiting for.

[alrobin]

Igor,

I have noticed something peculiar relating to the object timeline. I added a rectangle (as a "child" to another rectangle), and then added a second keypont for this second rectangle which happened to correspond with the end of the grey horizontal bar marking the transition to the main image. I also rotated the rectangle 180 degrees, but it does not pan or zoom.

The "time" box at the right reverted to "0", but correctly shows "1000" in the blue box just above the keypoint (the transition to the main image is also 1000 ms.)

I then entered 4000 ms in the box at the right-hand side for the right-most keypoint, and 3000 ms for the first keypoint in order to shift them along the timeline 3000 ms to the right, but hoping to retain the same separation between them. However, the two keypoints ended up being 2000 ms apart instead of remaining 1000 ms apart as they should have.

However, if I enter "3000" in the box for each keypoint, they end up being spaced 1 second apart as they should be, but the boxes for both keypoints each show "3000". The blue markers however, read "3000" and "4000" as they should.

[Igor]

Al,

If it possible to save this project and after re-opening you can reproduce the problem again, please pack entire project or one slide and send to my email address please int_support@

[alrobin]

Igor,

You can download my example at www.alrobinson.com/problem_o-a_timeline.zip .

I've noticed another small problem with this example. When I enter a value of "1000" in the "Keypoint Time" box for the second keypoint of the first subordinate rectangle, to move it's position along the timeline, and then press "undo", the time reverts to "100" instead of "0".

[thedom]

I've noticed another small problem with this example. When I enter a value of "1000" in the "Keypoint Time" box for the second keypoint of the first subordinate rectangle, to move it's position along the timeline, and then press "undo", the time reverts to "100" instead of "0".

I noticed it too. It seems that each figure entered counts for a "do", even if it's for the same fields.

And it's the same process if you delete a number digit by digit and want it back.

[alrobin]

I noticed it too. It seems that each figure entered counts for a "do", even if it's for the same fields.

And it's the same process if you delete a number digit by digit and want it back.

Yes, I suspect that's the answer - I thought of that after I posted my message. It caught me by surprise as I wasn't expecting that.

[Igor]

Al,

Undo works for every changed digit in edit controls.

About keypoints. It's not bug in PTE, but looks as bug

When you dragged keypoint to moment when transition effect finished keypoint became locked to this moment ("+" symbol indicates this). So counting performs from this moment and you see 0 ms. in "Keypoint time". And typing 3000 ms. you see that keypoint located at 4000 ms.

When you drag keypoint visually I lock up keypoint from beginning of a slide and counting performs from 0.

[alrobin]

....When you dragged keypoint to moment when transition effect finished keypoint became locked to this moment ("+" symbol indicates this). So counting performs from this moment and you see 0 ms. in "Keypoint time". And typing 3000 ms. you see that keypoint located at 4000 ms.

When you drag keypoint visually I lock up keypoint from beginning of a slide and counting performs from 0.

Igor,

When I drag a keypoint from the beginning of a slide it does "lock up", but only until it reaches the end of the transition. If I "drop" it there it reverts to "0". I find this very confusing, as when I am trying to move two keypoints, one at the beginning of a slide, and the other which just happens to rest on the end of a transition, they both end up having the same timeline value, but both are in reality 1 second apart. To me this is "counter-intuitive"?? Is there a reason why the keypoint has to start counting all over when it reaches the end of the transition?

[Igor]

We tried to give ability of fine customization of keypoints.

It's headache for us.

Please give us time to think how to simplify work with timeline.

[Cèlou]

Good evening,

I put on line file PTE concerning my demonstration “Magic”,

you will find it here

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=4512

[alrobin]

We tried to give ability of fine customization of keypoints.

It's headache for us.

Please give us time to think how to simplify work with timeline.

Igor,

No problem! I'm glad I don't have your headaches! Hope I'm not making your headaches worse!

[alrobin]

Igor,

I stumbled across another unexpected condition with use of rectangles in v.5.

When I copy two existing rectangles onto a third main rectangle, and then delete the original rectangles, the relative position of any objects associated with these rectangles changes. See examples before and after below.

[Igor]

Al,

It's not a bug.

Objects has relative coordinates linked with their parent. Because of this if you copy several objects to another parent (with another proportions), this relative coordinates gives another results.

So you need to copy root objects (e.g. Frame object) which contains child objects. In this case all will be OK.

Another example because of relativity.

If you have Rectangle which about quarter of screen. And inserted inside Rectangle very small. Copy/paste this small Rectangle to slide and you'll see that it will be larger visually.

[alrobin]

Objects has relative coordinates linked with their parent. Because of this if you copy several objects to another parent (with another proportions), this relative coordinates gives another results.

So you need to copy root objects (e.g. Frame object) which contains child objects. In this case all will be OK.

Igor,

I still don't understand why I can't resize the "new" rectangle so that when I copy the two other "object" rectangles and paste them to the "new" rectangle they retain their relative positions.

If I group them onto the main image, they do retain their relative positions, and it looks like this "new" rectangle has the same "proportions" as the main image, (even if it is square and the main image is rectangular). So why do the small "ruler" objects appear in different positions when their "holder" rectangles are copied to the "new" rectangle? I have not changed the orientation or size of this "new" rectangle at all - just clicked to create it. It should have the same characteristics as the main image. And it has exactly the same proportions as the two rectangles copied to it.

Is there anything I can do to the "new" rectangle so that when I copy over the other rectangles, the objects retain their relative position?

This is important if we are to be able to freely group objects after they are laid out on an image, and move them to another "holder" rectangle so that further actions can be applied to the entire group.

I have put the two examples on my website at:

www.alrobinson.com/rectangle_test.zip .

By the way, it is only 41 kb in size, even though it has two "project" files, for those concerned about times to download.

Below is another screen-cap demonstrating the uneven shift of the two object rectangles when they are copied to the "new" rectangle. All objects retain their size, but the rectangles are spread a different distance apart.

The second screen-cap shows the result when the object rectangles are copied to the base instead of to another rectangle. The object rectangles retain their relative distance apart, just as they do if copied to the main image.