photo on-screen explanations

[LumenLux]

I am looking for software that will:

Allow me to designate invisable "hot spots" on an on-screen photo. The hot spot could contain a caption that appears as the hotspot is moused over or selected. Example of use is for a school class photo - where when the cursor is over an individual, the individual's name appears on screen in a pre-selected location. Moving the cursor from person to person would reveal the name of each.

Anyone?

[alrobin]

I am looking for software that will:

Allow me to designate invisable "hot spots" on an on-screen photo. The hot spot could contain a caption that appears as the hotspot is moused over or selected. Example of use is for a school class photo - where when the cursor is over an individual, the individual's name appears on screen in a pre-selected location. Moving the cursor from person to person would reveal the name of each.

Anyone?

Robert,

It would be handy to have this capability in PTE. You could arrange to have the names appear when you clicked on an invisible button.

Flash will do it for you. Also, you can put this capability into an html file, using "Image Ready", (included in PS 7+). A bit of a learning curve, however. I have also done this with Visual Basic.

[LumenLux]

Thank you Al. You have given me three ideas - all of which I appreciate - and all of which are beyond my level of knowledge currently. I am always eager to learn, but what I am seeking is something more at the "consumer application" level. I envision the routes you suggest would take considerable effort for each photo. I am looking for a developed app that will allow me to just locate the cursor to make a hot-spot. Have a pop-up window to enter the desired text. If possible, the implementation would be imbedded with the .jpg file so that any recipient could view the .jpg file and imbedded hot spots without additional software. Maybe someone can tell me if that is simply not possible or if it is just a matter of me locating the specific application.

[alrobin]

Yeah, the learning curve on most of these is pretty steep (and long!).

However, you could program invisible PTE objects to provide the info when clicked on On pressing one, you would jump to a different image, looking very much like the one you clicked on, but with the names showing, and it in turn programmed to return to the starting image after a suitable length of time, where you could then start again with a different invisible button, and so on, ad infinitum.

Not as elegant as a "mouse-over", but I doubt if there is any commercial software that will do this for you without at least some programming. Maybe Tom will have some ideas.

Best of luck!

[Conflow]

Robert & AL

Absolutely excellent idea, I had just touched on the subject with Larry and his rogue Corel/Viao Image problem in another thread.

Of interest to both of you here below is an Image Attachment and a Link to a simple Freeware Program which uses Java Script to achieve what you want ~ I think it's well worth investigating.

This Forum Page has such a 'Mouseover Facility' just open a Photo Attachment and scroll your Mouse over the lower RH.Corner of the Image to enlarge.

Link:

http://www.mobw.net

Brian.Conflow.

P.s. Just found out that the "Attached Image" contains a java script to bring you directly to the

Authors Website ~ very clever ! ~ had to knock out the connection.

[Guest Techman1]

I had created something similar to what you are wanting. As Al suggested, I used Image Ready (part of Photoshop). It isn't too difficult, but it does take time to create it. I'm not aware of any software that will automatically do this for you as you have to create an outline of each person to associate their name with them.

If you will type in this link, you can view what I had created for one of our reunion photos:

www.freddickinson dot com / WR (the WR is case sensitive and there are NO spaces).

I hope this helps a little.

Regards,

Fred

[Ken Cox]

hate to play devil's advocAte

but

"contains a java script"

how many people block scripts in their fear of all the "bad " things they heard about it or their sys admin has turned it off?

when you have people that have problems example cant get a cd to play and now you are asking them to turn on the features that are turned off for their protection - are we opening another can of worms

when MS brought out IE 5, due to all the whining that was going on at the time, they turned off all the plugins that allowed people to view pages the way they were designed -Netsacape, Apple etc plugins - i could not even view MSN pages properly and even they did not know why -- i had to install SUN'S Java package to view things as they were made and quite quickly advised them of the fix -- within 2 weeks +- there was another version of IE 5 issued with smarts issued -- i have never disabled Sun's product - MS's product is turned off

Personally i think the little popups are great-- they save me time -- but i have a vague idea of what is going on -- what about the person that does not how to start a cd if it doesn't have "autorun"?

see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouseover

ken

[alrobin]

.................

I think jpeg mouseover text would require a web browser to view a web page containing an image map. You can save a web page with image as a single .mht file, but some email servers will block the attachment for security reasons. It is easier to send them a url of the web page.

Tom,

"OnMouseOver" is a standard command in Visual Basic, Visual C++, etc., just like "OnLeftClick", etc., so should not be difficult to implement in PTE. And, it shouldn't require an HTML-based page to display it, either. Once things settle down in v.5, it might be something for Igor & Co. to consider.

[Conflow]

For KEN and all

JAVA SCRIPT

Ken,

You are absolutely dead correct about the 'hype' and Java Script ~ but one tiny 'insignificant point':-

There are 3 reasons why 'Java Script' got a bad name:-

1)

It was designed by Sun Microsystems Inc. and with a few "little modifications" Microsoft decided to

call it their own. They subsequently lost the American Supreme Court action taken by Sun Systems

and were ordered to "turn it off" and desist from using it. They promptly did this with a fanfare and

various Service Paks with a lot of 'huffing and puffing' as to its suitability for use in XP-Systems.....

2)

Funny thing, Sun Systems offered Microsoft users a completely 'Free Copy' of the program and Ken

and I and many like us downloaded it a few years ago with absolutely no side effects whatever.

Just goes to show how "little modification" can compromise a perfectly reliable good Utility.

3)

And to round it all off, Microsoft now have their own version of a Java Engine and Scripter which can

emulate the genuine Sun System product...I did say emulate !

Where its used

Airline and Shipping Timetables ~ Hotel Reservations ~ Car Rentals ~ OnLine Shopping ~ and virtually

nearly everything to do with OnLine Transactions, thats how popular and reliable it really is.

Suitability for use in JPeg Images ~ an excellent method of Image Control as is Visual C++ but the latter

has a very steep learning curve compared to the Java Script Library of nearly 100 Commands (ready-made).

See my Post #6 above ~

Brian.Conflow.

[Ken Cox]

but Brian if "the world" jumps on MS about taking over things who is to say they wont be forced to pull it again?

and then a whole lot of the "tree hugger type" people might find out what MS actually supply

ken

[Conflow]

but Brian if "the world" jumps on MS about taking over things who is to say they wont be forced to pull it again?

and then a whole lot of the "tree hugger type" people might find out what MS actually supply

ken

KEN,

Too right you are ~ and here's another !!!

Brian.

[Azmi]

I am looking for software that will:

Allow me to designate invisable "hot spots" on an on-screen photo. The hot spot could contain a caption that appears as the hotspot is moused over or selected. Example of use is for a school class photo - where when the cursor is over an individual, the individual's name appears on screen in a pre-selected location. Moving the cursor from person to person would reveal the name of each.

Anyone?

LumenLux

Try this software. It does as what you require above. Multimedia Builder 4.9.7.8 @ www.mediachance.com

Regards

Azmi

[LumenLux]

Thanks to each of you for your helpful input. It will take me some time to pursue some of the thoughts. At this moment, it appears most of the methods are not all that accessable as a minimal effort tool.

Azmi, have you used MMB for that purpose yourself? I had taken a look at MMB some years ago but I didn't catch on real quickly to the basic concepts. Maybe now with a specific goal, I might do better. Are there templates or libraries that might already have what I want by using MMB? Boxig (Granot), a long term member of this forum, may have done some of his many utilities using MMB. In fact, maybe he would be willing to try to construct just such a little utility. Are you still here Granot?

I did find a specialized program for genealogy that does really close to what I am after. That is, it is extremely simple to select a subject (person, face, etc.) and then type in a description. Input wise, it is nearly perfect. I have not yet figured out if there is a way to end up with essentially just the jpg (photo) instead of the whole interface that the program provides. If anyone else wants to take a look, the program is Passage Express with a downloadable 21-day free trial. Maybe someone else would more quickly understand if the feature I like could be easily isolated from the software's normal presentation interface. The whole program may be very good, but I would like to be able to present my photo sometimes without the "burden" of all the other stuff on the screen.

[alrobin]

Robert,

Hans has just posted a link to an introductory show for his new series of nature slideshows, using mouseover buttons, at: http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....amp;#entry34990 . He uses MMB, and claims it is very easy to set up.

Maybe he can help??

[Azmi]

Yes. I did use MMB some time ago and use it to create the type of hotspot you mentioned. I believe they are sample of templates to that effect either posted at the web site or by MMB forum members. Just surf the website & try your luck.

Regards

Azmi