Cale & monte

[d67]

Cale & monte (creeks and mountains).

You will find here some shots I took during a recent trip along the north-eastern and north-western seashore of the italian isle of Sardinia.

No special effects or rework of my pictures (as for the slideshow itself, just meant as a postcard).

I made use from time to time, when required, of a polarizing filter.

You will find it here (Beechbrook.com, Bill's web site)

30 MB, slideshow duration 6'15", 76 pictures, picture resolution 1280x850

Comments, positive or negative, welcome.

Patrick

[Ken Cox]

AH PATRICK

Software : PicturesToExe 4.48

WITH THAT OLD COMPUTER TOO:)

KEN

[jfa]

G'day Patrick,

After downloading and viewing your "Cale & Monte" AV I have the following comments:

The opening and closing sequence were original and informative and pleasing to view.

Your photography was excellent with the selected sequence of images well composed and exposed, technically perfect.

Thoughtful use of music and dissolve effects to match the music at the appropiate time. The matching and use of audio is often the area that will let down an AV, but not in your case. This showed your high degree of skill and creativity in the AV medium.

The length of the show was just right. As when I felt I had seen enough you finished the AV with a very nice close.

This was well worth the download and I will watch it again, (already watched it 3 times), and show it to other photographer friends. It's very hard to find anything negative to say about it. In the top 5% of AVs I have seen. Well done.

[Lin Evans]

Hi Patrick,

Beautiful photos and presentation - next best thing to actually being there!

I think you should have ended it with the sundown photo - reverse the last two...

Best regards,

Lin

[d67]

JFA & Lin Evans

Thank you very much for your comments.

The choice of the last slide was dictated by the effect of the addition with the slide with the tower.

Ken Cox

"Software : PicturesToExe 4.48

WITH THAT OLD COMPUTER TOO:)"

Hi Ken

I downloaded the last version of V5 (beta 17) and recreated my slideshow.

I had to make a few adjustments (silence at beginning and end + 2 more slides) as the transitions from and to the desktop are no more possible with V5 due to Windows restrictions.

I launched the slideshow with "hardware acceleration" deselected as advised by Igor but all mosaic effects (mostly 400x10 / 100 and one time 350x350 / 200) do not perform as smoothly as with PTE v4.48 (very little hesitation for the first one and stuttering for the last one).

I tried then with "hardware acceleration" selected but there was no change.... so I momentarily abandon V5 and I let my slideshow with the previous v4.48 version of PTE.

[Ken Cox]

Patrick, maybe JPD will have some tips for you,

but

at least you tried

ken

[Igor]

Patrick,

I'll compare Mosaic effect in v4.48 and v5.00 on Monday. Maybe it will possible to optimize it.

Please give me parameters you used for this effect and duration of the effect.

[Ken Cox]

Igor

should Patrick email you with the pte?

ken

[d67]

I'll compare Mosaic effect in v4.48 and v5.00 on Monday. Maybe it will possible to optimize it.

Please give me parameters you used for this effect and duration of the effect.

Hello Igor

Here the 2 types of mosaic parameters I used (the left one only one time in my slideshow) :

- very little hesitation for the right one (parts 400x10, appearance 100, effect duration 750, jpeg size 392 Ko)

- and stuttering for the left one (parts 350x350, appearance 200, effect duration 3000, jpeg size 372 Ko)

Both behave smoothly as silk when I use PTE v4.48

Music background = ogg format and 9 Mo size

[alrobin]

Patrick,

I agree, it does seem to be more jerky in version 5 once the time is greater than 1 second.

(Note that in v.4.48 you can't set "appearance" to more than 100, but this does not make any difference to the smoothness of the effect.)

[ADB]

Patrick

Downloaded your show and here are my "personal" comments:-

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

Excellent photography with a couple of absolutely classic images by this I mean if you live your life and and at the end of it say "these are my top 50 images" then I think (without knowing your complete image library) that you could include at least 2 images from this show. I appreciate your comment that this is a postcard show and I know exactly what you mean, I have just come back from a 6 day photo trip and you just have to deal with the conditions that you find at any one place, some times you just have to take a record shot when you ideally would love to stay and wait for a storm or sunrise/sunset to really add some drama to your image. I'm sure there is some name we could make up for this phenomenon :-)

Your opening graphics were great and let the viewer know exactly what he/she was looking at however I thought your end titles could have had more presence after all this is your creative work and should rightly be proud of it and emphasize to the viewer who created it.

SOUNDTRACK

I'm undecided on the sound track I think personally because I know its by Madonna and it has had a lot of airplay I keep that image in my mind. (a bit like a well known actor from a TV series all of a sudden appearing in a Movie, you have a pre concieved expectation of the actor in terms of their character and in this case with this tune I'm thinking pop/dance.) The music is possibly too strong for this subject but I must admit it sat better with me on a second viewing. Nevertheless the music does offer some excellent transition points and you have certainly capitalized on these.

TIMING

Excellent - transitions flow well with key changes in the music.

PTE MASTERY

You are much more daring than me when using your transitions I only really think of using fades and cuts probably because this is what we are conditioned to through Movies and TV. However in your show you have used, fades, cuts, mosaics, barn doors and rolls. Your mosaic transitions to the staggered drums in the soundtrack seem to be absolutely perfect in relation to your soundtrack and perfectly timed, however it is a very powerful and energized transition and I am wondering if it suits the subject material of your show. Maybe as mentioned earlier in a perfect world if you had been able to spend months on this trip and capture the same scenes in more dramatic conditions the mosaic transitions would "fit" the images better?

Your use of the barn door transition looking down the narrow alleyway was inspiring.

I see you have launched your show fading from the desktop and ended rolling up back to the desktop. Personally this is not my favourite way to start and end shows, why? By starting your show with a blank screen (black or white or whatever) you allow the viewer to clear his/her mind and start with an empty canvas likewise if you do the same at the end of the show you allow the viewer to pause and absorb what they have just seen (this is coming from someone who has been known to sit in the movie theatre and watch all the credits and stare at the final blank screen thinking "wow! that was an amazing movie") :-)

WATCHABILITY - Couldn't finish / Watched Once / Would watch again / Would watch many times

OVERALL COMMENT

I enjoyed your show very much and it makes me want to go there. If your goal is to make a Postcard of your visit then you have exceeded admirably. Very clever use of PTE with a strong soundtrack (possibly too strong).

Thanks for sharing with us :-)

Cheers

Andrew

[d67]

Hello Andrew

I find your idea of grading shows, as you developped it recently on this forum, great as it can faciltate comments ... and replies !.

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

Excellent photography ...

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

you just have to take a record shot when you ideally would love to stay and wait for a storm or sunrise/sunset to really add some drama to your image.

We all expect good weather conditions when going on holiday.

This time we where lucky as most of time, sky was overall blue... not the best conditions for dramatic shots but I must admit I can better cope with a blue sky than a grey and rainy one

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS

...however I thought your end titles could have had more presence after all this is your creative work and should rightly be proud of it and emphasize to the viewer who created it.

9 seconds, I thought it was enough !

SOUNDTRACK

The music is possibly too strong

It is always a very personal choice.

Of course, I firstly tried moody and calm musics or more rythmed (Enya's carribean blue ),

... but I fell on Madonna's Frozen, a music I love (with or without voice) for its percussions and rythm, combining rapid and tonic rythms with some very slow one.

I found it well suited to insert marked transitions and give some "energy" to the execution of the slideshow... "loukoum" (Turkish delight) music can be really boring.

TIMING

Excellent - transitions flow well with key changes in the music.

.. my goal !

PTE MASTERY

I see you have launched your show fading from the desktop and ended rolling up back to the desktop. Personally this is not my favourite way to start and end shows, why? By starting your show with a blank screen (black or white or whatever) you allow the viewer to clear his/her mind and start with an empty canvas likewise if you do the same at the end of the show you allow the viewer to pause and absorb what they have just seen (this is coming from someone who has been known to sit in the movie theatre and watch all the credits and stare at the final blank screen thinking "wow! that was an amazing movie") :-)

You are right and as I tried, unsuccessfully, to convert to V5 béta where the shading from or to Desktop is impossible, I had to make use of a trick :

- first slide black and "instant transition" and then a "fading in" slide

- last slide black "fading in" before disappearing

I too find it more suited than the v4.48 introduction and end of slideshow possibilities in relation to the desktop.

I will change it in the future slideshows.

WATCHABILITY, OVERALL COMMENT

Couldn't finish / Watched Once / Would watch again / Would watch many times

I am naturally flattered !

Thank you very much, Andrew, for the time you spent commenting my slideshow, it is always interesting, source of inspiration and can improve personnal technical skill.

Patrick

[Igor]

I apologize, but unfortunately it's impossible to optimize Mosaic effect when "Use hardware acceleration" option disabled.

In v4.48 we used special optimizations, but now when v5.00 allows Pan/Zoom effects, copyright logo and partially transparent Navigation bar over slide, it can't be used more.

Probably we can do something in next 5.1 but it will take vast time for investigations.

For hardware accelerated mode (and on modern video cards) we'll optimize Mosaic in v5.1

But if you use Mosaic effect with parameters like 8 x 8 and appearance 4, this effect should work as before.

Sorry.

[d67]

I apologize, but unfortunately it's impossible to optimize Mosaic effect when "Use hardware acceleration" option disabled.

But if you use Mosaic effect with parameters like 8 x 8 and appearance 4, this effect should work as before.

Yes but the effect is entirely different !!!

So, for my slideshow, changing for V5 degrades some transition effects (with or without hardware acceleration) and I have to renounce using fade in and out to Desktop.

Then, for that particular slideshow is there an interest to change for PTE V5 ? ... and if answer positive, why ?

[sanewcomb]

Hi Patrick,

I enjoyed watching and listening to your show. My use of P2E is mostly for putting together vacation photos with a soundtrack in a compelling way. For the most part I don't pay much attention to the transitions in the music. Pretty much a video with a background soundtrack. You have shown how much a difference in the emotional feel a show can have with a fully integrated Audio portion. An true AV show.

I have a couple questions about workflow with regards to the transitions in the music. P2E is primarily a visual editor with basic audio controls. I know WnSoft has plans for improving this in future versions and perhaps some discussion about how one coordinates movements in the video portion with movements in the audio will help.

How did you line up the transitions in audio and video? I can imagine using a sketchpad to assign pairs of photos to designated audio transitions. Once the display of these pairs is decided it would result in a known amount of time between them and one could then choose photos to fill in these sections. The difficult part I see is maintaining a consistent flow to the overall show when trying to fit the fill in slides between the transitions. And dealing with the effect of adding or subtracting (editing) the slides in one part of the show on the timing elsewhere.

The workflow I usually use is picking out my favorite photos, adding captions to some of them, and starting out with equal display time. I then work on transitions and adjust display times to fit what is going on vusually (zooms usually require more time, panoramas even more). The music is the last to be added with the main consideration being the transition from one song to the next, figuring out if there is a preferable place in the image sequence and placing a cross fade at that point. I have a hard time visualizing how I would start off with the audio track and "fit" the photos into it without a LOT of trial and error. Maybe it is the only way.

I wonder if it would be useful to be able to lock a keypoint to a particular time and allow the program to adjust other slide times to fill in the gaps. It would be like having a series of small P2E shows with the slide times spread between the transition points. It would probably limit the other slides to equal display times, but would help putting together a slideshow like this by not having to be focused on keeping the transitions synched to the audio track.

I look forward to paying more attention to the music though I'm not sure how to go about it with P2E.

Steve Newcomb

Tucson, AZ USA

[d67]

Hello Steve

Wow

It is truly impossible for me to give you an answer to all your questions as it will take me about 2 days minimum !!!

My skill in english is not so high and I have to translate from english to french and then my answer in the opposite way !

I will just tell you with a few words how I do.

- before beginning a slideshow I must find a music. No music, no inspiration for a slideshow.

- Once I have found a music, I try to find the best keypoints in the rythm so that there occurence sets between 4 to 8 seconds.

In the case of my slideshow, this was easy as I immediatly found very clear keypoints each 4 to 6 seconds... exactly what I needed

- I then grossly add my slides on the Time line only with the help of sound

- That done, I look at each slide and position it exacly with the sound wave form on the Time line and make little adjustments with help of my ears.

At that stage I definitively choose the type of transition effect and duration.

- When all is done, I look if I have to change some slides so that all my transitions are esthetical

Next step, compile the slideshow and ask one or 2 friends to give his opinion and make changes if necessary.

I hope I was sufficiently clear enough in my explanations to give you some answers to your questions.

[sanewcomb]

Thank you Patrick. Your answer was very useful, although it may not help me much ! I should not have been surprised that a moving AV show comes from an organic or natural process. You let your hearing guide you, what sounds right. It's a talent. I'm much more visual oriented, so I'll have to work on that side of my brain somehow to make progress. I don't think I'll be able to visualize a piece of music ahead of time, but some of your other steps are a starting point for me, such as

- I try to find the best keypoints in the rythm so that there occurence sets between 4 to 8 seconds.

- That done, (I use the) Time line and make little adjustments with help of my ears.

I've never used Timeline so I'll have to take a look at that. Like you, after the show is put together the first time I'll watch it several times and make changes based on what I feel.

One of the things I do struggle with is finding music to fit the experience. Most of my vacations are outdoor recreation and the best music often has to do with songs we were either listening to during a trip or make me think of it. To me it's a chore to listen to any number of songs before finding one that works.

Thanks for the help.

Steve Newcomb

Tucson, AZ USA

[pwear]

Patrick,

This is such good work. It makes the point compellingly that the fundamental skill in AV making is that of cutting pictures to music. Until that is learned - no matter how good the images, music or effects - nothing. And Steve, note the order - pictures to music, not the other way around. Patrick's workflow is how it's done. I've spent hundreds of hours in film editing, and image assemblies like this one are almost always built on a bed of music which is laid down first.

Can I just add a big thank-you to Patrick, Igor, and all our French, Russian and other colleagues who so patiently translate back and forth between their own language and English. In a better world, we would each write in our native tongue.

Peter

[d67]

I've never used Timeline so I'll have to take a look at that.

Definitely necessary !!!

Here a screenshot of my Time Line showing you the rythm "keypoints" I used (clic on the thumbnail to zoom in).

One of the things I do struggle with is finding music to fit the experience.

... I have a great number of slides "waiting for" a providential music.

[JudyKay]

Hi!

PHOTOGRAPHY/GRAPHICS (Out of 5)

Five. I really loved your pictures. They seemed so--not flat. Know what I mean? Rock and sky and sea pictures are hard to take and make them seem like a real place and not a flat painting. You kinda did that. But I think you had a gajillion pictures maybe and picked the best? How do you choose! That is so hard for me! I just throw them all in cuz I cant bear to part with them. But you really selected well

SOUNDTRACK (Out of 5)

I don't know anything about teh music--but I liked it and thot it fit well. FIVE

TIMING (Out of 5)

I think what you did with the mosaic thing and teh music was really original and cool. I give you a bonus point for that. Six.

PTE MASTERY (Out of 5)

Anything anyone does in pte looks like a five to me. Five

WATCHABILITY - Couldn't finish / Watched Once / Would watch again / Would watch many times

I looked,, then had my family come look, then put it in my special "too Keep" folder. It has to be FIVE to make it in there!

OVERALL SCORE AND COMMENT (Out of 20)

21 if I added right.

jk

[d67]

OVERALL SCORE AND COMMENT (Out of 20) 21 if I added right.

jk

Thank you JudyKay for your kind comments

... An encouragement to (try !) make better next time

[Nottingham_Blancs]

Bonsoir Patrick

Tres Bien

An excellent presentation. The colours are vibrant and the composition of some of your images are excellent.

My favourite bits are when the image transitions (mosiac ???) change to the dramatic beat of the drums.

Thanks for posting.

Regards, Phil , Nottingham, England