Starting from Scratch - sizing DVD presentation

[sdkikikins]

Ok, so I've read everything I could find on this topic, but am still not clear in my mind.

If I'm designing a slideshow presentation ONLY for widescreen (16:9) NTSC DVD viewing, is it wise to resize all of my pics ahead of time, or do I let the engine reduce my originals upon export to avi and subsequent DVD?

And, as another relevant question -- if I DO need to resize in advance, and want to make sure that I have some wiggle room for pan/zoom effects, wouldn't 1600x900 be too "small"? Do I need some additional pixels on either side? HELP!

[MarioG]

Ok, so I've read everything I could find on this topic, but am still not clear in my mind.

If I'm designing a slideshow presentation ONLY for widescreen (16:9) NTSC DVD viewing, is it wise to resize all of my pics ahead of time, or do I let the engine reduce my originals upon export to avi and subsequent DVD?

And, as another relevant question -- if I DO need to resize in advance, and want to make sure that I have some wiggle room for pan/zoom effects, wouldn't 1600x900 be too "small"? Do I need some additional pixels on either side? HELP!

Hi,

Sorry to see such a lack of response.

You may like to look at the Beckham DVD tutorials, www.beckhamdigital.co.uk

I found the 'Getting started' and 'Animation Special' dvd's most helpful and well worth the price.

They address well the sizing and moire issues.

Mario

[sdkikikins]

Hi,

Sorry to see such a lack of response.

You may like to look at the Beckham DVD tutorials, www.beckhamdigital.co.uk

I found the 'Getting started' and 'Animation Special' dvd's most helpful and well worth the price.

They address well the sizing and moire issues.

Mario

So funny you mentioned those! I ordered ALL of his DVDs yesterday, and am just waiting to receive them! I can't wait. I already purchased all of his PTE downloadable tutorials, but, I couldn't find any info on source picture sizing based on a purely DVD-specific output result. I already have an HD plasma TV, (not an HD-DVD though), so I would like to produce to the best possible output specs right from the get-go.

I did my own test this evening, using 3 out-of-the-camera images (approx. 3456x2304), cropped only within PTE5 and the same 3 images "pre-resized" to 1600x900 at 72dpi. I burned a DVD and played on a widescreen plasma. I have to say that I don't think I could see a difference between the 2 sets of photos, and not having to batch resize everything ahead of time would save on workflow. However, maybe I am overlooking something -- filesize when I get more than 6 images bogging my system down, perhaps?

Any other suggestions? I am a convert from ProShowProducer, so I'm just trying to figure out all of these nuances. LOVE the product and LOVE this forum. You guys are all a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to getting to know you all better!

Thanks!!

[RayC]

Hi and Welcome,

I am sorry I am not into the slideshows for TV so cant be a lot of Help but may be try this post

Possible it may help.

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6965

All the best Ray

[sdkikikins]

Hi and Welcome,

I am sorry I am not into the slideshows for TV so cant be a lot of Help but may be try this post

Possible it may help.

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=6965

All the best Ray

And, I guess that leads to another question. Why is it that people aren't using this amazing slideshow software for DVDs? Is it because the majority of users are professional photogs, who really want only the best in terms of image quality??

Let me give some background... My younger sister is a professional and successful photographer in San Diego - she does both portraits/weddings, but I would say that her "specialty" is child photography. In awe of her, and in an effort to lend some of my computer/software expertise to her business, I suggested displaying her proofs in the form of a slideshow on the web as a way to show her very first images to clients. If someone wanted to actually BUY a slideshow, then, I would benefit.

Well, so far, most people have actually purchased MORE reprints from her, and also asked for a DVD from me.

So, I'm trying to determine the BEST software for what I'm trying to do. I was using ShowIt for my "easy, fast, un-DVDable" slideshows, but ProShowProducer for the folks who wanted "The Real Thing". All of a sudden, I was introduced to PTE5, and think it might be everything I am/was looking for.

Anyhoo - I digress....is it just me, or am I only one of a few that actually use this software for ONLY DVDS?

Thanks!!

[bmccammon]

Welcome to the forum. I've used PTE for about 5-6 years now and am currently using version 5 to produce wedding slideshows for my clients. I produce a DVD slideshow of their images but put a copy of the ".exe" file on the DVD as well. I also convert the PTE MPEG file into AVI or MOV formats for Mac users. I figure that the time is invested in getting the slideshow together in the first place and that providing a means for people to share on TV, PC or Mac just sweetens the deliverables.

PTE Version 5 offers great qualities and capabilities. I've been run off other forums for suggesting that ProShow Gold or Producer have keen competition. The market share in the wedding photog industry sure seems to be with PSG or PSP. PTE is gaining notoriety and will gain strength as users find out how good it is and learn about this forum of helpful people from around the globe.

A long answer to your question. No, I don't use PTE just for DVDs but I rely on it as the basis for delivery in a multi-platform world.

Best regards,

Bruce

[mightec]

Hi

I like you have used ProShow Gold and Producer in the past, then I found PTE and feel that the quality from PTE is much better than PSP, with a cost that is so much lower. I belong to the ProShow Enthusiasts Forum as well as this forum and find that there is a lot of support for the products. I tend to use PTE mainly for DVD for TV viewing, in PSP I always cropped my original slide to suit wide-screen viewing. With PTE I tend to use un-cropped slide size of 1024*756.

Having said I prefer PTE to PSP there are some very nice features in PSP. It is also easy to import video footage, which you cannot do in PTE. I aslo like the Intro on PSP, this would be great to have in PTE.

[Barry Beckham]

sdkikikins

Despite making many slide shows and tutorials, I don't do very much for DVD due the reasons already discussed here, therefore I would not claim to have all the answers and perhaps forum members can add more to what I am about to say or even confirm the logic for my thought.

Isn't the issue when we create a DVD that the format of the DVD doesn't match our PC format. (not the resolution issue)

If the output of a slide show is destined to be used solely for DVD, then wouldn't it be best to create that show at 720*576. At least we would then be able to make sure the images where as good as we can get them at that size. Sharpness, cropping etc. The slide show software would then have little to do with the size of the images, so perhaps the process would speed up too?

If a PC version slideshow is also needed, why not create the images in DVD format. A bit of maths with a calculator soon has us at 1260*1008, which would look OK on a 1280*1024 PC screen and retains the 720*576 format.

There is also an article by Pavel (Surely not Chekov) right here on the wnsoft web site

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/aspect-ratio.htm

[sdkikikins]

sdkikikins

Despite making many slide shows and tutorials, I don't do very much for DVD due the reasons already discussed here, therefore I would not claim to have all the answers and perhaps forum members can add more to what I am about to say or even confirm the logic for my thought.

Isn't the issue when we create a DVD that the format of the DVD doesn't match our PC format. (not the resolution issue)

If the output of a slide show is destined to be used solely for DVD, then wouldn't it be best to create that show at 720*576. At least we would then be able to make sure the images where as good as we can get them at that size. Sharpness, cropping etc. The slide show software would then have little to do with the size of the images, so perhaps the process would speed up too?

If a PC version slideshow is also needed, why not create the images in DVD format. A bit of maths with a calculator soon has us at 1260*1008, which would look OK on a 1280*1024 PC screen and retains the 720*576 format.

There is also an article by Pavel (Surely not Chekov) right here on the wnsoft web site

http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/aspect-ratio.htm

Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful repsonses!

In theory, I do agree with your logic of creating a show at the same resolution that you will be viewing on your finalized DVD. However...a couple of things still rumbling thru my head:

1. I'm not as concerned with aspect ratio, as I am the resampling that may or may not be going on when PTE is transcoding to DVD output. You are right that starting with an already reduced image in PS would maintain that I am the one in control of the resampling parameters and look of the final output instead of the software.

2. What about panning and zooming? Wouldn't it stand that I'd need MORE original pixels in order to do this? If so, what might be optimal?

3. What about the near future when 1080i/p output on DVD is readily available, and I have all of these crappy 720 DVDs? Might it be better to create in higher resolution now, in anticipation of higher resolution viewing in the future?

Thanks again to all the folks who give a rats behind about these things, as I do.

And Barry -- can't wait to receive all of your DVDs and start really diving into the software!!

[Barry Beckham]

Sdkikikins

No 2, Yes, you would need more size for pan and zoom, but often not as much as you would think. Have you seen some of those stitched pans that go on so long you think your life might end before the pan does

Better to keep animation minimal in my view, its better on the eye and easier to produce.

No3. Your right there, but even now I couldn't actually bring myslf to make a slide just for DVD size. Make it PC sized and let PTE take care of the resizing, it does a good job.

[okcjack]

Thanks for opening the subject as I have been very frustrated in trying to do the same as you.

HD widescreen television is an excellent medium and will become more so as analog television becomes history. It is amazing that it is soooo hard to find specific answers to your questions.

With Pinnacle Studio Ulitmate, I can produce a slideshow and record on HD (high definition) DVD via and external DVD writer. A HD DVD can only be played on a HD DVD player or, if properly recorded, Blue-Ray. HD DVD players aren't as common as HD DVD televisions however.

I recorded a 5 image HD DVD using Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and took it to Best Buy to play on a display HD DVD player. The results were poor. Although the images were 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9 ratio), which is the size of a 720p image and HD pixels on a television are square as in photograpy, the images were stretched in the wide dimension, therefore distorted.

I thirst for someone, of actual knowledge and experience, to answer your questions as follows:

1. What should the dimensions of a source images be to create a DVD slideshow in PTE to be shown on a 1080i HD widescreen television (NTSC) so that image viewed would be the same "apparent aspect" ratio of the source, using a HD DVD player.

2. Is anything in the works for PTE which will allow output recorded in HD DVD format?

[okcjack]

Thanks for opening the subject as I have been very frustrated in trying to do the same as you.

HD widescreen television is an excellent medium and will become more so as analog television becomes history. It is amazing that it is soooo hard to find specific answers to your questions.

With Pinnacle Studio Ulitmate, I can produce a slideshow and record on HD (high definition) DVD via and external DVD writer. A HD DVD can only be played on a HD DVD player or, if properly recorded, Blue-Ray. HD DVD players aren't as common as HD DVD televisions however.

I recorded a 5 image HD DVD using Pinnacle Studio Ultimate and took it to Best Buy to play on a display HD DVD player. The results were poor. Although the images were 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9 ratio), which is the size of a 720p image and HD pixels on a television are square as in photograpy, the images were stretched in the wide dimension, therefore distorted.

I thirst for someone, of actual knowledge and experience, to answer your questions as follows:

1. What should the dimensions of a source images be to create a DVD slideshow in PTE to be shown on a 1080i HD widescreen television (NTSC) so that image viewed would be the same "apparent aspect" ratio of the source, using a HD DVD player.

2. Is anything in the works for PTE which will allow output recorded in HD DVD format?

[okcjack]

Sorry for my comments which have already been covered in this forum.

For example, Video Builder provides good examples of aspect ratio settings in P2E and Video Builder and results on TV screens.

However, it is still very confusing regarding HD DVD's.

[Ken Cox]

see if anything in this thread applies

http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums/index....ost&p=22493

ken