Need help with transitions in PTE

[walter.sk]

I'm making the transition from ProShowGold to PTE, and am gradually coming to understand the basics of the pan/zoom/rotate and control points. While I am willing to go through the many tutorials here and on the PTE website, I would like to start using PTE for some of my projects right away. However, there is one transition in PSG that has become one of my most often used in key points in my slide shows, and I would like some tips on how to create it in PTE so I can continue my work.

The effect may be deceptively simple, or not. I would like to be able to use it and set up a template so as to save time when using it.

The transition is used in a fly-in as well as fly-out variety, and consists of the slide being divided into 4 quadrants, each of which pans diagonally out of the frame to reveal the next slide, or into the frame to cover the previous slide. The diagonal movement of each quadrant is toward the outside corner of the quadrant.

Most of my transitions are simple dissolves, and the above transition is used at major structural demarcations in the project, as a unifying device. It has become an identifying feature of my work, and I would like very much to switch from PSG to PTE because of the smoothness of movement and the greater precision in syncing the slides to key spots in the music.

[fh1805]

Hi walter.sk,

Welcome to the forum! As I think you have already worked out, the effect you want isn't available as a transition type in PTE. It can be done but will require some preparatory effort on your part.

Let's call the two images A and B: A is the one that is going to break into quadrants and B is the one that is going to be revealed.

You will have to prepare the four quadrants of A as separate image files using e.g. Photoshop. Then in PTE you will define image B as the main image and the four quadrants as objects. I've done a mock-up of what I think you are trying to achieve. Extract the contents of the zip to a folder and open the Quadrants.pte file. To keep things simple for me I have used five different images . You would use the four quadrants of A plus B. Be aware that, to get the exact position of the four quadrants overlaying the B image, you will possibly have to use the decimal point places of both Pan values and of the Zoom value. My example is just a "quick and dirty" one to get the basic principle across.

regards,

Peter

Quadrants_Aug21_2008_7_16_46.zip

[RayC]

Hi walter,

You can download this to see if its what you need its only just over 2 MB http://www.mediafire.com/?gnsm9yhuemj

To cut your image Use Photoshop Slices.

Open PS then open your Image> go to Slice Tool > Slice Select Tool, right click on Image>Select Devide Slice > Tick Devide horizontally 2 Slices

Tick Devide Vertically 2 Slices Click Ok Save For Web in your selected Folder.Your 4 Slices will be named 01 to 04 Jpg

Get settings for PTE From slidesshow you download.

All The best Ray

Edited better Download

[walter.sk]

Thanks, Peter and Ray:

This will be the first time in my 10 years of using Photoshop that I am trying Slices, but I'll try both methods.

Am I correct in assuming that if I can get either or both to work, the best I could do is make an action in CS3 to set up my 5 jpegs, but not any quick way to set up the transition in PTE as some kind of action or macro?

[fh1805]

On the question of CS3 - I cannot help you. I use Elements v5.

On the question of PTE probably the simplest approach would be to create a sequence that contained just the five images with the animations and get this working to your satisfaction (something like the sequence I provided but refined to do exactly what you want it to). You should then save this as you would any other sequence. Then, when you want to include this kind of "transition" in some other sequence proceed as follows:

Open this "quadrant transition" sequence in PTE, select the slide that carries the animation and copy it to the clipboard (Ctrl+C). Then, keeping this instance of PTE the active window do File...Open...for the sequence into which you want to add the "quadrant transition". Find the point where you want this transition, select the image after that and do Ctrl+V to insert your "quadrant transition" image. This action will include all the object images and all the keyframe points for the animation.

Now, select this "quadrant transition" image and go into O&A and onto the Properties tab and use this to change the five images to those that you really want.

For any other instance of the "quadrant transition" in this sequence all you need to do now is to copy any of the existing instances of it, insert the copy where you want it and then change the five images via the O&A Properties tab.

It sounds complicated but once you done it and mastered it, it is very straightforward - just time-consuming.

Unfortunately, the current version of PTE doesn't allow us to record "macros" to automate repetitive assembly tasks. (Thinks: maybe I should post that as a suggestion on the "Ideas" forum.)

regards,

Peter

[walter.sk]

It sounds doable. Right now I'm just playing with PTE, and using the Lin Evens/Jeff Evans manual to try to understand how to appproach things. Thanks again for the info.

[walter.sk]

Wow! After playing with PTE for a few days I finally got the hang of the basics. It is actually easier to get many effects than ProShowGold, but I also am beginning to see how much more powerful PTE is. The degree of control is great, even at the rudimentary level of my understanding at this point.

Also, I discovered a file buried deep in my archives, that had my original unlock code in it, and PTE 5.5 accepted it. While it will take some work on my part to become proficient at PTE, I doubt that I would go back to PSG, which seems like a blunt instrument by comparison.

I do wish PTE had two features of PSG, though: the ability either to do simple audio editing, or at least to incorporate an audio editor of my choice, the way PSG does; and either a link to go to Photoshop and back, or the ability to alter the basic tonal and color elements of a slide, not for "optimization," which I am happy doing in Photoshop, but for producing interesting effects parallel to the changes in opacity now possible.

[fh1805]

You can go to Photoshop (or whatever editor software is file associated with jpg and png files) simply by right-clicking on the desired slide and then "Open picture" from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, select the slide and Ctrl+W.

You can specify your chosen sound editor via "View...Advanced Options... Path and name of sound editor" but I cannot find a way of making anything happen with this info. The obvious way, to me, would be to right-click the music item in "Project Options...Music" tab and then have a pop-up which included "Edit music".

regards,

Peter