How to make PicturesToExe more simple and intuitive?

[Ken Cox]

with more and more new features being introduced the need for manual controls becomes very important to the newbies as well as the oldies especially when troubleshooting and the call for help comes in -- then help can be given in a step by step order

one of the most important thing for all members is to practice

"RAT"

READ ALL THREADS !!

whether they interest you or not - eventually they will as you progress in your understanding of what is becoming a very complex program -- you will say to yourself " i read something about that one time"

back to bed

ken

[fh1805]

Ken,

in the early version syncing music was one of the things that would prevent a show from running - so taking away the option to disable it is a big no no

I'm sorry but I fail to see what benefit we get from having the option to turn Synchronize music and slides on and off.

If the box is ticked then, when we Preview from Slide 1 the music plays from Slide 1 and when we Preview from Slide 5 (say 20 seconds into the show) the music plays from 20 seconds into the show.

If the box is unticked then, when we Preview from Slide 5 the music plays from Slide 1. Unticking the box doesn't stop the music from playing. It stops it from playing in proper synchronization with the images.

I ask the questions: Who wants this to happen? How does it help them build their sequence?

I would have thought that, if playing the music alongside the slides causes problems and for diagnostic purposes we want the ability to turn the play of music off, then we need a "Mute" button on Project Options...Music tab that allows the playing of the music to be disabled without removing all the music files from the list.

And while we're on the subject of music/sound files. Why do we need two ways of adding sound to an individual slide? Why do the two ways produce different results? This has been the cause of confusion in the recent past for some users. For those who aren't aware: in PTE v5.5 you can add music/sound to an individual slide by either Customize Slide...Music tab or by the Add sound icon on the upper toolbar of the main window of PTE. They do not give the same result.

regards,

Peter

[uuderzo]

I don't know if it is a intuitiveness point... maybe yes.

It frequently happens that I look at the slide sequence by dragging the cursor over the timeline.

It's more precise than the curson on the mini player since the range is wider but... when I'm captured

by the mini player screen and I don't see that I'm reaching the screen boundaries with the cursor,

then the timeline start a super-ultra-turbo-fast scrolling and I found myself at the end (or the beginning)

of the show. Then I must find the lost cursor position by moving the timeline with the scrollbar

and the story begins more and more (I'm a distract one, eheh).

Maybe a slower scrolling speed can be useful for people like me.

Regards. Umberto

[Johnwnjr]

Replying to Igor's three headings:-

1) The present method eg: O & A screen being a different Window to the opening screen seems to work well. Place new features which do not fit into either the opening Window or O & A into yet another Window with access from either the opening screen or the O & A window. I don't think highlighting the importance by High or Medium would work, as users would rate the various features differently.

2) Reworking the opening screen by adding icon buttons beneath the present menus to go in logical order to the different stages in making a simple sequence. This would be particularly useful to new users. Eg: Slides (To give user the slide options), Lightbox (To take user directly to the Lightbox Window which is excellent for comparing similar pictures, sorting, deleteing etc.) , Options (to bring up the "Main" dialog with access to "Advanced Tab"), Sound Tab (to add soundtrack, perhaps this could incorporate a button to switch on the waveform, and Timeline), Transitions (to bring up present Effects dialog in Project Options), and you could add Output Show (to have .exe, DVD, youtube etc). If you added Titles & Motion - these would take the user directly into the O & A Window. Over the years I have got used to the present arrangement of PTE, and don't find it difficult to understand, but I have seen beginners just not knowing what to do, and in what order when they come to the opening screen, and I think that this suggestion adapted in the best way you think, would be most beneficial and not upset the more experienced members.

3) I think that the program has to continue to develop, but if advanced professional features can be added to possibly and "Advanced Screen or Window" to be used as required, and keep the basis you have now would be the best course.

John

[fh1805]

Umberto,

...the timeline start a super-ultra-turbo-fast scrolling and I found myself at the end (or the beginning)

of the show...

Take a look at View...Timeline Options. The first three items in the drop-down menu are different auto-scrolling settings. Try each one and see which you prefer.

regards,

Peter

[xahu34]

...Why do we need two ways of adding sound to an individual slide? Why do the two ways produce different results...

Peter,

I think that the given methods of adding music to slides should be canceled. It would be better to have several parallel audio tracks (with volume control - envelope function as in Audacity) on each of which you can place several audio clips.

Best regards,

Xaver

[uuderzo]

Uhm...

I had a look at the options.

There are three options:

1. no autoscroll: ok, it does not scroll but it's annoying

2. autoscroll style 1: super-ultra-fast scrolling

3. autoscroll style 2: super-ultra-fast scrolling... I don't notice any difference. Yes maybe if I work pixel perfect, with style 2 I don't find myself at the end of the timeline, but a little mouse movement leads me to the same result of style 1.

Something I'll feel more intuitive could be a "style 3" that causes the scrolling to advance only when I move the mouse, and of an amount equivalent to the mouse movement like if it was over the visible timeline, and not multiplied by an high speed factor.

Regards. Umberto

Umberto,

Take a look at View...Timeline Options. The first three items in the drop-down menu are different auto-scrolling settings. Try each one and see which you prefer.

regards,

Peter

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Peter,

I think that the given methods of adding music to slides should be canceled. It would be better to have several parallel audio tracks (with volume control - envelope function as in Audacity) on each of which you can place several audio clips.

Best regards,

Xaver

This goes back to the old chestnut about making PTE what it isn't, a sound editing programme, which was discussed at length previously, my solution Wnsoft buy Audacity and combine the two.

Yachtsman1

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Peter,

I think that the given methods of adding music to slides should be canceled. It would be better to have several parallel audio tracks (with volume control - envelope function as in Audacity) on each of which you can place several audio clips.

Best regards,

Xaver

This goes back to the old chestnut about making PTE what it isn't, a sound editing programme, which was discussed at length previously, my solution Wnsoft buy Audacity and combine the two.

Yachtsman1

[fh1805]

Eric,

Xaver isn't suggesting making PTE a sound editting program. What he is suggesting is that there should be some capability to have more than one "timeline track" of music. And on each of the tracks to be able to place sound files exactly where we want. And having placed them to be able to apply fade up/down in a selective manner (as we can with the Envelope tool in Audacity).

This is a long way removed from PTE becoming a sound editor program. It is simply providing a new feature for the advanced user (or professional user as some call us). The proposed feature will make the final assembly of a more complex sequence a little bit easier to achieve.

If this feature was added it would not make PTE a sound editor but it would give it sound mixing capability. And as A-V workers we need that capability to come from somewhere. Currently we use the likes of Audacity or Adobe Audition. And many of us would probably continue to use those to assemble our complex sound tracks.

regards,

Peter

[d67]

Hello Igor

How to make PicturesToExe more simple and intuitive?

... My suggestion : Copy PTE V4!

I have no decided opinion how to make PTE V5 more user-friendly as I use PTE V5 seldomly (reinstall and retry of V5 approximatively every 3 months or so).

As I loose everytime hours finding out very basic actions or commands because of there lack of evidence, I give up a few days later and return to PTE V4 without any regrets... Not to mention the boring patience and many trials mandatory to use the "new" features (pan, zoom, rotate, ...)!

Considering my personal needs (just show, in a pleasant way, my photos and not demonstrating others that I am a genius in mastering PTE or informatics), PTE V4 is perfectly adapted.

What are the needs considering the creation of a slideshow for the vast majority of amateur photographers?

- time needed to create a slideshow not exceeding 30 minutes

- rich choice of transitions types and easy to cope with

- easy to use and intuitive software with no need to reed a help file but comprising an exhaustive embedded help, just in case

- accurate menu and button translation in major languages appreciated

- of course, no need to enhance or change hardware!

- automatic resizing of photos with suggested fixed width (640, 800, ...)

- very high photo restitution not mandatory

- a few photo improvment possibilities (saturation, sharpen, contrast...) for punctual changes appreciated

- addition of music interesting but not an important issue

- responding help by e-mail very much appreciated

- freeware or cheap (not more than 30-35 euros)

PTE V4 was a real jewel at it's release as most of theses points were achieved. A very responding forum was also a plus, but absolutely not of big importance for the common user.

PTE V5 don't achieve most of these goals and is, in fact, dedicated to very particular users and no more for "the man in the street".

[davegee]

.....and include a French/English translator that works.

DaveG

[dadou]

Thank you , Dave , fot the opprimed minorities !!!!

Also for Spanish and German , please !

[uuderzo]

I'm fully with you Peter.

I know some people that, when I showed them PTE, they replied me: "well, that's really a good program, but what a pity I cannot add more audio tracks and fade between them!".

Really, many people don't need complex audio editing capabilities, just adding more sounds and fade between them.

Personally, my needs are simply to positionate music tracks where I need to, fade between them and, occasionally, add some sound effect with fade.

So being able to work with a variable number of tracks will mean more freedom to me.

Finally, performance should not be a problem, since that when building the final exe all could be mixed together.

Regards. Umberto.

Eric,

Xaver isn't suggesting making PTE a sound editting program. What he is suggesting is that there should be some capability to have more than one "timeline track" of music. And on each of the tracks to be able to place sound files exactly where we want. And having placed them to be able to apply fade up/down in a selective manner (as we can with the Envelope tool in Audacity).

(...)

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Eric,

Xaver isn't suggesting making PTE a sound editting program. What he is suggesting is that there should be some capability to have more than one "timeline track" of music. And on each of the tracks to be able to place sound files exactly where we want. And having placed them to be able to apply fade up/down in a selective manner (as we can with the Envelope tool in Audacity).

This is a long way removed from PTE becoming a sound editor program. It is simply providing a new feature for the advanced user (or professional user as some call us). The proposed feature will make the final assembly of a more complex sequence a little bit easier to achieve.

If this feature was added it would not make PTE a sound editor but it would give it sound mixing capability. And as A-V workers we need that capability to come from somewhere. Currently we use the likes of Audacity or Adobe Audition. And many of us would probably continue to use those to assemble our complex sound tracks.

regards,

Peter

I've just mastered using Audacity and completed a show with 6 separate sound effect tracks and 5 different musical background tracks, why go to the trouble of adding a part function to PTE which is perfectly adequately served in Audacity, and well documented??? The pte timeline enables accurate positioning of all tracks in Audacity. I don't consider myself an expert. This is getting like the microsoft race to keep ahead of the opposition. I also still use XP.

Yachtsman1

[xahu34]

....Xaver isn't suggesting making PTE a sound editing program. What he is suggesting is that there should be some capability to have more than one "timeline track" of music. And on each of the tracks to be able to place sound files exactly where we want. And having placed them to be able to apply fade up/down in a selective manner (as we can with the Envelope tool in Audacity)....

Peter,

Thank you for making this point clear. Just a remark: Only recently, I was told that the winner of last year's Diaporama Supercircuit has left the PTE community because of missing audio features.

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[xahu34]

..Also for Spanish and German , please !

Daniel,

I fear that we, the oppressed minorities, have to live with the problem of translations which are not first class. I myself prefer the English version, as it normally provides a maximum in clarity.

Best regards,

Xaver

Munich

[xahu34]

... Copy PTE V4! ...

Igor, Copy version 4 this year, and you will be out of the market next year! Good luck!

Xaver

Munich

[jfa]

I agree totally with Peter, Umberto, Xaver and others on the need for audio adjustment in the timeline it is the highest priority with me.

Thank you for making this point clear. Just a remark: Only recently, I was told that the winner of last year's Diaporama Supercircuit has left the PTE community because of missing audio features.

When I talk to groups about AVs and the tools they can use I always feature PTE as the program of first choice and the most negative feedback I get is on the lack of any real audio adjustment in PTE when compared with its competitors, wings platinum, m.objects, Proshow producer and others.

Eric,

We are not asking for or talking about audio editing in PTE it is about audio adjustment like we have for image adjustment in the timeline, there is a big difference.

Just because another program can do something is not an argument to not have it in PTE. Would you remove DVD burning, making text images, publish to Youtube and so on from PTE as other programs can do them equally as well?

[Bobo]

My Username is new, but I have been using PTE since back in the days when it ran on an abacus. Back when men went out with clubs to drag something big back (not a wife) to the cave for dinner. Igor was probably in grammar school then.

I'm going to be painfully honest, so take a deep breath, here goes...

This forum seems to be made up mostly of stuffy older men (among whom I am chief). We are men who can more or less afford big black cameras and can more or less afford the time to create AV. We don't want to have to change our habits--the way we have been doing things for a long time. While we want PTE to be easy, we demand extreme quality, ability to be creative and we clamor for development.

With better profits, Igor can better develop PTE. We all want that. But how?

This might be a good time to reach a wider market-audience.

1. Develop a Simple interface with a few pretty buttons handily arranged. Include some Kool templates. This will meet the needs of Newbies, grandmas, kids, moms, dads, college kids, high school kids, and drive-by slide show makers. Quick, easy, fun and fast. Yet it will produce a result that only PTE can create--Kool and Quality slide shows.

Then...push an "advanced" button and voila! You open another page filled with buttons, knobs and levers for those of us who love to tinker with such stuff. It won't matter a lot how the buttons are scattered over the page--we will figure it out (with a little help from Peter, Len and Ken, Ronnie and others).

2. Develop a Quick-Start manual and an Advanced Manual (which is already developed).

3. Develop this Forum. There could be an open friendly air for moms, dads, kids, grandparents. It should be warm and inviting and interesting for college kids and high school kids. It should be family-friendly where people can chatter about daily life and have something more than just images on Flickr or Myspace to show off their creativity and photos and life. It should be a community that people can belong, contribute and where they feel needed. It needs to be kept safe and clean. Of course there will always be a place for stuffy old duffers like us to talk about the "things that really matter," like PTE, photography, AV, etc.

4. Develop a hosting site. There would be a place where high school kids would post their slide shows of the latest football game, grandma could show off the knitting bee, dad could show off his fishing trip with his son. There could be a place for cool animations, demonstrations, cartoons, and of course a site for awesome professional productions. Stuffy old men could offer encouragement to newbies and recognize those who are improving. Kids could sneak over and look at the honed productions of Pros and imagine what they could someday do. Don't under-rate kids. They will learn PTE faster than Musty Old Duffers any day...if we can just get them started.

---

Personally I think PTE is easy to use...but I've used it a long time. I would suggest a better button arrangement. Buttons are often not where I expect. When my kids use the program they often say..."Where do I just push to make it..." And I have to show them. I still think the whole timeline, audio thing is confusing. It's awesome what it will do, but a bear to figure out. I am in the habit of just not doing some things cuz I'm not sure what happens or if I will make a mess of my work. Maybe developing lots of "tool tips" popups with very clear messages would help.

A very basic audio feature should be included on the timeline. I'm not talking Audacity, just simply the ability to align a few tracks with a mouse and fade in and out. That may be the next most important thing in broadening market appeal.

I also think that ability to create multi-faceted images (such as rotatable 6-faced cubes) and development of free-transformation of images would make PTE far beyond the reach of competition and result in a whole new dimension of AV. But maybe that belongs on another part of this forum.

[jfa]

Igor,

A small change to the layout of buttons in the main screen that would help simplify and make their use a little more intuitive would be to reposition the O&A and Project Options buttons as shown in the attached screen shoot. This would group the advanced area buttons and the Options buttons together.

Also renaming the Customize slide to Slide Options would match the Project Options button. Or rename the Project Options to Customize Project, either way but as long as they both match.

It may be possible to do this now while v5.6 is in beta.

[dadou]

I fear that we, the oppressed minorities, have to live with the problem of translations which are not first class. I myself prefer the English version, as it normally provides a maximum in clarity.

Yes , Xaver , I know that it is the good way ...

But I think too that a second translation is a dificult thing to do ( russian to english , and english to german or french ..).

It was just humour for Dave who does not want to see that Patrick is speaking about the spirit ( way of thinking ? ) of the V4 ...

Here is the real problem with the language ....

Best regards

Daniel

[dadou]

Bobo

Very good ideas you have !

May I suggest to add to the "things that really matter," a cooking section, and other for wine , with the posible corresponding PTE show ?

Best regards

daniel

[Guest Yachtsman1]

Bobo

Very good ideas you have !

May I suggest to add to the "things that really matter," a cooking section, and other for wine , with the posible corresponding PTE show ?

Best regards

daniel

Well said

Yachtsman1

[jfa]

May I suggest to add to the "things that really matter," a cooking section, and other for wine , with the posible corresponding PTE show ?

Great idea, anything that involves food and wine count me in!