Gold verses Producer

[Don Hammock Profile Private messageWebsite]

I will soon be upgrading from ProShow 5 to either version 6 or Producer. I downloaded the trial for Producer and really can't see very much difference between it and Gold, especially for the price difference. Am I missing or overlooking something?
I would appreciate input from you guys.
Thanks,
Don

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

While you CAN use Producer exactly as you do Gold, the limitations of Gold do not exist within Producer. Vast differences exist. If you've had Gold for awhile now, the upgrade price is well worth the upgrade to Producer. Once you start actually using the features within Producer, you will never want to go back to the very real limitations of Gold. Whole shows can be built within a single slide, if you so wish. I've done it simply to see if I could. The ability to use multiple keyframes on the slide's timeline is key. Effects that may take many many slides in Gold can be done in a single slide in Producer.

Once you get familiar with Producer, you will find that you can display your images in ways simply impossible to do within Gold. You have flexibility to do things in Producer that Gold can only dream of. Reliance on 3rd party software is greatly reduced. Gold has no idea what opacity is ... you can't vary opacity of a layer in Gold. There's no blur. There's only 1 outline width (which is pathetic to begin with ... Producer has 5 but they're nothing to gloat about either). There are no masks or adjustment layers in Gold. Masks let you many interesting effects... and Adjustment layers are a nifty tool for playing with the appearances of layers. There are no Text Layers in Gold either. In producer, you can change a caption into a "Text" layer and get the benefits of both a normal layer and a caption.

If you get advanced enough, there are modifiers ... they let you do things that are otherwise extremely difficult or impossible to accomplish using just keyframes settings.

If you can't see the differences between Gold and Producer, it simply means you haven't been able to see how to step out of the shadows of Gold's limitations yet. Once you start experimenting, it shouldn't take long to see the vast differences between the two ... especially if you go BACK to Gold after having played with Producers features. However, you won't see this difference overnight if you've been using Gold for a long while. Getting past doing things the way Gold does them, getting past that mindset, can take a bit of time...

Good Luck!

Dale

[debngar Profile Private message]

Here's a comparison chart to see at a glance the difference between the products.

http://www.photodex.com/proshow/compare

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Producer is far beyond Gold. When looking at the list that Debbie gave the link to, you can't immediately see what all the hoopla is about, not unless you know what certain items are such as masking, adjustment, and modifiers, which are all placed together as if they're the same thing, which they aren't. The combination of masks and keyframes is the true power behind the Producer throne. Both can take a while to dig into and understand, but they're truly worth it...and worth the price.

It's possible that, because you know only Gold, it's difficult to imagine what all you'd have in Producer. Don't go for the Gold!

Barbara

[Marie78 Profile Private message]

Hello

I also upgraded one day from gold to producer and really appreciate the possibilies of Producer.

However it depends what you do with gold.

If you only use one layer or use only styles provided by the software, or bought here and there, but never played with many layers yourself, perhaps you do not need to change.

A software is like a car, if you never drive far from home, you do not need a big and fast one. The car should match its use...

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Don, Marie has a very good point about it all depending on what you want to do. If you want a nice showcase for your photos or those of the family, Gold should suit the bill. Those of us who use Producer, who love adding anything from simple to complicated effects, can sometimes forget the underlying purpose of a slide show. So your best bet might be to look at actual Gold shows and Producer shows, gauging your reaction to each. If your reaction to the Producer shows is, "I'd love to be able to do that!" then Producer should be your choice. If your reaction to the Gold shows is, "That's what I enjoy doing," then Gold is the one for you. As Marie indicates, you don't need a Ferrari to drive to the mall.

Barbara

[Bevie Profile Private message]

Should they wait to see if Proshow will be coming out with yet another version? I've read here on Proshow Enthusiasts that Proshow usually updates every so often and that we're past due for one. It would be a shame to make an investment in Proshow Producer 6 and then in another few months for PS to publish an update. Would Proshow give advance notice of an update so this wouldn't happen? Just wondering. It would be nice of them if they would

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Advance notice?! Ha! Their "advance notice" is that Photodex will provide updates at a time and date of their choosing. Any specific date of such update is pure speculation and encouraged, to increase interest in their product.

It used to be that the program was almost guaranteed to be updated within a year of the previous release. V6 came out long after that 1 year ... and it really should have been a v5.5. I think it was marketing forces that made them jump a full major release number. Nothing in v6, collectively or singly warranted a major number release to my mind. I'm somewhat of the same mind for the next version too. ... It'll be v7 of some sort. It'll have a number of bug fixes. It's hard to say if the changes it'll have will justify a major release number or not but I'm betting it will. I have no doubt, however that there'll be some interesting changes. The amount of time since the last release is quite a bit longer than with previous version ... whatever it is that's causing the hold up, it must be good (or really complicated).

Dale

[debngar Profile Private message]

Should they wait to see if Proshow will be coming out with yet another version? I've read here on Proshow Enthusiasts that Proshow usually updates every so often and that we're past due for one. It would be a shame to make an investment in Proshow Producer 6 and then in another few months for PS to publish an update......... SNIP........

When a user purchases the product or an update, any updates released within a year after that purchase date are included.

Even if there are no updates within a year, the user has use of the product indefinitely.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Trying to look at it from the business point of view, if they were to give advanced warning while they don't truly know when the new version will come out, their sales would drop through the floor while people wait for the new version. What if the new version gets held up for several months for any number of reasons? That's several months without sales. It would be different if they had the kind of setup where all updates were free, and new versions had to be purchased, but they don't, and because they don't, they don't dare give advance notice. It's a shame, of course. We probably all wish they'd go to the more common setup. The only time such a subscription framework is a boon is when the company comes out with a whole new version in less than a year from when a person purchased the previous version.

Big sigh.

Barbara

[Aida Profile Private message]

I will soon be upgrading from ProShow 5 to either version 6 or Producer.
I downloaded the trial for Producer and really can't see very much difference between it and Gold,
especially for the price difference. Am I missing or overlooking something?

Hi, in addition to what already has been suggested, you also might want to watch this
video created by Photodex & posted on youtube.

What's the difference between ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppegR6IPuXQ

Happy Pro Showing,
-aida

[Don Hammock Profile Private messageWebsite]

First of all, please accept my apologies for the delay in getting back to everyone.
Second, I want to thank all of you for taking the time to reply.
Third, thanks for your input. Because of it, I am going to try to become a Producer Convert ! LOL I may have to wait a little while longer to save up for the extra cost, but thanks to you guys and gals, I think it will be worth it. All I have ever known is Gold, so I know there is going to be distinct learning curve that will take some time. However,
I am selling the shows, not just using them for personal use, so I really think in the long run,Producer is the way to go.
THANKS again to ALL of you !!!

Take care,
Don

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Because you're selling, you made the right decision!

Yes, there's a learning curve for sure, but because you can use Producer as if it were Gold, you can learn at your own pace. Suggestion: Study masks first. They are arguably the most powerful part of Producer, and with a little help from your friends, you'll learn how to use them. You'll find tutorials for them along with keyframes and the new ability to use captions as layers. I'm actually excited for you.

Barbara

[Don Hammock Profile Private messageWebsite]

Thanks Barbara, will keep you posted !!!

[joemav57 Profile Private message]

The difference between Gold and Producer is night and day. I could not believe at what PSP could do, as compared to the Gold version I had. I guarentee you, PSP will blow your mind.