After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

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After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:38 am

The Producer wizard has created a slide using 'no-style' and using 4 images going horizontally across. This looks nice but I only want to use 3 images, not 4.

I've edited the slide to remove the final image, but now I just get a blank area going across the screen where the 4th image used to be. I tried reducing the slide time, but that only speeded it up!!

How can I effectively 'truncate' the slide so that it moves on to the next one after the 3rd image is shown?

Thanks,
Bernie

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby im42n8 » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:45 am

It depends on what the structure of the style was to begin with. If you've removed all layers associated with 4th image, then it's a matter of adjusting the other layers such that their spacing is further apart or... finding out at what time the third image goes off-screen. Then, removing time from the slide at that point (determine if any keyframes are going to overlap when the extra time is removed and remove them accordingly. Make sure that no settings on the other 3 image's associated layers are going to be affected) will or should help.

Again, it depends on how the slide style was built. Generally, this information should work for you. Just work on a back up slide just in case and work a little bit a time and test each step to be sure nothing is broken in the process. Then, save the interim step and go to the next and make an additional change. Test. Repeat the process.

Dale
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:51 am

Thanks Dale for the quick reply, the slides go horizontally across the screen, I have removed the final image.

...Then, removing time from the slide at that point

Once I determine the time that the 3rd image finished, how do I then remove the the time from that point?

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby im42n8 » Sat Apr 23, 2011 9:56 am

Simply put, select the last keyframe beyond which there should be only space or the very last keyframe . . . or put a keyframe at that point where the last image leaves the screen. Right click, remove time from the keyframe. A "remove" time would be a negative time value (positive numbers add time).

Adding time to/from a keyframe in the transition area only affects the transition area.
Adding time to/from a keyframe in the slidetime area only affects the slidetime area.

Just be sure to take it a step at a time to be sure you don't break anything. If you do break something, CTRL-Z (undo) and try to figure out what you broke before trying again. Fix it/adjust it/whatever, then try again.

Dale
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
FPVP Blog "Making the Difficult Easier," FPVP News

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Sat Apr 23, 2011 10:00 am

Seems like I need to learn about keyframing then! Will have a play around tomorrow using your suggestions.

Thanks,
Bernie

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Sat Apr 23, 2011 2:41 pm

I've read up on keyframing in the help file, but I'm still very lost here, sorry!

As I understand it, each slide has a pair of keyframes, so Dale, I don't understand what you meant by:-
Simply put, select the last keyframe beyond which there should be only space or the very last keyframe


How do I select a keyframe, I can't find any mention of keyframe selection in the help guide, do you mean select the last layer?

The slide currently has no space between images as they move across the screen, and that's how I want to keep it, I simply want to remove a blank area at the end of the slide, where the 4th image was originally, and thus reduce the overall slide time. I have worked out how to increase the space between the layers, maintaining the overall slide time, but that's really not what I want, I just want to remove the surplus time at the end of the slide.

Adding time to/from a keyframe in the transition area only affects the transition area.
Adding time to/from a keyframe in the slidetime area only affects the slidetime area.


I can see the grey bar with darker and lighter areas for the slide times, and the transition times, but I don't see any way of adding time to/from a particular area. Can you elaborate please?

This is proving more difficult than I thought!!

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby im42n8 » Sat Apr 23, 2011 5:30 pm

Keyframes don't actually come in pairs but you use them in pairs. The space between them is where change occurs. In kf1 for instance, the pan settings are -25,0 while for kf2 they are 0,0 and for kf3 they are 25,0.

So, between the first pair (KF 1 and 2) the layer (referenced from the layer center point) will travel from the left quarter of the screen to screen center. For the next pair (KF2 and Kf3) the layer will travel from the screen center to the right quarter of the screen.

Click on the kf metaphor (the upside down pentagon) to select it. Don't forget to right click over it to see what the associated menu items there are. When you select the kf, you can now change the settings associated with it. In Effects | Motion Effects that position related stuff. In Effects | Adjustment Effects it's primarily appearance related stuff.

Add keyframes by double clicking on the spacing below or above the yellow line. Or, put the mouse cursor over the yellow bar and right click (but not over an existing keyframe). Now you can add 1 or more keyframes.

The last keyframe is, by default, usually the firewalled one to the right. However, there need not be a keyframe there at all. Each layer must have 2 keyframes, by design. If you select a keyframe in the slidetime and right click on it, adding time is by using a positive number while deleting time is using a negative number (e.g., -3). So, right click on the kf, select add/remove time from kf and then enter a positive or negative number.

If the kf is firewalled to the far right, you can add time to it but you can't remove time. Time is removed or added to on the right side of a keyframe, not its left side.

Hope that helps.

Dale
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
FPVP Blog "Making the Difficult Easier," FPVP News

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Sun Apr 24, 2011 7:36 am

Hi Dale,

Thanks for everything so far, i've tried your suggestion of reducing the keyframe time, but it makes no difference. As I don't seem to be getting anywhere with this, I think i'll go through the exact steps i'm taking and maybe you can tell me what i'm doing wrong. I'm also embedding a screen shot of the slide as it is stands, immediately after it has been created by the wizard, it may help.

Image

1. The slide was created by the wizard, I like it but want to remove the final image and have the slide movement end at that point (so I don't get a blank area at the end moving across the screen).
2. I go to layers and click on the 4th images checkbox to diable it.
3. The image disappears from the keyframe 2 window, leaving a blank space (so far so good)
4. Running a preview now shows the 3 other images moving from right to left across the screen but with a blank area at the for a few seconds.
5. I select the 3rd layer
6. I right click on the blue keyframe icon (kind of an upside down shield) just above the timeline, and select 'Add/Remove time from keyframe'
7. I change the time (which is defaulting to 1 second) to -3
8. When I run the preview again, it has not changed from when I ran it in step 4

If at step 7, I increase the time by say 5 seconds, that does have an effect and the slide starts repeating itself.

What am I missing, thanks.

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby im42n8 » Sun Apr 24, 2011 1:58 pm

I think what they've done here is to give the same amount of spacing between the images and the same relative distance of travel for each. That's a different animal requiring a little different approach. In this situation the problem isn't the removal of keyframes, it's the removal of the relative distance traveled.

I'm making the following assumptions for illustration. The specific numbers you're working with are going to be different.

The first image is moving total distance of -230 from a starting position of 20 and an ending position of -210 (which is off the screen to the left). Since each image travels the same distance, let's assume the following for the other 3 layers:
image 2 moves from 100 to -130;
image 3 moves from 180 to -50;
image 4 moves from 260 to 30;

In this case, I scrub the display (click on the area below the yellow line, wait for the little red triangle, then drag right). Observe the approximate time at which image 3 reaches the center of the screen. Double click at the point (on the yellow timeline) to place a keyframe there. Note pan-x value associated with it (delete the keyframe. It was only to give a value to work from). In my case it was around 180, a change of time from the original spacing of 230. So, go to keyframe 2 of each layer and reduce the value by 50.

In my case: Image 2 is 100 to -80 and Image 3 is 180 to 0 (note that you're looking for a value of pan-x at which you want the 3rd image to be when the slide ends. This is going to determine the amount of distance you're going to remove from the images). Then, to slow or speed up the photos going across the screen, just change the slide time.

Hope that helps.

Dale
Last edited by im42n8 on Tue Apr 26, 2011 6:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby bernieraffe » Mon Apr 25, 2011 12:16 am

Hi Dale,

That's it!! Works a treat.

Thanks very much for your help and perseverance, i've learnt quite a bit from this thread (even though it took me a while to get there!)

Thanks again,
Bernie

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Re: After style applied, how to reduce number of layers

Postby dsprincis » Mon Apr 25, 2011 10:09 am

Dale, I'd like to say thank you also. Your explanation has been very helpful.
Darlene

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