PSP 5.0 styles

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I've opened shows created in version 3 without incident other than the little warning saying that, once saved in the current version, you won't be able to open it in an earlier version. I haven't tested the message but am wondering if a show opened in and saved in version 5 will still open in earlier versions as long as the newest features not found in those earlier versions haven't been used. Anyone tried it?

Barbara

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

It seems to me I have run into an error if I tried to open a new show with an old version of Producer before, but I just went to test it by opening an old test show I had, saved it again under version 5 then discovered that I had overwritten my version 4.5 install some time ago with a new version (and I'm not ambitious enough to re-install version 4.5 just to test it). I did open a number of my older test shows with the current version (5.0.3256) with no issues.

[edit] Just as a quick test, I opened a show I did (tribute to my mom) back with Proshow Gold 2.2 or something like that back in 2004 in the current version of Producer. It opened it with no problems and it played fine (at least the parts I watched).

mikey

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I still have version 4.5 on my system and ought to have the decency to test my own theory, but I was being lazy, hoping someone had been leaping between the two versions, either with good results or with disaster. I'll bet your error was gremlin-induced.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

When I opened a show created with v5 in an earlier version, all features not recognized were completely ignored. I didn't try to save it in the earlier version so I don't know the impact of that save. But, I'm sure that the later features would be completely stripped out ... and the (new) earlier version, when imported into the version that originally created it, would be a show of that earlier version. So, if created in v5, then opened and saved in v3.2, v5 would see it as a v3.2 show.

I have opened v3.x shows w/o a problem in v5 (so far).

Dale

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

When I opened a show created with v5 in an earlier version, all features not recognized were completely ignored. I didn't try to save it in the earlier version so I don't know the impact of that save. But, I'm sure that the later features would be completely stripped out ... and the (new) earlier version, when imported into the version that originally created it, would be a show of that earlier version. So, if created in v5, then opened and saved in v3.2, v5 would see it as a v3.2 show.
Dale

My experience has been a bit different so far. While Producer 5 can open any previous version without any problem, the reverse action does present problems.
Here is what happened to me:
I've made a show in ver. 5, using the tilting options.
Then I opened the same show in ver. 4.5, and saved it with ver. 4.5 under a different name.
My expectations were that the tilting options would be completely ignored and the image would remain straight.
That is not so. The tilting options are still visible in ver. 4.5, but they look weird. If a modifier was added for tilting in ver. 5, the image will continue to tilt in ver. 4.5, but you won't know why, and you won't be able to stop that motion, because there is no tilt menu in ver. 4.5.
In addition, I've noticed that the resizing of images is a bit different in Producer 5, because Producer 5 sees all images at something that is close to 16x9 (I think). This affects all the shows that are created for the 4x3 aspect ratio, and also all the layer transitions. Bringing such shows into previous versions will alter some of these features.
For short, going backwards in versions creates problems. Going forward in versions is always OK

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I wonder (but not enough to test) if the screen size issue when reverting to an earlier version might be dependent on how we set the layers and if using Fill rather than Fit To would make a difference. I often have a mix of these settings, using Fill for a background but not necessarily for upper layers, which might Fit To Frame or to Safe Zone or have a mix of both.

Barbara

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

I wonder (but not enough to test) if the screen size issue when reverting to an earlier version might be dependent on how we set the layers and if using Fill rather than Fit To would make a difference. I often have a mix of these settings, using Fill for a background but not necessarily for upper layers, which might Fit To Frame or to Safe Zone or have a mix of both.

Barbara

Yes, it probably would. But who uses "Fill Frame" for normal layers?
We normally use "Fit to Frame" for all layers, except backgrounds and such.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

We normally use "Fit to Frame" for all layers, except backgrounds and such.

You probably should have said, "Normal people use..."

I periodically use a mix in the upper layers because, for example, using Fit to Safe often works better when matching photo size to frame.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Generally speaking, earlier public versions of the program will ignore features contained in later versions ...

Photodex fixed the case where tilt would be (somewhat) recognized by earlier versions of Producer. So, ver 4.5 won't see v5 features at all now.

Dale

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dale,
Here is what I described in my post above.



You'll have to take my word for it. This is a style that I made with Producer 5.03256 and that I just applied in Producer 4.5. The video file was created in ver. 4.5 and uploaded to YouTube.
The tilting effect doesn't look good, but, it's tilting, isn't it?

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Interesting! For better or for worse, Tilt is still apparent. It would seem that the capability of doing Tilt was there all along in the older version and needed only tweaking to make it work properly.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Heck, my v4.2 refused to show any tilt at all. I created a native 5.0.3256 show with tilt, saved it, and opened it in v4.2.3053.

My understanding is that earlier versions of v5 had an implementation of tilt that was recognized by v4.5, to some degree. Later v5 versions fixed it so that tilt created in those versions would NOT be recognized in v4.5. Maybe the earlier version v5 files edited in later v5 versions keeps the information in the PSH that was recognized in v4.5(?).

Dale

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Our best bet is to use v.5 styles in v.5 shows unless we want to go insane.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

I like to play sometimes and will try to open a file in an earlier version to see what the ramifications are. If necessary, I'm looking for a graceful degradation. There are a few ways to design a version 5 effect such that it degrades nicely in a v4.x environment. But, those ways are few and they have to be designed carefully. Most of the time, tho, it's just not possible.

But, like in this case with the tilt effect, it was a surprise that a pre-version 5 program would recognize any version 5 feature at all!

Dale

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

And it's apparently a hole that got plugged.

Barbara