KF Auto vs Manual Examples/Tutorial....

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

OK...so I sat down and ripped out an explanation of Auto vs. Manual with KFs, since many people are having trouble figuring it out (like I did!). Keep in mind that I did this fairly quickly, so it's not as refined as Vidqueen's excellent tutorials. But it should shed some light on the subject.

The tutorial/example show is here (3.5 minutes, 0.5MB), best viewed in fullscreen mode:

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=126115

You can also download the show source (.psp and images) in a zip file, so that you can play with it, to help understand what Auto vs Manual are doing:

Manual vs Auto Source Show Zip file

Fair warning: Trying to understand Manual vs Auto can hurt your brain cells! But if you can understand why the two layers behave differently and why the behaviour is the way it is, then you'll probably understand Manual vs. Auto. Be prepared to put your thinking caps on!

Hope this helps!

[marmart Profile Private message]

Andrzej, thank you....again, for so many things. I have downloaded the zip and will put on my thinking cap

After my glass of wine!

Peace!

Mary

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

You may need more than one glass of wine to comprehend auto/manual with respect to keyframes.

But too many, and that will make it even harder to understand.

Then again, after you dive into the details of KF settings, you may NEED more than one glass of wine.

[kneedeep Profile Private message]

OK...so I sat down and ripped out an explanation of Auto vs. Manual with KFs, since many people are having trouble figuring it out (like I did!). Keep in mind that I did this fairly quickly, so it's not as refined as Vidqueen's excellent tutorials. But it should shed some light on the subject.

The tutorial/example show is here (3.5 minutes, 0.5MB), best viewed in fullscreen mode:

http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=126115

You can also download the show source (.psp and images) in a zip file, so that you can play with it, to help understand what Auto vs Manual are doing:

Manual vs Auto Source Show Zip file

Fair warning: Trying to understand Manual vs Auto can hurt your brain cells! But if you can understand why the two layers behave differently and why the behaviour is the way it is, then you'll probably understand Manual vs. Auto. Be prepared to put your thinking caps on!

Hope this helps!

Thanks, I found it very helpful

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

Glad to hear it Knees.

Since I know there is a lot of confusion about this, I'm a touch surprised at the lack of responses....

[gpsmikey Profile Private message]

Thanks for the info -- I am just starting on my sons show so
I am reviewing "stuff" I have collected and yours is in my
list of "stuff"

Perhaps the lack of response so far is either
a) it solved it for everybody and there are no questions
b) they are still trying to finish the box of wine needed to
work with how Photodex implimented this stuff
c) The Photodex manual was so clear that your explanation
was not needed (for those who have not looked
in the wonderful manual, they explain that clicking the
"Manual Button" puts it in the manual mode and clicking
the "Auto Button" puts it in the auto mode.)

I doubt that a) is the answer, b) is a very real possibility.
We know that c) is definitely NOT the answer.

Well, I certainly appreciate your efforts -- if we could only
get the guy that wrote the code to explain what they had
in mind ...

mikey

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

I suspect that B is the likely choice, Mike.

Or maybe d) There just aren't that many experienced PSP users that are using KFs enough to be interested.

I suspect that d) is a factor as well

[quote="Mikey]if we could only
get the guy that wrote the code to explain what they had
in mind ... [/quote]

I think I understand what they were trying to do with auto vs. manual. If you've created an effect/motion that runs between two KFs, and then decide to add another KF between those two for a different effect/motion, then using auto on the new KF will leave the original effect/motion unchanged, regardless of how you move the new middle KF.

It makes sense from that perspective.....just would have been nice if they had documented the feature and it's rationale somewhere, rather than leaving it to their users to decipher.

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

Actually, what I'ld like is for Vidqueen to take a run through my example and see if it makes sense to her.

If it does....good. If not, then I need to tweak the tutorial to make the concept clearer.

The reason for Vidqueen's feedback is that I know she's got KF's mastered....which is pretty much prerequisite to comprehending auto vs manual.

[imabeatlelover Profile Private message]

I don't suppose there is any way to turn off "auto" completely right from the get go, to NEVER have auto pop up just when you're going so well, so you don't have to "click" on a million little green lights before you can proceed with "manual" again? I do just fine with it all in manual.....but that pesky auto keeps taking over when I least expect it. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong but I'm doing what I understand and doing just fine with manual alone.....so how could that be wrong? It took me for what seemed like forever to get to that beloved "A-Ha" stage of enlightenment with manual, where it finally clicked into my mushy brain. Now if there was only a switch to turn off the auto COMPLETELY and never have it come back to haunt me again. I spend more time clicking off "auto" then I do anything else (of course that's an artist's exaggerated statement. You know artists, how temperamental we all are! 20% temper, 80% mental!)

Pat
P.S. Wine sounds great some of us are forbid to have any alcohol at all (damn doctors!).....so I guess I'll just have to resort to getting "high" on life...or perhaps there's another way....

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

Nope....there is no way to specify Manual as the overall default.

At least not yet. I have requested this as a feature for a future release, along with some other user preferences settings.

[briancbb Profile Private message]

Andrzej

Yes it clicked for me just before you posted the tutorial, I think I said just about the same thing in words in the other thread but did not put it so elegantly as you .

Pat, yes like you I think the 'auto' should be defaulted to 'manual'. I have now occasionaly used 'auto' but still in the main set everything to 'manual'.

Another thing I would like to see (I have a hard time judging slide length on a complicated multilayer) is the KF's to stay at the same set times when the slide length is increased. At the present if you increas the slide kength the KF's times move proportionally.

Brian

[kneedeep Profile Private message]

Glad to hear it Knees.

Since I know there is a lot of confusion about this, I'm a touch surprised at the lack of responses....

I think maybe D..... and that users have given up in trying to understand Keyframes......

[Ladybug]

Glad to hear it Knees.

Since I know there is a lot of confusion about this, I'm a touch surprised at the lack of responses....

AH HAH! Thank you so much! The visual really helped. No wine needed! I have also downloaded for review as needed. I suppose most folks just haven't gotten to the Forum yet today.

Question...I have a difficult time seeing the layers after about three and timing each. Is there a trick? I do the big window thing, but doesn't seem to help.

Really appreciate all the time and effort from everyone.

G'day to all!
LadyBug

[Tarafrost Profile Private messageWebsite]

LadyBug....

There is no "trick". It can get quite complicated to juggle many layers and KF timings.

I've found, for me and my aging brain cells, is to use nice round time markers for my KF's. Whole seconds or half seconds usually. And if I have a lot of KF's and layers interacting, I might sketch out a rough timeline on a piece of paper, to remind me of what actions should happen on what layers when.

You could use a spreadsheet for that, but I find that just scrawling down the key information is sufficient for me...and quite simple.

Helps also to have the effect you want to portray visuallized relatively completely in your mind before you start to play with the details of KFs and the like. Just diving in and slapping down layers/KFs without a goal or visual plan in mind is a good way to get frustrated, in my experience.

Anyway...hope some of the "methodology" I use is of help....

[Ladybug]

Thanks much! Big help! Sketching timeline...perfect idea.

LadyBug