Wish List - wizards for producer

Post your requested features for future versions of ProShow Producer here.
Soahs

Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby Soahs » Sat Oct 24, 2009 6:53 am

This is a radical idea for Producer, but if do-able, would go a long way to making things better for creating slide shows. And that is, when first starting to make a slide show, after putting the pictures in, next comes the keyframes.

Why not make it easy? Have a wizard do it. Have some effects to choose from. Then the wizard asks what we want to do next. We have more options to choose from, can add and subtract. But the really good thing, the wizard can then ask us about timing. What do we want to do? We answer to make the effect faster here and slower there. We can call up the wizard again to choose just a little more speed or less.

This wizard can apply to masks and layers too. For example, the style packs are nice, but some of them are way over the top in speed and being way too busy. We can use the wizard to first play the style, click where we want to alter (and allow us to move the click point) then we can choose what picture and effect we want to change, if we want to delete one of the pictures, etc.
Jane

.
User avatar
Posts: 5391
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:55 am

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby debngar » Sat Oct 24, 2009 8:17 am

Soahs wrote:-snip-
the wizard can then ask us about timing. What do we want to do? We answer to make the effect faster here and slower there. We can call up the wizard again to choose just a little more speed or less.

This wizard can apply to masks and layers too. For example, the style packs are nice, but some of them are way over the top in speed and being way too busy. We can use the wizard to first play the style, click where we want to alter (and allow us to move the click point) then we can choose what picture and effect we want to change, if we want to delete one of the pictures, etc.
Jane


Hi Jane,

The slide styles include suggested slide time and transition time. Chances are you may be seeing the styles whiz by because the program sets slides and transitions to the user's default preferences.

Slowing down the timing on a slide takes about 2 seconds to do. Alter the slide time from the default to something longer in the slide time line at the bottom.

As far as them being too busy, it takes one click on the minus button on the layer you want to remove to get rid of it. I've done that with some styles that I think are too busy as well. In addition, the user can make their own styles with less busy designs.

Having a wizard removes the user's precise control and speed of production because the user would likely be at the mercy of how the wizard interprets the user's request. It would take more steps to accomplish all that and waiting for the wizard to respond versus being able to set things up manually because there are so many variable elements and ways to produce a slide show.

If you are just starting out to use Producer, be patient and just try one or two things at a time first. Build upon that by adding another technique or effect or feature to your bag of knowledge. Mostly it just comes down to the need to learn how to use the program. What seems difficult or cumbersome at first will come with time playing and using the program, like anything else we aren't familiar with using. Eventually, you'll get catch on.

You could always send your suggestion to Photodex via an email though. They won't get it if you just post it here since the forum isn't managed by Photodex. :D
Debbie
Photography http://deborah-green.com

.
User avatar
Posts: 2234
Joined: Fri May 12, 2006 8:19 am
Location: UK

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby trulytango » Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:06 am

Hi Jane

That's an interesting question.... and Debbie has given you a very good answer. Any sort of wizard (well, my interpretation of a wizard, that is) is there purely to speed routine things up and allows only for basic creativity. The types of things you are referring to, however, are really coming down to personal preferences and a user's own knowledge/expectations? I've not come up against a 'wizard' in any other program that is really that intuitive.

In time, you will have the wizard you want... but it won't pop up in PSP - it will reside inside your own head :D

Debbie - I really like your new blog! You have always been a champion for finding ways to do most things in so I love the new 'Do it all in Producer' theme. It's all very nicely done indeed! :wink:
Windows 7 HP 64-bit, Intel i5 2500K Quad Core, 8GB RAM, 1.0GB Ge-Force NVIDIA GTX 560i, Adobe Photoshop CS5, Producer 6 (GPU Benchmark was 336, now 324), a big old Canon 20D and a funky Canon Powershot G15

.
User avatar
Posts: 5391
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:55 am

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby debngar » Sat Oct 24, 2009 9:58 am

Iris,

I think most people prefer the "easy" route too but some things are a matter of plowing through it. Often I've discovered things by just experimenting and making happy mistakes along the way. :D

Thanks for peeking at my blog.
Debbie
Photography http://deborah-green.com

.
User avatar
Posts: 2234
Joined: Fri May 12, 2006 8:19 am
Location: UK

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby trulytango » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:13 am

Debbie... I've done more than just peek. I think I watched them all throughout the last few days but took the opportunity to comment just now. I learned a lot from your tutorials in the past... some real lightbulb moments courtesy of your good self... THANK YOU!

Keep on doing what you do!
Iris
Windows 7 HP 64-bit, Intel i5 2500K Quad Core, 8GB RAM, 1.0GB Ge-Force NVIDIA GTX 560i, Adobe Photoshop CS5, Producer 6 (GPU Benchmark was 336, now 324), a big old Canon 20D and a funky Canon Powershot G15

.
User avatar
Posts: 5391
Joined: Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:55 am

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby debngar » Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:24 am

I just made a formal announcement in the website section so this doesn't wind up hijacking this thread.

Thanks again Iris. :wink: :D
Debbie
Photography http://deborah-green.com

lady jane

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby lady jane » Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:53 pm

Hi Everyone, actually I am getting experience with keyframes by editing (that is, slowing down) the slide styles. And I am learning a lot. The type of wizard I am talking about could be compared to making html web pages. There is a terrific web editor called Namo. They have the three tabs (edit, source, and preview) just like Outlook Express. You can actually create and edit in real life form. That is, you can simply insert, drag and drop, type on what looks like the finished page. Now compare this to editing in source code. And try making nested tables in html code. If there is an easier way - and there is - then I want it because then I can concentrate on creating.

The same with Producer. If they could have something that can let us create in real time - just like on a finished web page. Let us actually see the finished slide as we go along and edit right on the preview. We have to start with a ready made slide which can be basic or more advanced. Let's say we want it to fade out at a certain time. We click on the picture below the wizard, click on the time, then tell it to fade out. Then we have the option to fade out more - or less. We can make it fade out quickly at first then slower, or the opposite. And so on.

I did send this to Photodex already, as I know they don't run this forum. I know many people can "get" keyframes. But some like me who are somewhat learning disabled when it comes to math and logic can really fly if they could have an assist like I am suggesting. When I went back to school to take some classes at our junior college, I tested in the top 10% nationwide in reading. Yet I cannot figure out algebra. The most simple math problems I really have to battle to understand and figure out. Most people can sail through math like I do reading. I can't, and the wizard I suggest for Producer will not only help out people like me but also help newbies to understand keyframes much better.
Jane

Valued Member
User avatar
Posts: 99
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 11:39 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

Re: Wish List - wizards for producer

Postby photoshowstudio » Fri Oct 01, 2010 12:21 pm

Just wanted to thank the original poster for this topic. The wizard si awesome and it looks like Photodex listened to your suggestion.

Return to PSP - Feature Requests

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests