Why are captions always on top?

[mel2000]

I'd like ProShow to get rid of the limitation forcing captions always on top of other layers. It really blunts my creativity with handling subtitles, forcing me to resort to using transparent png subtitles.

[cherub]

Yes, you are quite right.
In the present version of ProShow the captions are not a layer as all the others and their default is always on top.
This feature has been requested before, many, many times, and I believe that Photodex has been made aware of it too.

[mel2000]

Thanks for your reply cherub. Good to know my request is reasonable and that I'm not the only one concerned.

[BarbaraC]

Perhaps if we all send strong visions of versatile captions down to Texas, our wish will come true.

Barbara

[pd]

pigs will fly

[BarbaraC]

Pd, you're having a glum Tuesday.

Barbara

[gpsmikey]

pigs will fly

He's right !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDdYDlHzfjM

mikey

[debngar]

Meanwhile, there are workarounds...

"Caption Underneath Workaround"
http://www.photodex.com/share/debngar/69bd4mg4

Also you can try using the Chroma Key to remove the black area to make the caption a true transparency (with no background around it). Then use the caption like a regular layer anywhere you want in the layer line up and only the words themselves will show. The Chroma Key doesn't always produce precise results but can be handy sometimes for a quick fix.

[im42n8]

Like the rest of you, I have been wishing for captions to be added to the queue of layers (so that a caption may appear behind an image layer). Right now, they're treated separately (their own z-order). I don't know how they'd implement it so that it'd be easy to use, but it sure would be nice to have the z-order of the images and captions mixed, linked, or associated (or all). I imagine there are a number of ways to accomplish it. However, I bet at this stage of the game, it's become somewhat a non-trivial task(?) to do (hope not).

It's a pain to create a graphical caption and have it exactly the same size as the non-graphical (PSP/PSG generated) captions (if you mix them . . . which I have a tendency to do now and then - something I try not to do often because of the size/kerning differences).

Yep, Photodex has had this request for quite some time now.

Dale

[BarbaraC]

...create a graphical caption and have it exactly the same size...

For that very reason, I try to avoid creating captions as graphics because it can so easily lead to having to create every last caption in a show in Photoshop.

We can turn captions into masks, but it still isn't what we all want.

Barbara

[Anna J]

This is my work around. http://www.photodex.com/share/janep/ggaw9mg4
Anna

[BarbaraC]

Anna, you didn't explain in the mini-show how you got the captions behind. Are they graphics?

Barbara

[Anna J]

Anna, you didn't explain in the mini-show how you got the captions behind. Are they graphics?

Barbara

Well, it was late and you previous posters had already inspired me to stay up past my bedtime playing with captions. All of you already know how to do this, but I'll post what I did for any newbies who might not:

1. Make a slide with the three captions in it
2. Do a frame capture of the slide and save it
3. The main slide is set like this:
Layer 1 is a cutout png of the old men
Layer 2 is a white grayscale intensity mask sized to fit over the word OLD on the frame capture
Layer 3 is the frame capture
Then
2 caption layers - one of the word "three"; one of the word "men"

Caption 1 (the word "three") set set to come in first with a 1.5 sec fly in
Layer 1 (the old men photo) comes in next
Layer 3 (the frame capture) comes in next with a 1.5 sec transition in
Caption 2 (the word "men") comes in next with a fly-in
Layer 2 (the white mask) is in position from 0.000 til the end of the slide

It's slight of hand, a trick, a work around. The word "old" appears to be flying in like the other two words, but it's really coming in using a transition, not a fly in. It's just a work around, but at least you don't have to leave producer to make it and its fairly quick to do.
Anna J

[BarbaraC]

I figured you hadn't performed an esoteric ritual that made Producer better, but hope was nevertheless in my heart.

Barbara

[Anna J]

As with our children, hope springs eternal that Photodex will listen to us.
Anna