New show, new member.

[Humminbird Profile Private message]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the group and have been lurking for several weeks
trying to learn this wonderful, but sometimes frustrating program. I
recently took a 15 day trip with several of our neighbors to Southern
Italy & Sicily. I am putting this show together for them. It
features the highlights of our trip. It is quite long, but if any of
you have the patience to take a look and critique, it would be really
helpful. A couple of things:
When I burned my show to DVD, the main page did not have that gold
background. I don't know why that popped in when I uploaded.
Secondly, I have used a couple of slide templates that members shared
including one where a frame moves and emphasizes part of the photo.
You can see this effect on the slide right after the night shots of
the Amalfi Coast. It views fine until I burn it. Then, the white
frame shows up at the beginning of the slide, but disappears for a
while, then reappears at the end.?? Any suggestions? I tried
burning as an ISO instead of using Producer, but the same thing
happens.
Anyway, thanks to all who contribute and help the rest of us
learn. I have thick skin and would appreciate good, constructive
criticism. I did post this over at the other group also.
Hummingbird

My show: http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?
fl=2851423&alb=0

[wheels Profile Private message]

Hey,

went to check out your shoe from the link you posted and nothing... Try to upload it again.

Wheels

[briancbb Profile Private message]

Humminbird

Welcome to the forum.

Your link is broken. You need to add the fl= etc to the end of html?. I was on the Amalfi Coast late last year and have many similar pictures of that area. Browse to Presenter user 'briancbb' and you should find the show. Your music is better than mine, I just could not find anything!

Haven't watched all the show yet, but I will. Just one comment watch for zooms to and from a still shot of the same picture and use a 'cut' transition instead of 'fade'. This stops the blurred double image.

Brian

[mrkitzel Profile Private message]

Hummingbird,

Wonderful show! Good photography and good use of PSP effects. I am sure your friends will love it. I agree with Brian about using a cut transition.

Steve.

[Humminbird Profile Private message]

Hi Steve, Brian & Wheels,
Sorry about the missing link. Here it is again: http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... 1423&alb=0

Hopefully it will work now.
I will go to work on those transitions. Brian, I am going to check out your show. I also had problems finding the right music. I wanted instrumental with just the right sound to convey "Italy" I found this online by searching Italy- music -instrumental. The CD is called "Romance in Venice".
Thanks for taking the time to look and comment.
Humminbird

[kjohnsenwi]

Humminbird,

I enjoyed the show. Looks like quite a trip! I especially liked your slides with groupings of photos (the doors, doorknobs, flowerpots, etc.) and the shots of the small details of Italy. Along with the music, these things gave a real feel of Italy. I also loved that photo of the young girl that you had in b&w to begin with and then added the color. Great shot! Also liked the short video clip.

The only suggestion I would make is with the timing of the music. The songs all ended in the middle of place section and frequently within just a few slides of the beginning or end of a section. I think it would be more effective and less distracting to modify your slide times such that the songs end at the end of a section and then you have the slide transition through black rather than have "dead air" while looking at a slide. The next song would then start with a new section.

Thanks for sharing,
Kelly

[Humminbird Profile Private message]

Hi Kelly,
Thanks for looking and for your comments. That little girl was with her father outside a church in Lecce. She was so cute!
As for music timing, do you mean by "section" the area we are visiting? Should I try to have the song end as we go from one place to another? Also, you said to have the "slide transition through black". I'm not sure what you mean by that.
Again, thanks for taking the time and your helpful suggestions.
Humminbird

[jeanc Profile Private message]

Humminbird,

Your photography is really beautiful. Just a personal preference but I would have liked more landscape shots and to be able to see the photos fill more of the screen. And, not to have so many of the portrait shots right in the center. Maybe even put a couple of them side by side? It was still a really wonderful show to watch.

Such a breath taking place. You captured that in your photos, music and production! You and your friends are very lucky to have been able to make that trip.

Smiles,
Jean

[kjohnsenwi]

Yes, by "sections" I was referring to the locations that you visited. They end up being like chapter headings, IMO, so it helps to have the music end at the end of a place and then have a new place start as the music starts up again.

By fading through black...what I would suggest is that you insert a black slide at that same spot between the places (not every time...just as the songs change). You can modify the time of that slide to match the "dead air" between the songs and then fade into the next slide as the next song begins. It would add a lot of professionalism to your show. Also, if you're not aware, you can reduce the amount of "dead air" between songs (which in some cases seemed a bit long) by going to Show-Show Options - Soundtrack and then clicking on the song that would be starting and adding a value for the Offset. To make that track begin 1 and half second sooner, for example, you would enter a value of -1.5

Hope that clarifies things but let me know if not...I could share a show that uses the music ending and fade-through techniques, if it's unclear.

Good luck,
Kelly

[Humminbird Profile Private message]

Jean,
I appreciate you looking and your suggestions. I agree about the need for more landscape shots. I had taken a photography course and they emphasized the need for more vertical shots, especially for things like trees, tall buildings, etc. As a result I was consciously shooting a lot more verticals than landscape and I realized that I had gone overboard when I started putting the slideshow together. I hadn't thought of putting 2 verticals together side by side. That is a much better idea and will fill more of the screen.
Thanks!
Humminbird

[Humminbird Profile Private message]

Kelly,
Thanks for the clarification. I am going to go back and try to rework some images/slides based on some of the suggestions I have received here and then alter the music a bit using your suggestions.
Humminbird

[zweck]

Really enjoyed your show and it brought back old memories. I was at the Amalfi coast and in Sicily in the early '60 with my first camera, a rangefinder. Amazingly little has changed. I agree with previous comments about the verticals and I avoid taking them whenever possible.
The music provided a lot of atmosphere to the show. Thanks for sharing.

[jeanc Profile Private message]

Humminbird and zweck,

You can tell I am not a professional, huh. Now I know it is "vertical" and not portrait. So that's just printer stuff,huh?

I am always learning something new everyday in this group!

Thanks for cluing me in ............

Smiles,
Jean

[HunnyB Profile Private message]

Great show. All of ya'll are putting me to shame....
P.S. I haven't posted a show yet, afraid to..........LOLOL

HunnyB

[alcain Profile Private messageWebsite]

Nicely done. As far as my comments go, I have to say that I agree 100% with Kelly. She is dead on.
On the vertical shots, try alternating one to the left side, one to the right side, etc...
On your rotation shots, I'd back off on the amount of rotation - remember, "less is more".
Truthfully, this was a nice show to relax and ponder upon...
Thank you for sharing, ~al

————————
Notice: This review / comment / critique of your show is strictly my own personal opinion. I may visualize this show one way, and someone else will see it entirely differently. My comments and suggestions are only thoughts of how I might have done it differently, and are by no means, a statement of dislike for your work. You have a reason for doing the show the way you did, and I do respect and honor that. Please take my comments and suggestions with a grain of salt. If I have made a suggestion that you can use, then my review will be of some value. If I have made a suggestion that you do not agree with, then please just disregard this review. My only intent in reviewing shows on this user group is to provide users with another view / insight / and opinion. That’s what user groups are for. Please do not take this review personally, we are professionals and as such, are above petty bickering. Thank you for taking the time to read this review, and I thank you for sharing your work with all of us.
AB Cain