Modifiers

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

I have another question. This time it concerns the modifiers. I never thought that with their help you can achieve this effect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igwb_jgd ... lA&index=9
Could someone explain step by step how to achieve it?

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I slid through the timeline at the bottom of the video but didn't once see the modifiers screen. Unfortunately, without the ability to read the instructions, I can't say precisely how it was done, though it appears Tilt might have been used.

Barbara

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

So what? Nothing could be done? There are no instructions - no effect? Maybe someone will make an attempt to describe an advanced action modifiers. Help the PSP is quite enigmatic. PLEASE!

[debngar Profile Private message]

Forum members here are not paid by Photodex. They are all just users of the software who generously share what they know from time to time. To be angry seems quite pointless. No member is obligated to answer questions.

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone. That was not my intention. I'd just like to know more about modifiers.

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Modifiers are a partially documented feature of ProShow. There is some introductory information in the help documentation that can help you get started. Cyrillic doesn't lend itself well to translating when it is in a graphic format (can't put it into google translate). So, I can't help with specifically what's going on in that video. Too, I have only dabbled with that particular technique ... not enough time to do more lately. Someday maybe I can get to it.

But, if you're looking to learn more about modifiers (which I use extensively), you need to play with them and experiment. Each modifier is composed of one or more actions. An action is merely a line that states what is happening. It can be as simple as a constant value or one that identifies the layer and its function that the action is following. A modifier is attached to ALL keyframes or, assigned to a particular keyframe. When it is the latter it operates to the next keyframe. In this case though, You can "fade" the action in/out on those 2 keyframes by the small little fader controls (one to the left and one to the right of each of the two keyframes). But, these have a kind of smoothing effect assigned to them. So, they are of limited use when you really need a linear effect.

Modifiers can directly follow the function of another layer except for two: zoom and hue. The zoom value read by a modifier has little to do with the value you see in the zoom values box. As such, it's hard to say what you will end up with when you simply point to a layer and follow the value in the zoom box. It is NOT the value found in the zoom value box. However, I have discovered (invented?) 2 versions of zoom following and both have some limitations (they get broke by rotation and/or tilt). I have documented the original version and partially documented the other (it can be complicated to implement). As for hue, to follow another layer's hue, you simply have to make it a subtractive value instead of the default additive. Odd.

But, to really understand modifiers you have to use them. The modifiers in the video you referenced only use horizontal tilt. The modifiers are used to keep all layers using the exact same motion at the exact same point in time. That's all they're used for. The rest of the 'tutorial' is about how the items sized and positioned.

I don't know if there are any tutorials on modifiers out there but I seriously doubt it. Photodex introduced these things in v4 (what, 4 years now?) and have yet to document them in any real fashion. Yes, they may be of limited utility but, what you CAN do with them can be amazing. I KNOW you can do things that are ordinarily considered impossible. It's simply a case of having a really good understanding of ProShow and how it does what it does. From there, it's simply a case of playing around and challenging yourself to see what you can do with them. Also, while setting up a series of modifiers in slide can be a little work up front, they can save a lot of work later. That's because if you wanted to change something that involves multiple layers, you only need to change the value(s) on one layer ... the one being followed.

Another thing you could do is to buy some effects that have modifiers in them and then dig into them to find out how they do what they do. Learning from how someone else does the work can be very instructive (or very very very confusing...!). But, the best thing you can do right now is to experiment with them first and get some experience with them. I don't know how much experience you have with ProShow but, to get the most out of modifiers you need to understand how ProShow does what it does. But, even without a deep understanding of ProShow, using simple following modifiers is easy to implement and uncomplicated. You just add a modifier, identify the layer you want to follow, the function used by that layer that you want to follow (such as pan or rotation) and you are done. Note that the value in the function box is in addition to what the modifier provides. It's when you start entering multiple actions that things can get "interesting" (and/or complicated); or using one feature to drive another feature.

In a nutshell, that's all there is too it. After that it's just getting experience. If you have detailed questions, you can contact me in a PM.

Dale

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

But, to really understand modifiers you have to use them.

That's how I learned the basics along with members here investigating the possibilities. A quick search brought up one of the original threads on the subject back in 2008: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9971&p=81269

Maybe you'll be able to combine the small amount about modifiers in the manual with the above thread, and then start experimenting on your own. What's the worst that can happen? Nothing. No harm done.

Barbara

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

Many thanks to Barbara and Dale for help.
Besides modifiers I know about ProShow quite much. I understand that practice makes perfect. I was simply curious as to how you can achieve such great results, as in the guide KaterinaPatrick. This effect does not give me peace.
I have yet one request. Have any of you can make a guide on how to achieve this effect in PSP? I would be very obliged.
Oh and one more thing. Sorry for my english, I know is not the best.

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

Have any of you can make a guide on how to achieve this effect in PSP? I would be very obliged.
Oh and one more thing. Sorry for my english, I know is not the best.

Don't worry about your English. It's not a problem.

To create the kind of guide you'd like would mean that someone would have to spend hours figuring out how the effect was achieved, setting it up with precise motion, and then writing instructions for it. I doubt anyone has the time for this. Instead, leave the YouTube video in your browser, pausing it as you try to match it in Producer. All the basic work is definitely done with Tilt, so you should start with that. I suspect the circles were created with either semi-transparent gradients or a square color solid with a hard-edged oval vignette.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

I just found the effect on the Russian Proshow site ... however, the promised instructions were never posted. I've asked about them. It is NOT easy navigating a site that's written in all cyrillic! It's awful! Gads, it's like trying to read chinese or greek or arabic ... just don't recognize a thing. It took forever to find that darned thing.

Since the graphical text can't be highlighted, there's no way to get the translation directly. There are a few tricks to this effect that might be interesting to learn about. I'm hoping someone provides some help on this thing. I'd be interested to know what they're using for the modifiers.

Dale

[debngar Profile Private message]

To read the instructions for tutorials found on that person's Russian website, use Google Chrome with the translator. There is some very good modifier information presented on the site, step by step, clearly explained, with no needless baloney in between. Choose either Russian or French as there seems to be a lot of both those languages on the website.

I didn't find the instructions to the spinning 3-D coin. Perhaps those will show up later. But there is another set of instructions with screen shots of modifier settings of 2-D animations which could be useful to learn from.

Sample Demo:


Instructions for all those animations for the yellow circle start a little bit down the page (scroll down).

http://katerinapatrick.jimdo.com/proshow-2d/

[irwin Profile Private message]

I just found the effect on the Russian Proshow site ... however, the promised instructions were never posted. I've asked about them.
...
I'm hoping someone provides some help on this thing. I'd be interested to know what they're using for the modifiers.
Dale

Dale,
as registered member of that forum you can get full lesson pdf here, message #45. The file contains needed screens with modifiers. Hope it helps.

ProShowFan,
you can go another way, if your aim is getting the effect you encountered, not learning modifiers.
Download 3D Transitions pack by stranger2156 at Slide Styles & Templates section, add 3D Coin transition and back engineer its style.psh.

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

Again, thank you all for your help. You will not give up and I will try to achieve this effect.

[ProShowFan Profile Private message]

Dale,
as registered member of that forum you can get full lesson pdf , message #45.

I downloaded the pdf file and now everything is clear. Thank you very much.
Joseph

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

The PDF from the site was incomplete ... a lot of missing information. The effect will have to be back engineered using Stranger's info (both are very similar).

The PDF info goes from 4 layers to 5, back to 4, and then to 8 and then, all of a sudden there are 13 or 14 layers and no explanation associated with the sudden change in layers. It isn't just the change in the quantity of layers either. Missing is the associated setup information or explanation of what's going on.

Dale