Lengthen a slide style

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Lengthen a slide style

Postby Ruskie » Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:21 pm

Hello everybody,

I am just getting started with PSP, and for now I am just playing with existing styles and learning how it works by modifying them... and I found what I think it's a "bug" in how one of the styles has been designed or realized. Don't think it's a bug of the software right away.
I was wondering if someone could check this and in case, tell me where I am wrong.
I am talking about slide style "Block Collage Title 1" (but I think with Title 2 it's the same). That style has a 3s duration, with 3s transition.
If you play it like that, all runs fine. However, if you try to lengthen the duration, let's say for example 7s slide time plus 3s duration - so that one can actually look at the tile - something bad happen to leftmost picture.

Normally, what happens is that (as for the other three pictures), the pic gets zoomed out together with its surrounding frame, at the same pace so to speak, and everything outside the frame is masked out, so that the picture looks like as if it was "in" the frame. The final effect is that of a frame with 4 pictures in it constantly going "away" from the observer.
However: if you go into Slide Options (double click on the slide) and you change the slide time in tab "Slide Timing", the leftmost picture gets broken: it now gets immediately displayed at the start of the slide, like if there was no mask around it, and covering up parts of the other photo. Then as it starts getting in focus, the surplus parts do vanish.
This does not happen if you change slide time directly in the main "Slide list", and does not happen in any case if you do it in the second slide of the presentation.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I have created a sample video to explain what I am talking about. First slide (duration 15s) is the one with the bug: look at leftmost picture. The second slide is the same slide, same duration, but doesn't show the same behaviour.
Here's the video:

http://youtu.be/uttivhjs-A4

Could you please tell me if I am doing it wrong (and in case, how to do it correctly) or if it's actually a bug?

.
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Re: Lengthen a slide style

Postby im42n8 » Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:38 pm

My guess is that this is NOT supplied with ProShow ... it belongs to a set purchased from Photodex. I don't have it. and so can't look at it.

The fact that the problem doesn't appear if slide time is changed in one approach but does with the other approach ... and slide time was the only thing changed ... is very strange. Do you have a starting slide before the slide with the problem? You may have to add a blank slide before the initial one ... you may need the slide transition (the transition between slides) for this effect to work correctly. Just add a blank slide before the first slide, give it a 0s length and that leaves you with the transition between slides ... which could resolve the problem.

If that's not it ...

I don't know how the effect is built (there are numerous approaches that can be used) ... however, if there is a layer fade transition at the beginning of the slide, that "could" be part of the problem. Layer transitions do NOT resize (change duration proportionally to a change in slide time). So, you could be seeing an effect related to that. If it is, simply find out where that transition is during the default slide length. Then, reposition that the layer transition accordingly for the new slide time.

If each image layer is masked, you shouldn't see this problem either. The mask and layer should resize smoothly. The mask should NOT have a layer transition ... that kind of defeats part of the mask's purpose ... but the masked layer (the image layer) might. Also, find out if there is a mismatch between mask and masked layer keyframes (location relative to each other). If the keyframes were not aligned properly to begin with, a change in slide time could create a proportional change in alignment mismatch. The layer transition is probably crossfade - blend or crossfade blend - linear ...

Still, I'm thinking it might simply be the lack of a slide transition at the beginning of the slide . . . since it doesn't seem to occur with subsequent slides..

Again, I'm just guessing ...

Dale
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
FPVP Blog "Making the Difficult Easier," FPVP News

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Re: Lengthen a slide style

Postby Ruskie » Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:09 pm

im42n8 wrote:My guess is that this is NOT supplied with ProShow ... it belongs to a set purchased from Photodex. I don't have it. and so can't look at it.


Oh, yes. It's from StylePack 5. Actually it was exported by a person who has it, I don't own the whole StylePack, but I guess this does not make a difference.

The fact that the problem doesn't appear if slide time is changed in one approach but does with the other approach ... and slide time was the only thing changed ... is very strange.

Definitely, and it is definitely like that: it's reproducible, I've done it more than a few time to experiment.

Do you have a starting slide before the slide with the problem? You may have to add a blank slide before the initial one ... you may need the slide transition (the transition between slides) for this effect to work correctly. Just add a blank slide before the first slide, give it a 0s length and that leaves you with the transition between slides ... which could resolve the problem.

No, that was the first slide of the show... and I think if I add a blank slide with 0 duration it should work, 'cause it does if I try this in the second slide of the show (see the video I published).
That would solve my problem, which is good, but I was more interested in understanding what could be wrong, so the rest of your message is quite welcome.

I don't know how the effect is built (there are numerous approaches that can be used) ... however, if there is a layer fade transition at the beginning of the slide, that "could" be part of the problem. Layer transitions do NOT resize (change duration proportionally to a change in slide time). So, you could be seeing an effect related to that. If it is, simply find out where that transition is during the default slide length. Then, reposition that the layer transition accordingly for the new slide time.

If each image layer is masked, you shouldn't see this problem either. The mask and layer should resize smoothly. The mask should NOT have a layer transition ... that kind of defeats part of the mask's purpose ... but the masked layer (the image layer) might. Also, find out if there is a mismatch between mask and masked layer keyframes (location relative to each other). If the keyframes were not aligned properly to begin with, a change in slide time could create a proportional change in alignment mismatch. The layer transition is probably crossfade - blend or crossfade blend - linear ...

Still, I'm thinking it might simply be the lack of a slide transition at the beginning of the slide . . . since it doesn't seem to occur with subsequent slides..

Again, I'm just guessing ...


Hmm.. I am too much of a newbie to follow your reasoning I am afraid.
All I can say it's the structure seem to be quite complex. Indeed there are 4 image layers, each one with their appropriate mask, a "Ending" layer which is above all and is simply a black rectangle covering all the slide, which is transparent (opacity 0%) until the very last seconds where it becomes opaque, and a bottom "Foundation" layer which to me seem to be the "frame" that contains all the photos (but I might be wrong). I don't know how to determine if there a transition layer, so I am afraid our investigations end here. :?
Well... eventually I'll get as good as you are with Proshow and I will be able to tell myself. :)
If anybody has that style and wants to try, however, I'd appreciate. :)

.
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Re: Lengthen a slide style

Postby im42n8 » Tue Dec 30, 2014 5:53 pm

Try the blank slide First and see if that resolves the problem. If it does, ooorah! Then just try to figure out how ProShow does what it does, one small step at a time ... when you aren't pressed for time.

If it isn't resolved, at least you seem to have a workaround for the time being. And then you can, over time, figure out what may be happening on that slide.

Good luck!!

Dale
What's New: Tools for ProShow: v11.42a Access ProShow capabilities Photodex doesn't provide (For PSG & PSP).
FPVP Blog "Making the Difficult Easier," FPVP News

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