PS Gold 5 compared to PS Producer

[hcajones Profile Private message]

I've been using PS Gold 5 for a while now and feel pretty comfortable with it. Several of you helped me work out some earlier problems.

I've looked at the Photodex site to try to figure out what I would get with Producer that I don't get with Gold, and it's not entirely clear to me. So I have two questions.

1. What would Producer allow me to do that's better or different than Gold?

2. How much more complicated would it be? I see lots of references to key frames, etc. Is building a show in Producer harder than Gold, especially if you want whatever Producer gives you that Gold doesn't? Or does it just give you more options? Or is it harder BECAUSE it has more options?

If these questions don't make sense or you need more information to respond, just let me know.

Thanks!

[cherub Profile Private messageWebsite]

I'm not sure if you saw this comparison chart on Photodex' site:
http://www.photodex.com/proshow/compare
If you hover your mouse on the emphasized terms, you will get a brief explanation of what they do.

Here are the main differences:

Advanced custom effect control
X/Y zoom, brightness and color, motion curve, opacity, blur
Keyframing
Create multiple animation points in a slide
Advanced creative techniques
Masking and adjustment layers, modifiers, solid color and gradient layers
Caption motion and effect control
Animate caption motion, size, color and effects

As you mentioned above, the use of keyframes is probably the most important feature, allowing you to have an image move from point to point several times in a slide, change its sizes, rotate, tilt - all during one single slide. In Gold you would have you make the same changes in several separate and consecutive slides.
Keyframes are used to animate things in your slide (images and captions) as well as for the more advanced adjustment effects. For example, if you want to have a layer change colors during a slide, or to change from transparency to opacity, and so on.

Masking is the other most important feature, as it allows you to create some very cool effects, by showing one part of the picture, while hiding the others. A simple example for masking would be a picture that pans and zooms inside a frame, without sticking out of the frame edges.

The other features are rather self explanatory, I think.

As to your question whether it's harder to make a show in Producer than it is in Gold:
It all depends on what kind of show you want to make, and how much effort you want to invest in that show.
The fact that you have a product that is capable of keyframes, masks and adjustment effects, means that you can create your own effects, if you want to. It also means that you can use pre-made slide styles and transitions that are rich in effects, and that have been created by others for you. I think that you'll find that the vendors offer a larger selection of styles and transitions for Producer, than for Gold, because the possibilities are so much wider than in Gold.

So, by and large, I'd say that Producer 5, unlike prior versions of Producer, allows you to make beautiful shows, without ever bothering to learn the product in too much depth. The learning is necessary if you want to create your own effects, or if you want to change the effects that are given to you.

Hope this helps.

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

Mona's given good info in response, so I'll just add my thoughts here without trying to make a direct comparison.

To me, the Producer vs. Gold choice is a lot like the Photoshop Elements vs. Creative Suite (full Photoshop version). If you need the best and you'll use it a lot, then choose the expensive and most capable version. If you will use it occasionally and want an easier learning curve, then get the other one. Power comes at a price and part of that price is complexity. The current PSP does do a decent job of keeping at least some of the complexity out of the way--but if you're not going to use it, then it becomes questionable for having it. Keep in mind that nothing you learn using Gold is lost if you switch later, you gain some entirely new capabilities and add new options to old ones.

Though I'm a Gold user, I think the strongest argument in favor of PSP isn't the software itself but access to a considerably larger variety of add-ons and extras. Although that can add to the complexity also, that's been the only significant disadvantage that's really made me think about switching--there's nothing in the base software that's been something I really felt a can't-do-without-it need for.

I've been a Gold user a long time now and while I've tried several versions of PSP, I've stuck with Gold. I'm not nearly as serious about the software as many of the regulars here are and I like Gold's balance of performance vs. complexity & learning curve. Look carefully at the feature comparison, but you won't go wrong whichever way you go, they're both very good.

Dick

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

To add to what's been provided already, Gold has no clue what Opacity is. Gold doesn't know what a solid or gradient is. These later two things can be used for quick backgrounds to slides, or they can provide borders/outlines that are smaller or much larger than the default outlines to a layer provided by the program. In Gold, you have to add a graphic to do that. Not a big deal but very clumsy. Gold has no clue what blur is ... this feature is useful in the creation of or adjustment to backgrounds. It can be used to create a custom shadow for your layer. ProShow's shadow is NOT flexible, has a fixed size, fixed opacity, and fixed location relative to the layer. You can change the shadow's opacity in Producer but not in Gold.

Producer provides flexibility to do simple things quickly and easily ... Gold can't compare to it in those respects because Gold is SOOOOOO simple already ... but to the bone feature set. You can use Producer exactly the same way as you use Gold if you want to. Then, when you get more used to it, you can start using more of the Producer features. Producer can do whole shows in a single slide, if you want (not recommended, but I've done it just to see if I could). But, what may take 20 slides to do in Gold will only require 1 in Producer. Is Producer complex? Well, it can be. Like I said, you can use it exactly like you use Gold now if you'd like ... and as you get more comfortable with it, you can expand the features you use. The effects available from Photodex and 3rd party vendors are immense.

If flexibility in what you want to do is, if you want the control over nearly every aspect of your image's presentation, if you want advanced features (or the possibility of them at some future date), Producer is the way to go. Yes, it's more than a few bucks, but you'll never look back with regret if you do. Simply consider it an investment.

There's absolutely nothing requiring you to delve into the more mysterious and complex features of ProShow ... but, they give you the option of doing things that are simply impossible to do in Gold (and it's not all that difficult to do either).

Gold, quite simply is EXTREMELY limited in what it can do and the effects you can do in it ... even some of the more simple effects. It's hard to describe to someone who hasn't used it. I use both (developing) ... and I feel like Gold is crippled whenever I get into it for certain effects. Creating interesting effects that show off your images within Gold is very labor intensive compared to Producer.

There's nothing wrong with Gold ... it's a first rate program with a limited set of features that make you wish for more. As Dick said, it's like comparing Photoshop Elements to Adobe's Creative Suite.

Dale

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I think the strongest argument in favor of PSP isn't the software itself but access to a considerably larger variety of add-ons and extras.

It's definitely a strong argument, but there's another much stronger one, and it's the fact that (as far as I can tell) we can't outgrow Producer. The ways in which we can combine masks, keyframes, modifiers, image adjustments, etc. just seem to go on forever. If we can imagine it, we can do it.

BUT, there's the other side of this: Why have all that power if we're likely to use the software in same way as Gold? Perhaps the tipping point is when we find ourselves coming up with ideas that either can't be implemented in Gold or are one monumental hassle to do so. That happened to me ages ago. It was about six months into using Gold when I said, "I've had it!" and bought Producer.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Took me less than 2 weeks to outgrow Gold and want more . . .

Dale

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

but there's another much stronger one, and it's the fact that (as far as I can tell) we can't outgrow Producer. The ways in which we can combine masks, keyframes, modifiers, image adjustments, etc. just seem to go on forever. If we can imagine it, we can do it.

Took me less than 2 weeks to outgrow Gold and want more . . .

I agree completely--for you and other serious users. But I disagree with I think I'm hearing, i.e., that PSP is the right answer for everyone. I see way too many PSP users completely perplexed by simple things. And a few others who want to do complicated things but clearly aren't going to figure it out. They'd probably be perplexed by some of the same things with PSG but my point is that most, if not all, these folks are never going to personally use those features or some of PSG for that matter. Where they can benefit from PSP is the fact that there are a flood of extras available, most of which (unfortunately) are only usable in PSP. You and the other serious users here are not the norm for the PhotoDex customer base and for you the power of PSP can never be too much. No serious user of PhotoShop is going to be satisfied with Elements either, but I am, and so will the majority of people who don't do image editing as a profession.

There is a legitimate place for both PhotoDex products and I don't think PSP is the right answer for everyone simply because it's the right answer for the majority of frequent contributors here many of whom are, in fact, using it professionally. I might switch to Producer but I don't think I'll change my mind about that part.

Dick

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

But I disagree with I think I'm hearing, i.e., that PSP is the right answer for everyone.

That's certainly not at all what I was saying, and I don't think anyone else was either. It's just that, when asked what the advantages of one over the other are, you're likely to see a great deal of applause for Producer.

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Dick,

I understand your reticence about upgrading to Producer completely. When you rarely use the software, you don't care about all the more complex special effects, and you can't justify the expense to yourself, and you're confused by all the extra features available in the more expensive version of the software, why the heck would anyone in that situation want to spend cash for the more full featured program?

When you get right down to it, everything boils down to what you want to be able to achieve when it comes time to create a slideshow. It has little to nothing to do with whether you're a "serious" user (that's a specious argument). When I upgraded from Gold, it had NOTHING to do with how many shows I was going to create ... as far as I knew I was only creating the one show. It's just that I needed the extra features to create a show worthy of the person for whom I was creating the memorial.

Dale

[DickK Profile Private messageWebsite]

That's certainly not at all what I was saying, and I don't think anyone else was either. It's just that, when asked what the advantages of one over the other are, you're likely to see a great deal of applause for Producer. Barbara

I understand and believe you. I also believe that there's a tendency to over estimate the importance of the advanced features and under estimate the learning curve for a new user. I want users to get a balanced view of the PSP vs. PSG question. While it may not be intentional at all, I'm concerned that our enthusiasm for PSP may get in the way of that but I thought Mona's original answer was excellent.

Part of the problem is that we're guessing at someone's knowledge and use of the software. With someone like the OP who's been using Gold for awhile, I think the real key is to understand how often they use it and how seriously. That kind of user will immediately gain some benefit in the access to more add-ons and if they get over the new learning curve and use it often enough, will benefit from some or all of the advanced features. Frankly, I'm less concerned about steering someone like that wrong than a really new user--less concerned, but not unconcerned.

Dick

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

I thought I was clear about not going for Producer if you aren't likely to use its power, but regardless of that, I find that people almost always rise to the occasion, no matter what that occasion might be. I've helped a number of people who've leaped into Producer and then had their hair stand on end, and every last one of them has overcome fear and doubt, not because of anything super that I taught them. It was just a matter of getting them to slow down, learning one thing at a time.

I realize you mean only to keep people from spending on something they may never use, but what if they don't make that purchase because they believe it's too much for them when, in fact, it probably isn't?

Barbara

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

One thing that must be said is that you can use Producer in EXACTLY the same way that you can use GOLD, EXACTLY. In other words, the learning curve for the basic features is essentially the same. In Producer, you do NOT have to use keyframes, masks, modifiers, opacity, blur, etc. Once you get used to the user interface, then the usage can be exactly the same for both Gold and Producer. As you get more familiar with the program, you start using more of its features and you can (if you want) grow into it.

Dick, the impression I get is that you're trying to make people's decisions for themselves from a very specific perspective. What works for you, however, may not work for an awful lot of people. It's anything but a balanced viewpoint. The choice between programs will most often depend on what the user wants to do now ... and may have nothing whatsoever to do with any consideration at a future date (as was the case for me). It will most often have to do with the feature set relative to what they think they want to do, not how often they'll use the software.

While the amount of "use" may be a concern for some people (as in how "often" they may use it), the majority probably won't go that route. If they do their research, they'll go the route that makes the most sense for what they want/need to do ... doing otherwise could cost them more than they wanted. There will be some for which the needs will dictate Gold. For the majority, however, Producer will be the one they will get.

When it comes to CHOICE of one program over the other, it has to do with what they want to achieve, what they feel they need to do, and whether the cost is worth it to them. Hobbling them from the get-go by telling them to go for Gold if they're not going to use the program very often, that the learning curve is steep, that the program is too expensive, is doing them a disservice and may cost much more (when they find out that Gold does NOT meet their expectations) ... or they have to wait the 2 years before they can upgrade at a much reduced price ($99). It has LITTLE to do with the learning curve (because while using all of the features in Producer will require a long learning curve, just using the program for a simple show will entail very little of a different learning curve than Gold requires ... it's an argument that "sounds" good but requires a caveat to put it into context ... and you're not doing that) and often it is not a consideration when it comes to building an initial show. Remember, you can use Producer exactly like you use Gold when it comes to building your first shows.

Sure, there's a big change with the way the screens appear between Gold and Producer in some cases ... but it's a case of getting used to the user interface more than anything else. Not using those extra features, such as ignoring them, is the effectively same as if you were using Gold.

Will people be intimidated by the software? Absolutely, whether it's Gold or Producer: because it's new software. The initial intimidation is mostly caused by the user interface ... until they figure out how to move around the program and how to get started. Both programs are extremely EASY to use, by design, right out of the box.

Dale

[ginger Profile Private message]

I have only owned Producer, but I'd like to think that I can see both sides of an issue.

For me, what I think it comes down to is this. I think that if you're the type of person that wants/needs to customize everything (and of course your budget can accommodate it), you will definitely want to go with Producer. It gives you the ability to customize almost everything in ways you may not even think about until you have the opportunity. And even if you're not that type of person, but still want to have access to a lot more selection in the way of built-in and 3rd party styles, then many of those styles will only work with Producer. (I think if you preview the Photodex style packs on their website, you'll notice that they indicate at the top of the slide whether that particular style works only in Producer. This will give you an idea of some of the effects you're missing. In fact, many of the style packs that indicate "For ProShow Gold, Producer and Web" still have some styles that won't work with Gold, and many of the later Photodex style packs advertise "For Producer and ProShow Web".) The same goes for styles create by 3rd party vendors.

On the other hand, if you're the type of person that isn't interested in spending hours learning how to "customize" a lot of things, and you don't need or want a lot of slide styles, then I think Gold is a perfectly good option for you. It can still make a beautiful show, and many of the restrictions that the lack of keyframes present can be overcome by using multiple slides for an effect.

It just seems to me they designed Gold leaving out several "basic" features that one would expect to be in any slideshow software, as an incentive for people to go with Producer. However, let's not forget that Producer is almost 4 times the price of Gold so if you don't want/need Producer's power, it seems like a big jump just to get some of what I would consider to be basic features. It seems like there really could be something in between.

Have you downloaded and played around with the trial version of Producer? Many of the extra features are very simple to use. Others will take more time and effort. Only you know how much time, effort and money you want to put forth, and what features are important to you.

ginger

[BarbaraC Profile Private messageWebsite]

It just seems to me they designed Gold leaving out several "basic" features that one would expect to be in any slideshow software, as an incentive for people to go with Producer.

Ginger, I'm willing to bet almost anything you're correct.

Barbara

[ginger Profile Private message]

Hi Barbara,

Yeah, I would expect to have to upgrade for the more advanced features in Producer, but not some of the basic ones that were left out of Gold. Just seems a little strange to me, but I'm sure Photodex knows what they're doing.

ginger