How to crop All Images/Slides the same way - Producer 4.5

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Please can someone advise me how to crop all slides in exactly the same way when using producer 4.5. I have a slide show with about 24 slides copied and pasted to about 200 synced to a 30 minute audio and want to crop all of them in the same way. I saw a video about selecting all the slides and using the FX function but could not find this on my version of Producer 4.5. In the end I deleted the slides and made my own style for the cropping and had to apply the style to each of the 24 slides individually and then duplicated the slides back to the original number for the show. There must be an easier way. Your advice would be appreciated.

Kind Regards
Chris

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

GOLD USERS: While this is about Producer effects, applying Styles works the same for both versions of ProShow (it's just that this topic was posted in the wrong section, that's all).

What the heck are you cropping?! The images on the slide? I don't know how to crop a "slide" ... Because if you copy slides from a 4:3 show into a 16:9 show, those slides become 16:9.

So, it has to be the images on those slides... and I'm not so sure that "cropping" is what you're after.

Now, if you want to apply a style to multiple slides, that's something else. I don't think v4.5 let you apply to multiple slides at a time ... that feature apparently appeared with v5 (even v4.52, which gave us user transitions, didn't allow it ... as far as I can determine 4.52 only applied the style to the slide that appeared in the slide option preview window (you'll see the slide's layers under the layer's window directly below the preview window)). I didn't remember when this additional feature appeared, exactly .. but, it definitely looks like v4.52 was NOT capable of applying effects to multiple slides.

So, applying the style to each slide individually was exactly what you had to do.

Bummer eh?

There's always the option to upgrade. There are some really nifty improvements to the program since v4.5. Whenever I go back into those earlier versions it's definitely a step back in time ... so constraining. You don't realize all of the improvements made to ProShow until you actually go back into one of those earlier versions. Big eye-opener.

Dale

PS It seems you posted in the GOLD section instead of the PRODUCER section .... The moderator will probably be moving this soon..

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Thanks for your reply Dale. Yes what I mean is that I wish to crop each image in the slideshow exactly the same way to remove unwanted background and fill the slide. It seems using a custom made style for the crop is the only way to go. In the end I had to apply the style/crop to each image individually. Is there a way though to apply a default style to each image brought into the slide show from the very beginning using Producer 4.5? That would be a lot easier, and all the images would have that default style that I need.

Kind Regards
Chris

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Well, if it is a CROP that you want to apply, then there's an easier way to do it.

Crop the image: Slide Options, Crop. Provide the corp dimensions and move the crop region as appropriate. Click on OK

Now, right click on the "Crop" button and chose the option that's appropriate to what you want to do. Assuming it's on multiple slides (but not all), one easy way is select the first option: Copy to Cropping Region to Other Layers.

A copy settings dialog appears. Select the slides on which layers exist that you'll copy the cropping region to. If there are layers on the slide that isn't supposed to get the crop region, click on the layer's "+" sign to expand it to display all layers. Either click on the layer(s) that will not receive the crop (to disable the checkmark) or click on the layers that will receive the cropping region (to enable the check mark). Note that selecting the layer's checkmark will automatically select all layers on that slide.

When you're done, click on Copy and Close. Mission complete.

====

There's no such thing as a default style unless you consider "NO STYLE" a default. Besides, applying an actual "default" style to a slide is a recipe for disaster. The only thing you can make "default" is the scale. Upon import, an image is placed on layer and sized according to the selected scale. Read this (it might help explain things): https://fpvp.wordpress.com/proshow-disc ... ge-import/

I have no idea how you apply a style to a layer ... unless there's only a single image per slide. Styles affect an entire slide ... so, there is the potential that all layers are affected by the application of a style. But, if you have 5 layers and the style only needs 1 layer, the first layer on the slide is the recipient of the effect and the other layers become supplemental. If there is a single layer on a slide and a style is applied that requires 5 layers, the style creates placeholders for the missing image layers.

Dale

[debngar Profile Private message]

...snip... what I mean is that I wish to crop each image in the slideshow exactly the same way to remove unwanted background and fill the slide. ...snip...
Chris

Rather than cropping any images, take a look at this preference setting to see if it accomplishes what you wish to do.

Edit>Preferences>Show Default>Default Image Settings

The choices offered in the drop down menu change the way the image is sized to the screen (zoom or not zoom) to cover a particular area of the screen. Some choices will fill the entire screen with the image, some will leave space around the image. When set to fill the screen, parts of some images may be cut off and/or need some adjustment/nudging into a better position. Test them to see which one you prefer.

Be aware that when slide styles are subsequently applied, the style can have a different setting and may circumvent the default preference settings the user has chosen.

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Thanks Dale. I need some help please to follow these instructions. I cannot find the crop button. If I select multiple slides and go to Slide/Slide styles I can crop there. Then the crop only applies to the first slide and not to multiple slides.

Kind Regards
Chris

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Thank you for this information Debbie, I have learned something new. Its good to know this trick. However it will not accomplish what I wanted to do with this particular show. The source images are captured from a video 16:9 and the slideshow is 16:9. What I want to do is zoom in and enlarge each image and position up and to the right. A precise and identical crop is needed for all the images.

Kind Regards
Chris

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Double click on the slide to open slide options. Select the LAYERS tab and then sub-tab called Editing. To the left is "Editing Tools." The Crop feature is located there. Set the crop for any layer on the slide. Once the checkbox for crop is set, that layer is cropped. Select the slides that you want to copy the crop setting to, right click and select to copy the crop region to all layers on the selected slides. Or simply right click over the crop button itself and select the first menu option. Now, follow those instructions I have in the previous post to apply to layers on multiple slides.

Cropping has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the scale feature. They're not even related. The link I gave in the previous post tells all about this scaling feature. The article provides the basis for understanding how ProShow works some of its magic. Cropping allows you to change the aspect of a layer by removing a portion of the layer (in ProShow's case, this is a non-destructive removal). So, a 1.505 aspect layer can become a 1.50 aspect layer.

I know that it doesn't really apply in your situation (since the layer and slide aspects are exactly the same). But, just in case someone reading these posts aren't using image layers that have the same aspect, maybe this additional information could prove useful. You never know what could prove useful later on...!

At the most basic level, the scale selected determines what image size is equivalent to 100% Zoom based upon two layer sides reaching the corresponding slide sides. When the layer has an aspect that is smaller than the slide aspect, layer sizing stops when the first 2 sides reach the slide's corresponding sides. For 3:2 and 4:3 aspect images this is the top and bottom sides. These are then said to be Normalized to the slide. For fill frame scaling, normalizing occurs when the last 2 sides reach the slide's sides. So, in this case that happens to be in the horizontal. The axis that is normalized to the slide is 100% of the slide's size. It also means that the zoom setting for fit to frame scale becomes the layer's height. For the fill frame scale, zoom sets the width.

Now, for example, a 2:3 layer that is set to fill frame scale and a zoom of 80 has the same width and height as a 2:3 layer that is set to fill frame scale and a zoom of 30. Interesting eh? That despite the vast difference in apparent zoom settings, the layer's width and height have the same values.

Hope that helps.

Good Luck!!

Dale

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Thanks Dale. Using the instructions in the first paragraph I have successfully cropped the first slide. How do I copy this crop setting and apply it to all the other slides? If I select all slides and right click there is a sub menu but I can't find any option to copy the crop from the first slide to all the other slides. Maybe this option is not available in Producer 4.5?

Kind Regards

Chris

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Everything I provided to you above was directly out of v4.52. (but it will work, in any v4 or later). But, I've provided the instructions in a kind of step-by-step way below:

A) Crop the image
a.1 In Slide Options under Editing Tools, Click on Crop.
a.2 Provide the crop dimensions in the appropriate box (to crop to 3:2, a 4676:3104 layer becomes 4656:3104); move the crop region as appropriate.
a.3 Click on OK. This completes the layer crop.

B) Select the layers on other slides that will receive the Crop region.
b.1 Right click over the Crop button used in step a.1 above.
b.2 A popup menu appears. In this example, select the first option: Copy to Cropping Region to Other Layers.
b.3. A Dialog called Copy Settings appears. It is already setup to copy the crop region. So, don't worry about anything in Columns 1 or 2. Focus on the 3rd column: Destination Layers
b.4 Select where the crop region is to go
b.4a If all layers on each slide is going to acquire the crop region, click on EACH SLIDES checkbox. Note: when checked, it means all layers on that slide will acquire the crop region.
b.4b If on some layers on each slide will acquire the crop region, click on the "+" to expand the slide. That will display each layer on the slide. Click each layer on the slide that will acquire the crop region. Repeat for each such slide.

C) Copy the Crop Region to Other Layers.
c.1 Click on Copy and Close.
c.2 The Copy Settings dialog will close and you may notice a kind of blink on each slide as the copy procedure proceeds.
c.3 You're done.

Alternatively, once you have cropped the layer, select all other slides that are to receive the crop region (do NOT get close the slide options window ... leave it exactly where it was... just move it enough to ensure you can see the slide list (the slide metaphor of thumbnails). Then, right click over the crop button mentioned above. Select the option (in the popup menu) of Copy cropping region to all layers on selected slides. You might not want to do this is you have layers that are NOT image layers (such as solid / gradients) or other graphic layers.... depends on what you're doing.

Alternatively, if all slides are the same setup (as in, only image layers), you don't need to select any slide. Simply select the popup menu option of Copy cropping region to all layers on all slides.

Good luck ...

Dale

[Chris_N Profile Private message]

Thank you very much Dale, I succeeded using this method.

Kind Regards
Chris

[im42n8 Profile Private messageWebsite]

Glad it worked for you!

Dale