Proshow Producer Notes
ProShow Producer Notes
Check the HELP button on your program
If the quotes below don’t help try searching under posts for the following people, all though everyone contributes tons of stuff these guys really know their stuff!:
Briancbb Barbara K marmart 57 Corvette sumgrl19 Jeep thedom pd
Brenda lsheppard rascoscarelli rouseet imabeatlelover jenn
Gabbill peterframpton
There are lots and lots and too many to mention…..these are bits I have “grabbed” from the forum that helped me when I started learning…..enjoy!
I got started in ProShow by reading the HELP files built into the program. I've reproduced a portion here:
The General Process of Creating a Show
1. Add photos, video and music to your show. You'll want to start by adding content into your show. This is done by dragging files from the File List into the Slide List. You can arrange your slides after they are added by clicking and dragging them in the Slide List.
2. Set your timing. There are two different times for each slide: slide duration and transition duration. The slide duration (located below the slide's thumbnail) controls the length of time the slide is visible on the screen. The transition duration (between the slides) determines how long the transition between slides lasts. These two times do not overlap. The total time of your show is the sum of all the slide times and transition times. You can set either of these times by clicking on them in the Slide List and entering a new value in seconds.
3. Choose transitions. ProShow provides over 280 different transition effects. To set the transition for the selected slides, click on the transition icon between two slides. In the window that appears, you can preview all the effects and select any one by clicking on it.
4. Apply motion, text and effects. By double-clicking any slide you can access the Slide Options. These options let you apply motion effects, adjustments, captions and more to your slides.
5. Save your show. As you're working on your show, be sure to save your work frequently by clicking the Save button on the main toolbar.
6. Preview your show. You can preview your show as much as you'd like by clicking the Play button on the main toolbar. You can even preview at your own speed by clicking on the trackbar above the Slide List and dragging left or right.
7. Create your output. Once you're happy with your show, you can output your show for playback on your TV, any PC, or the Web.
Creating a Quick Show
To create a very quick show with no customization, try the following:
1. Use the Folder and File Lists to locate the desired photos on your computer.
2. Drag the desired photos into the Slide List to add them to your show.
3. Select all slides by clicking any slide and choosing Select All from the Edit menu.
4. If you like, you can choose Randomize Slide Order from the Slide menu to put your slides in random order.
5. Choose Randomize Transitions from the Slide menu to change up the transitions.
6. Choose Randomize Motion Effects from the Slide menu to apply a small amount of motion to each slide.
7. Drag a music file from the File List to the soundtrack bar at the bottom of Slide List.
8. Choose Sync Show to Audio from the Audio menu to set the timing.
9. Click the Play button on the toolbar to view your show.
Hope this helps
Leigh
SLIDE SETTING OPTIONS:
In PSP, we actually have five settings for each photo. The four you mention, plus "Stretch to Frame". I have listed how each of these setting affects the outcome of your image below:
Fit to Frame: Will adjust the image so none of the image is lost, but will leave black bars along the top & bottom or sides of the screen unless the image has the same aspect ratio as selected in Show Options.
Fill Frame: Will adjust the image so the entire screen is filled. The edges of the image will be cropped off in order to do so unless the image has the same aspect ratio as selected in Show Options.
Stretch to Frame: Will adjust the image so the entire screen is filled, and no cropping occurs. The image will be distorted in order to accomplish this unless the image has the same aspect ratio as selected in Show Options. I haven't found a useful purpose for this setting.
Fill Safe Zone: Adjusts the image so that the entire safe zone (specified in Show Options) is filled, but parts of the image may extend beyond the safe zone, (or even beyond the edge of the screen) unless the image has the same aspect ratio as the safe zone.
Fit to Safe Zone: Resizes the image as required so the entire image fits within the safe zone. No cropping occurs, but may leave black edges within the safe zone unless the image has the same aspect ratio as the safe zone.
The important thing to note is that with the exception of "Stretch to Frame", none of these settings has a permanent effect on the image being shown... all these settings do is set a starting point for the selected image. Motion effects ignore these Object Settings. In other words, if I set the image to "Fit to Safe Zone", and then pan, zoom, or rotate... the motion effects may extend the image beyond the borders of the safe zone.
So when starting a new show, I set my Show Options to 16:9 or 4:3 (as required) and leave all my slides at the default "Fit to Frame", which allows me to see each photo in its maximum size initially, without any of the image being lost beyond the edge of the screen. I then use the motion effects to resize, zoom, pan, or rotate the image as desired.
I like to create my shows so they are shown at their best.. (or will show at their best when shown on the proper equipment). Just because the client doesn't have a Widescreen montor or HDTV today, doesn't mean he won't have it tomorrow. I don't like to restrict the show to the lowest common denominator (4:3 TV). So, to tell you the truth, I don't usually worry about TV viewers unless the recipient has specifically requested it.
I simply use the "safe zone" guides in the editing screen as a reference to make sure the viewer won't lose critical detail (text or whatever) if viewed on TV.
If you truly want to keep your entire show within the safe zone (so it always looks the same regardless of what it is shown on), then the simplest way to ensure that, is to use a mask that covers everything except the safe zone.
Leigh
ASPECT RATIO 4:3 vs 16:9
I have used a Widescreen monitor for about the last 9 months and now use it for all my PSP work. As you stated, widescreen is quickly becoming the standard for TV and Computer Monitors. My feeling is... I want to have built shows that are ready to be optimally displayed on those screens. A show produced in widescreen format plays fine on all monitors.. but leaves black bars on the top and bottom of a 4:3 screen .. something we are all used to from widescreen DVD's etc. showing on our standard TV screens but is certainly not all that visually appealing.
If you build a show in 4:3 aspect ratio and it is displayed on a widescreen monitor, then of course the show is displayed in the center of the monitor with black bars on the left and right edges. Again, not particularly appealing visually. I can tell you that nothing matches the dramatic impact of a Proshow presentation created for widescreen, being shown on a widescreen monitor. It is breathtaking. I take most of my photos in a landscape orientation and am learning to take my photos with Proshow in mind so that the zooms, crops, masks, and transitions are planned for in the shot and I can make maximum use of the extra space that widescreen offers.
In your opening question you stated "is the only way to totally fill the screen from side to side done by "zooming" the picture until the "preview screen" (set for 16:9) is filled to the outer edges? Because if this is so, then there will be part of the picture (both sides) that will not be shown and may be required. " Just to clarify, it is actually the top and bottom of the image that get cropped as you try to make the image fit a 16:9 aspect ratio, and as others have stated if those portions of the original photo are critical you do have other options available to present them in widescreen without cropping or sacrificing parts of your image.
If you don't want to crop the image, then pan and zoom as required so the viewer doesn't miss anything. Or use a mask that allows the entire picture to be displayed, framed within a background that fills the rest of the screen. Or use templates that move and rotate and make use of the entire screen. In short, if you are building a show specifically for someone that has a widescreen monitor.. then do everything you can to use the extra real estate that a widescreen offers. Proshow gives you lots of options to use that space without needing to crop the photos.
Widescreen presentations also give you room to attractively display two or more portrait oriented images on the screen at the same time. One of the reasons I purchased Producer was that the layers function available in PSP gives me so many more things I can do to effectively display photos taken in portrait orientation, or that otherwise do not fill the screen, than PSG.
Just my opinion, but I think it would be a mistake to not use your Uncle's widescreen TV to its full potential.
I have created a show that is done in all B&W and in widescreen format, just to see if the resulting show might give you some ideas. The images are from photos that are over 60 years old, and are in bad need of being enhanced with Photoshop. I didn't have time to play with that tonight, so I just used the images "as is", soft focus, blemishes, cracks, and faded areas included. What I wanted to show was how you can effectively use the extra space that a widescreen gives you.
I had fun... so I hope I don't offend you if you already knew this stuff! This was just as much an exercise for my benefit.
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewshow.html?fl=2657742&alb=0
Leigh
16:9 is indeed the aspect ratio for wide screen/HDTV
I like the 16:9 ratio. As I burn mainly for TV showing in the UK where most TV's are 16:9. If they are a 4:3 TV they show in a 'letterbox' format (have black bars top and bottom).
The 16:9 ratio allows you to have two 3:4 (portrait 4:3) images alongside each other. This adds variety to the show and changing related pictures alternately it is good (not for the whole show though ). Brian
Right Click Magic
I discovered about right click magic thanks to members of the ProShow group
Using right click in Producer applies the given item to all slides or the selected ones. I was delighted to discover this, for example, I usually use sharpening and now I can apply the desired amount all the slides I wish.
The right click is available in Slide Images and Video for Fill Frame, Zoom, and Aspect. In Slide options right click works for
Opacity, Adjustment, Rotation, Outline,Color, and Shadow.
In Motion and effect it works for Pan, Zoom, and Rotate and for Slide background.
I found I had to get my cursor on the right place usually the entry or selection box. Well worth the effort though!
Old John
Selecting multiple photos for a slide
In the normal window just hold down the ctrl key while you select each photo you want to be on a layer. Then hold down the ctrl key again and drag them to the timeline. It will put each photo you selected in the 1st step on a layer in 1 slide.
Jason
Text Fade-out and Duration
In PSP you cannot change the rate of fade etc for captions. What you can do is alter when the text fade in starts, in relation to the slide start. By entering say 2 the text starts 2 secs into the slide, -2 and the text starts 2 secs before the slide. Also you can state when the text finishes. If a slide is 6 secs long and you enter 10, then the text will carry over 4 secs to the next slide.
Agreed it would be useful to vary the rate of the 'fade in' 'fade out' particularly with some of the text motions.
Brian
Masks
Have you ever noticed that when you zoom in on a picture the outside edges 'grow' as the picture gets bigger. This can be prevented using a mask produced in Photoshop (or other package).
I tend to use a 16:9 video format, (I'm in the UK with widescreen TV) but can also be used in a 4:3 with appopriate pixel number changes (2400x1800) at step 1. below.
This describes placing a 4:3 image within a 16:9 mask,
1. In Photoshop produce a black canvas 3200x1800 pixels. (16:9 ratio)
2. Using the rectangular marque tool centre a 2130x1600 marque (this is a 4:3 ratio for landscape photo)
3. Using the 'background eraser' make the inside of the selection trasparent.
4. (Optional) Using edit>stroke place a white 3 to 5 pixel line on the outside of the selection.
5. Save the resulting .png file.
To use in Producer:
Drag the 4:3 ratio picture file to the slide.
CTRL Drag the above psd file to the same slide.
The picure should now appear behind the mask, outlined by a white line if the optional 'stroke' was used.
Careful use of scaling, panning and zooming will keep the picture behind the frame and now no more 'moving edges'.
At step 2 above using a 1200x1600 pixel marque will produce a 'portrait' style frame the same height as the 'landscape' frame.
Hope you can follow this, it adds quite a 'professional' touch to shows. With a bit of adaption two 'portrait' frames can be put side by side in a 16:9 mask.
Using this mask also keeps the picture within the 'safe' zone of a TV.
Brian