Guest BigSplash Posted November 12, 2009 Share #1 Posted November 12, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have a need to build a presentation of about 10 to 15miutes duration that features: An audio track with: Original Video sound Dubbed Music and Voice over [*]M9 digital RAW images that I can convert with Photoshop CS4 or Lightroom 2.5 to JPEG fine etc. [*]An ability to: Fade in fade out the stills and video Zoom in / out the stills Move the stills across the screen left / right/ up / down / diagonally [*]Video footage faded in / out at appropriate points [*]Some verbage (ie Bla! Bla!) on some of the slides to introduce or illustrate a point. I have done all of the above with Premiere Pro Version 7 with the drawback that the stills were limited to 720 x 576 pixels maximum and that is not as good a quality as I would like . My editing kit is PC based and I have see Fotomagico (only available on MAC) and I have also read about Photodex Pro Show Producer (the high end one, above gold), which seems to be the game in town for editing still photos. It seems that video footage can be imported also but it is unclear if the video has to be pre edited in something like Final Cut (Mac) or Premier Pro. The other approach is to buy Adobe CS4 and try to build the presentation with that but here it is unclear what is the best image quality for the stills. Does anyone have any experience of either Premier Pro CS4 or the Photodex Pros Show Producer products. Any recommendations or suggestions to implement what I want to do? I see the above need as being an increasingly common one for photographers that want to show their work with a Pradovit or similar. In my case I do one or two keynote or similar speeches each year at professional gatherings etc and I think the use of Powerpoint with the odd embedded photo of constrained quality is somehwat a decade out of date. I want to move the level up a notch or two. Also a number of companies that I have worked for need a 5 minute sales DVD with a wow factor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 12, 2009 Posted November 12, 2009 Hi Guest BigSplash, Take a look here Slide & Video Presentation Software for Projection. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
johnwolf Posted November 12, 2009 Share #2 Posted November 12, 2009 I've never included video, but I've produced several shows using Photodex ProShow Gold. A very nice product. Certainly worth a look for it's simplicity and precise controls. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pierovitch Posted November 13, 2009 Share #3 Posted November 13, 2009 Apart from getting a Mac, Keynote and doing an HD iMovie. Powerpoint 2007 has animation and transparency features and if you want to use full HD movie content in wmv format it will handle embedded movies with ease. However really smooth multilayered effects usually involve pro video editing software like after effects. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinetar Posted November 13, 2009 Share #4 Posted November 13, 2009 I would say that you are probably ready for an iMac. so much included software, such as garage band for sound effects. Do you want manual control of the zooming, or just preset? You might look at final cut Express at your local apple store. Run your thoughts by a genius there. I used a slideshow program yesterday, shareware, called "Photo Presenter" for an animated presentation. Send me your email and I will send you the project that I put online. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted November 13, 2009 Share #5 Posted November 13, 2009 I have Powerpoint 2004 on a Mac and it mangles the colours horribly. Even if SRGB images are used it still makes them look flat and desaturated. Maybe the PC version - or a later version - of the software is better in this regard. Fotomagico does everything I want, but it is Mac only. It can do zooming and panning to get the 'Ken Burns' effect, and you can mix stills and video. A couple of short slideshows I put together using Fotomagico and Garageband... <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wdWTxLPV5E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wdWTxLPV5E&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> <object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5lrOVCiea8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5lrOVCiea8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigSplash Posted November 13, 2009 Share #6 Posted November 13, 2009 I have Powerpoint 2004 on a Mac and it mangles the colours horribly. Even if SRGB images are used it still makes them look flat and desaturated. Maybe the PC version - or a later version - of the software is better in this regard. Fotomagico does everything I want, but it is Mac only. It can do zooming and panning to get the 'Ken Burns' effect, and you can mix stills and video. Steve thanks....I actually am in process to build a very high end PC with Matrox capture board for video capture. I know that Mac is brilliant for anything graphic and has a dominant share of the pro photogrpahic market. Unfortunately I am very wedded to PC as I have a private company designing and supplying computers for usage on superyachts. The SOLAS approved navigation software is on XP and is only now moving to Vista, separately the entertainment software is XP and instrumentation software on a boat to address NMEA interface is XP. ...I really do not want to run two platforms. I have seen Fotomagico from Boix and it does all I need but its Mac.....anyhow a nice video clip. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigSplash Posted November 13, 2009 Share #7 Posted November 13, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I would say that you are probably ready for an iMac. so much included software, such as garage band for sound effects. Do you want manual control of the zooming, or just preset? You might look at final cut Express at your local apple store. Run your thoughts by a genius there. I used a slideshow program yesterday, shareware, called "Photo Presenter" for an animated presentation. Send me your email and I will send you the project that I put online. I need manual control of zooming, and I need manual control of how I move a still across the screen according to the timecode. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chkphoto Posted November 13, 2009 Share #8 Posted November 13, 2009 Bigsplash - It seems for your purpose the software you mentioned, Photodex Pro Show Producer, is your best bet. I am a media consultant for Sonalysts Media, and we have to work with many different types of media software based on a client's needs for output. If I may ask, what is the intent of the piece - information, instructional, eye-candy? The problem we have always had with Powerpoint is any re-conform of it for secondary use after the fact is it is based on raster rather than bit map. Thus trying to convert it into another format severely degrades the type and imagery. The idea anymore that Mac is - or PC is - better or worse for any one thing is moot as they are now all Intel based processors. I use both platforms. I was a yacht photographer for 10 years, shooting many mega and racing yachts, so I know the computer systems have their idiosyncrasies. Photodex Pro Show Producer does import many video files as long as you have the codec on your machine. It allows for simple in and out points of a video clip, but not for full-fledged editing. You could tag clip to clip to clip from existing footage. Full fledged editing with complex transitions would have to be done in editing software, really for the ease of it. But I do think that Photodex Pro Show Producer is your best bet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
graeme_clarke Posted November 13, 2009 Share #9 Posted November 13, 2009 I process the images in Lightroom and export them as jpegs to the size for projection (1024x768 or 1600x1200 pixels depending on the projector to be used) I use audacity to handle to sound, working on .wav files then exported as an mp3 file, and Pictures to Exe (dowloaded for a small price with lifetime updates) to pick up and handle the images. Current version is 5.6. PTE incorporates the soundtrack made in audacity and provides a timeline for matching the traansitions to the sound and plays the project as an executable file. I hope this helps, Graeme Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigSplash Posted November 13, 2009 Share #10 Posted November 13, 2009 Bigsplash - It seems for your purpose the software you mentioned, Photodex Pro Show Producer, is your best bet. I am a media consultant for Sonalysts Media, and we have to work with many different types of media software based on a client's needs for output. If I may ask, what is the intent of the piece - information, instructional, eye-candy? The problem we have always had with Powerpoint is any re-conform of it for secondary use after the fact is it is based on raster rather than bit map. Thus trying to convert it into another format severely degrades the type and imagery. The idea anymore that Mac is - or PC is - better or worse for any one thing is moot as they are now all Intel based processors. I use both platforms. I was a yacht photographer for 10 years, shooting many mega and racing yachts, so I know the computer systems have their idiosyncrasies. Photodex Pro Show Producer does import many video files as long as you have the codec on your machine. It allows for simple in and out points of a video clip, but not for full-fledged editing. You could tag clip to clip to clip from existing footage. Full fledged editing with complex transitions would have to be done in editing software, really for the ease of it. But I do think that Photodex Pro Show Producer is your best bet. Thanks very much for this feedback it is very helpful. The first project is for a major international conference next year on change management where as chairperson and keynote speaker I want to do something a little special. I was sent the link below that was shown at the annual Sony meeting of their top executive team in 2008 and I found the material awesome...its worth a look. I want to do something along those lines but with some great Leica images within the material to illustrate various points. I see the clip being about 5 to 7 minutes long as an introduction that is thought provoking as is the Sony clip above. I would like to take the material and then for a subsequent usage build it into presentations that I typically do when I go into a new company as a change manager CEO ... Here this secondary need is typically to "stimulate" a demoralised team that is in a company losing money etc and get the "Yes We can!" idea across, followed by some powerpoint slides or similar that are very specific to that company and the P&L issues etc it faces. The idea is to go away from excel spread sheets, number bashing and inward bunker thinking and in the direction of thinking about how to collectively resolve the issues that a specific company has. Finally I want to use the materials as a DVD presentation for sales people to show to clients. I have a view that small companies can punch way above their weight using a mixture of high quality still images, some video clips and some messages driven by Powerpoint or Correl draw or whatever for the Bla Bla slides that describe a product specification for example. The world has progressed since Powerpoint and clip art I guess. Reading what you say it seems that I could use Photodex Pro Show to capture images of high quality, and move these around on a screen (zoom in out, move diagonally across the screen etc ) against a timeframe code, with sound in the background. I could edit with Premier Pro video clips and when ready as a clip import these into Photodex. Separately I could do some Powerpoint and export as JPEG to Photodex......Is this what you are suggesting.? I think it would work well. Apparently I could do all of that also with Premier Pro CS4 and would be able to import up to 4098 x 4098 pixel presolution stills ...The advantage with this approach could be that the video would handle in the same software suite, and the timecode would be driven by Premier Pro. The fact I use Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom 2.5 may give some benefit also. Do you agree? I would very much appreciate your thoughts on which way to go and why....Many thanks. Please look at the video clip, most people that have seen it are taken back by the thoughts provoked. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BigSplash Posted November 13, 2009 Share #11 Posted November 13, 2009 I process the images in Lightroom and export them as jpegs to the size for projection (1024x768 or 1600x1200 pixels depending on the projector to be used) I use audacity to handle to sound, working on .wav files then exported as an mp3 file, and Pictures to Exe (dowloaded for a small price with lifetime updates) to pick up and handle the images. Current version is 5.6. PTE incorporates the soundtrack made in audacity and provides a timeline for matching the traansitions to the sound and plays the project as an executable file. I hope this helps, Graeme That seems like a super way to get still images on a screen fading from one to the next, but not sure that I can achieve zooms of the images and move the image up/down and diagonally on the screen to give a sense of movement. Thanks for the feedback however and I shall be looking at audacity. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chkphoto Posted November 13, 2009 Share #12 Posted November 13, 2009 BigSplash - you may want to PM me as this thread might be getting too specific and off-topic for this forum. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
graeme_clarke Posted November 13, 2009 Share #13 Posted November 13, 2009 That seems like a super way to get still images on a screen fading from one to the next, but not sure that I can achieve zooms of the images and move the image up/down and diagonally on the screen to give a sense of movement. Thanks for the feedback however and I shall be looking at audacity. Yes, the lastest version 5.6 will enable zooms and movement as well as more transitions than you're likely to need- I sound as if I'm on commission, but I'm not! I should have mentioned audacity is a free download. There is also a free tial version of PTE for up to 10 images but a small fee is charged for the full package. Graeme Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajthornbury Posted November 15, 2009 Share #14 Posted November 15, 2009 I use Pictures to Exec, available off the web from Winsoft. It is a very popular program among local clubs here. You can download a trial version for free before you buy. Well worth a try. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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