slideshow software

Big Mike · Jul 19, 2011

4. No matter what slideshow or movie package I use, when I import my photos to that package and process them down onto a time line and add transitions, etc I lose the high resolution on my photos and they become chunky.

That may or may not actually be the case. Sometimes, digital images look 'chunky' when they are viewed at an odd zoom level. As explained above, your photos come from the camera at a size of 4,928 x 3,264 (or whatever). That is obviously bigger than your screen resolution of 1900 x 1200. So if you are seeing the whole image...the (display) zoom level is not at 100%. It might be 50%, or 25% etc.

What I think Lew is saying, is that you should use your photo software (not slideshow software) to resize you images before you drag them into a slideshow. For example, since your screen is 1900 x 1200, you won't need any more size than that...so resize your images to be smaller than that, and save-as, so you have smaller copies. You can also set the JPEG compression (quality) down a few notches to further reduce the file size, making it easier on your computer.

So by resizing your photo before dragging them into the slideshow program, you are not asking the slideshow software to resize the images for you.

And going back to the images looking 'chunky'. As I mentioned, you may be viewing your images at 50% or 25% zoom. But some programs can't handle other zoom levels very well. So while 25% zoom may look fine, 33% may look jagged or chunky. It's not that the images isn't 'high quality' anymore...it's just a limitation of the software used to view the image.
And further to that, when you drag an image into the slideshow, it may use an odd zoom level...but it may also use a 'preview' of the image, that isn't the full quality of the actual photo. So for example, maybe you drag a bunch of photos into the slideshow, but the software maybe doesn't use the 'full size' of the photos...while you are making the slide show. This would be to make it easier on the computer & software. But when you are done, you may have to 'create' the slideshow....at which point, the software will utilize the full resolution of the images (it may take a while).

So if this is part of your issue, I'd suggest that you don't judge the quality of the images in the slideshow...until you have finished and 'created' the slideshow. It may turn out better than it looks in the 'preview' while you are making the show.
But still, resize them first.

Jim556 · Jul 19, 2011

Thanks Mark. Have had a look at that. I am checking out Lightshow now and that seems to retain the desired resolution after compiling pics into the slideshow format. It seems that when using movie/ video making software that for some reason when you pull pics down onto a timeline they lose resolution markedly.

Jim556 · Jul 19, 2011

Thanks Mike. Your explanation makes perfect sense and I will try that. I think Lightshow will be ok for me although it doesn't have a timeline set up which I prefer when making up a slideshow as you have total control over everything from time of each slide and transition, zoom effects, text entry, etc etc. I am sure Lightshow has all this too. Will have to find out.

MarkF48 · Jul 19, 2011

I'm not familiar with Lightshow. Have you tried ProShow Gold, it does have a free download to try it out. Not expensive to purchase either. One of the best software purchases I've ever made.
ProShow Gold - Fast and Fun HD Slideshows - Photodex

Jim556 · Jul 20, 2011

Thanks for everyone's help. I have resized my photos down as you all recommended to use them in movie software. I had to reduce them 75% though to obtain a smooth image on the timeline of the movie software. The resolution count went from around 4200 (horizontal) to 1500. Any less reduction than 75% produces a chunky image.

MarkF48 · Jul 20, 2011

Jim,
If you want to try some software for resizing images, this one works pretty slick and can do alot more than just resize....
FastStone Photo Resizer - Powerful Image Converter/Resizer

Jim556 · Jul 20, 2011

Thanks again Mark. Will have a look.
By the way I tried Pro ? Gold. Yeah very good. Does it all for you. The only thing I have to work out is this.
I do my slideshow through a HD projector (home theatre set up). I use Media Centre for storing and running all pics videos recorded tv dvds etc. I do all my processing on one pc which is networked to another server pc which is dedicated to the projector. I couldn't seem to get the Pro ? Gold movie/ slideshow I made up to run through media centre.

The_Traveler · Jul 20, 2011

Don't run it directly.
Burn a dvd or a web show and run that on the server.

Jim556 · Jul 21, 2011

I am still struggling somewhat with resizing images. I know how to reside but today when I resized images from 4292 width down to various sizes lowest being 1200, I was still getting blurred chunky images on a timeline. Pretty damn frustrating.

PeterNord · Jul 24, 2011

Hello Jim,

WnSoft PicturesToExe doesn't resize pictures that you add to your slideshow. This software uses original pictures (and even video). So only your monitor limits quality of final picture.

Of course, if you produce DVD or HD video file or video for YouTube, size of picture will be limited by these formats (720x480 for DVD or1920x1080 for YouTube).

But when you create your slideshow as an executable file (EXE), PicturesToExe simply includes your original image files as is. And when you watch this show, an executable file renders slides on the fly on a monitor using harware acceleration of your video card.

Newest PicturesToExe 7.0 Beta can mix video clips and still picture together. Also you can turn on an unsharp mask option for more sharpness of picture.

http://www.wnsoft.com/picturestoexe/#view

Jim556 · Jul 24, 2011

Thanks a lot Peter. That is an excellent program and yes you are right, perfect for my needs as I can freely run it on my system without having to download the software to every pc.
If this is the only thing I ever get from this forum its been worth it.
Thanks again.

johnboosted · Nov 28, 2011

Hey Jim,

From reading this post I would also recommend checking out muvee ( Movie making in just 3 steps! ) If you want a program that is between Windows Movie Maker and Final cut pro, muvee reveal x is the program to get. It has all the music to clip editing features that Final cut pro has, but makes it so much more easy to figure out. It also has really great filters and effects that are so simple looking that somone can easy tell what program you are using (like WMM) anyways I would download the free trial and check it out. Oh it also has a tool that allows you to upload right to youtube which is handy for sharing! Hope that helps! cheers.