Pugwash508

I started with the free version which ran fine on my Win 7 Home Premium 64 bit machine. I have upgraded to the paid version and it still runs fine. It is quick, handles all the formats it says it should and I can also add .mov files straight from my Canon 60D in full HD. I don't get any crashes or freezing and the slideshows I have produced have all worked fine on my standalone DVD player. No, this is not an advert for the software but I just wanted to point out that the software does work. Have you tried uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it but with the "User Account Control" turned off. I have found with my Win 7 that this often affects the way that some programs install. Once installed "User Account Control" can always be turned back on however I would check that the software runs properly with it turned off in the first place. The fact that it runs okay in safe mode would indicate that some other driver or application is being loaded in normal mode which is affecting the software. It's probably not the software that's at fault but a setting on your machine. That's why I'm suggesting turning of the "User Account Control". If that doesn't work then you can use safe mode to keep adding drivers and processes until you discover the one that causes PS to start playing up. I forget the sequence required but basically you enter the safe mode which has the option of adding drivers one by one. Hope some of that helps.

I've just done this with the Free edition and using Windows 7 (64 bit) so I guess it should work for you. I was using a .mov HD (1080) file with sound and it worked perfectly. Under (1) ADD PHOTOS AND MEDIA FILES simply browse for your video file and open/add it as you would a photo file. Now Add it to the slideshow and treat it just the same as the photos already added. I added a cross-fade transition at the beginning and end of the clip and it worked fine. As far as playing the DVD it should play as per any normal DVD regardless of the operating system, if that system already plays DVDs.

Yes there is. Before you start your slideshow, under OPTIONS, GENERAL change the settings for slide duration, transition duration, etc. and then these timings become the default for each slideshow you make after that. You can still change the times of individual slides within a show or go back and change the defaults for your next one. Once you have slides in a show then the only way to change their timings, from the default, is by doing it individually......I think.

I've just started using the Free edition. The answer to all of your questions is yes. I couldn't find a comparison chart of the free vs paid-for but the NCH site says that the free (never expires) version has most of the effects and facilities of the paid-for version. It just doesn't say which ones are not there. I have created a couple of slideshows with jpgs, tifs and .MOV HD video and they have burned perfectly to DVD+R and also .mpg file for PC or authoring program. I added soundtracks, narration, transitions and effects. So far it seems to work very well. Just bear in mind that whilst it burns the slideshow to DVD it does not author DVDs so you won't get menus and the like. You can insert blank slides anywhere you want in the timeline and add text to them in order to break up and explain the slideshow. To write several slideshows to a DVD I am going to try saving each slideshow to .mpg file and then make a DVD with each separate slideshow having its own menu etc. So far I haven't found any downsides but I see from the forum that some people are having problems.

Assuming you've added your soundtrack - right click on it and one of the options will be to STRETCH SLIDES TO FIT AUDIO DURATION. Click on this and you should be okay. This is using the Free edition. If you have several audio clips in the soundtrack just highlight the last one before right clicking and stretching - works for me.

a. Highlight the first slide in your show (optional but helps to see the title being added). b. Under (1) ADD PHOTOS, VIDEOCLIPS, AND MUSIC click on ADD A BLANK SLIDE. c. Dialogue box will open - choose position as BEGINNING OF TIMELINE. Click OK. d. Black, blank slide will be inserted before your first slide. e. Highlight the blank slide. Under (2) ADD EFFECTS choose TEXT OVERLAY. f. Dialogue box opens. You can type your message, choose font, choose font colours, alignment, etc. g. Practise the typing as this will affect the position of your message etc. I have found that the width of the slide is just a little wider than 16:9. If you are processing for 4:3 then the text will have to be clear of the edges. h. If you want to have a background colour other than black on the blank slide before you press ADD A BLANK SLIDE use the arrow to the right and choose the option CUSTOM COLOUR. i. If you navigate away from the slide when you go back to it (by highlighting it) you will see (under the ADD EFFECTS option) APPLIED EFFECTS. Choose TEXT OVERLAY and the text will open up again for editing so that you can change the words, font, font colour etc. j. I've only just started using this program (the free edition) so there may be more options than I have mentioned above. Have a play around and you may find there's more than I have stated. So far I've burned 2 DVDs (using Infiniti DVD+R)and they have played back perfectly on my Phillips DVD player. I'm using UK PAL and Widescreen TV options in the setup for encoding. You'll have to use options to suit your tv system and size. I have also made a couple of mpg slideshows and they play perfectly on the PC. Haven't tried any of the other outputs to date. I don't understand why others seem to be having trouble with the program. Hope it all works for you.