DVD slideshow GUI - development thread.

[gust0208]

I am still having no luck getting the buttons to appear in GFD when using the *.gfd export option from DVDSlideshow GUI. It seems to load everything else ok, but the buttons are miniscule in GFD and I am unable to get them larger. Frustrating to be so close but so stuck!

Any ideas or tips on when the snag is?

[tin2tin]

Does GFD author the dvd correctly(without errors)?

Does the generated DVD play in MPC?

Does the navigation buttons look any different than in Borax' screenshot above(two arrows and a circle in the middle)?

Are wingdings 2+3 installed on your computer?

(Some of the buttons are not meant to be visible)

[gust0208]

Does GFD author the dvd correctly(without errors)?

Does the generated DVD play in MPC?

Does the navigation buttons look any different than in Borax' screenshot above(two arrows and a circle in the middle)?

Are wingdings 2+3 installed on your computer?

(Some of the buttons are not meant to be visible)

Thanks for the quick reply.
1) Yes, the generated DVD plays fine in MPC and is generated without errors

2) In Win XP, I have opened the font option in Control Panel and do have Windings 2 and 3 installed - but if I double click the file to preview the font, I don't see the usual font demonstration.

3) Yes, the navigation does look different. If I double-click and edit the button, it lists the font as "Arial" and the font size as 2.

Any ideas on why DVDSlideshow GUI is using Arial for the button font and not Wingdings? I have attached a screenshot demonstrating #3 that I am seeing on my computer.

Cheers and thanks for the help,
Tom

[borax]

Within the shown dialog, can you manually select the Windings font?
If yes, change the font (and the size) manually, save the project with another name and compare the .gfd files for any differences.

[yuckons]

I was using .75 and it looks like a pretty good tool. I noticed a few things. I started with 107 images, tried some cut and pastes and moving some images up and down and noticed I lost pictures and had alot of duplicates. Then a few minutes later I had every picture the same. I was only moving and cutting one photo at a time.

[gust0208]

Within the shown dialog, can you manually select the Windings font?
If yes, change the font (and the size) manually, save the project with another name and compare the .gfd files for any differences.

I can change the font manually and will check the font to Wingdings. I browsed the documentation for GFD, but could not find a way to change the font for all buttons in the project? I will try changing one and see what the file says.

Thanks for the ongoing help!

[borax]

..but could not find a way to change the font for all buttons in the project
That's not possible. It would require a recalculation of all button sizes and an additional overlapping check.

But let's check the differences in the gfd files if just one is changed.

[alevon]

I like DVD Slideshow GUI

There are some bugs I think..

- Work on multiple slides
1) When "Okay" is pressed all the slide settings gets the same (Text, transition, etc.)
2) When some of slide settings (Text, transition, etc.) changed and "Close" is pressed (Top right X) the noanimation slide' s settings changes.
3) When all slides are selected and animation button clicked from the toolbar and "Cancel" button or "Close" is pressed (Top right X) all slides changes to animation yes..

- Saving to AVS
1) Import of background image (bname) only sets the name of the file not the path!
2) Min(), Max() functions are dublicated

My suggestions
1) When multiple slides settings are changing allow only one setting to be changed.
2) Import images and videos must be more user friendly
3) Will go on 8)

[GrayStrickland]

Is 450 jpgs too much?

Would it help to resize the jpgs to optimum size before trying to import them? If so, to what resolution?


I pointed the latest version at about 450 jpgs ranging in size from 3 to 8 megapixels. It took about 20 minutes to import them all. Once imported, it takes forever to work with them.

What I want is a slideshow of these images with NO menu. I want it to run as soon as I load the dvd in the player and I want it to run FOREVER until I eject the disk. Finally, I want no subtitles. Is there a way to set your preferences for transition time, exposition time, transition method, subtitles (none), etc. before you import so that you can just import, then save to an ISO immediately?

[borax]

Resizing helps a lot... I usually do it with IrfanView. The 'optimal' resolution depends on the format (PAL/NTSC), aspect ratio (of the pictures itself and target for the DVD) and the canvas size (border around the images to avoid loss of content due to overscan and keeping aspect ratio of the images correct). The final image will have 720x576 (PAL) or 720x480 (NTSC) in each case. You can resize and set up a suitable canvas with IrfanView in batch mode. If you don't want a menu, just export the result as m2v video file and use muxman to create a dvd structure from it. To have it autorepeating, use pgcedit afterwards, or author the m2v with GfD with a 'no menus' setting and check the manual for a guide to do the autorepeating:
http://download.videohelp.com/gfd/Help/AutorepeatingDVD.html

[mystery194]

DVDslideshowGUI is very promising! It is loaded with capability. There may be a v.75 bug as yuckons reported above with sorting/adding/moving slides. My workaround is arrange files before importing. My show = 170 .JPGs, 800x600.

[tin2tin]

Most of the issues mentioned above have I tried to fix and uploaded under the same name at The DsG homepage.

However the ratio and animation vs. cancel stuff haven't I worked on.

Please let me know if the .gfd buttons still are causing troubles(I made a new font(DSGdings.ttf) as a way to fix it.)

The import values added to new slides/videos can be changed under Presets. When making an iso/dvd(without GFD) the videofile is allready looped.

Have fun,
Tin2tin

[mystery194]

Thanks Tin2tin, your upload refresh of 0.75 (>14Mb) improved cut/paste issue. Avi/avs enhancements and .gfd menus are untested here so far. The ability to do "Ken Burns"-style animation is fabulous for my needs. I encountered the following minor errata:

1. Save project dialog works but button is mislabelled "Open"

2. Right click Slide settings will not OK typed-in values for Exposition

3. Position Y input is not played correctly when portrait slides have an animation preview. Landscape slides preview OK.

[schmicki]

Hallo tin2tin,

This is a very nice software, for quick building a picture dvd.

It would be nice if i can use the usercomment or the imagediscription out of the exif-data as subtitle.

Is it possible? What do you think?

[ronkleim]

How do I add AC3 audio as background music to the main menu with DVD Author GUI ?

[borax]

If you talk about GUI for dvdauthor, not DVD Author GUI (that's a different program), you can right click on the menu background, select menu properties and add a suitable audio file in the menu background dialog. See also: http://download.videohelp.com/gfd/Help/MenuBackgroundDialog.html

[ronkleim]

That worked!
THANKS!

[rufus23]

Does anyone know how to reduce flicker in DVD GUI Slideshow? The flicker shows in parts of the photos and the text I have inserted.

[ronkleim]

Well, the sound worked in one of my DVD players atleast.
Any advice on making the DVD more universaly playable?

[tin2tin]

@ rufus23
A slight blur will fix it. I must have left those lines of code out of this version(for testing speed), and forgotten to put them back in. For now just use this advice here:
https://forum.videohelp.com/topic299671.html#1511326

[rufus23]

tin2tin - I just tested version 0.74b, using the same project as last time. The problem is indeed solved - everything works the way it should now!

Thanks again for a great program!

Thanks, Tin2tin. The blur command got rid of the flicker. One more question. Now that I created the avs file, how do I render the avs file in Quenc to get an iso file? I can render the avs file in Quenc to get a mpg file but I can't seem to find a way to create the iso file and folders using Quenc using the avs file as the source file

[tin2tin]

Well I realised that it actually is adding blur to the mpg's, but not when saving avs - that I'll fix asap.

But I've set the value as low as (0.1,0.1), could you do me a favour and test how low you can go in the blur values and get rid of the jitter - is 0.2,0.2 too low? Personally I think 1.1 is too much...?

I'll try to upload the fix asap I get the value from you - so you don't have to think about a workaround.

[rufus23]

I agree. Use (0.1,01) and if someone needs to add more blur, let them change it through the avs file.

I love the DVD GUI Slideshow application. I think it is better than Videowave in Easy Media Creator 9.

[tin2tin]

Well mpg's was rendered with (0.1,0.1) so now I changed it to (0.2,0.2), let me know if this looks okay. And I've added the blur to the avs file.

Download GUI only(paste this file into your DSG folder and overwrite the old): http://download.videohelp.com/tin2tin/DVDslideshowGUI075_gui_only.exe

The full install at the homepage has been replaced with the current version(under the same name)

[rufus23]

I tried the new file but it still showed flicker around the perimeter of photos and small text.

[tin2tin]

When rendering a mpg or previewing? Or when?
(No blur added when previewing - it will eat up too much speed)

Thanks for testing it.
The blur value on mpg's are (0.2,0.2)

[rufus23]

The flickering occurs only on my TV with the DVD player after it is rendered and the DVD is burned (with blur of .2). I think it would make sense to keep the blur setting at .2 in the software. I can export to an AVS file, change the blur to 1.1 and save, import the AVS into DVD GUI Slideshow, and encode to an ISO file.

As an alternative, can I add blur(1.1,1.1) command line under the encode button in Options, Presets menu and directly import to an ISO file from a *.dsg file?

[tin2tin]

The upcoming version of DVD slideshow GUI will let you add extremely cool visual effects to your slideshows. Here's some eye candy: :P

http://download.videohelp.com/tin2tin/all.html

In short it will let you add effects on slides and the whole slideshow, through avisynth scripting you can add any effect you like. This way you can make very nice motionmenu-backgrounds if you like...

At the moment I've added support for Free Frame plugins, Photoshop color curves, and different filters from MSU.
(This way you can add all the blur you need... )

BTW. avisynth 2.5.8 doesn't play transitions as fast as the 2.5.7 version...(I'm going one version back in the installer for now)

Have fun and enjoy!
Tin2tin

[träskmannen]

That looks really interesting. Any idea when you plan to release the upcoming version? I'm looking forward to trying it!

[tin2tin]

Okay now it's up! DVD slideshow GUI 0.76RC1 with the cool new effect filter usage!!!

I hope you guys will get inspired and come up with some great new avisynth effect filters you want to share here.

Have a look at what some of the included effects can do:

Newspaper+EffectStrips


Animation+Overlay_Clouds


MultiStripsH


Bloom+OldCinema


BleachBypass+Toon


Videos here.

Download it here!

Have fun and enjoy!!!
Tin2tin