Comments

Chienworks wrote on 7/10/2003, 10:49 AM
Shorter is usually better. Probably something in the 3 to 7 seconds range is good. Longer is ok if you have fewer slides.
Bear wrote on 7/10/2003, 11:31 AM
If I am using transitions between slides I put each slide/picture up for 10 seconds then overlap for the transition for 2 seconds. This leaves the slide up for 6 seconds of actual viewing which seems to work well for me.
swampler wrote on 7/10/2003, 2:24 PM
I recently did a slideshow with 3 sec clips and 1 sec transition. This worked well, but I didn't use any pan/zoom. If you pan/zoom, then they would need to be longer.

I generally look at the length of music I'm using and the number of clips I have, then divide that out to see how long each still should be.
jetdv wrote on 7/10/2003, 2:33 PM
We started with a 10 second slide, 1 second overlap on each end for 8 seconds total on the slide. Pan/Crop was used to provide movement on every slide. Our complaints were that they did not stay on the screen long enough. So, we now use THIRTEEN seconds per slide, Pan/Crop used on all slides (whether zooming in, zooming out, or panning across or vertically), and one second overlap on each end.
slambubba wrote on 7/10/2003, 3:27 PM
thanks for the replies. jetdv - do you pan/crop the entire 13 secs or do you pause for a bit on each slide?
jetdv wrote on 7/10/2003, 3:35 PM
It usually is moving for the entire period of time. (some fast, some very slowly - but still moving)
tserface wrote on 7/10/2003, 5:55 PM
I agree. I do a lot of slide shows and I've found that leaving anything still for more than a couple of seconds starts to be annoying. It's easy enough to put a keyframe at the end of each slide and just pan into the slide. This gives a constant forward motion which is kind of nice. It's also smart to pick a subtle transition and stick with it. I like simple crossfades, blur crossfades, page turns, etc.

Hey jetdv, how about adding a script to Excalibur to add in the keyframe at the end of each slide with a slightly panned (in or out) picture?

:)

Tom
Zulqar-Cheema wrote on 7/10/2003, 6:18 PM
If you have a music bed, why not get the slides to change on a beat, thus giving it some direction and variety, I also use transitions that last as long as a single beat, so adding pace to that bit as well.

jetdv wrote on 7/10/2003, 8:44 PM
I've found that you have to manually adjust the placement for each zoom manually so it wouldn't really be a benefit to add the keyframes. I DO use the "matchaspect.js" script to set the proper aspect for all pictures.

Here's my workflow:
1. Add the pictures to the timeline with NO overlap (i.e. 13 seconds each separated by cuts)
2. Run the "matchaspect.js" script
3. Adjust pans and zooms for all pictures
4. Use Gap Wizard in Excalibur to create the overlaps/dissolves.
rllagas wrote on 7/12/2003, 8:38 AM
jetdv,
where i can find this matchaspect.js script?

Is there anywhere we can set a time clock for each pictures...lets say setting each picture slide to 6 seconds and all succeeding slides will follow.....
i am doing it manually in the timeline....

is it also possible to for slideshow to automatically divide the time of each picture from the song time lenght......just like in DVDA?

rommel
John_Cline wrote on 7/12/2003, 10:34 AM
As far as I'm concerned, there is no "universal" time for an image to be on screen. The length of time is highly subjective and it depends on a number of factors, not the least of which is how much information is in the picture and how long it needs to be up to for the viewer to take it all in. The tempo of the background music (if you use any) also determines how fast the slide show moves. Generally, I time all my slide shows exclusively by how it "feels."

John
JohnnyRoy wrote on 7/12/2003, 11:07 AM
> where i can find this matchaspect.js script?

Try Sundance Media Group’s file section. They have lots of great scripts and also have some great .veg files that you can learn a lot from. (not to mention some great tutorials as well)

~jr
jetdv wrote on 7/12/2003, 11:52 AM
matchaspect.js

It was written by a SoFo employee. There are other scripts and info at this site as well

If you go to Options - Preferences, you can set up the default dissolve time and default picture length time. Go the the Vegas Tips, Tricks, and Scripts page and download the issue that talks about building slide shows.
spidy2167 wrote on 8/10/2003, 11:06 AM
Rommel

Did you ever get a answer to your queston "is it also possible to for slideshow to automatically divide the time of each picture from the song time lenght......just like in DVDA?"
If so, could you let me in on it. I'm working on some projects and the answer to this queston would be great.

Thanks

Mark.

jetdv wrote on 8/10/2003, 1:06 PM
Make all of the pictures exactly the same length on the timeline. Select them all. Press "G" to group them. Then CTRL-Drag them to the length you want. They will all be adjusted by the same amount.
BillyBoy wrote on 8/10/2003, 11:22 PM
If the slideshow is worth seeing have each image on screen long enough that the viewer doesn't feel they are flying by too fast. Of course you can error in having them on screen too long. Really depends on the image, if or not you pan/zoom and what kind of images.

Many make the transitions too fast. I generally use a rough rule that the transition should be between 1 5th to 1 third of the time each indvidual image is on screen. The default setting of 5 seconds is too slow for most things in my opinion. If 5 seconds and you have a 1.5 to 2 second transition, that's only about 3 seconds to actually look at the image. Probably too short a time.

I think making all the images exactly the same length is a mistake and boring. Don't jump all over the map, but the cookie cutter approach isn't very professional either.