Need Slideshow software recommendation

Flight13 wrote on 4/26/2005, 2:35 PM
Hey everyone...
I'm extremely new to VMS and am faking my way through a wedding video for my brother-in-law. I would like to do a slideshow at the end of the video but I would like it to look really nice. By really nice I mean with some sort of theme template instead of just pictures cross fading. Does anyone have any recommendations of software that will essentially just need me to pick the pictures and it will create a presentation utilizing a pre-built theme that will work in VMS? I saw a couple in a Google search but figured you guys would know what's best and most compatible. Thanks in advance for your help!!
Chris

Comments

allyn wrote on 4/26/2005, 9:58 PM
proshow gold from photodex.com
volzjr wrote on 4/27/2005, 8:59 AM
I use and recommend Proshow Gold as well, but I'm not sure what you're looking for as a "theme". Proshow creates DVD's directly from the program, and has a number of themes for use in creating your DVD menus, but I don't know of any "themes" that are available to be applied to the slideshow itself. It sounds to me like you're going to take the slideshow, render it as a file that you can then import into DVDAS for creation of the final DVD (which Proshow can do). So the question is, what exactly do you want the software to "add" to the slideshow, in the way of a theme. It sounds like that you're looking for wedding-type graphics to be background objects for the pictures to be placed over? In that case you're better off sticking with VMS for the layering and cookie-cutter effects. Most of the "slideshow" programs that I'm aware of, don't have the layering capabilities & control that VMS has. Let us know what effect you're after, and we can better advise you.
Thanks,
Jeff
Flight13 wrote on 4/27/2005, 11:23 AM
I think I will give ProShow Gold a shot...especially since they offer a fully functional trial version for free. The programs I have found to offer themes don't really appeal to me (photoparade.com for example). The backdrop idea is more of what I was thinking but probably beyond my current abilities.
Do you know if I will be able to add the file to the timeline in VMS? This way I have complete control over the audio track. I want the slideshow to be a part of the video and not as a separate menu option.
Thanks!
volzjr wrote on 4/27/2005, 1:26 PM
>>>> Quote
Do you know if I will be able to add the file to the timeline in VMS? >>>>> EndQuote
When you're done building the slideshow in Proshow, just save it to your hard drive as an .MPG file. Then open your current project in VMS and import the .MPG file to your timeline. Voila!
Flight13 wrote on 4/27/2005, 2:12 PM
I'll give it a shot tonight...thanks!
EdgarT wrote on 5/10/2005, 11:20 AM
I have been using Movie Studio for a couple of years now to make DVD's of my son for his Grandparents. I would like to add a slide show viewer to the DVD with thumbnails like the one on the extended cut Lord of the Rings DVD's. (click on thumbnail to view picture -or- just run the slideshow).

Can the photodex.com software do this? I looked on their site and it seemed to be mainly for making a dedicated slideshow DVD instead of adding it to the end of a previouslyt created DVD.

Any suggestions on how to do this would be greately appriciated.

Doug
allyn wrote on 5/10/2005, 10:08 PM
proshow gold is for creating a slide show of photos (it creates a movie of the slide show). it does not have any capability to view thumbnails, although you could pause the movie, i guess.

you can have the program output an mpeg-2 file which could be added to a disc being created by another program (like DVDAS).
EdgarT wrote on 5/12/2005, 2:18 PM
Thanks for the info. I wonder how they do the slide shows where you can randomly select the image and click buttons to show the next one or return to an index.

It would be nice if there was a program that would automatically set up such a slide show.

Doug
volzjr wrote on 5/13/2005, 8:25 AM
I'm not sure trying to do, but from your description, there is a handful of software programs that churches use for presenting lyrics, sermon notes, etc. that can easily do what you described. We use one called Sunday Plus. First off, it requires a dual output video card, as it uses the primary display screen for control and the second output for the "audience". You can load up to 100 graphics into a "cuelist", and "fire" them off randomly with a mouse click., by clicking the thumbnail. You can assign a different transition to each one, or set a global transition. If you prefer, you can advance them in a linear fashion by pressing the space bar, or even set a looping sequence to a group of consecutive graphics. You can even load a video in a cue, and fire that like a graphic at any time. I'd be glad to answer specific questions, if this sounds more like what you're looking for.
HTH