3 seconds is a little short isnt it??

I would think 5 or 6 seconds with a 1 second dissolve would be easier to follow along with and not get lost in trying to keep up. My 2 cents worth... :)

I agree 5-6 seconds even a little longer would probably be better and so would extending the transition time, I'd think maybe 1.5 to 2 seconds depending on which transition you pick.

As far as file type, if not burning to a CD and only going to play off your computer take a look a what the RM* render template offers. You get both high bitrate (pick either the 1 or 3 MBPS) and high compression, so the file size for the project you have in mind won't be that large. Avoid AVI that's the largest file size.

* Requires the free Real Player. If you're only use to seeing very low bitrate RM videos on web pages, you're in for a plesant surprise if you try one at high bitrate.

I agree with BillyBoy that RealMedia is fantastic at the higher bitrates. It does require that people have RealPlayer installed though, and the new RealOne that is available now is, as one other forum member put it, "like a date rape". It's full of spy-ware and ad-ware and just all around annoying. I have posted a workaround to disable some of that. However it does still have to be installed in order for RM files to be played.

WMV (Windows Media Video) is another option similar to Real, but from Microsoft. It also offers 1Mbps and 3Mbps bitrates. It plays on most any modern windows installation through the MediaPlayer that is included with windows. It doesn't seem to be quite as crisp and colorful as RealMedia though.

For a more radical suggestion, let me ask if this project has to be a video file (*gasp*) or not? Have you considered something like PowerPoint or any of the other numerous presentation software packages? Powerpoint is lousy at crossfades, but it does feature quite a few other transitions. You can save the file as a self-running .exe file so that no additional player is necessary. The file size will also be much smaller than a video file, and the quality will be as good as your original images. It's also the best bet for images larger than 654x480.

i didn't go with powerpoint because the fades were crappy.. dosn't neccesarily have to be video what it's being used for is a promo kinda slide show to sell business for a photo company, so quality of pics is important.. Also i have some music mixing in there that's why i chose vegas. I'll give real media encoding a go if anyone has any other pointers that would be great. Thanks.