16 replies to this topic

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

When launching the pan and zoom editor window, there are three options: preset, manual and advanced. Both the preset and manual windows include all the action buttons (okay, apply, back, etc.) but the frame is just not big enough for advanced (only the little dividing line above the buttons shows).  There seems to be no way to make the frame large enough for the controls to be visible.  Is this just a bug?  Is it being fixed?  Is there a solution?

geoff

[ggrussell]

Have you changed the default Windows settings for screen dpi or fonts settings?  There have been cases were changing these causes problems in some dialog boxes.  

Also what video card do you have? Sometimes updating the video driver will help ANY display problems.

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

Im using recommended screen resolution and the video card has nothing to do with it.

When launching the pan and zoom editor, a fixed-sized window pops up on the screen. The space allowed for preset and manual activities is sufficient, but when I ask for "advanced" the sheer height of the keyframe window forces the bottom of the frame (that is, all the command buttons) to below the visible point.  This frame cannot be expanded.  All I see is the pale 1 pixel line that divides the activity from command buttons.

I suppose I could live without this feature; much of the creator 8 suite is useless anyway.  But I'm getting prickly because I've been trying to contact Roxio for the better part of four days now and all I get is that lame Roxann feature.  Worst customer service I have ever seen!

Anyway, I thought someone might have some knowlege about how to work around this application flaw; if not, to heck with it.

gm

[ggrussell]

gmehl@bloomu.edu, on Jan 4 2006, 10:37 AM, said:

video card has nothing to do with it.

The video card has EVERYTHING to do with the display. That's what it does. You still didn't answer my questions: did you change the screen DPI or the fonts sizes? Yes, these settings will affect dialog boxes and so will video card drivers.

Edited by ggrussell, 04 January 2006 - 08:09 AM.

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

ggrussell, on Jan 4 2006, 03:44 PM, said:

The video card has EVERYTHING to do with the display. That's what it does. You still didn't answer my questions: did you change the screen DPI or the fonts sizes? Yes, these settings will affect dialog boxes and so will video card drivers.

No, I didn't change screen dpi or font sizes.   What I was saying was that the content of the first two options in zoom and pan editor fit fine in the fixed window size that pops up on the screen. However, on the advanced option, the box created for the keyframe list causes the bottom portion of the work area to extend beyond the frame.

Can I assume everyone else can see the okay, forward and back, etc. buttons in this specific frame?

And... in most applications, the work area can be stretched larger and smaller from the bottom right. This does not seem to hold with windows launched from within creator 8 -- not very good design in my mind.  

But .... again.... go to the zoom and pan editor, choose advanced and let me know if you have access to the okay button.

thanks
gm

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

okay, others tell me they can see it fine.  The issue seems to be the height of the keyframe box on the left. I'll see if I can change font sizes or something because clearly mine is set incorrectly

gm

[ggrussell]

I have an nVidia 6200 card wtih latest drivers. Since I use 1280X1024, I also have my fonts set to LARGE, but I keep the Windows default of 96dpi.  When I changed the dpi to a high resolution, I did experience dialog box problems, but not in all of them. Most of the the problem dialog boxes were identified and fixed.
This is what you should be seeing:

Attached Images

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Edited by ggrussell, 04 January 2006 - 11:32 AM.

[kansascrow]

Kind of a silly question - how do you get to the Pan & Zoom editor?

[ggrussell]

In Storyboard or Timeline mode, RIGHT mouse button click on any image or video clip and choose
EDIT > Pan & Zoom Editor

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

thanx... I have a smaller monitor (780x1024) and I'm sure its set at 96dpi... but I do use larger font sizes in browser windows.... although I don't think I've ever changed font sizes in XP windows.... so at least I know where to look.... it has to be the code for that keyframe box, which is smaller in height than mine (mine extends well below the preview images, hence everything under the thin rule is outside of frame.

Maybe Roxio should look into allowing for adjustable windows in cases like this.

heh... and maybe give Roxann something more than the intelligence of a rock...

thanks for sharing!


to others....... ggrussell is correct in how to get to it.  the preset is kind of lame (I'd just use automotion if it was that basic) and the manual works pretty well.  Keyframes can get out of hand (are you a bee buzzing around or are you trying to show an image?), and I see only limited use for it... but it was the issue of not getting customer support that really set me off....  database FAQ is fine for all the common stuff, but there should be a "safety valve" for those who have an unanswered question... i.e., a working email link or an 800 number.  

geoff

[ggrussell]

The minimum resolution requirement is 1024X768 and all dialog boxes should fit within those limits. What kind of video card do you have?  Seems like those with integrated chipsets are having more problems than those with dedicated cards.  I think that computer manufacturers are cutting too many corners to stay competitive and trying to make cheaper computers. Some of these computers can barely run WindowsXP and just aren't suitable for editing video.  It's unfortunate, but 800 number are a thing of the past. Only companies with deep pockets have them now.

Edited by ggrussell, 04 January 2006 - 03:58 PM.

[gmehl@bloomu.edu]

Gary -- thanks.  I discovered that another member of the household, unhappy with "small print" bumped the dpi to 120 from 96; when I returned it to 96, the keyframe box came down to the same size as your illustration and the lower tier of control buttons magically appeared.  I'll probably have to get stronger glasses, but at least I am back to defaults!

If anyone from Roxio is tuned in, a couple of suggestions:
     a) be sure that your popup frames are expandable -- some of us don't see so good and like larger print (pixel sized text is designer friendly but devastating on monitors... keep it relative)!  Functional is more important than pretty!
     consider better controls on the frame content (cropping, moving)... x,y and pct numbers would be good in addition to the slider +, - ... it allows for smoother work within the frame.
     c) Roxann is really poorly built; go for a conventional FAQ, product by product, with linkage to details and at the end of the FAQs create a safety valve with a working email address for questions not answered in the FAQ.  There's two valid reasons for this: keep the customer happy and the testimonials enthusiastic but more importantly you get  a sense of what you need to include on your website/documentation.  If you get a bunch of questions, you need better info... so you get better!

thanks to all who pointed me in the right direction, including a tech guy from Roxio who contacted me after I found the only working email address in Sonic ... investor relations!

geoff

[ggrussell]

Thanks for letting us know.  During testing, most of the problem dialog boxes had been identified and corrected.  The user 'should' be able to change the dpi without affecting fixed dialog boxes.  I'll pass this along.

[dhawg]

Re: gmhel's comment
thanx... I have a smaller monitor (780x1024) and I'm sure its set at 96dpi... but I do use larger font sizes in browser windows.... although I don't think I've ever changed font sizes in XP windows.... so at least I know where to look.... it has to be the code for that keyframe box, which is smaller in height than mine (mine extends well below the preview images, hence everything under the thin rule is outside of frame.

Maybe Roxio should look into allowing for adjustable windows in cases like this.

I too have this problem and nothing I do can bring up the dialogue box to its proper size.  

Perhaps a RELEASE NOTE to future users that only some features of this product really work - the others are figments of the engineers imagination and only those in testing know what engineers are thinking. Your Product Manager needs his fanny busted for allowing such a crappy HELP system.  BTW, pick up the book and try to find Pan and Zoom, Pan, or Zoom in the index.  Nice work guys.

I would like to say that after spending most of my later years in software development as a Product Manager, I've never experienced customer service as poorly crafted as this company.  Not only is Roxann dumber than a stump, but the on-line system desperately needs redesign.

[ggrussell]

1024 X 768 is MINIMUM requirement. The program was actually designed for higher resolution monitors.

Quote

Perhaps a RELEASE NOTE to future users that only some features of this product really work

At the top of EACH HELP PAGE is a disclaimer saying that some features are not available depending on which version you purchased.  I don't think it could be any clearer.

Don't know what's wrong with your Help file, but I had 47 hits for the word zoom and below is the search for PAN.

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[clowesga]

I agree with your comments.
1: Roxann's responses are just not germane to the query, regardless of whether you input a query containing just one word (like "zoom") or multiple words like "advanced pan and zoom").
2: What manual? -- My CD package was shipped without one.
3: Roxio seems quite unresponsive to this serious user issue -- not being able to access the OK/Save button in the dialog box for Advanced Pan and Zoom. Many users have changed the screen resolution/DPI  so they  read what's on the screen without squinting and/or getting up real close. It's a cop-out to tell these users to change their screen settings because of the shortcomings of EMC8. It's half a year since the first post on this issue and Roxio has offered no fix or update to resolve the problem [or another serious problem also raised six months ago, where the Organize module changes all your photo and video file creation dates without any warning].
4: However, this discussion group is very helpful in explaining to users how/why their problems have arisen because of software redesign problems with the EMC8 package.

dhawg, on Jun 1 2006, 07:41 AM, said:

Re: gmhel's comment
thanx... I have a smaller monitor (780x1024) and I'm sure its set at 96dpi... but I do use larger font sizes in browser windows.... although I don't think I've ever changed font sizes in XP windows.... so at least I know where to look.... it has to be the code for that keyframe box, which is smaller in height than mine (mine extends well below the preview images, hence everything under the thin rule is outside of frame.

Maybe Roxio should look into allowing for adjustable windows in cases like this.

I too have this problem and nothing I do can bring up the dialogue box to its proper size.  

Perhaps a RELEASE NOTE to future users that only some features of this product really work - the others are figments of the engineers imagination and only those in testing know what engineers are thinking. Your Product Manager needs his fanny busted for allowing such a crappy HELP system.  BTW, pick up the book and try to find Pan and Zoom, Pan, or Zoom in the index.  Nice work guys.

I would like to say that after spending most of my later years in software development as a Product Manager, I've never experienced customer service as poorly crafted as this company.  Not only is Roxann dumber than a stump, but the on-line system desperately needs redesign.

[ogdens]

clowesga, on Jul 20 2006, 02:42 PM, said:

I agree with your comments.
1: Roxann's responses are just not germane to the query, regardless of whether you input a query containing just one word (like "zoom") or multiple words like "advanced pan and zoom").
2: What manual? -- My CD package was shipped without one.
3: Roxio seems quite unresponsive to this serious user issue -- not being able to access the OK/Save button in the dialog box for Advanced Pan and Zoom. Many users have changed the screen resolution/DPI so they read what's on the screen without squinting and/or getting up real close. It's a cop-out to tell these users to change their screen settings because of the shortcomings of EMC8. It's half a year since the first post on this issue and Roxio has offered no fix or update to resolve the problem [or another serious problem also raised six months ago, where the Organize module changes all your photo and video file creation dates without any warning].
4: However, this discussion group is very helpful in explaining to users how/why their problems have arisen because of software redesign problems with the EMC8 package.

Here's the manual     http://forums.suppor...?showtopic=2243