Slideshow Help (newbie)

[Jeeper]

I would really appreciate some insite on if I can do what I'm thinking- or I am crazy for trying!!!

 

I am trying to create a slideshow that will play on a telivision DVD player.

 

I have approx 1900 photos in about 20 different folders (approx 2.2 gig)

 

I would like to incororate different chapter/menus for each folder (based on year and event)

 

at this point I would be happy with a silent version but ultimatley I would like to add a custom audio track that would describe the slide that is showing.

 

I have attempted the "myDVD" function but I can only get about 5 menu's and it quickly eats up space on the disc.

\

tanks in advance for any support

 

Jeeper

[Jim_Hardin]

I have worn a groove between my Burner and my Player!

[sknis]

I would really appreciate some insite on if I can do what I'm thinking- or I am crazy for trying!!!

 

I am trying to create a slideshow that will play on a telivision DVD player.

 

I have approx 1900 photos in about 20 different folders (approx 2.2 gig)

 

I would like to incororate different chapter/menus for each folder (based on year and event)

 

at this point I would be happy with a silent version but ultimatley I would like to add a custom audio track that would describe the slide that is showing.

 

I have attempted the "myDVD" function but I can only get about 5 menu's and it quickly eats up space on the disc.

\

tanks in advance for any support

 

Jeeper

 

Perhaps a little off but not necessarily crazy. The fact that you have 2.2 G of images doesn't mean anything. Perhaps a little reading about making videos might be in order. The following does not cover everything.

 

You can get one hour of video on a single sided DVD at best quality since you are creating a movie and not just burning images. You can get more at lower quality or by using a DL disc. Since you are creating movies, you will need some room on the disc for things like menus, chapter displays, etc.

 

If you try to put all of the images on a DVD, you will get about a 1 second display for each. After two or three minutes (180 images), people will be totally lost or just be running from the room in terror.

 

I find that about the best minimum display time is about 5-8 seconds. That allows for transitions and some audio. Of course, you will want to make the image display longer in order to have the audio you want. (BTW adding audio to the internal track of an image keeps it with the image if you move it and will last only as long as the image is displayed.

 

Do some real planning based on the above. You may want to break your images down to separate events by year, location, or some other reasonable classification.

 

Use Video Wave to create separate slide show projects for each of the classifications. Use MyDVD to create menus and add the projects based on the time frames I suggested above.

 

[Jim_Hardin]

You will be making a DVD Movie, not really a slideshow, as you have seen.

 

A 4.7GB DVD holds about 1 hour of high quality movie.

 

3600 sec. Divided by 1900 pictures allows 1.89 seconds of viewing time per picture???

 

You will probably want to create each clip (what you think are folders) in VideoWave. Save the VW Project (dmsm).

 

After you get all of those the way you want them, Open MyDVD and Add them.

 

You can play around a little with the different menu themes because they differ in how many menu buttons are allowed. I think 6 is the max before you have to go to another sub-menu.

 

I think if you are a little critical, you can probably cull those 1900 down to a few hundred that tell a story and are really interesting. If you insist on all of them you will need 2 1/2 DVDs.

 

[Jeeper]

I have worn a groove between my Burner and my Player!

 

Jim,

Everything worked fine- and the playback was great,

the only issue I had was --- when I open myDVD and created the new production- I ended up with a sub menu (next page) all was ok until I attempted the burn-- I received an error that the there was not enough space on the destination drive!!! the total file was around 3.5gig- and I am burning to a double layer disc- (8.5gig)--

 

I deleted the production on the sub-menu and everything worked fine (albiet very slow)

 

I do need to work on my picture file size as they are large files (1.5 - 3.0mg)

any suggestions on a good picture size/quality/dpi for good playback???

 

Thanks again

 

jeeper

 

[Jim_Hardin]

Jim,

Everything worked fine- and the playback was great,

the only issue I had was --- when I open myDVD and created the new production- I ended up with a sub menu (next page) all was ok until I attempted the burn-- I received an error that the there was not enough space on the destination drive!!! the total file was around 3.5gig- and I am burning to a double layer disc- (8.5gig)--

 

I deleted the production on the sub-menu and everything worked fine (albiet very slow)

 

I do need to work on my picture file size as they are large files (1.5 - 3.0mg)

any suggestions on a good picture size/quality/dpi for good playback???

 

Thanks again

 

jeeper

A DVD Movie is 720 X 480 and that is what your pictures are reduced to – Time is what counts and Filesize is meaningless.

 

Transitions don't add time to a movie but can actually remove it. Most people don't understand that a transition isn't adding anything but is operating on part of the slide before and after it, so it really removes viewing time…

 

You added the sound to the wrong place if you wanted to play throughout. In Storyline view you got a popup that offered you 3 choices. The bottom ones does what it says!

 

 

Had you picked either of the others, it plays throughout the project or until it runs out.

 

Not quite sure you read the Burn message correctly… If you select a DVD size of 8.5GB and the indicator shows it will fit, you should not see that message. (these are at the bottom of MyDVD) – let this ride for now and see what happens next time.

 

[sknis]

I could never figure out if that message was for the disc or for the disk.

 

Are you sure that you had selected that DL disc as the target?

 

Just in case, make sure all your TMP, TEMP, and junk files are deleted from your disk. Defraq your hard drive. Is you drive formatted in FAT or NTFS? How much free and defragged disk space do you have?

 

This is a pretty good (free) tool to clean up your hard drive. You may want to save the cookies because one of them helps you get back to this place.

[Jeeper]

I could never figure out if that message was for the disc or for the disk.

 

Are you sure that you had selected that DL disc as the target?

 

Just in case, make sure all your TMP, TEMP, and junk files are deleted from your disk. Defraq your hard drive. Is you drive formatted in FAT or NTFS? How much free and defragged disk space do you have?

 

This is a pretty good (free) tool to clean up your hard drive. You may want to save the cookies because one of them helps you get back to this place.

 

greatly appreciste the input

there is a couple of options-- but the "F:/" drive was selected which is my DL burner.

I am in the process of upgrading my hard drive and RAM.

if it tries to save a temp copy before it burns-then I could be short on memory as I am only showing about 3+gb of free memory.

 

[sknis]

greatly appreciste the input

there is a couple of options-- but the "F:/" drive was selected which is my DL burner.

I am in the process of upgrading my hard drive and RAM.

if it tries to save a temp copy before it burns-then I could be short on memory as I am only showing about 3+gb of free memory.

 

That's confusing. 3G of free memory?

 

Is that 3G free on your hard drive? I'm surprised that you are able to do anything!

 

3G of system memory is more than enough.

 

Clean the hard drive, remove any unwanted programs using Revo Uninstaller etc. After you make some space, use Auslogics Defragmenter to get your hard drive into shape.

 

Along with setting the burner, did you slect the disc type as DL? Did the bar along the bottom warn you abut the size?

[Jeeper]

You will be making a DVD Movie, not really a slideshow, as you have seen.

 

A 4.7GB DVD holds about 1 hour of high quality movie.

 

3600 sec. Divided by 1900 pictures allows 1.89 seconds of viewing time per picture???

 

You will probably want to create each clip (what you think are folders) in VideoWave. Save the VW Project (dmsm).

 

After you get all of those the way you want them, Open MyDVD and Add them.

 

You can play around a little with the different menu themes because they differ in how many menu buttons are allowed. I think 6 is the max before you have to go to another sub-menu.

 

I think if you are a little critical, you can probably cull those 1900 down to a few hundred that tell a story and are really interesting. If you insist on all of them you will need 2 1/2 DVDs.

Jim,

 

thanks for your reply-- it seems that I have been trying to install everything through myDVD --

I appreciate the critique-- I have already culled from over 3500 slides-- representing over 20 years of family stuff-

what concerned me was the limited menus before it goes into a submenu-- on the finished DVD-- will the operating person be directed to sub-menus with an arrow or next button?

I didn't get to a preview before I got utterly frustrated.

Thanks again for your help

Jeeper

[Jim_Hardin]

Play with it!

 

In VideoWave makeup 10 project each with only 2 pictures in them.

 

Open a New Project in MyDVD

 

Select the Style you want to use

 

Add the 10 VW Projects – keep choosing the 'New Menu' option as it pops up.

 

Burn it to an RW and go play it.

 

[Jeeper]

Play with it!

 

In VideoWave makeup 10 project each with only 2 pictures in them.

 

Open a New Project in MyDVD

 

Select the Style you want to use

 

Add the 10 VW Projects – keep choosing the 'New Menu' option as it pops up.

 

Burn it to an RW and go play it.

 

Thanks

I will give it a try

 

Jeeper

Have a great holiday season