SECOND NEWSLETTER  -  3 NOVEMBER 2011- Neels Beyers

We will meet every second Tuesday of a month at 19h00 at St Stephens Church Hall in Central Square, Pinelands. Leave the N2 for Pinelands and carry on in Forest Drive. At the second robot (where the BP Garage is) turn left. Go through the small circle and carry on to the stop sign. Turn right and about 100 metres further on on your left you will see the St Stephens Church Hall (opposite the Municipal buildings).

SOFTWARE

 

1            Wings Platinum 4 –I am informed that you can use Wings 4.23 on a Mac Computer provided you have a programme called boot camp or parallel on the Mac to allow Windows to be installed as a virtual pc.

 

2              PTE – Pictures To Exe  - very popular – about R500,00 from the internet but buy from Tafelberg Fotografieklub at R110,00. Contact Derick Nel at derick@expressls.co.za. Derick is out of town at present and may be back on Monday. He will however not be able to come on Tuesday 8 November.   

 

Deon Kuhn will present a lecture on how to construct an AV with PTE on Tuesday 8 November 2011. It is aimed at beginners, like me. 

 

            Can PTE be used on a Mac?

 

WINGS 4.2.3 BASIC

‘Flying with Wings’ – An Advanced Course in Wings by Joy Wellbeloved

Using Wings 4.23 Basic version

Getting your default settings right 

The difference between Heaven & Hell is only in the settings

ON THE VIEW MENU

•       Display Node Values > Select ALL NODES

•       Toolbars > TICK ALL

ON EXTRAS MENU > OPTIONS

Click on ‘+’ to see all default Options

•       Pictures

•       General

•       Pictures

•       In Screen Editing

•       Reset User Interface

 

ON EXTRAS MENU > PROJECT OPTIONS

·      Set Light box image display size as required

·      Select individual Control Tracks

·      Set Default picture fade & display times, time display, and cross fade options

·      Set Snap Radius to 10 pixels

·      Set Language default and snap radius to 10 pixels

 

My Preferred Working Setup

The combination of my favourite programs below on your PC or Laptop allows for simple ‘drag and drop’ image and music selection.

•       Image viewer software – Faststone

•       Image Editor - Photoshop

•       Music Converter – iTunes

•       AV Software - Wings 4.23

 

UNDERSTANDING THE TIMELINES 

Expanding or contracting the timeline view by clicking on ‘+’ or ‘-’ does not alter image display time.  It just makes precise positioning of locator easier when using F10

 

Changing Individual image display time 

Click on either image side border then drag to left or right to expand or shrink as required. 

Changing the default image display time does not alter images already on the timeline.

To change many images, remove them from the timeline, change the default display time, and reload your images to the timeline

 

Shifting objects on the Timeline 

•       To shift one image click on the image name & drag to new position

•       To shift many images click on first image, hold down shift and click on the last image in the group to select them all - then drag

•       To close gaps in timeline use the “Close Gaps” Menu option

•       To sort an image, click and drag through other images to a gap in timeline

 

MAKING YOUR IMAGES DANCE 

 

Introducing Wings imported control tracks 

Wings comes with 16 easy to use pre-programmed control tracks Just click, drag, and drop into the image.  You do not even need to know that you are using control tracks !

 

Available Options  

·      Slide-in from left to right, or right to left

·      Slide in from top down, or bottom up

·      Zoom in 0-100% horizontally, vertically, or centrally

·      Rotate in 1 or in 2

·      Spiral in 1 or in 2

·      Float

·      Zoom in, slow 110, medium 130, or fast 180

 

MOVING TITLES

Wings 4.23 BASIC only allows ONE Audio track, ONE Video Track, and ONE Picture track - BUT IT’S FREE – So get creative to get your titles moving !

 

3 objects are needed on the Picture timeline for one Moving title

·      Images 1 and 3 are identical – the background over which your title moves

·      Image 2 is a ‘text object’ that can be made to scroll up the screen

·      by using F10

 

Text Objects (WINGS 4.2 onwards)

To insert a moving title, you must insert a text object by positioning the timeline locator in a gap big enough to hold the text object

·      Right-click in timeline, and take the ‘insert text object’ option

·      Right-click in the text object to edit text object properties

 

Text Object Properties

Type in your text, select your font, spacing, and alignment (Centre, Top)

Text colour can be changed.  Hint – If you have activated the screen window before you select text box propertiesm you can see the text in the window as you enter it.

 

TAKING CONTROL WITH F10

 

Step 1

·      Position timeline locator just inside the beginning of the text object

·      Press F10 to create a control track node at the beginning of the text object, and to open the F10 Control Window

 

Step 2

·      Click in the control window to get the yellow outline with 8 yellow dots

·      Drag image to below white frame

·      When in required position, click in black area outside both yellow and white rectangles to set position

·      Click on X to close F10 control box and to return to timeline

 

Step 3

·      Position timeline locator just inside the end of the text box

·      Press F10 to create a control track node at the end of the text box, and open the control window

·      Click in control window to activate yellow rectangle with dots

·      Click in the yellow rectangle and drag it up until text image is just above white rectangle

·      When in required position, click in black area outside both yellow and white rectangles to set position

 

Step 4a - Putting it together

Image 1 provides the fade in of the title, and the background over which the title moves – with no fade out.  Its display time must be at least 1 second longer than the fade in time plus the title display time

 

Step 4b - Putting it together

Image 2 is the moving title, which must not have any fades

It must be moved totally over the image 1

The title scroll speed is determined by the text box image display time.  Longer display = slower scroll

 

Step 4c - Putting it together

Image 3 is the background image once again, used this time only to provide the fade out.  Image 3 must be moved right up against images 1 and 2 to avoid a ‘blip’ during playback

 

Note - Wings moves your image smoothly from one control node position to the next.  You can add as many control nodes to an image as you like – but, like strong spice,  use sparingly for good results.

 

The Cherry on the top

What works for moving titles works for all images.  You can zoom in, zoom out, flip, rotate, do almost anything easily with F10 and control track nodes.

 

Have Fun !

Joy

 

Thanks Joy!

 

 

PROBLEM

 

With Wings and with PTE and with Proshow Gold – how do I go about to save my AV on a DVD so that I can show it to my friends on a TV? Could you please explain it to me in detail as I am a complete idiot when it comes to these technicalities? Who can help?

 

PRETORIA AV CLUB

 

Pretoria AV Club have posted their November newsletter on their
website: http://pretoria-av-club.wikispaces.com/Newsletters+and+press+releases.
 
Please take note of their offer that anyone joining the club in the
next three months will receive a DVD with all the entries in the 1st
Club competition.
 

PROGRAMME

 

Members with the Wings 4 CDs must please return same to me (Neels) so that it may be passed on to other new members.

 

As we are starting out we shall concentrate on technical aspects at first and later move on to the more arty side of constructing our AVs.

 

Members must please make contributions to our newsletters – write to me.  What are your problems? Can we help to solve your problems?

 

A programme for 2012 will be worked out and sent to members of the group. Members who can make contributions by giving lectures are asked to contact me. Frank Reuvers is an experienced AV worker and is willing to again make contributions. Antenie Carstens will also make a contribution in 2012. Jeff Morris from the Pretoria AV Club will assist with PTE in 2012 –thanks Jeff!

 

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2011 at 19h00 –Deon Kuhn on Pictures To Exe = PTE – How to construct an AV using PTE. This will be followed by members to show AVs and discussion from the floor on the AVs. Please bring your AVs by 18h45.

 

December 2011-  no meeting.

 

Tuesday 10 January 2012 -  Will we be back from the holidays? We will take a vote on Tuesday. If we do meet then Frank Reuvers will again present his talk on the basics of AV making.

 

Tuesday 14 February 2012 - If we do not meet on 10 January then Frank will discuss the basics of AV making  -  Members to show AVs

Tuesday 13  March 2012 – Members to show AVs

 

The AV National Convention at Victoria West from Saturday 17 – Wednesday 21 March 2012. Contact Paul Rixom at prixom@webmail.co.za or Thomas Niemeyer at Thomas@niemo.co.za.

 

Tuesday 10 April 2012 – Report back on AV Convention  -  Members to show AVs

Tuesday 8 May 2012 – Members to show AVs

Tuesday 12 June 2012 - Members to show AVs

Tuesday 10 July 2012 - Members to show AVs

 

25 to 30 August 2012  -  PSSA NATIONAL CONGRESS at Mykonos, Langebaan.

 

Neels Beyers

082 656 0660

cpbeyers@mweb.co.za