Great Software

[ChiefBill]

I just purchased ProShow Gold after struggling with other software trying to put together a slide show. Have managed to do this in the past with PowerPoint, but it was a lot of work. ProShow is excellent - easy to use, drag-and-drop, no resizing or rotating of images before putting them into the show, easy to add/change transitions - simply, excellent software, well worth the price. If you are looking to produce slide shows, I suggest you give it a try.

Bill

[rjgleason]

Been using it for a few years now and I can't find a better, more user-friendly program.

[ChiefBill]

Not only is the software excellent, but the service is, as well. Was having troubles burning DVD's - called the TOLL FREE, NO CHARGE, help, and the technician was actually able to solve my problem. I am very impressed - have paid a lot more for software with non-existent or expensive technical support. Kudos to Photodex!

[Steve Mitchell]

Great software and a great company.

[Jeffphoto]

I have something coming up in my personal life where I may be able to use this software. It's about $60 - $70 to purchase I think. I have a few questions though, maybe you can help me decide whether ProShow Gold is worth the buy.

I need to make a slide show with music in the background. I get to take the photos for it :) but in the past I've used Roxio Media Creator. Roxio lets me add the slides and add the music, then gives me a little music editor that allows me to blend the music out and in, it can start one song fading in as it's fading the other song out. I can use a couple of sliders to say "Start this song at this point in time, increase its volume from 0 up to full volume over a period of X seconds, and do the reverse at the end of the song." It makes me into a DJ.

For the pictures it allows me some transitions, and lets me "drift" the photos on the screen so that as the photos appear they randomly, slowly drift up, down, left, right, diagonally which is better than them just sitting there. The show looks more dynamic visually. Of course it allows me adjust timing for the slides and it gives me an indicator that tells me where the slide is transitioning in / out in relation to whatever song is playing at that point.

When I finally have everything set up the way I want it, Roxio gives me a way to create a DVD of the whole thing. I can create a DVD menu that opens up when you put it in the player, just like any Hollywood production. The choices on themes are pretty limited, but you can buy others. It works.

BUT...this program is kind of a pain to use. You just give it a file folder for all of the jpeg images for the slide show, but after you import them you have to really work pretty hard to get the slides shifted / dragged around into the sequence that you desire. It's also kind of a pain to change any of them individually. For example you can tell it to transition the slides in / out of black over 6 seconds, but if you have one slide that you want up there for 8 seconds it gets all weird on you.

I'm wondering if maybe Proshow Gold is better / superior to this. If it would give me all of that functionality:
1. Handles the photos
2. Handles the audio
3. Makes it into a DVD

And More:
1. Handles the photos more easily
2. Handles the audio more easily / allows more handling options
3. Works more quickly
4. Works with Widescreen Formats / aspect ratio
5. Creates the DVD with Menus, etc.

I would probably buy it. Can anyone give any input on this?

[rjgleason]

I have both but Pro Show Gold is IMO easier to use and a better interface. I have done quite a few DVDs (Sports mainly) and while I have yet to upgrade to the most current version, I highly recommend it. It gives you all the functionality you have listed above.

[wleebrown]

Of course Jeff if you're planning to switch to a Mac (I think you mentioned that in an earlier thread) ... iLife which comes in every new Mac does all that pretty well too. iMovie and iDVD are pretty easy to use and and give you good control of all those functions. The only thing I've been disappointed in is the quality of the images after they've been converted for use on the DVD. Somewhere (and this may be/likely is user error) along the line, the image quality seems to take a pretty serious hit.

[Jeffphoto]

The only thing I've been disappointed in is the quality of the images after they've been converted for use on the DVD. Somewhere (and this may be/likely is user error) along the line, the image quality seems to take a pretty serious hit.

Interesting, that brings up another question. I wonder where they are ("they" being the developers of ProShow Gold) with High Definition. It would be cool to author a DVD like this in full 1080P. It's something to keep an eye on.

[wleebrown]

Jeff,

One caveat on my earlier statement. I haven't used iMovie to create an HD movie (it can ... I just didn't). There didn't seem to be much point as I was creating DVDs for others use. I may give that a try though and I'll let you know if it improves quality.

[ChiefBill]

Jeff -

I haven't played with the audio in ProShow, so I can't comment too much on that. One excellent feature is that once you add your photos and audio the program will automatically adjust all of the imining to fit the length of the music. As far as actually creating the show, nothing could be easier. You can easily change the transitions, timing, etc. Everything is drag-and-drop, and it even rotates the images for you (if necessary.) Once a picture is on the timeline you can just click on it and drag it to a different spot. Double-clicking on an image brings up an editing box to allow you to add titles, motion, and other effects.

I do agree about the quality ofthe output - fine for general use, but on a large screen, the resolution suffers.

You can download a trial of the software and try it out without buying it - will give you an idea of how it works. I have done these shows using PowerPoint, and, while the resolution of the output is good, it is a real paint to change timing and transitions.

Bill

[Stourmi]

I've used it with pictures and audio. I made a DVD for my Dad with several different songs, and pictures of him and I as I was growing up. It turned out great, and everyone loved it. He has a 60" T.V. and the quality didn't suffer much at all. Everyone thought it was the perfect Father's Day gift.

It was really really easy to use, and I will use it again when I make one for my Mom with pictures of me, my sisters, my brother, and her. The most difficult part is finding the pictures you want to use, and the songs imho.

[ChiefBill]

Jeff -

One other nice feature is that you can import music directly from a CD. Just put it in the drive and choose the track you want to use.
Oh, yeah - the choice of output formats is great. I did a DVD in PAL for relatives in Germany and they said it worked great.

Bill

[rjgleason]

Jeff -

One other nice feature is that you can import music directly from a CD. Just put it in the drive and choose the track you want to use.
Oh, yeah - the choice of output formats is great. I did a DVD in PAL for relatives in Germany and they said it worked great.

Bill


Bill, I didn't realize that you cud import music from a CD....that's a great feature......Question: Is this feature new and from the latest upgrade?

[ChiefBill]

rj -

Can't speak to earlier versions - I purchased my copy within the last few months, so it is at least a feature in the newest version.

Bill

[rjgleason]

rj -

Can't speak to earlier versions - I purchased my copy within the last few months, so it is at least a feature in the newest version.

Bill


Thanks Bill......... I'll get the upgrade.