Adding Text Overlay to Slides without using a Mouse and only Keystrokes.

Russ_Croucher

I have a procedure that loads up photo stage with up to 200 slides, writes them to MP4 file, and then writes the final result with video pad. I had one customer with 9000 slides in this procedure called photo stage 45 times solve her problem.

All my procedures do not use a mouse and I am trying to solve the problem of adding text overlay to a slide but I don't know how to do this without using a mouse. it seems that the text overlay command requires you use the mouse to select which type of text option. I also tried to use the subtitle command but it also requires the mouse to get out of the textmode (apply button). A mouse is not available for me on the workstations. These are automated procedures that can take up to 24 hours to process 9000 slides on a very fast workstation.

With my business(centralvirginiavideo.com) I am currently using version 10.61 because I'm happy with the version and if I blindly upgrade I will be outside my 6 month window and I would have no problem upgrading for the cost but I don't want to upgrade if it doesn't solve the problem.. If I knew the new version allowed me use keystrokes I would update all the workstations to the new version.

help help help

ideas?

Russ_Croucher

I'm looking for ideas to improve PhotoStage. I have a fairly good solution that takes PhotoStage in pieces and imports everything with videopad like in the previous post. I now want to take the scrolling descriptions below and only included on pictures that need help with information. Here is a demo below using the latest version of PhotoStage v11.36.

The following information was set in PhotoStage:
Include filename as text overlay (would like no extension)
Export slidesshow after creation (create quick slideshow)
Export size 2560x1440 (2K)

My automated program requires the above information set. In order to modify the text overlay I would have to turn off the automatic slide creation and do it one at a time. This would dramatically increase my automated time. In doing so I could use my own file name export that does not include the extension and not always included for pictures that don't need it.

What I'm trying to get with this post is some ideas from other people as how I can improve my automated procedure or get PhotoStage to make new changes. What you guys think?

Here is the demo that I created with PhotoStage both with and without the text file name overlay. It creates title pages separate from the file names as a separate procedure. It stores these title pages in with the actual photos themselves and then later PhotoStage is run separately to turn it into a slideshow.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AnzxHv3YmYSCvT2Cld7HpuXPiBR2?e=otr6Q2

Thoughts?

Russ_Croucher

I believe I have finally completed my latest version of PhotoStage with name scrolling on the bottom using the current version v11.36 I had to turn several options off because now I'm actually affecting and changing the actual PhotoStage program.

Here's the concept, go through all the files that go to PhotoStage and remove the attribute that scrolls the name on the bottom of the screen. You would do this when you would mention somebody's name in one picture and is true 3 or 4 of the same persons in other pictures. There's no need to have any information scrolling describing the person's name. The problem with this idea is now you have a PhotoStage project that has been changed and I don't store them. I also had to turn off the create quick slideshow creation and use the export at the end of the project which has problems of itself.

I will be submitting a request to NCH for a request of additional items which would completely solve my problem.

The following information must be set in PhotoStage now with this new version.
Include filename as text overlay (would like no extension)
Export slides show after creation (NOW TURNED OFF)
Export size 2560x1440 (2K)

My automated program requires the above information set. Since the filenames are turned on all the photos have a file name associated with the photo in PhotoStage. I go through each photo 1 of the time and delete the text overlay for that one photo. I did introduce a bug which I have not fixed yet that also turns off the transition at the end of the photo. I use cross fade for everything. I thought this would dramatically increase my overall time but it does not.

Here is the new demo that I created with PhotoStage both with and without the text file name overlay. It creates title pages separate from the file names as a separate procedure. It stores these title pages in with the actual photos themselves and then later PhotoStage is run separately to turn it into a slideshow. You will notice the bug at the end of photos that have no description.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AnzxHv3YmYSCwAUxRk50YBaxlxP_?e=Jcv9mr

Russ_Croucher

Now for my export dialog problem. I set the PhotoStage as the active process by getting the PID of the running program only to stuff keys in it like a mouse. So I go to the menu use the down arrow until I get export and then use the 1st file option. After it thinks about all the stuff for a few seconds it comes up with the dialog box but loses focus to the PhotoStage program which I'm selecting to give it the enter button to create the dialogue. So the active program is not PhotoStage in this export dialog.

I do this all the time with videopad and don't have a problem so a different guru must've created the PhotoStage dialogues versus the videopad dialogues. All the videopad dialogues are running with the focus under videopad. This is a rather obscure Windows anomaly. So the end result is the enter key for that dialogue never shows up in the export command and I must press the enter button on that machine manually.

I will say at least all the hard work is done and I only have to do that once in a while.

Russ_Croucher

I have a mouse menu that I would like to get added to the main file – slide menu. It has some features that are not available in the main menu. Here is a picture of the latest PhotoStage version with that menu.

ps1.jpg

This would fix my bug in that I'm trying to add the transition back that I removed when I removed the filename (all effects and transitions). They have an option allows you remove all effects and transitions but I really only want to remove the effects and not the transitions. But I don't care it has the option to add a transition but only with the mouse. I would like to add all this with the current file slide command.