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I've reached the limits of my patience. I'm grabbing a couple cans of beer and taking a lovely slide down the escape chute, never to have to deal with PowerDirector again.
The fact that there are no aftermarket primers (four or more for Adobe Premiere Elements), that the program locks up my computer, and that there is no way known to humankind to fix the problem, the only wise course is to get the Adobe software (which, by the way, will probably seamlessly integrate with PhotoShop, ImageReady, Illustrator, and perhaps even InDesign and GoLive).
I only purchased PowerDirector because of a [i]PC Magazine[/i] review. The reviewer must have been smoking recreational vegitation when he wrote his over-the-top paen to PowerDirector.
For my own review, check out my comments at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Cyberlink-PDR-EB00-RPU0-00-PowerDirector-11-Ultra/product-reviews/B009716GWE/ref=cm_cr_pr_top_recent?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending
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Lamont Sanford???!!! You got a weirder sense of humor than I do, Cranst.
James, I'm going to be getting another set of mem chips this week. Will have a final total of 8 Gig.
However, there's also this: The eyewash on the PowerDirector box states, "Memory: 512 MB requierd. 3GB DDR2 or above recommended for 32-bit OS. 6 GB DDR2 or above recommended for 64-bit OS and 3D editiing. Hard Disk Spacce: 5 GB minimum. 10 GB (20 GB recommended) for DVD production."
As it stands, I think my stats conform to the above. And, again, this isn't a matter of the program locking up in the midst of some complex procedure. This is a matter of PowerDirector locking up and freezing my computer when I try to drop one or two simple clips into the Timeline.
As I mentioned to my mad Corgi pal, I've put in at least one 40-hour week on the project. I'm pretty much to the end of my rope on this program, and am quite ready to jump ship. My needs aren't complex or sophisticated, and Sony and Premier Elements look better and better every day.
rh
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About the only reason I ever tune into YouTube is to get a fresh update on spirituality:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AKvRvL5r3A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtbYrwlgJWk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfDcKP5pBQE
rh
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Ah ha! I kept looking below the "Disable HTML" etc.
Thanks, Cranst!
Now the problem becomes ... to Zipify or Not to Zipify. I only have a copy of 7-Zip, and no real need to zip-compress files on a regular basis. So far as I can see, 7-Zip only opens such files, but doesn't offer a chance to compress.
Hence, I'm attaching the diagnostics now as full-blown ASCII text files.
Again, thank you.
rh
Errrmmm ... I'm afraid to ask, assuming you've been asked this your whole life, but ... any relation to Lamont?
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Thanks for your suggestion, CLD, but there are a number of problems with this PDF manual.
The most prominent problem is that it was obviously written by marketing guys and propeller-heads, rather than by a professional text-book writer. Also, the layout was (again, obviously) created by some art director on-staff at CyberLink or at CyberLink's ad agency. There's a difference between an art director and a book designer. (I have about 40 years of experience in advertising, design, and book design/formatting. Trust me, I know something about the process.)
The book lacks even the most rudimentary information that you'll find in aftermarket primers. It is small (only trade paperback size - about 5.8 x 8.3 inches) and has only 302 pages, whereas the aftermarket primers I use are about 7 x 9 inches and have from 700 to 950 pages.
Worse, the book can't be reasonably printed because the images are unreadable. Only by bringing up the PDF with Adobe Reader or Acrobat can you see the images, and then only be magnifying them by at least 350% ... which shoves the accompanying text out of the frame.
And then there's the problem of trying to relate what's on the page with what you see in your PowerDirector project - a chasm of difference between PDF viewing and an honest-to-goodness book.
As I said, how I wish someone would write, illustrate, and publish a professional-level aftermarket manual for PowerDirector.
rh
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HP G72 b60US / i3 CPU / 5Gbytes memory / 500Gbyte drive / 64-bit Windows 7 Professional
Ultra 11.0.0.2707 / SR VDE130121-01
Video source material is entirely *.MOV These are *.MOV conversions from Adobe ImageReady (CS 2.3) derived from layered PhotoShop files. As such, they are frame-by-frame animations of a series (layers) of 72-dpi stills.
5. A detailed step by step description of the problem.
When I try to drag clips from the Library into the Timeline, PowerDirector stops functioning, locks up, goes grey, and cannot be closed. Attempting to do a forced close will not close PD. I can get PowerDirector off of the screen only by shutting down and restarting Windows.
My anti-virus program is BitDefender.
7. What codec packs installed? See PD's Readme html file
I'm using PowerDirector 11 Ultra. The "Readme" file begins, "CyberLink PowerDirector 8 Readme 10/22/2009 Thank you for using CyberLink PowerDirector 8. This file contains the latest information regarding the CyberLink PowerDirector 8.0 software application. Please click on one of the options below for more information. Remember, before you start CyberLink PowerDirector, please read this document in detail for the latest technical information." Hello??!!
My QuickTime player is Version 7.7.3 (1680.64) So far as I can see there are no codecs.
8. What other video editing programs are installed - just in case there is a software conflict.
No other video editing programs are installed. However, I have PhotoShop 5.5.1, GoLive 4.0.1, and the following Adobe CS 2.3 programs: Acrobat 8.1.3 Professional, Bridge 1.0.4.6, InDesign 4.0.5, PhotoShop9.0.2, ImageReady 9.0, GoLive 8.0.1, and Illustrator 12.0.1.
None of the above-mentioned programs are running when I use PowerDirector. In fact, no other programs are running (except perhaps BitDefender in the background) when I use PowerDirector.
9. What burning software is installed on your PC?
CyberLink Power2Go. But don't believe this is germane to the problem, insofar as I never get to the burning process. PowerDirector locks up when I try to start a project.
11. What background processes / programs running (especially important for problems with the burning)?
As I understand it, BitDfender continues running, even if not specifically activated.
12. Provide the dxdiag log file as an attachment, see Part B below
PART C - PD un-install/re-install
For PD7 and later builds, please use the CLCleaner tools.
The latest "CLCleaner" is for PD 10. (http://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/0/20744.page#109961) I'm using PD 11.
As recommended, I want to attach the diagnostics, but there is no "Attach" button showing in this New Topic section. Now what?
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Hello again Carl312 . . .
Why in the world would I want to print 263 pages of a PDF file when I already have a copy of the user guide, as supplied by CyberLink? All due respect, but the logic of this escapes me.
rh
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Hello, Carl312 . . .
The link you offered is nothing but a PDF version of the official mass-market paperback that came with the CD of PowerDirector. Aftermarket primers are infinitely more robust.
Thanks nonetheless for your interest.
rh
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Other advantages of a trade paperback over a video:
1- You can prop it up on the table while eating.
2- You can read it in bed, and abandon it to the night table when you doze off for the night.
3- You can read it while sitting on the potty.
4- You can read it while in a plane or a commuter train.
5- You can underline or highlight passages.
6- You can photocopy cerrtain pages, and even make enlarged photocopies of significant pages. (I'm doing this to certain pages of the official manual, in order to make the information more convenient and more readable.)
7- While I don't recommend this, you can even tear out pages and tape them to the monitor while you're working.
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How I wish there was an aftermarket primer for PowerDirector. I've paid good money (from $20 to over $40) for how-to books for InDesign, QuickBooks Premier Accountant, PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign, GoLive and the like. In some cases, I've bought multiple aftermarket primers whose total cost was nearly as much as the cost of the software itself.
I'm pleased that PowerDirector came with a real manual, but the book is, like all such official manuals, inadequate, covering only the barest of essentials. Also, it's in mass-market paperback size, and the black-and-white icon pics are so small that a magnifying glass is needed to see them. Most aftermarket primers are in trade paperback format (ie, hardcover size, paperback covers), and the images are often in full color.
Adobe publishes a Classroom In A Book series, with enclosed CDs that give live examples of how to build a project from start to finish. Wouldn't it be lovely if PowerDirerector did something similar. It may be that, compared to Adobe products, PowerDirector just doesn't have a large enough audience to justify the effort.
Dafydd's tutorials are excellent, but they don't cover every aspect of how to get from ground zero to the finished product. And videos are a weak substitute for the written word and illustrations. An aftermarket manual can be propped up beside your computer keyboard for specific reference while you're building a PowerDirector project - even the most comprehensive video can't. Also, you can quickly and easily turn forward and backward in a book. In a video? Bon chance, mes amis!
Even so, are there enough PowerDirector users and potential buyers to motivate someone to write an aftermarket primer, and get Que, O'Reilly, or Peachpit Press to publish it?
Ah, well ... onward and upward with the arts.
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Ach!!! I fouled up again. In my haste, the file was twice the size it's supposed to be. I'm back to the drawing board to cut it down to size. So things may not be as bad as I imagined.
Somehow, hacking hacking hacking, I may see my way out of the jungle.
rh
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I attached the MOV file, but I don't see the attachment.
rh
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Please post the MOV. Immediately below the text reply box are two blue buttons: OPTIONS and ATTACHMENTS. Then BROWSE.
Another crude approach that's worth a try if the GIF can be Chromakeyed cleanly. Use the great free image utility from http://irfanview.com
Open the GIF in Irfanview, then click OPTIONS|EXTRACT ALL FRAMES
* Load all frames into PD11.
* On the timeline, select all
* Click DURATION, adjust frame rate as desired.
* Produce as a WMV.
In PD, click FILE|NEW WORKSPACE.
* Place your background image/movie on VIDEO 1.
* Place the WMV created from the GIF on VIDEO 2.
* Click MODIFY.
* Turn on Chromakey.
* Position and size as desired.
* SAVE.
Huhnh???!!!
rh
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It's only a very modest clip - a one-second spinning fly-in of the German-language copy of The Hungarian Game. I'm going to do something similar with all versions - 2 hardcover plus two paperback English (US and UK) - and all the foreign-language ones. (I may extend the time on this, especially on the hold at the end, showing both Goldmann and Simon & Schuster covers.)
What do you want me to post ... the QuickTime MOV or the PowerDirector PDS? Also, I can't seem to find a mechanism on this "reply" box that will let me attach the animation.
And it may take another day before I post it. I want to slow down the animation by adding duplicate frames.
Again ... if you're using a recent version of PhotoShop, it's a falling-over snap to pop a layered bunch of images into a QuickTime MOV clip.
rh
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I spoke/wrote too soon, and am now having a difficult time getting my big foot out of my mouth.
I'd been working on this at my Windows XP SP-3 system, which is more convenient than my HP laptop running Windows 7 Profesional. The XP only has PhotoShop 5.5.1, and this only exports animated GIFs, in lieu of movie clips.
Just on a chance, I checked out the capabilities of the PhotoShop CS 2.3 (PhotoShop 9.0.2) on my HP G72 laptop.
Ouch!!!!
Sure enough, I was able to convert the layered PhotoShop set of images directly into a QuickTime MOV format video clip, which I then imported directly into my PowerDirector project. The whole thing worked perfectly, quickly, and seamlessly. Took about 45 seconds for the entire process, from PhotoShop to PowerDirector. Whew!
I think the term I'm looking for is "spit for brains," or something very similar.
Thanks to all of you for your advice. And if any of you have a newer version of PhotoShop - that is, newer than version 5.5.1 - be advised that you can make videos directly from it, via the ImageReady facility.
Sorry to have taken up so much time!
rh
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I've looked into a dozen bitmap converters and haven't found a single one that will convert an animated GIF to a video format.
From what I've seen so far, my best bet will be to break out the individual images and import to PD as a folder. Here's how:
1 An animated GIF is created with ImageReady from a PhotoShop series of images that have been set up in a layer. (The images don't all exist as stand-alone PhotoShop pictures, but were tweaked and manipulated only after being brouight into the layer.)
2 I can use the Actions automation in PhotoShop to break out each layer as a separate PhotoShop image, then convert all of the images to GIFs.
3 After placing the now-separate GIFs into a specific folder, I can import the entire folder into my PowerDirector Timeline. And perhaps even save/export this particular Timeline as a *.pds Project, which I can later import into my final 4-minute video.
4 My questions now are these:
4A - Can the each of the GIFs within this folder - now a range of images on the Timeline - be given a specific duration of, say, .1 or .05 of a second each? (.05 would equal 20 FPS, .1 = 10 FPS, yes?)
4B And, if so, can I select the entire batch to appear for the same duration, or must I do them one at a time?
The above sounds a bit complex, but the automated Actions utility within PhotoShop will handle the most tedious part of the chore. Everything following that will simply be a matter of bundling the GIFs into a folder and importing into PD.
Wotcha think?
rh
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Thanks, Bare-head.
Not only "make a video pop," but cheap in regards to the amount of real-estate they take up.
Ah, well, back to the old drawing board (draughting bored?) at PhotoShop/ImageReady. Perhaps there's another mechanism that'll export my visual in a format that PowerDir recognizes.
rh
PS: Nice website, dude. Wotcha think of lastdaysoflasvegas.com? Not bad for a guy who doesn't do this for a living?
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Ouch! Here I am again!
I've used animated GIFs for websites, dropping them in via GoLive html pages. (Check out www.thelastdaysoflasvegas.com. The scrolling, erasing, self-correcting typewriter scroll is an animated GIF.)
I put together a nice little animated GIf for my video, imported it to my PowerDir timeline, and it just sits there. I click on the > arrow to get the movie to move, the animated GIF sits there - like an ol' hound dawg in the sun.
Does PowerDirector even recognize animated GIFs? If so, what do I have to do to get it moving? Give it a swift kick?
Thanks,
rh
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Thanks, guys. I solved it by using my bean, though, about 5 seconds after I posted the whine. Went to the Mad Corgie*'s tutorial on Titles and saw that I had to start a custom title first. And there it was, the little rascal.
rh
* Dafydd Bevan. If he got any more Welsh he'd be Llywelyn Griffin-Jones.
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Just got started with PowerDirector 11. Am very familiar with the Adobe Creative Suite; use PhotoShop, Illustrator, GoLive, and InDesign on a daily basis. But can't sort out the ins and outs of PowerDir.
Current problem is with Titles.
I open the Titles Room, and see in the manual (pg 143) that I can type in text. The printed manual tells me to click on the "Tt+" button to add text. But there's no "Tt+" button to be found. Hello?!
Very frustrating!
Anyone know where the little rascal is hiding?
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