Resolved? Resolved?

tomasc - I think you're onto something with your panorama comment. I've just replicated that: set up panorama with freeform keyframes & use only pan (no zoom) the freeform keyframes don't reset themselves.

Ooops - tried that a few times and it seemed to confirm it, then I somehow managed to create a bit of zoom (without previous keyframes being reset). I'll have to scratch deeper to find out what I actually did!

PDuser97031B - your screen capture shows the issue well.

Cheers - Tony
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I give up. This is why the over dozen trouble tickets I've opened have never come to fruition. Also why the about 2 dozen productivity/user improvements I've suggested over the years have never been implemented. Cyberlink is only interested in selling new product, not supporing their user base.

Ticket ID: CS002004806Related Product: PowerDirectorYou have one reply from the CyberLink Customer Support Team, at 2019/03/27 15:44Subject: Magic Motion not working as in PD152019/03/26 16:02

The video you requested to detail this issue has been posted at...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xo8hzby5o2v6adm/panzoomtest1_1.mp4?dl=0

Again, the issue is further detailed in this forum thread...
https://forum.cyberlink.com/forum/posts/list/78859.page

Why did you ask me for further information, and then close this ticket as resolved?

=================================================

Customer Support Response2019/03/27 15:44

Dear Roy,
Thank you for your reply.
In reference to your concern, please apply the following steps below and try to play again:
1. Check the minimum system requirements.
Make sure your system meets the minimum requirements for PowerDirector 17. Kindly check the link below:
https://www.cyberlink.com/support/product-faq-content.do?id=23374
2. Ensure your CyberLink PowerDirector 17 is up-to-date.
You can check software updates from here:
https://www.cyberlink.com/support/powerdirector-video-editing-software/patches_en_US.html
3. Update graphic card driver to the latest.
You can download latest driver from AMD / NVIDIA / Intel’s web site. If you have any problem with installing graphics card drivers, please contact your computer manufacturer or the manufacturer of the display and sound cards for latest drivers.
AMD: http://support.amd.com/en-us/download
NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
Intel’s website: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/
4. Check whether the installed drive has enough space on it. This is because large amount of memory space is required for buffering.
5. Run PowerDirector 17 while no other applications are running.
To maximize the available RAM and reduce the chance that another application conflicts with the application, close all open applications (including virus-protection utilities). Then restart your CyberLink program.
If your concerns still persist, kindly provide the following information below for us to analyze and diagnose your concern in a better manner:
1. DxDiag
To create the DxDiag.txt log file please follow the steps below:
1.1.Press the Windows key and type dxdiag in the search box.
1.2.Click on Dxdiag.exe.
1.3.You will see a green progress bar in the bottom-left of the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window while the program is gathering information.
1.4.When the progress bar disappears, it means your report is ready.
1.5.Click Save All Information.
1.6.Save the file to your desktop (make sure it is saving as a text file) and give it a name you will remember.
2. Full screenshot of the Product Version / SR Number
To get the Product version please follow the steps below
2.1. Launch CyberLink PowerDirector 17 software.
2.2. Click Logo of the software or the word of the software to see the Product Version.
Full screenshot
To take a full screenshot:
1. Press PrtScrn on the upper right side of the keyboard when you see the error message
2. Click on Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint or press Windows button, type the word Paint then click on the result to open the program.
3. Paste the screenshot (press Ctrl+V), then save the file in .jpg format.
Please feel free to contact us back for further clarification or assistance related to CyberLink Products. Use the link below to get back to us:
https://membership.cyberlink.com/support/service/technical-support.do
Thanks and Regards,
Julius
CyberLink Technical Support

Quote I give up. This is why the over dozen trouble tickets I've opened have never come to fruition. Also why the about 2 dozen productivity/user improvements I've suggested over the years have never been implemented. Cyberlink is only interested in selling new product, not supporing their user base.

You submitted a ticket on March 24, 2019. Received a response on March 26 and you responded with a screen capture video and the forum documentation, but they closed the ticket as resolved. You get another support response on March 27 giving you the runaround that you posted.

I believe that there are probably many other users that feel the same as you do about Cyberlink support as they get the same treatment. You should not give up. Maybe tell that Julius to escalate it until it is resolved to your satisfaction. It could take months. There are times that a contributor in this forum come up with innovative solutions and workarounds that solves the problem.

The YT video link you posted on March 25 is in 16:9 aspect ratio while the pan & zoom slideshow have a black border on the left and right. You probably did use the freeform.

See this attached video. The aspect ratio of the rectangle in freeform is set by the last keyframe used. The area in that freeform can change during the pan as you have found. See the attached screen recording. Using freeform I have black borders on the left and right side because of cropping to the last object.

In this stitch panorama the freeform keyframe aspect ratio was set by eyeballing a 16:9 setting. There are black bars on the left and right sides because of the small inaccuracy from eyeballing. None of the keyframes were changed after that. No zooms and only pans were used. The AR remained the same throughout.

In using freeform the AR is set by the last keyframe used. The area inside the keyframe is allowed to change. A continuous change in AR will default to the last change in AR.

This mean that freeform is useful when a different AR from the project AR is desired.

Ticket ID: CS002004806
Related Product: PowerDirector
Subject: Magic Motion not working as in PD15 2019/03/28 12:05
I have done steps 1-5 as requested. The problem shown in the video I provided still persists.
Attached are requested documents 1 & 2.
Please please please read the forum thread I previously provided to understand that this issue has been confirmed by at least two Senior Contributors, and fails on multiple machines (the problem is not on my computer). One of the Senior Contributors said that my video does a good job of demonstrating the problem.
I think it's time to raise this ticket to second level support.
Attachments: DxDiag.txt, PD17About.JPG
Subject: Magic Motion not working as in PD15 2019/03/26 16:02
Subject: Magic Motion not working as in PD15 2019/03/24 15:18

tomasc -

What you've posted makes sense, & it makes working with freeform keyframes in Motion Designer more predictable.

When using the freeform option in Pan & Zoom:

1. The aspect ratio can be set to any user preference but that AR will remain constant thoughout the motion


2. Panning & zooming are both possible, but only using that AR


3. Aspect ratio will be determined by the most recently set keyframe

What makes "sense" is that AR remains constant if you select 4:3, 16:9 or 9:16, so why wouldn't it if you select "Freeform"? Maybe it should be labelled "Restricted Freeform", "Sorta Freeform" or maybe "Enhanced Freeform"

But, PDuser97031B, I maintain what I posted earlier. The behaviour of freeform keyframes in Motion Designer is the same in PDR 17, 16 & 15.

Cheers - Tony
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Quote PDuser97031B, I maintain what I posted earlier. The behaviour of freeform keyframes in Motion Designer is the same in PDR 17, 16 & 15. Cheers - Tony

I take your word for it. Which makes the subject of this post misleading. Either I went from PD14 to PD17, or I didn't use freeform in PD15. Mea culpa.

In any case, the problem still exists -- in freeform, changing the size of any selection affects the aspect ratio of all the other keyframes. This makes freeform useless. If they don't want to fix the problem, they should just remove the freeform option. But I see how freeform could be useful/desirable.

Later...

I believe I'll modify my statement a little after much more playing and analyzing what's being done.

Quote From what I can see, I'll side with Tony on this one. From what I've been able to evaluate, PD15,16,17 all behave the same way with freeform. Basically, it appears it's never worked as a user would envision since introduced in PD15.

I said "never worked as a user would envision", however, seeing through their logic I believe it's correct and one way to do things. If I have time, I'll write something up, probably need a pdf and a few pics to walk through logic effectively. But basically, it’s how does one do freeform, constrained to an overall project frame size, and keep flow a no distortion between freeform shapes at various keyframes. As such, PD has to "resize" other freeform frames at the defined keyframes to correlate to the most constraining frame that was freeform defined to fit into the basic project frame size. That's basically why things resize as you note.

Jeff

PDuser97031B,

We just want to let you know that we brought your Customer Support ticket and this thread to the attention of our contacts at CyberLink.

First off, for the CS ticket we passed it to the headquarters and they are investigating. Thanks for sharing your experience. They are always looking at ways to improve the service.

For the freeform issue in the Motion Designer, PM has reported back that it is expected behavior and they are now looking at ways to update it in a future release so that it meets some users expectations.

In summary, as it stands, the box in the Motion Designer is the viewing canvas in the final video. Normally it is locked at 16:9 (for example), but for freeform you can customize the shape (aspect ratio) of the viewing canvas. If you could alter the viewing canvas aspect ratio mid video however, it could cause abnormal results in the final video if not done correctly.

Hopefully they can find an option or compromise in a future release so that users can use the feature more effectively.

Cheers
PowerDirector Moderator

For customer support related issues, please contact:
- Customer service: https://membership.cyberlink.com/support/customer-services.do
- Technical support: https://membership.cyberlink.com/support/service/technical-support.do

Quote PDuser97031B, We just want to let you know that we brought your Customer Support ticket and this thread to the attention of our contacts at CyberLink. First off, for the CS ticket we passed it to the headquarters and they are investigating. Thanks for sharing your experience. They are always looking at ways to improve the service. Cheers PowerDirector Moderator

THANKS!