Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - SlideShow XP five

1. SlideShow on a Mac?
2. Why am I not able to hear the music in my show (anymore)?
   
3. How can I edit multiple pictures, sounds and/or texts at the same time?
4. Why are the pictures in my show not shown anymore?
5. How can I edit a show which I burned on a CD/DVD?
6. How can I save presets/objects?
7. How can I add a video clip to my show?
8. Why isn't the music replayed correctly?
9. How can I replace a picture in my show with another one?
10. Why are my video clips not shown anymore after burning?
11. Why doesn't my uncompressed AVI file play without problems?
12. Why is the background music not synchronous?
13. Why is my show with a video not playing (the show simply ends)?
14. I want to convert my show into a video. What size will the video have?
15. Why do I get strange plugin error messages after updating the program?
16. What operating systems are supported by AquaSoft SlideShow?
17. I converted a show into a video. Why can't I hear the music in the video?
18. Are WMA files a problem when converting a show into a video?
19. What is a chapter object?
20. How can I use the collage object?
21. How can I animate pictures?
22. Why is my show not being played smoothly?
23. How can I use the CDA files on my audio cd as background music for my show?
24. Is there a limitation on how many pictures I can use for one show?
25. Is there a way to give each picture an individual presentation period?
    
26. How can a friend of me play a show without having the AquaSoft SlideShow himself?

SlideShow on a Mac?

AquaSoft SlideShow is a program for Microsoft Windows, so it works only on a pc with a Windows operating system, not one with MacOS. A way to use AquaSoft SlideShow on a Mac is to use a Windows emulator.

With the new Intel Macs there are now two ways to run the AquaSoft SlideShow:

1. Install a Windows operating system as a second operating system on your Mac and use Parallels Desktop to use it directly in your MacOS desktop.
2. Use CrossOver to directly install AquaSoft SlideShow under MacOS - you don't need a Windows operating system.

If you just want to present a show on a Mac, the easiest way is to convert the show to a video, which can then be played on a Mac without any problems.

Why am I not able to hear the music in my show (anymore)?

Please make sure that the speakers are on and not muted.

AquaSoft SlideShow is not able to play DRM protected files (which you get from iTunes, Napster or other online music stores).

If your problem is not solved, please contintue here.

How can I edit multiple pictures, sounds and/or texts at the same time?

An example:

If you want to change the font type and font size of several pictures (their description texts to be exact), just select these pictures in the object list or storyboard. You can select multiple images pressing the "Ctrl" key + mouse click.

After selecting the pictures you change the font size, type or any other property like you would do with just one picture. All changes are applied to the selected pictures. 

Why are the pictures in my show not shown anymore?

AquaSoft SlideShow does not store pictures (or sounds) itself. Only links to where your files are stored, so that the program is able to find them again.

If you move or delete these files the program is not able to find them anymore, because it only "knows" the old positions. If you didn't delete the files you can use the "Search for missing files" wizard to renew the links.

If you want to backup/archive your show with all the needed files (pictures, sounds, fonts, player) you should use the "CD/Archive Wizard". The wizard will copy all the files in a specified directory on your hard disk or burn it directly to a CD/DVD.

How can I edit a show which I burned on a CD/DVD?

If you burned the show with the "CD/Archive Wizard" there should be a directory called "Slideshow" on the CD/DVD containing the complete show. Just copy this directory on your hard disk and remove the write protection (right click on the directory - the one you copied to the hard disk - then choose "Properties" in the context menu and uncheck the checkbox for write protection).

Within the "Slideshow" directory you will find the SlideShow file (showname.ads). Open this file in your AquaSoft SlideShow program and edit your show.

If you burned your show with the "Video Wizard" you will not be able to edit the show, the same goes if you used the "CD/Archive Wizard" and used the "Protect images from access" function.

How can I save presets/objects?

If you want to save a part of a show for reuse, you just have to drag this part from the Object list in the Toolbox. You will then see a window where you can give this preset a name and description. If you want the pictures in the presets to be just placeholders (so when using this preset the user has to choose his own pictures) you don't have to change anything. If you want to keep the pictures as they are, just uncheck them in the list shown below the fields for name, description and so on.

It doesn't matter what you want to save, it can be a picture, text, sound, collage or even a whole chapter.

To use your stored preset you just have to drag it from the Toolbox (My Objects) to the Object list, Timeline or the Storyboard.

If you want to use such a preset for every new image (or sound or text) you add to your show, you have to right click on the preset (in the Toolbox) and choose "as standard for image files".

How can I add a video clip to my show?

To include a video into your show you have to use the video object, which you can find under the "Extra" tab in the Toolbox. Just drag it into the Object list, Timeline or Storyboard. The program will then ask you to choose the video file you want to add to the show.

You should be able to use all videos which can be played by your Windows Media Player. When converting your show to a video the videoclips you added to the show will be ignored.

Why isn't the music playing correctly?

If the music you use for your shows isn't being played correctly (e.g. you hear some clicking noises, have interruptions or the music isn't being played at all) you can do the following: Open the sound configuration under "Extras"->"Program Settings"->"Sound system". Uncheck "Find best output mode automatically" and select "Windows Multimedia". Press "OK" and restart the program.

How can I replace a picture in my show with another one?

To replace a picture you first have to select the picture you want to replace in the Object list, Timeline or Storyboard. In the Object settings you can then change the assigned picture to another one by clicking the file button (the one in the upper left corner with a directory icon on it).

Of course you can replace sounds the same way.

Why are my video clips not shown anymore after burning?

Video clips in your shows can only be displayed when playing the show on a pc (not as video). If you convert your show to a video (e.g. if you want to create a Video-DVD) all video clips in your show are ignored and therefore lost in the resulting video.

We are sorry, but currently there is no way to keep the video clips when converting a show to a video.

Why doesn't my uncompressed AVI file play without problems?

AVI files cannot be larger than 4GB, which is a technical limitation of this file type. If you create uncompressed AVI files you will get much bigger files with shows longer than a few minutes (with normal TV resolution you'll need about one gigabyte a minute).

If the video is not playing smoothly, your hard disk is simply not fast enough to read the data needed for playing the video in realtime.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to use a video codec like DivX or Xvid when creating AVI files. The videos will be much smaller this way.

Why is the background music not synchronous?

If you're experiencing problems with the background music, e.g. interruptions or asynchronus play, the reason could be your computer's sound drivers.

Especially the drivers for OnBoard sound chips are very often the reason for these kind of problems. You should therefore update your sound drivers to the current version (the current sound drivers should be available on the manufacturer's homepage). 

If this doesn't solve your problems continue here please. 

Why is my show with a video not playing (the show simply ends)?

If the first thing in your show is a video clip there is a possibility that it takes to long to start the video (especially when using large mpeg files) and the show stops.

To solve this problem you can use a "Place holder" object from the Toolbox, set it before the video with a time of a few seconds (usually one or two seconds are enough).

I want to convert my show into a video. What size will the video have?

You can see the size of your show for different video formats in the SlideShow statistics (SlideShow->Statistics).

Why do I get strange plugin error messages after updating the program?

After updating your program you might need to update your plugins as well (can be found in your customer area).

What operating systems are supported by AquaSoft SlideShow?

AquaSoft SlideShow runs under Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/2003/Vista.

Please continue here if you are a Mac user. 

I converted a show into a video. Why can't I hear the music in the video?

This problem can happen if you use wma files for your shows. To keep the music when converting your show into a video you have to install the Windows Media Player and update it to the most recent version.

WMA files cannot be used if they are DRM protected!

Are WMA files a problem when converting a show into a video?

Please read here.

What is a chapter object?

The chapter object is used to structure your show. Images in a chapter are displayed one after the other.

Of course you can use all other SlideShow objects as well, even other chapters or parallel objects. This way you are creating a kind of hierachy similar to the directory tree of the Windows Explorer. In this way you can get a much better overview of complex shows.

How can I use the collage object?

A collage object creates one image from a number of assigned images and texts. This means animations for the containing images are ignored, but the collage itself can be animated like a normal image.

An example of a collage with three pictures:

1. Drag the collage object from the Toolbox into the Object list (simple Drag and Drop)
2. Drag an "Image, Text, Sound"-object from the Toolbox directly on the collage in the Object list (you are at the right position when the collage gets marked with a blue background)
3. Repeat step 2 with two other pictures
4. Open the collage (in the Object list) by clicking on the plus symbol. The three pictures should be displayed as objects in the collage
5. Select picture 1 and use the Layout Designer to scale it down and position it
6. Repeat step 5 with the other pictures

This was just a small example, you can use an unlimited number of images and texts to create your own collages.

How can I animate pictures?

A small example:

1. Drag the "Image with Effects"-object into the Object list and assign a picture
2. Use the Layout Designer to scale down the picture
3. Move it to the start position of your animation - if the start position should be outside the visible area you have to zoom out a bit (click on the lens icon with the minus symbol in the Layout Designer)
4. Click on the icon for adding movement points to create a movement path - create more movement points for complex movement paths. Each movement point can be positioned individually. You can also give each movement point a time to define at which time of the animation the picture should be at the position of the movement point.
   

Why is my show not being played smoothly?

If you have problems playing a show (especially when it's not running smoothly), very often the resolution of the pictures is the problem. Pictures from digital cameras have a very high resolution, much higher than the resolution your screen is able to display.

To display them on your screen the software has to scale them down which costs a lot of resources and especially on older computers this function tends be the source for these kind of problems.

An easy way to solve it, is to scale the pictures down to the resolution of your screen. This reduces the processing load quite a bit. If you have a screen resolution of 1280x1024 (19" TFT) you should reduce the resolution of your pictures to this.

The conversion to pictures with a lower resolution can be easily done with AquaSoft Barbecue an integral part of AquaSoft SlideShow Studio. It allows you to edit, convert and rename an unlimited number of pictures in one go.

If the above instruction don't help to resolve the problem you should check your antivirus program and firewall. These kinds of programs check each file which is accessed by another program and so produce quite a lot of processing load. So it could help do deactive these programs while playing a show.

It is also very important to always use the most current drivers for your graphics card.

How can I use the CDA files on my audio cd as background music for my show?

The CDA files shown on an audio CD are not sound files. They just contain the information where to find the music on a CD.

To use music from an audio CD you have to use an audio grabbing program which copies the sounds to the hard disk and converts them to wave, mp3, wma or another sound format. There are a lot of programs you can use to do this. For example the Windows Media Player.

Is there a limitation on how many pictures I can use for one show?

There is no limitation on how many pictures, sounds or text you can use for a show. The only limitation is your RAM. The longer a show the more RAM is needed while editing the show.

If you really have problems with your RAM (should only happen if you have less then 1 GB RAM and a really long show) you can reduce the size of the thumbnail used by the program. You can configure the thumbnail resolution under "SlideShow"->"Slide Show Settings"->"Thumbnails".

Is there a way to give each picture an individual presentation period?

Yes of course. Just select a picture from the Object list, Timeline or Storyboard and click on the clock icon in the Object Settings and enter the time for this image (in seconds).

You can also apply a change to the display period to more pictures in one go. Just select them in the Object list and change the time like described above.

How can a friend of me play a show without having the AquaSoft SlideShow himself?

There are two ways to do this:

1. Use the "CD/Archive Wizard" to burn your complete show on a CD or DVD. The CD/DVD will start automatically as soon as put in a DVD or CD drive, there is no installation required to play the show. If the autostart feature is disabled, just open the drive in your Windows Explorer and double click on the file "start.exe".
2. Convert your show to a video and burn it to a CD/DVD. AquaSoft SlideShow is able to produce standard compliant DVD-Videos (and burn them of course) which can be played with nearly all DVD-Players.

Please note, that if you want to distribute shows commercially you are required to buy the distribution license for AquaSoft SlideShow.