What's New: -------------------------------------- For version 2.12, release date 14. Oct. 2004 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Added audio fading * Added lowering main channel volume while 2nd channel is playing * You can now edit multiple slides settings simultaneously * New aspect cropping feature * Added 16 new image formats. Photoshop PCD and Kodak Photo CD included * Now duplicate audio files will only be output once * You can now include audio in a HTML slide show. (Midi, Wave, MP3). Bugs Fixed: * Fixed a problem with previewing background image transition in the complex slide editor. It was not possible to see any animation if the image had no changes. * Fixed a problem with previewing background image. After preview, selection markers was visible even though they were not meant to * Fixed a problem with using go back to previous slide in the replayer when there is audio. * Fixed a problem with optimal preloading in replayer when using audio * Fixed a problem with outputting the slide show in some situations multiple times * Fixed a problem with empty text objects in the complex slide editor. Was causing very large memory consumption * Fixed a problem with empty image objects in the slide previewer * Fixed a problem with tiff files. If extension was .tiff they were displayed twice as thumbs * Fixed a problem with saving large jpeg files * There was a problem with previewing an image in the Edit Image Properties dialog * There was a problem with shifting from one branch in the folder tree sometimes. The Files view was not fully updated * Fixed a problem with auto text graphics rendering. If TV text was off, background was filled. Improvements of existing features: * An image object's graphics can now be cleared out * When using tiled background, stamping was on, this has been changed * Improved error handling when running into a mangled project file * Improved error handling in the replayer if anything goes wrong * Improved save image and print in replayer. Now user is asked whether text and images objects should also be included * You can now output directly to a CD drive if your drive supports it. -------------------------------------- For version 2.11, release date 11. Sept. 2003 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Use two separate audio channels effortlessly. ShowMaker can now use two audio channels, meaning you can play two audio pieces simultaneously and control this in a very simple and fast manner. * Display full EXIF information from jpeg and tiff files. * Display and edit IPTC file information. * Visual indication if a file is already used in the slide show currently open. A checkmark is displayed in the thumbnail to illustrate this. This makes it a lot easier to know which files to add from a collection. * Partial preview. When using “preview slide show”, a range of slides can now be selected and only those slides will be in the preview. This makes it easier to evaluate sections in a long slide show, especially when using audio in the show. Bugs Fixed: * Fixed a problem with outputting a very large slide show on windows 98 (e.g. 300 slides). * Fixed a problem with timeout on the first slide. If audio was started on that slide the timing was not accurate. * Fixed a problem with sometimes showing a white bar in the Adjust Image window. * Fixed a problem with solid/transparent issues on text objects. * Fixed a problem deleting objects in a complex slide. * Fixed a problem when starting on a CD-ROM drive with no CD-ROM inserted. * Fixed a problem with background color on some text objects. * Fixed a problem using transparent areas in image objects. * Fixed a problem with message about destination being used. The deepest folder was not included in the message. * Fixed a problem with using manual auto advance in the replayer when using "Show current folder as slide show". * Fixed: it was possible to use cut on the repository. Use Delete instead now. * Fixed a problem with project layout when loading more than 175 slides. Improvements of existing features: * Added possibility to use auto advance on HTML shows. * Now image itself can be clicked to advance to next slide in HTML shows. * Improved messages when using the HTML output option. * Improved the message given when a program for editing an image cannot be started. * Showing progress when using “Show current folder as slide show” (with Cancel button) * If the background is clicked all thumbnails are now deselected. Other: Known Bugs: -------------------------------------- For version 2.10.2, release date 27. May 2003 -------------------------------------- Bugs Fixed: * Fixed some GP's that was only showing on Windows 98 under certain circumstances * Fixed a problem with using the thumbnail cache on Windows 98 under certain circumstances -------------------------------------- For version 2.10.1, release date 19. May 2003 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Possibility to replace replayer splash image, when purchasing a special add-on license to the pro. version. Bugs Fixed: * There was a problem with loading icons for image files with same names as names from projects loaded previously. * There was an error when quitting the replayer. * There was a problem with loading thumbnails from the cache on certain older Windows versions. -------------------------------------- For version 2.10, release date 12. May 2003 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Added align objects feature using very powerful anchors idea to allow for a very flexible, dynamic aligning of object on complex slides. * Added “Preview Transition” window to ease selection of desired transition. You will find a button for this in several places throughout the program. * New very dedicated crop tool (Pro. version only). With unique features making it faster and easier to crop photos very precisely using a number of automatic magnifiers. Bugs Fixed: * Fixed: if the computer had no d: drive a message was displayed "please insert disk...". * Fixed: there was a problem with complex slides added. Was unable to find the image files. * Fixed: when an image slide with auto text was transformed to a complex slide the auto text object's font was not assigned correctly. * Fixed: sometimes a hand cursor was shown initially on the main screen. * Fixed: “complex slides” was not always made 'dirty' after editing them in the complex slide editor. * Fixed: was unable to run more than one instance at a time. Improvements of existing features: * If CD-ROM is selected as output destination, an error message is now displayed. * When clicking the [Run] button there is sometimes a long delay. Now a progress meter is displayed while preparing the Run operation. Other: * Start screen text is now hidden at the exact same time as the splash image. * Start screen text is now displayed for 15 seconds if set (or until clicked) (Pro. version only feature). Known Bugs: - GIF images are not working correctly in the editor in 256-color mode. - There is a problem with Tile in the slide preview window, when using embed - center is not initially set correctly. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.7, release date 24. October 2002 -------------------------------------- * Fixed a problem with previewing slide shows with files with jpeg extension instead of jpg extension. * Fixed on Windows 95/98/NT, replayer icon in toolbar was not hidden when replayer was finished. * Fixed a problem with Index Slides when using no background graphics. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.6, release date 17. October 2002 -------------------------------------- * Fixed a problem with scaling some images. Caused an access violation. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.5, release date 12. October 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: Improvements of existing features: * Start screen text is now hidden at the exact same time as the splash image. * Scaling down graphics in the replayer is improved with a new algorithm that ensures better images, especially with grainy images. * Scaling graphics up in the replayer is improved ensuring smooth up scaling, improving image quality when using enlarge-to-fit setting significantly. * Replayer made more responsive when working on scaling large images. Bugs Fixed: * Run current folder as slide show did not work. An error message was shown. * Fixed a problem when scaling complex slides up to fit screen size - background image was not scaled. Other: * Start screen text is now displayed for 15 seconds if set (or until clicked). -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.4, release date 27. September 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: Improvements of existing features: * Added functionality to set all slides transitions inherited (Pro. version only) * Added functionality to set all slides auto advance settings inherited (Pro. version only) Bugs Fixed: * Fixed a problem with playing MP3 on some Windows versions. * Fixed a problem with displaying the correct transition after Inherit checkbox was set checked. (Pro. version only) * Fixed, Standard version: transition settings from Project Settings are now used as default value for individual slides. * Fixed, when using menus, the first slide after the menu was not included. * Fixed a problem with project getting 'dirty' when using Run. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.3, release date 4. September 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: Improvements of existing features: Bugs Fixed: * Fixed a problem with default frame size set to 0*0 and thus causing other problems. * Removed a memory leak. * Fixed, when replayer was started from within the editor it needed two clicks on last slide to exit. * Fixed a problem with project being set as modified when entering Edit Project Settings. * Fixed a problem with complex slides created based on index slides, when being moved around in the slide show. Indexes were not correctly recalculated. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.2, release date 27. August 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: Bugs Fixed: * Fixed problem with frame color. * Fixed a problem with playing audio multiple times in a slide show. Improvements of existing features: * Less flickering when starting replayer. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9.1, release date 20. August 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Prevent graphic change - controlled by a check box. Pro. version only. Output will be unaltered copies of original files. This way original compression of jpeg files is kept. Bugs Fixed: * Fixed a problem with Edit Project Settings window. * Fixed a problem with outputting as html. * Fixed a problem when there was no audio device installed in the computer. Improvements of existing features: * Better timing in replayer when using audio. -------------------------------------- For version 2.9, release date 14. August 2002 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Add your own copyright image to all slides automatically (Pro. version only). Optionally control layout and set variable transparency or use a variable transparency mask. * Project window layout with configurable number of rows - just adjust the number of columns in preferences. * Displays slide number on thumbnails in project. * Hide browser windows so only the project window is visible (aligned to fit the screen). * Replayer now displays a "Loading..." text while loading project file. * Cancel the output at any point. Just click the cancel button in the progress dialog and you can change a setting and go again. * Move files in a project and the next time you open the project, ShowMaker will prompt you for a new location when it cannot find the media files. * Pause the replayer via the popup menu or press the P key. * The same 'random' sequence, of randomly selected transitions, is used each time. The sequence number is editable. This means that the slide show will look the same each time you run it, until you click [New]. * Print a slide in the replayer. * Save slide image from replayer * Optionally disable ability to print and save image in replayer. * Specify the number of digits to be used in filenames for output * "Delete File" functionality added to slide show window. If used this will not only delete the slide from the project, but also the associated file. * From the slide preview window, you can now delete the file displayed. * Slide preview window now shows the filename for a short moment in a hint box. Bugs Fixed: * Transition display text was not updated when a new transition group was selected. * When adding more than ~270 slides to a project there where problems with lay outing the thumbnails. * When transforming an index/menu slide to a complex slide there was a problem outputting the slide show. * When auto text was used and a caption was blank, there was a problem. * There was a problem with the preview window if images were B/W jpeg format. * There was a problem with audio play lists. Second slide started second audio even if this was in a play list. * Multiple sounds did not start after each other on Windows XP. * When Single-file option was used for an auto run CD, it did not work. * Thumbnails did not display actual new image because of caching if a file was replaced. * Slide preview: When shifting mode to floating window, then stepping back/forward there was a bug. * Tile in slide preview window fixed Improvements of existing features: * Smaller memory usage * Final slide show project file size cut in half * Slide show project file load time is improved 10 times! * Now double clicking on a thumbnails caption displays the Edit Settings window so e.g. caption can be changed more easily. * Order by can now order by numbers embedded in filenames (in 2 levels). * Now there is a link between auto text object and signature, so if you convert an image slide to a complex slide while having auto text on, the resulting text object is linked to the signature of the complex slide. If you change one the other will than also change. * Replayer structure changed to fix some strange bugs that did occur occasionally. * Drag and drop while multi-selection improved. * Better synchronization between selected thumb in the slide preview window and main window. * Repository: Thumbnail functionality is now made available through the popup menu. * Slide caption is now not changed to the filename when manually set to empty at load time. Other: * Added different speed blending transitions * JPEG quality setting made higher (20%) * Default thumbnail ordering set to 'by Date Modified' instead of 'None'. -------------------------------------- For version 2.8.1, release date 24. November 2001 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * None - this is a minor bug fix release. Bugs Fixed: * Time out settings were not correctly set up when using copy/paste to insert nodes from Files tab. * Replayer: If the delay set for a slide was bigger than the delay specified for the slide show then the delay from the slide show in general was used. * Settings for time out were not used correctly. * There was a problem with transitions after save/load. 'Inherit' was gone after loading. * Complex Slides added to the repository appeared to be Image Slides. * Replayer: Clicking on a particular thumbnail in a Thumbnail Menu did not take you to that specific slide. Improvements of existing features: * Changed behavior when using Adjust Picture during evaluation period. Now this must be manually enabled via configuration file in order to prevent anyone from having pictures damaged by trial text. * Synchronization between slides was timed exclusive transitions. Now you can set the project to time inclusive transitions so you can time slides and audio together. * Now Add to Repository can handle multiple slides selected. Other: * Auto run is now default checked for CD-ROM output. * Trial usage info. was broken. -------------------------------------- For version 2.8, release date 17. September 2001 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Lot and lots of new transitions (>150) including blend! * Transition groups help choose transitions * Optionally single file output as exe file * Add MP3 music * Adjust image files easily (ShowMaker Pro only): brightness, contrast, gamma, rotate, flip, convert to gray, convert to negative, sharpen & smooth. * Variable text transparency on text objects * Replayer: now shows a busy cursor when showing transition, but only if the user is moving the mouse * New additional method to add audio * Main window's layout is now saved automatically when you close the program. * Added "Select All" menu item in Edit menu, to select all thumbnails in the active window * Popup menu in replayer to help ease of use * Improved speed * Paste images from clipboard directly into slide show * Set "dual view mode" in preview window to have current and previous image shown simultaneously, making it easier to compare and select images (ShowMaker Pro only) * Specify a background color and a frame color for the slide show. * Add more than one audio (midi, wave, mp3) before a slide and they will be added to a play list and played one after one during the slide show or until another set of audio/slide is reached. Improvements of existing features: * Even smoother transitions * Manually change auto advance feature in replayer * Faster loading of very large slide shows (10-30%) * Improved look/usability of Edit Image/Text Object windows * Better handling of 'solid' objects * Better handling of transparent objects * Less visible ShowMaker logo in pictures output in Standard version. A small "I" sign added instead. * View menu can now control project window visibility Other: * Replayer file size is now larger. -------------------------------------- For version 2.7, release date 27. April 2001 -------------------------------------- Added Features: * Auto text greatly improved. You can control many useful settings and e.g. make a transparent background behind the text. * Sort thumbnails in Files window on file name, type, size, date created & date modified. * Possible to undo every change to the current project. * Enlarge and shrink Image Slide to "fit user's screen" option added to project settings. * Lots of new features in Change Windows Wallpaper window. * Create new folders. * Image thumbnails in some dialogs e.g. "Change Windows Wallpaper" window now contains a view button to show them full screen in the viewer. * It's now possible to set Time Out settings individually for each slide or inherit from the project's settings (default). (Pro. version feature only.) * Auto scroll in the project when dragging slides (position the mouse pointer to one of the ends of the slide show and the scrollbars will move). * Displays in the status bar how many slides there are in the slide show. * Added "Retain original file names if possible" in the Output window to allow keeping your own file names in the final slide show. Improvements of existing features: * Improved "save as converted" and "save as image". * Multi-select drag and drop within project and from Files tab to project. * Reopen menu command: lists files in a submenu and has methods to clear all items or dead links. * Scaling graphics to a max size when output is now default on, and the max size is set to the project's frame size. * Viewer user interface improved. * Project menu improved. * View Explorer Folder now works better. * Improved resource usage in thumbnails. * Improved cache timing. Thumbs loads even quicker. * Improved 256-color mode handling. -------------------------------------- For version 2.6, release date 3. Sept. 2000 -------------------------------------- Added features: * Include "Caption" in slides. Enable via "Project -> Edit Settings". After this the captions will be shown in slide shows in the top of each slide. Improvements of existing features: * Inherited frame size. * Checks for existing project during "Save as". * Fixed some problems when using the menu for adding thumbnails. * Centers complex slides in viewer if they can fit in the screen size * Smoother wipes * Replayer: escape enabled during splash screen period. * Replayer: plays midi files and waves without showing a window when there's only one in a row. If more than one, a small window with filename is displayed. * Resizing is performed in very high quality with new routine implemented. * Changed default frame size to 800*600 * Changed default frame background color to black -------------------------------------- For version 2.5, release date 18. Feb. 2000 -------------------------------------- Added features: * Added support for waves. * Include sound in stand-alone slide shows * Support for splash notice in replayer (pro version only) Improvements of existing features: * Optimized load/save routines Misc.: -------------------------------------- For version 2.4, release date 09.09.99 -------------------------------------- Added features: * Control Menu Thumbnail layout * WYSIWYG thumbnails on complex slides * Added scaling functionality (%, min, max size, add border) * New tool buttons * Made robust for missing files in Complex Slide objects * MRU support * Improved help + implemented HTML Help * Tool to empty thumbnail cache * Don't show again dialogs * More robust when there's bad images/load errors * Choose between 4 different thumbnail looks * Option to set a specific wipe for each slide * Alternate 'help' texts on button in html navigator. Improvements of existing features: * Reduced use of system resources * Improved progress dialog when outputting * Improved image load speed and browse speed Misc.: * Lowered prices (10$ for Std. version, 50$ for Pro version) -------------------------------------- For version 2.3, release date 25.05.99 -------------------------------------- Added features: * Include slide name in menus under each thumbnail (HTML only). * Previous Light version is now "Standard version" and includes the ability to output slideshows for private non-profit use. A small icon is stamped into each picture. * Use midi in slideshow for disk. --------------------------------- For version 2.2 --------------------------------- Added features: * New "complex slide" slide type. Add images and text on a background and build up a complex slide. Set individual wipes on each element, and much more. * Opens last project automatically (controlled by option in preferences), or automatically create a new project at start up (controlled by option in preferences). * Progress indicator when loading graphic. * Saves some options from output dialog, from time to time. * Fixes changed project locations. Just move your project to another location and relative paths are fixed next time it's loaded. --------------------------------- For version 2.1 --------------------------------- Added features: * Create thumbnails menu. * Very improved thumbnail-viewer. Browse, zoom, heaps of options ++. * Faster loading. * Support for more graphic formats: DIB Bitmap JIF JPEG (JFIF Compliant) PBM Portable Bitmap PCX Paintbrush PGM Portable Graymap PNG Portable Network Graphics PPM Portable Pixelmap RLE Bitmap Windows RLE TGA Truevision Targa TIFF Tagged Image File Format * MIDI files shows up in browser panel. Can play and stop, but not add to shows. * Remembers old position and window-state. * Easier to add to slideshow. * Set windows wallpaper can now use other formats than bitmap (then images are converted). * Improved toolbar. * Repository used to hold shortcuts to thumbnails permanently. * Major changes in replayer. Support for menus, JPEG, threaded loading (multitasking). * Changes in HTML output. * Major change in user interface regarding slideshow options. * More, more and more. ***************************************************************************************** Known bugs: * The font dialog will initially display a white color as black! When ok is clicked the color is still white unless you select another color. * Enlarge transitions sometimes is painted with white background