Using Video as a Background Layer in ProShow

Video clips can not only be the stars of your show, but can also serve as great background layers to make your still photos pop! In this video, you’ll learn how to use a video clip as a background layer in both ProShow Gold and ProShow Producer. Don’t have ProShow? Download a free 30-day trial and follow along!

Beauty Box Photo App: Instant Digital Makeup for Portraits

Our friends at Digital Anarchy recently turned us on to their new Beauty Box Photo app for iPhone and iPad. We’ve long been fans of their arsenal of plug-ins for Photoshop, Premiere and Final Cut, so when we heard they had a free app, we had to check it out!

If you’re looking for a great app for touching up portraits on-the-go, check out Beauty Box Photo. It features many of the powerful effects found in their Beauty Box plug-in for Photoshop, but in the palm of your hand (and it’s free!).

Just select one of the 37 presets, and the Digital Makeup technology automatically identifies skin tones, lighting and coloration to apply the level of smoothing you request and beautifies your photo. Some presets are more subtle and natural while others can get pretty creative.

If you enjoy the app, remember this is just a taste of what can be done with Beauty Box. For photographers there’s a Photoshop and Aperture version and if you do video, it’s available for Adobe, Apple, Avid, and Sony video editing applications, allowing you do to automatic retouching on video. (The video plug-in is used by NBC, Universal Music, E! Entertainment, Home Shopping Network and many others!)

Free Mother’s Day Slideshow Effects for ProShow

Few things are as sure to please a lady on Mother’s Day as flowers, a hug and some good memories. Whether she goes by Mama, Wife, Grandma or Nana, you are guaranteed to make her day extra special with a surprise photo slideshow made with ProShow. Just drop in your favorite family photos into ProShow, add a song she’ll love, then create! Use the ‘Bloom’ instant slideshow effects (available for free download or as a theme in ProShow Web) to make it gorgeous!

Watch the Bloom Effects in Action:

Download Free Effects: Bloom

Inspired by the feminine nature of garden and earth, and honoring both the beauty of the present and past, the ‘Bloom’ effects are perfect for Mother’s Day slideshows, as well as nature and portrait photography. Compatible with ProShow Producer 5, ProShow Gold 5, and ProShow Web.

Download the free ‘Bloom’ effects (.zip) >
ProShow Web users will be able to use these effects as part of the new theme, ‘Bloom.’

To Use Your New ‘Bloom’ Effects:
You’ll need to manually install your new effects into ProShow Producer or ProShow Gold. Once installed they’ll show up like all your other slide styles and transitions. Need help with manually installing? Read this how-to article on installing & managing FX in ProShow 5.
 

Like the Effects Used in the Demo?

Many of the transitions and slide styles featured in the demo were sampled from our popular Transition Pack 2 and StylePacks 4 & 5. To see the full selection of instant add-on effects, check out our Effects Packs for just $19.95 >

Want more Inspiration for Mother’s Day?

Check out our Mother’s Day Photo Projects board on Pinterest for more fun DIY gift ideas, crafts and photo projects.

Show of the Week: Tara Paul Photography Portfolio

Video slideshow created in ProShow Producer.

This week’s spotlighted slideshow comes from Tara Paul Photography. We love the demo reel she put together in ProShow Producer to promote her photography studio! Watch the video and read more about Tara below.

“I’m a Mom of two beautiful grown children. I started photography as a hobby and have since had the pleasure of working with wonderful families, capturing their memories through photos. I’m a natural light and on-location photographer who specializes in Child, Engagement, Family, Maternity, Newborn, Senior and Weddings within the Columbia, SC area. It is also my pleasure to capture everlasting memories and to offer free sessions to families who have children with life threatening illnesses.

In addition to my photography, I offer customized storytelling keepsakes through video slideshows in a variety of formats. Everything from Anniversary, Baby, Birthday, Class Reunions, Corporate, Engagement, Father’s Day, Graduation, Holidays, Mother’s Day, Sports Events, Tributes/Memorials, Valentine’s Day, Weddings and Worship slideshows. My most popular to date have been Graduation, Tributes/Memorials, Holidays and Weddings. I’ve always loved photography and having the ability to create an everlasting heirloom for families through a slideshow that they will cherish forever. It’s a priceless gift that compares to no other. ProShow has given me that opportunity to give to my clients and my own family!”

- Tara Paul

ProShow Video Importing Basics

ProShow Gold, ProShow Producer and ProShow Web support a wide array of video formats, as you can see from this list for Gold + Producer and this list for ProShow Web. Almost everything from 3GP to MPEG-4 can be dropped directly into a show, or added through the Wizard, without installing any additional software. It really makes working with video in ProShow a snap. An internal video decoding engine, leveraged against locally installed codecs, allows ProShow to greatly simplify the process of using videos in a slideshow.

Adding a video to a show is as easy as adding an image, albeit with a bit of additional overhead. Processing all that frame data takes time after all, especially with large or complex videos, so it’s important to remain patient. To keep on top of an import process, look to the progress meter located just under the File List. When that green bar disappears your video import is done. At that point you’re ready for playback and any additional editing you may want to apply.

Should you run into a video that ProShow cannot immediately import, here are some tips that may just save the day.

1. Start by making sure ProShow is operating as expected. A good way to do this is to re-import videos you’ve previously used in ProShow. If ‘known good’ videos can still be imported properly then it’s a safe bet ProShow is working as intended and you can move onto other tests.
2. Check the problematic video in other applications. If that video cannot be viewed in something like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or VLC (a great little player) then the file might actually be corrupt. Try getting a new copy of the video file from its original source to rule out possible file transfer issues.
3. Toggle the “Video Importing” option, located under the Playback section of the Preferences dialog within ProShow. This option controls the internal video decoding engine and should generally remain enabled. However, in some cases it’s necessary to disable this option so that ProShow is forced to use only locally installed codecs. If you’re unable to import any videos into ProShow with this “Video Importing” option in either state, it might be time to reboot your system or even look into reinstalling ProShow.
4. Try importing other videos that use the same codec to see if the problematic video is an isolated case. There are a variety of programs out there that can tell you exactly what codec a given video is using. I prefer the lightweight application MediaInfo. When in doubt, look at videos from the same source (camera, video editor, etc.) to locate something with a matching codec. If other videos using the same codec can be imported properly, then you know ProShow has access to the necessary codec, which is most often the case.
5. When all else fails consider re-encoding the problematic video to a standard format like MPEG-4, WMV, or something of that nature. Your favorite video conversion program should have plenty of options. It may even have the ability to rewrite just the video container, leaving the video data itself untouched. This type of conversion is a bit more advanced and doesn’t always resolve the problem. However, it’s also a lot faster and avoids the generational quality loss associated with re-encoding.

The one thing you don’t want to do when trying to resolve a video import problem is install a codec pack. This may seem like a great idea but it rarely helps and often leads to more trouble. Focus on the individual video causing the problem, rather than attempting system-wide changes that could have unforeseen results.

You may never run into a video that ProShow doesn’t like, but if you do just remember to stay calm and take it one step at a time. There is a solution out there for every problem. And don’t forget, we’re always here to help! Give us a ring or email 7-days a week! 1-800-377-4686 or email us.

Learn more about using video clips in your ProShow slideshows here >>

Getting Started with ProShow: 6 Great Tips for Beginners

Just getting started with ProShow Gold or ProShow Producer? We rounded up some of the most frequently asked questions by newbies and provided some helpful answers. Check out these 6 great tips to help you make the most of using the software.

1. Using the Wizard: If you’re new to ProShow, using the Wizard is an easy and quick way to get a slideshow created in just a few minutes. You simply add your photos, video clips, text and soundtrack, then pick a theme, set an energy level and the wizard will automatically generate your slideshow. In seconds you’ll have a finished slideshow preview that you can watch back. Once the wizard is done, you can go to the main interface and tweak any setting to make your slideshow uniquely yours.

2. Adding Multiple Layers to One Slide: Want to add more than one photo or video to a slide? It’s easy! Locate your content in the Folder List and hit CTRL on your keyboard while dragging and dropping your content on top of an existing slide. You’ll see the slide highlights as you add the additional layer. Once the second layer is added, double-click on the slide to bring up Slide Options. This is where you can adjust the layout of your slide, add effects and more.

3. Importing Audio: ProShow accepts a number of different audio formats including MP3, OGG Vorbis, QuickTime and WMA. You can also pull a track from a CD to use in your show by going to Audio > ‘Save music from CD’.

4. Slide Timing is Based in Seconds: When you first drop content into your show, you’ll notice that each slide has a ’3.0′ slide time and each transition has a ’3.0′ transition time. These are ProShow’s default times but you can change how long a slide appears on the screen or how long a transition lasts by clicking on the number and changing it. The timing is based in seconds, so simply type in your new time and hit enter.

5. Using Slide Styles: Both ProShow Gold and Producer have hundreds of built-in slide styles. Slide styles are pre-made animations and effects you can apply to any slide in your show. In the Slide Options dialog, navigate to the Slide Styles area. Here you can preview any effect and apply it to a slide. HINT: You’ll see numbers to the right of each slide style. These indicate how many ‘layers’ are needed for the particular effect you have selected. A slide style with a ’3′ next to it requires 3 layers (photo or video). So make sure you have 3 pieces of content in that slide when you apply the effect.

6. Avoid ‘Missing Files’ by Backing Up Shows: When you create a slideshow in ProShow, you’re most likely adding photos, video clips and audio files that are spread out all over your computer. ProShow makes a note where that original file is stored and references it each time you open your show. If you move any of those files, ProShow won’t be able to find them and you may get a ‘Missing Files’ notification. An easy way to avoid this is to use the Collect Show File’s feature each time you make a show (Tools> Collect Show Files). This copies all your content into one location for safe keeping.

Have a tip you’d like to share with other Proshow users? Leave a comment below.

Using Square Photos and Slide Backgrounds in Producer

Check out this great video on how to best use square photos and slide backgrounds in ProShow Producer by David Rowley of davro-digital.com. David’s site offers helpful training on ProShow and other software titles like Photoshop and Lightroom. Visit http://davro-digital.com/ to learn more.