Changing photo durations

terrypin wrote on 9/17/2019, 5:26 AM

I'm looking for an alternative way to change the duration of an image, instead of the usual Right-click > Change Photo Length. I thought what I call the 'duration box' (db) top right above the timeline offered one. But its behaviour is puzzling, at least here in MEPP 2016 or 2017.

Take this example. On the timeline in track #1 I have a photo of length 4s , my default. Its length in the dialog Display duration for the current object is shown as 00:04:00. The db displays 4s.

Clicking in the db on the RH side changes its display to 0.00.

Then typing 2.2 (or 2.20) and Enter apparently sets the duration of the object to the shorter value. But this proves to be an illusion.

If the reduced object's normal dialog 'Display duration...' is now opened via Right-click > Change Photo Length (or, more quickly, by left clicking the circular icon to the right of the db), it shows the expected value of 00:05:12. (Note: my project frame rate is usually 25 fps). But db now shows 2s instead of 2.5s, losing the decimal point.

However the main puzzle is that if Cancel is now pressed in 'Display duration...', then the object's duration visibly jumps back to its original length. That happens if any object's 'Display duration...' dialog is opened and Cancel clicked immediately to close it.

Is the behaviour the same in more recent versions of MEP?

Any suggestions on how to best use the db would be appreciated please.

Comments

browj2 wrote on 9/17/2019, 7:28 AM

Hi Terry,

I had never used this to change the length of a photo. In fact, I never even noticed the box.

It does the same thing in MEP2019. Pressing on Cancel in the Change length dialogue box immediately after changing the duration in the db causes the length to go back to the previous length, not the original length. Did you check this?

I would suggest not clicking on Cancel in the dialogue. If you click on OK, then the duration does not jump back.

John CB

terrypin wrote on 9/17/2019, 9:03 AM

Hi John,

Thanks, that does the job, although it means breaking a well-ingrained habit. Hours or days after making the change with the db I could be working anywhere, open any image to consider its length, decide to leave it unchanged, but must now remember to click OK instead of the intuitive Cancel!

Another kludgy workaround I came up with meanwhile is to immediately copy/paste the 'apparently reduced' images to somewhere convenient and replace the originals. They are then impervious to the problem.

In my case there could be many scores or even occasionally hundreds changed at one time. I've just written a macro to do it because until now I've always had to reduce every image' s duration individually after the Slideshow Wizard has done his stuff. He extends many of my 3-4s photos to 7-8s or more, a tad too long for me.

johnebaker wrote on 9/17/2019, 9:52 AM

@terrypin

I do this a different way - selecting the images I want to change the length of by:

- if consecutive select first then Shift click last

- if not consecutive, select first then Ctrl + click to add required images to selection.

Once all selected, right click one of the selected images, select Change photo length, adjust length, OK and acknowledge next dialog clicking Change all selected.

My default length is 5 secs allowing for a 1 sec transition at each end and 3 secs viewing - not too fast or too slow for my taste.

HTH

John EB

terrypin wrote on 9/17/2019, 10:42 AM

Hi John,

The key difference in my approach with 'post-wizard' images is that I don't change them all to a fixed duration, but take a 'judgement' depending on their original length. Initially my macro is applying a user-settable percentage (typically 50%-90%), but I'll be making it more complex.

As you know, it gets a bit tricky if you've used the Multi-image Effects option, which delivers a slideshow containing collages, with objects on higher-numbered tracks. In those cases it's usually back to plain manual adjustments.

Of course, I could avoid the issue altogether by taking more videos and fewer photos!

Kalenser wrote on 3/21/2021, 8:05 AM

Hi All. I am using MMEP 2020 I cam across with a similar problem. I tried to change photo duration to 2:60 but the only way it seems I can do it is with the mouse. No matter if I try individual menu (right click) for each photo or select few of them and use the clock icon that opens the duration dialog box, the result is the same: as soon as I move the cursor to OK or to tick APPLY TO THE RANGE buttons - the length number jumps back to 4:10.

Any recommendations please?

Sergey

browj2 wrote on 3/21/2021, 8:19 AM

@Kalenser

Hi,

You need to read the manual (or watch my tutorials) as this is basic to understanding how a video editor works. The counter is in mm:ss:frames, not fractions of a second, but frames. Your project is most likely set up for 25 frames/second. When you put 2:60 into the box, you are saying that you want the duration to be 2 seconds plus 60 frames. 60 frames = 2 seconds 10 frames (25+25+10), so the counter automatically changes to 4s10 (2s + 2s +10 frames). You cannot have more than 24 in the frames counter because 25 frames is 1 second.

John CB