Chapter 10: Build multimedia slideshows

[10.1]

The Exhibit Log in Family Tree SuperTools contains all of the multi-media attachments (e.g., images, sound, and text transcripts) that were imported to the project.

You can sort, filter, and view those "exhibits" in various ways. As described in an earlier chapter, you can also build charts which include images of people from the Exhibit Log.

[10.2]

You can also use those images to build a "slideshow."

A slideshow is an entertaining way to present your research to other people. It is a multimedia presentation made up of a series of individual "frames." Those frames may have accompanying text or audio narrative and they are presented in sequence in order to tell a story.

[10.3]

Each frame of a slideshow can show an image (with or without a caption), an audio clip, a video, or the contents of a text file.

This screen shot uses a simple ancestor chart (also produced in Family Tree SuperTools) as a visual aid in the slideshow.

[10.4]

The Slideshow Manager provides the environment in which you plan, construct, and modify slideshows as a sort of "storyboard."

A thumbnail of each frame is shown in the Slideshow Manager. You can drag and drop the frames with the mouse in order to change their sequence.

Right-click on a frame in order to modify the Frame Properties.

[10.5]

The Properties screen itemizes all of the characteristics of a single frame, including the duration for which it is visible in the slideshow.

The duration of each frame can be controlled independently.

[10.6]

You can also choose from a long list of special effects which can be used to transition between frames.

The live action of the transition effects (e.g., slide, wipe, drip, push, zoom, etc.) adds a professional flair and makes the slideshow more entertaining.

[10.7]

The description of the frame can optionally be used as a caption on the slideshow.

Here, we have also specified a different font and a background color for the frame.

[10.8]

This image frame can also have accompanying audio in order to provide narration or background music.

Using the tools on the Audio tab, you can choose an entire audio file or select a fragment of it to be played with the frame.

If the selected audio is longer than the duration specified for the frame, you can have it continue into the next frame. In this way, you can have a single file provide uninterrupted narration or music across multiple frames of the slideshow.

[10.9]

Here is a preview of the finished frame.

(The audio is not enabled in this guided tour.)

[10.10]

You can also add frames to show a movie/video with embedded sound. Just as with audio, you can show the whole movie or a selected fragment.

When the movie or fragment has completed, the slideshow proceeds to the next frame.

[10.11]

In this screen shot, we have simply dragged a group of images from the Windows Explorer and dropped it into the Slideshow Manager to add a frame for each of those images. We would typically then modify their characteristics, intersperse other text or video frames, and add narration and/or music.

Notice that the fields in the top-right corner have been customized in order to fit more thumbnails on the screen at the same time.

The navigation bar at the bottom lets you move through the frames of the slideshow. Just above the navigation bar and on the right is a series of numbers that represent the selected frame (4), the range of frames that is visible (1-28), and the total number of frames in the slideshow (172). It also indicates that the selected frame represents a video.

[10.12]

You can <Play> the slideshow in full screen or windowed mode and specify whether it is self-running or requires keystrokes by the viewer in order to progress through the frames. A "loop" option allows the slideshow to run continuously.

Click on the <Save> button on the Slideshow Manager in order to save the slideshow with a name that you specify.

[10.13]

You can later load the slideshow in order to play or modify it.

You can save any number of independent slideshows and easily switch between them.

[10.14]

When your slideshow is complete, you can Export it to a folder on your hard drive. You can then copy it to a CD-ROM (or other high-capacity media) and freely distribute it to relatives with the included Slideshow Viewer.