Richard I have a request.
Do you think you could find the time to write an action for me?
What I want is to be able to use Gaussian blur on a folder of photos.
The reason.
I use Pinnacle studio 8, for video, it’s ok. However, I also want to use it to make slide shows of my digital photos. The problem I have is the photos flicker or shimmer on my TV.
I have however found the way to stop the flicker and that is to use Gaussian blur on them all.
I’m sure others will find this useful. I would like to be able to set the amount of blur my self or have a choice, as in the sharpening actions.
The amounts I recon would be useful is .5 percent, 1 percent, 1.5 percent and two percent, the amount I use is 1.5 percent others people have different TVs and would welcome the choice.
I find the actions you provided to automate levels and contrast and change them to a TIFF file at the same time just the ticket, I then alter individual photos if needed then use the action to sharpen them and change them back to JPEG.
I believe slide show software that has an antiflicker filter do it with Gaussian blur.
This way you can pick the right amount for you and have more control of the sound track.
One other thing for those interested only use pinnacle to make a AVI file, have TMPGEnc to make it into a mpeg 2 file, then use the authoring software made by the same company TMPGEnc to author and burn the disc.
The quality doing it with pinnacle is dire, the way I just said really good.
Richard the actions are worth the price of the book, although the book is good to.
Hope you can spare the time.
Thanks.

I hesitate to do a batch Blur because I am wondering if it is your best solution? At the same time, I have just thought of a solution that will work for you...allowing you to set up any filter with whatever parameters you want to run in batch. If you can convince me about blur, I'll add that, but either way you'll get a solution. You have to take the extra 15 seconds to to set the other one up is all.

Is there a way you can describe the 'shimmer'? I'd be curious to see if I can think of a better solution that fudging detail.

Richard you asked me to describe what the flicker is like, if you have not tried making a slide show to show on TV, the only way I can think to describe it is.
Can you remember when a TV presenter had a jacket on with a check design, the lines on the jacket would shimmer and sort of judder, they are more careful what they wear these days.

As I said in my first message, 1.5 Gaussian blur cures the problem, and when shown on TV is good.

You asked me to convince you that slideshows use Gaussian blur as an anti-flicker filter.
Well unless you try it yourself that’s going to be difficult. However, ask yourself how can an anti-flicker filter be programmed into a slideshow that can control the TV, I say it can’t

I rest my case.

What you said about making an action that takes 15 seconds extra well I don’t mind that.
And it would be really good if you could think of a better way of doing it.

I’m surprised no one else in this forum as responded. Probably think I’m of my chump or don’t have flicker. Or even perhaps have built in Gaussian blur in their lens! Just joking.

Thanks for taking the time to replying.
Ralph.

Ralph, I let Richard handle most of the posts that relate to his book/tools on Photoshop Elements, I do not use Photoshop Elements but I know it is similar in many respects.

On the subject of refresh rate/scanlines...it is amazing what a quick search can do:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=preparing+still+images+for+broadcast&sub=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-top

http://videofonics.com/graphics_help/grafix.pdf

"Television is also different from your computer screen because the display is “interlaced”. There are 30
frames per second, but they are displayed by scanning the odd numbered scan lines (a field), then filling
in the even numbered scan lines (the other field). Thus, the TV set displays a "screen-full" of information
60 times per second. Interlace was devised as a means for eliminating flicker, but computers don't use it.
They display all their scan lines every 1/60 second or faster. We mention interlace because it can cause
fine detail (anything smaller than 2-4 pixels) to flicker annoyingly at 30 times per second, particularly on
horizontal or diagonal lines. Using files larger than 486 pixels high can help minimize but not eliminate this
flicker. The best way to avoid interlace flicker is to avoid very small details, particularly narrow horizontal
lines or type faces with very thin serifs. Interlace flicker can be minimized by using Photoshop filters, at the
expense of sharpness."


Regards,

Stephen Marsh.

Thanks Steven.
Interesting, I read the PDF file.
What you stated about don’t include horizontal lines, well in reality that is a bit difficult as I like taking photos of all sorts of things.

I make my slide shows in Pinnacle video software that way there is no Gaussian blur built in as in slideshow software. I then give each photo 1 radius pixels and without sound or transitions I burn it to a DVD+RW not to waste one, play it, note what pictures are still flickering, load them back into Elements mask that portion and give a bit more blur, until they are right.

I use TMPGEnc to make them to MPEG 2 as Pinnacle is not up to that part.

They are not perfect but quite good; I remember slides popping on my slide projector, that way was not perfect ether.

Have you tried it this way? I have read your other answers in this forum and would like to know how you manage, as you are quite knowledgeable

Thanks for taking interest.
Ralph.

Ralph - I am a prepress type guy - broadcast is not my cup of tea (I should have chosen TV or Audio engineering instead of graphics which is not what it once was).

I know next to nothing about this whole subject, try the links I pointed to in the Yahoo search.

I do have ideas about defocus - but I don't know how/if they work for Photoshop Elements.

If Photoshop Elements _can_ use a APS7 action without much fuss, I will put together some actions for you if you wish - but I think you and Richard should keep kicking this around, I am just an interested observer.

Stephen Marsh.

Thanks for the input
Steven, I was hoping you had a method better than mine, oh well.

Guy I make DVDs to show on the TV. I have tried Proshow Gold, the slideshows it produces are flicker free. But, I believe it uses to much Gaussian blur, every photo as to have the same amount, and the sound facilities with it not very versatile.

Producing slideshows in a video edit programme, allows you to be selective in the amount of blur you give. It is more work, that’s why I asked Richard if he could produce an action to allow me to do the initial compulsory blur on the folder of slides I use for the show, oh and turn them into a TIFF file at the same time.

Guy, I had a look at your photos, nice. Did you do some of them in Corel Painter? I have painter 7 and never used it, but if you did, I might have a go.

Thanks.
Ralph.

Richard I too have a request for a gaussian blur, or some filter.
I have been making slide shows using Xat to burn SVCD's. These shows work pretty well on my TV, but without transitions. I then moved to NeroVision 2 and have burned DVD's (MPG-2). That's when I noticed the flicker or shimmer, as Ralph mentioned on horizontal edges and "busy backgrounds".

The DVD's are burned at (720x480?), so I tried backing off to (704x480) resolution when burning. This seems to help. I have also applied a -50 contrast (not sure what this does expect it blurs it some). Still having some flicker.

I'll try Ralph's idea of applying some gaussian blur and see how that works.
I just use a small sub-set of photo's that have the flicker, so it doesn't take too long to re-burn a DVD on a DVD-RW.

Dan

can you post an example?

Hi Dan

No one seemed interested in the action I asked for.
Lucky I also have Corel photopaint and made my own action.
Something you may be interested in, if the flicker is only on parts of the photo you can blur them parts with the blur tool, or make a selection and blur.
In any event even if you blur the whole photo by the small amount needed the photo is still quite good on a TV.

Ralph.

Hi Ralph,

As I said, the SVCD shows look pretty good without blur. But, the new DVD shows have alot of flicker. Richard asked me to post an example, of course you can't see the flicker unless it's viewed on a tv. I'll give it a try.

I uploaded a file, but I can't tell if it is attached??

Dan
You are lucky that your SVCD shows are ok.
You are right, you won't get flicker on a monitor.
Yes, what you said about trying your photos on a DVD RW, to see how much to blur is the way to go.
Best of luck.
Ralph

can you post an example?

Hi Richard, I uploaded an example of a street sceen that causes a lot of flicker on a tv. I'm not sure the upload worked? Anyway, I have read up on the tv scan lines and the article says if horizontal lines are within 4-5 pixals there will be a flicker (it looks like movement). So, I guess the blurring reduces the flicker. I'm still checking various filter effects.

Also, I think I remember reading something in your Photoshop 2 book about skewing a copy of a photo on a new layer to blur it, but I can't find it. Any way to skew a dup layer by a fixed amount?

Dan

I don't see any link or image. All this talk about blurring worries me a little. If you are looking for a soft-focus effect, then there are likely better ways to get it than by blurring the whole image. Masking edges (which I might create a tool for) could be useful in maintaining sharpness while allowing some glow and could limit reduction of detail.

I might have thought this was in the Elements book, but I guess it is only in the Photoshop CS book. Perhaps I'll move it in in the next version...If it is what you want, I can schedule the tool now.

I don't see any link or image. All this talk about blurring worries me a little. If you are looking for a soft-focus effect, then there are likely better ways to get it than by blurring the whole image. Masking edges (which I might create a tool for) could be useful in maintaining sharpness while allowing some glow and could limit reduction of detail.

I might have thought this was in the Elements book, but I guess it is only in the Photoshop CS book. Perhaps I'll move it in in the next version...If it is what you want, I can schedule the tool now.

Hi Richard, sorry I was so long getting back to you...tax time. Yes, I would like a "mask edges" tool it should help smooth the shots used for tv display.
As I said before Svcd shows using a "flicker filter" are clear with no edge problems, but of course no transitions either.

Thanks,

Dan