A new point-release for SlideShowPro is now available for download. This version fixes a few little things that popped up during the course of people using 1.6.0 over the past couple of weeks, including a couple of footer positioning errors, the dissapearance of the media player (when playing back audio) when entering / exiting full screen mode, and a Firefox video playback problem.
Also, due to several comments from end-users, I’ve revised the “Hidden When Gallery Open” option for the Navigation Appearance parameter so that the navigation is invisible when the gallery slides up, but is then visible again on the way back down. This way you don’t see the navigation bar animating upward with the gallery.
I’ve also added a new method to handle xml file swapping after the component has initialized: setData(). Using this, you can assign new XML File Path / XML File Type to SlideShowPro through an external button and SlideShowPro will reload with that new data. This brings back functionality that existed in earlier SlideShowPro versions where assigning a new XML File Path would reload the component with that data (but in a more formal, method based way).
Anyway, if you’d like to read more about the changes, the version history has been updated. To download, click the “User Login” link at the top-right of this page to grab it from the Account Center.
Director 1.1.2: Client-side caching is back
With all the advantages of Director’s new image publishing system, there is one downside that has always bothered us. Since the images are being returned dynamically, browser side caching is being ignored, meaning that no matter how many times you watch a slideshow, the server still sends the image over the wire, even if it already exists in your browser’s cache. Many of you have noticed that the preloaders in your slideshows are always visible, and this is why. Not only is this bad for user experience, it also can cause quite a spike in bandwidth on your server, which we experienced here at slideshowpro.net.
So after reading up on the HTTP spec, we’ve rolled out Director 1.1.2 which bridges the gap to your (or your user’s) browser and smartly detects if the image exists in the browser’s cache. If it does, Director instructs the browser to use it and virtually no data has to travel from the server to the browser, saving a lot of bandwidth.
Also new in 1.1.2, two new translations: Italian and French. Director is now available in six languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Thanks translators!
For a full changelog for 1.1.2, visit the version history. To download, hop on over to the Director product page.
In addition to the updated versions of SlideShowPro and SlideShowPro Director, we’re also releasing a new pair of export scripts for Photoshop CS2 / CS3. What do they do? Well, they either take a bunch of images already open in Photoshop, or an external folder full of images, and spit out slideshow / thumbnail imagery plus an XML file. And if your images have metadata embedded in them, the metadata will be used when populating image captions.
After export, all you have to do is link to the XML file it created from SlideShowPro and you’re done. It’s a similar concept to our iPhoto plugin, in that it’s designed for quick, one-time batch export of content to quickly build a slideshow, but these scripts are cross-platform, and work with either Photoshop CS2 or CS3.
Visit the new Extras to download a copy!
SlideShowPro 1.6 and SlideShowPro Director 1.1 now available
Title says it all! SlideShowPro 1.6 and SlideShowPro Director 1.1 are now available for purchase / download. As noted before, these updates are free for all current users of both applications, and can be downloaded through your profile here at the site. Click on the “User login” link at the top of this page to enter the new Account Center.
Couple of important notes concerning these releases:
One, if you’re upgrading to either product, be sure to read the update notes included with both. A lot has changed in both of these releases, so it’s important that you take the necessary precautions to avoid problems.
Two, we’ve decided with these new releases to revise our product pricing. This will only affect new users, for both products are free updates for all existing users. That said, we’re sure there are some people out there who were holding out on obtaining Director 1.1 (or additional installation keys) until the final version was available, so to be fair we’re offering a special Director coupon code that’ll allow existing users to purchase Director for the old price. To obtain the coupon code (which is available for the next two weeks), login to your profile, and if you purchased SlideShowPro before today you’ll see the code at the top.
Thanks go out to all our beta testers and language translators who helped us make these releases even better.
I’m pleased to announce that after numerous weeks of private / public beta testing, SlideShowPro 1.6 and SlideShowPro Director 1.1 are “final” and ready to roll. In tandem with the updates will be a new design for slideshowpro.net, updated screencast videos (which will now be available as a podcast), completely new documentation (all user guides rewritten), a new Photoshop CS2/CS3 script (will write more about this later), as well as updated demonstration files using the latest version of SlideShowPro.
We’ll be sending out an email blast when everything is complete, which we’re guesstimating to be either sometime tomorrow or Wednesday. We just have a few little things to take care of before then.
Thanks to all the beta testers who helped kick the tires!
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