A new release of SlideShowPro for Flash is now available. This is another small point release that doesn’t introduce anything all that new, but does fix a few small issues related to transitions, audio volume, etc. I went ahead and added one new request (since it took all of two seconds to add), and that’s a key command (F) to pop SSP into full screen mode. The SWF has to have focus in the browser for it to work, and you still have to press ESC (or click the normal screen button in SSP) to get out, but at least it’s there to get it going.
This should be the last release in the 1.6 series before starting work on the next major version, 1.7. I’ve been talking to a number of SSP users about how 1.6 could be improved, and am rolling as much of that as I can into 1.7. More details on that down the road.
For now, here’s the release notes for 1.6.8 if interested.
A number of people have sent emails asking specific questions about the upcoming Lightroom edition of SlideShowPro, including…
Will the Lightroom version support audio/video?
Technically, yes. You will be able to load background audio and video into the Lightroom version, but with one caveat — Lightroom itself doesn’t support audio or video, so there isn’t a way (technically) to include those media types as part of a gallery export from Lightroom. You can however manually edit the content Lightroom publishes to include audio or video if you’d like.
If I already own SlideShowPro for Flash, is the Lightroom version free?
No. There is a special “crossgrade” price however, which is explained next.
How much will it be?
A few weeks ago I wrote that there would be “complete” and “incomplete” versions, with the latter designed for people who already own SlideShowPro for Flash. After further consideration, there will just be one version to keep things simpler, but the price you pay depends on what you already own. If you’re a new user, SlideShowPro for Lightroom will be $25. If you own SlideShowPro for Flash, you can crossgrade to SlideShowPro for Lightroom for only $10.
Additionally, if you purchase SlideShowPro for Lightroom and then want the Flash version, you can crossgrade to it for only $14. So in the end, the price for purchasing both is the same, regardless of which you purchased first.
Will SlideShowPro for Lightroom work with SlideShowPro Director?
Yes. You can assign an XML File Path to SlideShowPro inside the Lightroom UI, and that content will be used instead of Lightroom’s.
Can Lightroom publish more than one album as part of an export?
Unfortunately, no. Because of how Lightroom is architected, all of the images you choose to export for a gallery are flattened into one “filmstrip,” which is essentially one album of content. To include more than one album in a gallery, you will need to manually edit/merge the content Lightroom exports. Instructions for that will be included in the product documentation.
Will I be able to use the SWF it creates in a separate HTML document?
Yes. And the process is pretty much the same as using SWFs published from Flash.
Those are the most frequent questions I’ve received. If these didn’t answer yours, feel free to contact us.
New licensing options for developers
For quite a while now, the single user license agreement for SlideShowPro for Flash (which you’ve read, right?) has disallowed the embedding of SWFs created with SlideShowPro for Flash inside a proprietary software application for redistribution. It’s provoked a fair amount of confusion, so we decided to do something about it. Today we’re offering a new OEM license for SlideShowPro for Flash that grants permission to software developers interested in using SWFs as a component of their own software. You can read more about the OEM license here. The license sells for $499, and may be obtained by emailing us.
Additionally, we’ve also been asked by developers if bulk licensing is available for SlideShowPro Director. So today we’re offering a new SlideShowPro Director Developer Pack that includes 20 licenses / keys for Director at a specially discounted price (approx 20% off each license). The pack will generate all 20 keys at once, so anytime you need to install Director on a new domain you simply login and grab a key from your profile page.
Developers can contact us with any questions about these new licensing options.
SlideShowPro for Lightroom screenshot
Someone sent an email asking to see a screenshot of SlideShowPro for Lightroom. Perhaps they were just curious, or wanted to verify its existence considering it was recently delayed (shouldn’t be much longer). Either way, here you go! I think it fits in rather nicely.
Microsoft to ditch “Click here to activate…” annoyance
Good news for those die-hard Internet Explorer users out there: Microsoft will be removing the “Click here…” dialogs from Internet Explorer, for they have (finally) licensed the plugin technology Eolas sued them over for a few years ago.
The dialog was especially troublesome for Flash content, for as many SlideShowPro users know, the only way around it was to embed SWFs using Javascript, which wasn’t easy for beginner web developers. But with this update, behavior will essentially return to how the browser behaved before.
Good news for Flash users everywhere.
SlideShowPro Director hosting now live!
Brad and I are pleased to announce that web hosting for SlideShowPro Director is now up, running, and available! Head on over to the SlideShowPro Director Hosting page for more information about pricing, features, and other details. There’s also a new FAQ on hosting that should answer most common questions, but you can also drop us an email with your query.
If you’ve always been curious how SlideShowPro Director works, or have never been able to install the downloadable version, now’s your chance to see what Director has to offer. Subscribe now for 6, 12 or 24 months, or try before you buy with a 14-day free trial. We firmly believe that once you use Director to manage your content and publish imagery for your slideshows, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!
In beta testing last week, we discovered a small but notable issue with the SlideShowPro for Lightroom gallery that requires extra time to investigate, so the launch will be delayed a few days. More will be posted here soon.
Tomorrow is that grand American holiday known as Thanksgiving, so we’ll be “on vacation” for the next couple of business days, plus the weekend. If you post an entry in the forums, or send us an email during that time, please be patient. We’ll be sporadically answering questions and providing support whenever time allows (which we don’t expect to be that often). Then we’ll be back in full force on Monday. Happy holidays!
Announcing SlideShowPro Director Hosting
I hinted earlier at something “else” coming on Monday, November 26th, and here it is: Director hosting!
Beginning the 26th, everyone will be able to use SlideShowPro Director to manage their slideshow content. You’ll get your own subdomain (you.slideshowpro.com), unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and the peace of mind knowing your SlideShowPro Director installation will always be up to date with the latest version, securely backed up, and constantly watched over.
Hosting will be affordable, purchasable in chunks of time (6 months, 1 year, 2 years), and completely automatic. Your space will be setup automatically after your subscription, so you’ll be able to login and immediately get to work. We’ll also be offering a 14-day free trial so everyone can kick the tires. We expect the service to be popular with those who’d rather not install server-side software, or those who simply have better things to do.
For those using Director on their own web servers, don’t worry. The hosted version of Director will be nearly identical to the downloadable version, with the only differences being an extra utility or two in the hosted version for managing access, etc. So whether you purchase Director and install it on your own box, or one of ours, you’re getting the same application.
More details will be announced on the 26th.
Another bug-fix update (full changelog) for Director is now available. The main fixes in this release put an end to issues with avatar uploads, how content was ordered after it was uploaded and a particularly nasty bug that caused several things to break when using a language other than english.
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