SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.2.1 released
Small update that simply brings the Lightroom version up to date with the just-released 1.8.1 build of SlideShowPro for Flash. Free update for all SlideShowPro for Lightroom users, and can be downloaded here.
Bug fix release that patches up a few issues found after 1.8.0 went out the door. Also added a couple of new JSFL commands for manipulating instances of SlideShowPro for Flash. One resizes the component to fit the Stage, while the other does the opposite. Both provide a quick and easy way to make the Stage and SlideShowPro for Flash the same dimension for quicker exporting.
Complete version history available here. Update is free for all SlideShowPro for Flash users, and can be downloaded here.
SlideShowPro Director Lightroom export plugin available
Now that we have the beta version of SlideShowPro Director 1.2 out, which includes a new API, we’re also making available the new Lightroom export plugin we talked about earlier this week. This plugin is also considered a beta, and we’d love to hear your feedback. Note that this plugin requires the 1.2 beta of SlideShowPro Director in order to work, and does not currently work with the Windows version of Lightroom when exporting to slideshowpro.com hosting accounts (exporting from Windows to an installation of SlideShowPro Director 1.2 on your own server seems to work fine).
So if you’re interested in trying it out, feel free to download here and let us know what you think.
We’ve finally chased down the last few issues with Director 1.2 and have released it in beta form via the Account Center here at slideshowpro.net. The regular disclaimers about using beta software apply.
Before we get to the exciting stuff, a word of warning about 1.2. You can only upgrade existing installs of Director to 1.2 if the existing install is running Director 1.1 or later. So, if you are still running 1.0.9.9 (or an even earlier version), you will first need to upgrade to 1.1.9 (the latest release of the 1.1 line), then you can upgrade to 1.2.
So what’s new? At first glance, Director 1.2 looks quite a bit like Director 1.1. It’s beneath the surface that the most notable change has been implemented, as Director has been fitted with a new API that opens up Director’s data and imagery to just about anything you can dream up.
There are a few notable fixes and additions in Director itself. First, Director now exposes more data to link templates, allowing you to create more useful, custom link templates. The link template system now also has access to the on-demand image publishing system, so you can link to an optimized copy of the image. To illustrate this, a new link template is included in the update that opens an optimized copy of the image at 800×800 in a chromeless popup window. One final fix that is noteworthy – we’ve finally found a fix for the batch selection issue on Mac browsers. Yeah!
There’s more too, so be sure to check out the full changelog for your favorite change/fix.
SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.2.0 released
This release mainly brings the Lightroom version up to date with the 1.8.0 release of SlideShowPro for Flash. This includes modifications to the parameter interface plus the default templates to reflect changes made in 1.8.0.
The 1.2.0 update does include however one new feature, and an important change to how thumbnail previews are displayed. As for the new, a radio button was added named “Expand Browser Window” that will modify your exported HTML document so that it automatically expands the browser window to fill 100% of a user’s monitor. This will come in handy for people who are publishing large slideshows, which require larger than normal browser windows in order to adequately present. The option is turned off by default.
The second change is with thumbnail link previews. Before, you simply modified “Thumb Width/Height” to change both the exported size of your thumbnails, and the size of the pop-up link previews. This turned out however to be a problem with people trying to export large images to use as album previews, so additional parameters were added (“Link Preview Width/Height”) for independent control over the size of the link preview windows.
Update is free for all current SlideShowPro for Lightroom users, and can be downloaded here.
Hot and fresh out of the oven is a new point update for SlideShowPro for Flash that brings the component up to version 1.8.0. New in this release are four new transitions: “Blur,” “Dissolve,” “Drop” and “Push.”
Both “Blur” and “Dissolve” are transitions I’ve wanted to incorporate for a long, long time, but purposely withheld because they weren’t compatible with SWFs published from Flash MX 2004. Today though, the vast majority of our users have Flash 8 or Flash CS3, so the time felt right to add these in. If you’re a Flash MX 2004 user, you’ll have to update your IDE to Flash 8 or higher in order to use these two new transitions. (Note: the home page of this site was updated to use the “Blur” “Dissolve” transition, if you’d like to see a preview).
“Drop” and “Push” work in all supported versions of Flash. “Drop” is a transition that was added to an early beta, removed, and forgotten about. This release brings it back, plus the new “Push” transition which is similar to the “Filmstrip” customization demo we have in the account center in that new content pushes old content out of the way.
This release also unhinges the “Gallery Navigation” (the previous/next screen buttons) from the “Album…” parameters that used to control its appearance. The nav now has its own set of parameter settings, which allows for more creative control and will be less confusing to new users of the product.
Also in 1.8.0 are a few bug fixes and general updates, which you can read about in the version history. Update can be downloaded here.
Coming soon: SlideShowPro Director export plugin for Lightroom
By popular request, we’re currently putting the finishing touches on a new SlideShowPro Director export plugin for Adobe Lightroom. What does it do? It allows you export images from the Lightroom Library directly into an installation of SlideShowPro Director on your own web server, or a hosted version of Director on our site. You’ll be able to choose either an existing album to populate with your photos, or create a new album as part of the upload process. The plugin will also (optionally) maintain the titles and captions already assigned to your images in Lightroom.
The plugin is possible because of the new SlideShowPro Director API which is currently in private beta and scheduled to be released as part of the upcoming 1.2 update (which should be out soon). The plugin will be available, free of charge, once 1.2 is out the door.
Here are a couple of screenshots:
The recent builds of SlideShowPro for Flash incorporate a couple of handy JSFL scripts (accessible through the Commands menu in Flash CS3) that make exporting/importing parameter values easy. They allow you to export all of the customizations you’ve made to an instance of SlideShowPro in one FLA, and import / apply those custom settings to a brand new instance in a separate FLA. They were designed to make upgrading component instances cleaner and safer, but they had the unintended side effect of allowing people to share their parameters without having to share their FLAs.
With that, we thought it would be cool to offer a page here on the site where SlideShowPro for Flash users can preview, download, and share parameters. They would allow people who are new to the component the ability to quickly modify all the settings in an instance without having to manually change parameters; similar to how templates work in SlideShowPro for Lightroom.
So, if you use Flash CS3, and have an instance of SlideShowPro that’s been styled in a way that diverges from the default settings, and wouldn’t mind sharing your work with others, feel free to email us your XML file. You can do so by selecting “Commands > SSP – Export Param XML”, save the XML file, and email it to us an attachment. You will of course receive name credit for your contribution.
Thanks in advance.
Lightroom users, heads up! Did you download the 1.4 update for Lightroom that Adobe pushed out the door on March 14th? Well, a couple of days later Adobe pulled the release, and is now (in the words of Tom Hogarty) recommending that anyone who installed 1.4 should uninstall it and reinstall Lightroom 1.3.1. I’m running 1.4, and haven’t had any issues thus far, but if you’re the paranoid type you might want to consider following their instructions. A 1.4.1 patch release is forthcoming, but no word on when that’ll be available.
Simple, clean, and beautiful, Alex Rapada’s portfolio site is using SlideShowPro for Lightroom on multiple pages of his website to showcase his work. The home page rotates between two “welcome” images, while the rest of his portfolio is divided up into topics for fashion, weddings, people, and life. The slideshow in each topic area uses the “Random” Content Order option, the “Numbers” navigation style, and removes all of the strokes and background color from the component for a sophisticated look. The transition style is “Fade to Background,” and the timer element is positioned inside each photo (instead of the content area, where a white timer wouldn’t have been visible) by setting Feedback Timer Position to “Inside Content.” A simple, effective presentation. Lots of great portfolio work to check out as well.
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