Whats better than PictureShow4 for complex slide shows?

[Trey]

I have PS4, want to upgrade...I have a PC, XP Pro, For Slide shows, I'm looking for a program that makes DVD, 16:9 format, higher resolution pics; user selected tranistions; able to add video from p&s cameras into slide show; simple to use, hold 700 + pics, easy conversion of itunes into slideshow; Whats ready for Vista also ?. I see Proshow Gold (looks really good!); Poloroid Scrapebook, DVD Move Factory 6...anyone have advice?

[sjj1805]

I prefer to use MediaStudio Pro 8 for my slide shows. (Not Vista Compatible)
Alternative programs from Corel are
VideoStudio (Vista - yes)
MovieFactory (Vista - Yes)
DVD Workshop 2 (Vista - No) (Though I haven't used this one for slide shows)

Non Corel - ProShow Gold / Proshow Producer.
Those don't have such good DVD Menus but create slide shows quite easily.
A compromise is to create the slide show in one of those but export it as an MPEG2 file and then use one of the Corel Programs to produce the DVD.

[michaeltee]

Trey,

Of the Corel programs I'm familiar with, my first choice would be VideoStudio 11.5 Plus. With VS+ you'd have more freedom and control over your audio/video editing, menu creation, and disc authoring (versus PS4). You also have the ability to output in 16:9 (widescreen), Blu-ray, HD DVD, and you can even create 720/1080 high definition discs using standard DVD media. Of course all of the HD formats require compatible HD equipment for playback. The basics of VS aren't difficult to master and the advanced features are readily available for more complex projects in the future.

Like VideoStudio, MovieFactory offers enhanced menu creation, authoring and 16:9 output (plus full HD support with the optional "Power Pack"). It also includes a useful assortment of a/v tools and disc utilities. Oddly enough though, it's slideshow customization capabilities are actually a bit less than PS4.

As far as non-Corel goes, ProShow "Producer" is highly regarded by professional photographers and videographers who include slideshow presentations among offerings. The less costly "Gold" version is essentially the same software with fewer capabilities, primarily in the areas of advanced layering, advanced captioning, keyframing and branding.

In my opinion, all of the above are potentially excellent choices. From here I'd recommend spending some time with the evaluation versions of these programs before making a final decision.

By the way, re your want of higher resolution, by necessity all video editing programs will convert your images to comply with the resolution "standard" of your chosen output format (normal TV set viewing for example). So unless you're outputting in a high definition format (and have the proper gear for viewing it), your resolution will always end up at 720x480 (or less depending on the maximum resolution of your viewing/playback device). This is regardless of the original higher resolution of your P&S photos. If you don't have HD equipment, the best way to maximize TV viewing quality would be to connect your DVD player via it's "S-Video" (or better yet) "RGB Component" outputs. Connecting via the yellow "composite" video port or "RF" port delivers less than maximum resolution.

Hope that helps