Trying to Produce a Slide-show

[jy12345_1999]

My goal is to produce a 15-30 min slideshow, which comprise of 300-600 photos, with each photo being displayed 3 sec each, and then burn it to a dvd. I usually use Jasc Paint Shop Photo 4(JPSP4) to copy photos from different folders into one folder which I will name “A”. JPSP4 has a screen that shows all my thumbnails so that I can easily drag and drop into the order I want for my slideshow. Sometimes I have a sequence of photos I want to move from the front to the end, and visas versa. Once I get the order I want, I will run JPSP4’s Batch for renaming the files. This will freeze the order of the files in my folder A. I then use my video editing and creation program to create my slideshow, and then burn it into a dvd format.
I have the PaintShop Photo Pro X3 (PSPPX3) Ultimate trial version and want to understand if the features are the same as JPSP4, and easier to use than JPSP4 before I buy it.
1. Is the only place that I can drag and drop to move thumbnails are in the Full Editor mode and using the Media Tray? I would like to drag and drop in the Organizer mode because the thumbnails are more displayed and it is easier to scroll through them than the Media Tray. Using the Media Tray for 300-600 photos is very cumbersome especially moving file(s) from one end to the other.
2. Once I have the desired order of my photos, can I then use the PSPPX3 to do a batch renaming so that the order of the files do not change?
3. What is the difference between PSPPX3 Ultimate and the non-Ultimate version?
4. Can I use VideoStudio Pro X3 in conjunction with PaintShop Photo Pro X3 to produce a DVD movie format?

[df]

The one slide show that I tried with PSPX3's Project creator refused to save the second sound track for the 5 minute video. It doesn't allow for using more than the handful of themes it comes with. It doesn't allow for using different fades. It doesn't allow for one slide to play for one amount of time and another to play for another amount of time. etc.... etc.... etc..... I gave up after being limited so much by the program (Project Creator), I couldn't find a single thing about it that I did like. It's a complete failure of a program. Even the other "features" of the Project Creator are either limited or duplicate some of the most simplest tasks. Nobody knows where any of the printed projects go or get printed at for example. And to upload stuff to facebook, Flickr or YouTube isn't a difficult task in the least.

For slide shows I use Microsoft Movie Maker XP. It allows for all of the things that Corel's software fails at. It probably has some limitations that I haven't found yet, maybe it won't record a 30 minute slide show, I never tried that. But for my needs it meets it rather well. The XP version is more capable than the Windows Live version last time I checked a year ago, but the Live version was still more capable than Project Creator.

I've never tried VideoStudio, and I'd be surprised if it didn't out perform the Microsoft program. It is a paid version of a program that's main purpose is slide shows and videos, where as the Project Creator is just a fluffy extra piece meant to boost sales to PSP.
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PSP X3 Ultimate adds some things I haven't seen the need for. A few more filters and a bonus program here and there but the core of PSP X3 is the same. It wasn't worth the extra cost for me. I have no idea about the VideoStudio Ultimate.

[jy12345_1999]

Dan, I appreciate your input and comments on PaintShop Photo Pro X3 (PSPPX3) and Project Creator. Do you know if the answer to my #1 question is a yes or no? If it is a yes, then PSPPX3 is of no value to me because it will be too cumbersome to rearrange 300-600 thumbnails in the order I want.
The main reason I was drawn to Corel’s other products is due to Jasc Paint Shop Photo 4(JPSP4) and the Batch feature of renaming photo files, which will keep the order regardless. I usually use Pinnacle Studio 14 for creating and editing slideshows and videos clips together. Studio has all of the features you described and a lot more. However, I am looking for a program that is more simpler and user-friendly to use. If I cannot get what I consider basic features, then it is not worth the aggravation. I am looking for a “simple program for simple people”. I will look at Microsoft Movie Maker XP’s features. Thanks for the suggestions and comments.

[jy12345_1999]

To Tim Morrison:
I have not gotten a difinitive answer to my question #1: Is the only place that I can drag and drop to move thumbnails are in the Full Editor mode and using the Media Tray? I would like to drag and drop in the Organizer mode because the thumbnails are more displayed and it is easier to scroll through them than the Media Tray. Using the Media Tray for organizing 300-600 photos is very cumbersome especially moving file(s) from one end to the other.
Can you please give me the answer to this question?
Thank you.

[LeviFiction]

The media tray is only for organizing for placement inside the full editor.

You can create folders and move images from folder to folder inside the organizer. Of course it doesn't drag copies. It actually moves the images. If you hold down Ctrl while dragging the image to a new folder it will produce a copy of the image. Which is really handy. But they take on a default order. Just like dragging them around in Windows Explorer.

The Batch Rename process is where you would add them in the order you wanted them, use a sequence rename and hit okay and it would then take on the process you wanted. Of course that's a bit tedious. So the Organizer may not be what you're looking for in a program.