Slideshows to DVD Quality Issue

[tpaulauski]

I've recently upgraded to Photoshop Elements 5.0/Photoshop Premiere Elements 3.0. I've started by creating a slideshow using the MemoriestoTV software and outputting a MPEG movie and importing it into PE 3.0 to burn it to DVD in NTSC 16:9 format. When I view the DVD, the slideshow pictures are poor in quality. I used the MemoriestoTV DVD burning process and the DVD pictures are of a good quality.

My question is: What is the best way to get the best quality slideshow burnt to DVD using PE 5.0 in the NTSC widescreen 16:9 format?

Is it creating a slideshow in Photoshop Elements Editor 5.0 and sending it to PE 5.0? Or creating a slideshow directly in PE 5.0?

I'm testing each process (and I also have Encore DVD 2.0 available to create slideshows) to find out which process gives me the best quality DVD. My slideshow I'm working with contains only 10 pictures using some pan and zoom features. In the future, I want to combine slideshows and video into one DVD movie using Encore DVD 2.0/Photoshop CS for the menu design.

Thanks.

[Barb O]

If the PSE 5 slideshow can do 16:9 for widescreen is an interesting question. People who have attempted it seem to have troubles and I don't recollect a specific statement on whether it should work. Of course, since it is quick and easy, you could try it. If you do try it, use an Output command from the Slide Show Editor to Send to Premiere Elements; this will place your slideshow as photo files plus transitiions etc on the Premiere Elements timeline/sceneline. Do NOT use the Save as a File or Burn to a Disc choices of the PSE 5 slideshow editor.

However, I suggest that you use Premiere Elements 3 for your primary test of the quality. (you can then compare to starting in the PSE 5 slideshow if you wish)

When you start a Premiere Elements project, it is specifically 16:9 widescreen.

Since you only have 10 photos you may be able to avoid downsizing the resolution of your photos, but in general you should create copies of photos at a lower resolution for use in the Premiere Elements slide show.

Considerations:
-With panning and zooming, you have more control in Premiere Elements but it will be more complex initially.
-You may need to use Flicker Removal on the photos in PR Elem if your photos have thin horizontal lines. It is best to do a trial burn of a DVD and test it on your TV: perhaps use a R/W DVD for your inital trials if our TV DVD player can play them.

[tpaulauski]

Thanks for replying. Last night, I tried do just like you suggested and was able to create a good quality DVD slideshow. The pan and zooms all worked fine. The DVD widescreen 16:9 worked good, but it did cut off a little bit of some of the picture but I expected that. My default project setting in Premiere is setting to NTCS Widescreen 16:9 and the slide show was centered on the middle of the TV screen with the black filler on the sides, which is what I wanted. If I do the pan and zooms correctly in the Slide show Editor, the screen on the TV which is widescreen 16:9 can be filled completely. I did see one picture that had flicking on some vertical lines, so on my next test I'll use the Flick Removal that you suggested. I didn't think about cutting down the resolution of the pictures, so I'll try it. Will it create a better quality picture when playing the DVD or speed the encoding time? What should the resolution be? (I could look it up, but I'm lazy) I'm going to create a slide show in Encore DVD 2.0. It has a feature where it will take the pictures and fit them to the safety margins without cutting off any part of the picture. Another test I want to do is that I've taken a few still pictures in Premiere from a 16:9 widesreen video and I want to put them into a slideshow with other normal size pictures and see if the 16:9 picture fill up the my whole 16:9 TV screen. Your reply was helpful. Thanks.

[Barb O]

"I didn't think about cutting down the resolution of the pictures, so I'll try it. Will it create a better quality picture when playing the DVD or speed the encoding time?"

Speeding the encoding time is definitely a benefit of lower resolution input on photos. Depending on the number of photos and your system, many too high resolution photos can actually choke/hang Premiere Elements. How many is too many depends - hundreds are usually too many.

Will it create better quality pictures? This is more subjective because it is a quality judgement. There have been some people over on the forum at the Adobe site who experimented and concluded there was a benefit. In general, if not panning or zooming, downrez to TV screen pixels in Photoshop Elements. If doing pan or zoom, then you do need to estimate how many pixels will actually be used.

In general, I think that this type of Premiere Elements question is better to serach and post in the Premiere Elements forum at the Adobe site. It gets more activity from some very knowledgeable people. I think that you are also more likely to find people who also use Encore on that forum.

http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bb574e6/