SlideShowPro News

02.28.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1.4 released

This release keeps the Lightroom version in sync with Flash, plus fixes a vertical alignment problem when not using the wet floor effect.

Registered users can download here if interested.

SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.4 released

This fixes a drawing issue with a few parameters when assigned values via ActionScript, plus a crazy conflict when using the component in FLAs that have Arial embedded in dynamic text fields (ahhh Flash, you crazy devil).

Registered users can download here if interested.

02.26.08 | Trials available across the board

After far longer than I'd care to admit, we finally have a free, fully functional trial of SlideShowPro for Flash for people to download, test out, and kick around. Containing both the Flash extension and the standalone version (in SWF form), the trial is exactly like the real product except it's limited in the amount of content it can load (three pieces of content total).

With that, all three of our products now offer free trials for new users to try out. This isn't exactly useful news for existing users, but hey. Better late than never, as they say.

02.25.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1.3 released

This update brings the Lightroom version up to the latest build of SlideShowPro, plus throws in a couple of small updates, including more accurate vertical centering when using the wet floor effect, and a modification to the loader.swf and index.html files so that the path/file name of "param.xml" can be modified through FlashVars if necessary.

SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.3 released

A patch update that fixes a few full screen related issues, plus a little glitchy issue when calling the nextImage() / previousImage() methods repeatedly. The standalone version was also updated in this release to support dynamically assigning the path to "param.xml" in case developers need to assign a file with a different name or location. If interested, you can read the full update notes here.

02.22.08 | Shannon Jensen

It's always interesting to see what Flash developers who know their way around ActionScript can do with SlideShowPro for Flash, and photographer Shannon Jensen is no exception. Shannon's portfolio uses SlideShowPro, but you won't see the component anywhere. Instead, Shannon is hiding SlideShowPro and leveraging the data and imagery it loads from SlideShowPro Director to construct her own navigation and playback system (based on the experimental "Filmstrip" demo we offer on the SlideShowPro for Flash download page). Shannon is also dynamically resizing imagery according to the browser window size by manipulating the size of the (unseen) SlideShowPro for Flash instance. And to top it all off, some really great photography in there as well. In all, one of the more creative (and advanced) uses of the component around.

02.18.08 | SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.2 Released

This release squashes an album switching / video bug, plus a problem with requesting "Crop to Fit All" content from Director when using the "Fullscreen" Content Format option. Also modified the behavior of "Video Auto Start" so that when set to "Off," the preview is treated like regular slideshow content and can be rotated in auto-playback mode just like imagery. Clicking a video play button stops playback and plays the video.

The one thing that's new is the formal addition of the export/import JSFL commands I wrote about recently, which have been updated since that initial beta to prevent versions of Flash earlier than CS3 from running the scripts, plus better error handling when an instance of SlideShowPro for Flash can't be found on the FLA Stage.

While I was playing around with JSFL, I went ahead and threw a third command into the install package that does one simple (but time saving) thing -- grabs SlideShowPro for Flash from the Components Panel, places it on the Stage, aligns it to the top left (0,0), assigns an instance name of "my_ssp", and renames the timeline layer it sits on to "ssp". Pretty handy if you find yourself creating as many FLAs as I do.

Update can be downloaded from the SlideShowPro for Flash download page.

02.15.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1.2 Released

This update patches an issue from the previous update where link previews weren't using the correct size (as assigned through Thumb Width/Height). Recommended for anyone who's using 1.1.1 and non-default values for link previews.

Lazarides Design + Construction

Home builder Lazarides Design + Construction is using SlideShowPro on their web site to showcase their portfolio of architectural work, which includes a wide variety of luxury home styles. LD+C uses the Album Preview "Fill" style to show a large example of each style, plus titling inside the image. They also swapped out the default navigation of SlideShowPro with their own custom buttons that match the color / style of their web site. Great looking site overall as well.

02.14.08 | Twitter user? Follow SSP.

Perhaps you've heard of Twitter. If so, chances are you have an account and use it to keep up with friends, news and whatever else you fancy. So to keep Twitter users in touch with all things SSP, today we added a Twitter profile that automatically receives published news from here on the site, and will be updated from time to time with random links and things that don't necessarily warrant a news post here.

Want to follow along? Click here to visit our profile and click on the "Follow" button under our logo. And if you're in need of a Twitter client and use OS X, check out Twitterrific. Tweet tweet.

02.13.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1.1 Released

This release brings the Lightroom version up to the 1.7.1 release of SlideShowPro for Flash, and includes a few Lightroom-specific fixes and updates. To read more about what's in 1.1.1, check out the version history.

SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.1 Released

Purely a bug fix release that addresses a number of issues found in the initial 1.7 release of SlideShowPro for Flash. To read more about what's in 1.7.1, check out the version history.

02.12.08 | Director API Public Alpha

We've had a great response to the Director API since we announced it a few weeks back. To make things easier, we are turning the 1.2 alpha of Director into a public affair. So, any interested Director users who want to try out the API can do so and discuss it via the forums. To get started, read this post in the newly minted Director API forum.

02.08.08 | Export/Import Parameters Command (Beta) now available

One of the things that's always driven me crazy about the Component Inspector panel in Flash is that it doesn't provide a way to save settings. There's simply no built-in way to copy the parameters of one instance of SlideShowPro over to another in a separate FLA, or share your settings with another user. So, I decided to experiment with creating my own parameter copying utility, and before I knew it had built just that.

Using the JSFL engine in Flash CS3, I've built a couple of commands that make the exporting/importing of parameter settings fast and easy. Parameters are exported as an xml file, which can then be imported back into Flash, parsed, and assigned to a separate instance of SlideShowPro. You can even share the XML file with someone else, and they'll be able to take a default, new instance of SlideShowPro and convert it (size, color, behavior, everything) to an instance that's identical to yours.

These will also make upgrading to new point releases easier. The scripts are purposely written so that any parameter in SlideShowPro that matches one in an imported configuration file are modified, and any that do not are left alone. This way you'll only have to modify new/changed parameters between point releases.

Last but certainly not least, an exported parameter file can also be used with the "standalone" version of SlideShowPro for Flash that comes with the extension download. So you could technically build your slideshow in Flash, export a parameter file, use that file with the standalone version, then update the parameters in the XML whenever you need to change something (without returning to Flash and publishing a new SWF).

Both scripts require Flash CS3 (simply not possible in earlier versions, sorry), and will be included as part of the extension installation when they're no longer beta. If you'd like to try them out, download here (login required). Note: commands no longer beta and are now part of the SlideShowPro for Flash installation package.

02.05.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1 Released

Hot on the heels of SlideShowPro 1.7.0 going final, the 1.1 build of SlideShowPro for Lightroom has also been finalized and is now available for download in the Account Center. This release packs in everything from the 1.7 build of SlideShowPro, plus these Lightroom specific features:

• New "Header" area to display a logo (with link), gallery title and gallery description
• New "Wet Floor" effect
• 4 template groups, each containing 8 variations for landscape/portrait, dimension and aspect ratio (32 options total).
• New inputs to directly assign an audio file and caption
• New Director formatting panel

To read all the details on this release, see the full version history.

Thanks again to the Lightroom beta testers for their assistance and feedback.

SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.0 Released

The final release of SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.0 is now available for download in the Account Center. This release went through about three weeks of beta testing, where a handful or problems / optimizations were made thanks to the numerous SlideShowPro for Flash users who helped kick the tires.

So, what's new in this release? Here we go...

• Volume control in the media player (for both audio/video)
• Navigation can now be positioned on top
• Media player can now be positioned on top
• Auto-start option for videos (toggle off/on). When off, you can assign a preview graphic, and a "play" button is displayed over the preview.
• Media RSS support
• "Content Format" option to control the size of imagery (full screen or normal) SlideShowPro Director publishes, or are grabbed from a Media RSS feeds containing multiple image options should format imagery for.
• New album preview style: "Banner".
• New "Crop to Fit All" option to fill the whole component area (instead of content area)
• Preloader and timer can now be aligned to any of the 8 clockwise points.
• Preloader and timer can now be positioned inside the content area or inside content (latter looks best with 'floating' style imagery)
• Two new preloader styles -- "Spinner" and "Pie Spinner"
• Control knob for media player video scrubber
• Multiple XML files from different sources can be combined/loaded as one gallery using OPML
• Completely revised caching system for better bandwidth consumption
• Padding controls for captions, albums and the gallery

Additionally, the download archive comes with something new: a "standalone" version of SlideShowPro for Flash in SWF form that's accompanied by an editable XML file (for modifying parameters). This allows developers who do not own Flash to modify and use SlideShowPro for Flash.

If you want to read the whole nitty gritty, check out the whole version history here.

02.01.08 | SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1 beta now available

Now that SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7 is nearly final, a beta version of SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1 is now available for download. This release incorporates all the fixes, updates, and changes in SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7, plus adds a number of Lightroom-specific fixes, updates and new features.

The most notable change in SlideShowPro for Lightroom 1.1 is a collection of default templates (shown left). There are four styles, each containing a number of aspect ratios and resolutions to choose from. These make it incredibly easy for new users of the product to get the look / size they want quickly, with all the presets for image export size and slideshow dimension taken care of.

Also of note is a new built-in effect that has proven very popular among SlideShowPro for Flash users -- the ubiquitous "wet floor" effect. The reflection can be toggled on/off, with extra controls for reflection depth and intensity.

Last but certainly not least, and by popular request, an optional header element has been added above SlideShowPro that displays the gallery title and description, plus a container to load a graphic that can be anything you want (most will probably incorporate logos or some kind of branding). The graphic can also be assigned a URL, so you can use the image to provide a link back to your main web site, or whatever else you want. The header includes complete controls for padding, spacing and alignment.

If you're a SlideShowPro for Lightroom user and would be interested in trying it out (and providing feedback), download here.

SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7.0b4 available

In what will likely be the final beta before going final, beta 4 of SlideShowPro for Flash 1.7 is now available for download. This release fixes a few little things that were in the previous beta, and nothing else. If you're a user of SlideShowPro for Flash, feel free to download if you'd like to kick the tires.