Pages: [1] 2   Go Down

Author Topic: Slideshow Pro for Lightroom  (Read 19866 times)

Josh-H

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2079
    • Wild Nature Photo Travel
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« on: December 04, 2008, 06:30:05 pm »

Is anyone using this plugin?

If so, how do you find it?

I am looking for a quick easy way to put my landscapes online and dont want to go to the expense of another Live-books site.

Live-books is just fine for my Kids Portrait business - but for my landscapes I need something easy, cheap, quick and preferably that I can do straight from Lightroom.

Appreciate any feedback on this plugin Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
Logged
Wild Nature Photo Travel

Josh-H

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2079
    • Wild Nature Photo Travel
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2008, 07:04:52 pm »

Quote from: John Schweikert
I have it, used it a few times, it is a great cheap alternative to many other things.

More options to change settings than you could ever imagine. The examples they have on their site should show a lot of variations. It's only $25 or so. Well worth if you only use it a few times for online galleries.


Thank you for the quick reply.

One of the specific questions I had was does SLideshow Pro offer the ability to include more text and more text options than the regular slideshow module? Their website isnt overly clear in this aspect.

I find the regular slideshow module far to restrictive from a text perspective, as I would like to add more than a title and metadata to the captions for photographs - eg. an explanatory paragraph about the photograph, where it was taken and how it was processed etc. and perhaps even a little about the area.

Thank you again.

BTW: Agreed - its only $25 - so what the hell.. its worth a try  
Logged
Wild Nature Photo Travel

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2008, 07:33:50 pm »

The Slideshow Pro module for Lightroom excels at letting you build a Flash gallery for your site without owning the Flash authoring program. (And, obviously, without having to know Flash.)

Once you have the slideshow set up the way you want, you don't really have to visit the web module again. Instead, you can do all your work in the Lightroom Library module, and you can use Slideshow Pro DIRECTOR to manage the images on your web site. (I know, the price just doubled, but Director is really what makes this whole system shine. It is robust, stable, and a cinch to work with once you get it all set up.)

The workflow would look something like this:

Initial setup:
1. Build your slideshow exactly how you want it in Lightroom (using a single image only)
2. Export to get the Flash files and some other supporting files.
3. Embed the Flash on your website OR just upload the whole thing (because it can make a turnkey website for you)
4. Go into SSP Director and adjust the settings for later automation when you upload images.

Your site is now ready to receive images.

Managing your site:
1. Collect your images into collections in Lightroom.
2. Put all your metadata in place in Lightroom, for example, Titles and Captions.
3. Export the images in the size/resolution you wish.
4. Use Director to upload to your site.

You can fit as much text in a Slideshow Pro slideshow as you can fit in your metadata, with various options on how it will appear. Check out my site in the signature below for two examples of text. While I don't use very much, I am going to change the second line to hold a sentence or two.

On the home page, you are looking at a SSP show, but there are no controls showing. You can see the text permanently displayed below. SSP takes this automatically directly from the image metadata. IN this case, I can just open Director every week or so, and drag the front image to the back of the line to change what appears on my site. Or, I could just upload a new image and have it auotmatically replace the front page image (by having the Slideshow ordered by most recent first).

In the Gallery section, the controls are visible, and the text pops up when you hover over the image. There are several different options for how the text appears. You can also completely control the size and colour of the text, as well as positioning and how and when it appears.

With Director, you can turn images off and on, add images, delete them, and change the sort order. Manual sorting allows you to just drag thumbnails around the screen. All this works in an Ajax-powered interface that includes FTP upload.

In the example in my sig line, I have embedded the SSP slideshow within a site, but as I said, you can have SSP for Lightroom export an entire site, ready for upload and ready for you to manage your gallery with Director.
Logged

Josh-H

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2079
    • Wild Nature Photo Travel
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2008, 07:27:29 am »

I haven't bought 'Director' yet - but have done some playing around with Slideshow Pro for Lightroom now - and its pretty good.

But how do you actually assign photographs to different albums?

By default it creates 2 columns and 4 rows for a total of 8 different albums - but it puts all of the images in the filmstrip into the first album only and buggered f I can see how to change it. The right pane only gives an option for one Album title and there does not appear to be anywhere to change it.

Is it necessary to make each album seperatley as though it were its own site and then combine them? And if this is the case, why even give an option for multiple albums..... this album thing has me a bit flumoxed at the moment...

Thank you again for any assistance you can lend.

Edit- it looks like Director is sort of integral to the whole process after re-reading your post.
« Last Edit: December 05, 2008, 07:31:59 am by Josh-H »
Logged
Wild Nature Photo Travel

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2008, 06:09:40 pm »

Quote from: Josh-H
But how do you actually assign photographs to different albums?
Edit- it looks like Director is sort of integral to the whole process after re-reading your post.

Yes. It is Director that assigns the photos to your different albums. (Or, different Galleries with different albums. You can have multiple instances if you go the embedding route.)

Quote from: Josh-H
Is it necessary to make each album separately as though it were its own site and then combine them? And if this is the case, why even give an option for multiple albums..... this album thing has me a bit flumoxed at the moment...

Again, the secret lies in Director. There is a way to do it without Director (see the wiki here for instructions), and it is not difficult, but it is a little tedious. If you bring Director into the picture, it is slick and easy.

In the SSP settings panel, look at the second-to-last panel called "Data". You will notice that under XML File Type, there is an option called "Director". In the box directly above, you paste the XML file path that Director gives you. (This may be a path to a single album, or the path to a gallery.)

Then it really gets interesting, because Lightroom will show you the Slideshow from online, NOT what ever happens to be sitting in your filmstrip! When setting up your Slideshow the first time, it is best to just select a couple images for the look and feel, but it doesn't matter what they are.

Once you get this all set-up, you manage your photographs with your regular workflow using Lightroom's Library and Develop modules (and Collections), and you set up an Export preset. Then, you log in to Director, choose your albums and upload the images.

Hope I didn't confuse it more because I started rambling.
Logged

Jon Meddings

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 143
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #5 on: December 06, 2008, 09:39:44 am »

Quote from: JDClements
Yes. It is Director that assigns the photos to your different albums. (Or, different Galleries with different albums. You can have multiple instances if you go the embedding route.)

JD thank you for this. Very nice gallery btw!

After reading your comments I am thinking of trying to set something like this up. I've been using pbase for years but it is getting a little dated in its presentation and I would love to be able to manage our website directly from lightroom.
Logged

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2008, 12:58:47 pm »

There is something I forgot to mention, because I forgot about it myself and have not used it yet. Slideshowpro offers another free plug-in for Lightroom that allows you to Export directly to Director, therefore combining two steps into one.

You can find it here.

Once installed, you can export/upload directly to any album or even create a new album and upload to that, all from Lightroom.
Logged

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2008, 08:43:41 pm »

Quote from: Jon Meddings
JD thank you for this. Very nice gallery btw!

You're welcome, and thank you!
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2008, 11:02:53 pm »

What's wrong with simply using the Slideshow and Web modules already supplied with Lightroom? They work very well and produce great results.
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

Josh-H

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2079
    • Wild Nature Photo Travel
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #9 on: December 07, 2008, 02:22:32 am »

Quote from: MarkDS
What's wrong with simply using the Slideshow and Web modules already supplied with Lightroom? They work very well and produce great results.

Nothing per se - the stock module is just really basic, and doesnt offer anywhere near the power of Slideshow Pro.
Logged
Wild Nature Photo Travel

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #10 on: December 07, 2008, 08:15:39 am »

Quote from: Josh-H
Nothing per se - the stock module is just really basic, and doesnt offer anywhere near the power of Slideshow Pro.

OK I can how that may be the case, though I don't know Slideshow Pro. I just didn't want us to lose sight of what the native program can do. And it can do more than may appear at first blush. Some  by now may have bought a copy of Martin Evening's Lightroom 2 book. He has quite a substantial chapter on Slideshow creation, and spends a number of pages showing how to make "beyond the box" presentation schemes and formats. This thread has anyhow tweaked my interest in having a peep at Slideshow Pro!
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #11 on: December 07, 2008, 09:55:15 am »

Quote from: MarkDS
What's wrong with simply using the Slideshow and Web modules already supplied with Lightroom? They work very well and produce great results.

Because there is no management after the fact. For example, if you want to add an image to a show already on your site, you would have to re-export and re-upload the entire thing. Or take an image away. Or re-order the images.

I think the native web module would be fine for putting up fixed shows (for example, a wedding photographer putting up shows for clients that are not likely to change) if you can achieve the look you want with it.
Logged

Mark D Segal

  • Contributor
  • Sr. Member
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12512
    • http://www.markdsegal.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #12 on: December 07, 2008, 10:08:26 am »

Quote from: JDClements
For example, if you want to add an image to a show already on your site, you would have to re-export and re-upload the entire thing. Or take an image away. Or re-order the images.

Yup, been there, done that - with a broadband internet connection it's a fast, reliable and easy process. But with the other plug-in can you up-load incremental changes to a show already posted without re-exporting and re-posting the whole file?
Logged
Mark D Segal (formerly MarkDS)
Author: "Scanning Workflows with SilverFast 8....."

JDClements

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 312
    • http://www.jdanielclements.com
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #13 on: December 07, 2008, 10:55:07 am »

Quote from: MarkDS
But with the other plug-in can you up-load incremental changes to a show already posted without re-exporting and re-posting the whole file?

Yes.
Logged

waltershintani

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #14 on: April 19, 2009, 02:45:44 pm »

Quote from: JDClements
Yes. It is Director that assigns the photos to your different albums. (Or, different Galleries with different albums. You can have multiple instances if you go the embedding route.)



Again, the secret lies in Director. There is a way to do it without Director (see the wiki here for instructions), and it is not difficult, but it is a little tedious. If you bring Director into the picture, it is slick and easy.

In the SSP settings panel, look at the second-to-last panel called "Data". You will notice that under XML File Type, there is an option called "Director". In the box directly above, you paste the XML file path that Director gives you. (This may be a path to a single album, or the path to a gallery.)

Then it really gets interesting, because Lightroom will show you the Slideshow from online, NOT what ever happens to be sitting in your filmstrip! When setting up your Slideshow the first time, it is best to just select a couple images for the look and feel, but it doesn't matter what they are.

Once you get this all set-up, you manage your photographs with your regular workflow using Lightroom's Library and Develop modules (and Collections), and you set up an Export preset. Then, you log in to Director, choose your albums and upload the images.

Hope I didn't confuse it more because I started rambling.


Hello, so you reckon is necessary to get the director as well in order to be able to upload different galleries? I´m about to relaunch my site and this lightroom feature seems to be an excellent option but I am not sure if I get director and templates as well. Thanks
« Last Edit: April 19, 2009, 02:46:13 pm by waltershintani »
Logged

john beardsworth

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 4755
    • My photography site
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #15 on: April 19, 2009, 03:46:45 pm »

Quote from: waltershintani
Hello, so you reckon is necessary to get the director as well in order to be able to upload different galleries? I´m about to relaunch my site and this lightroom feature seems to be an excellent option but I am not sure if I get director and templates as well. Thanks
Necessary, no, but it all depends what you want to do. If you are happy uploading galleries and editing the html to connect them, then you won't gain anything. But Director is excellent - for example if you just want to add / remove a single image, or change the text, it's a lot easier with Director than regenerating the entire gallery via Web. Or if you want the same images to appear in multiple galleries (eg an image might appear in "new pics" as well as in its regular gallery), Director handles this easily. You'll need to learn a few tricks, but then then whole thing becomes a lot more efficient. There's a trial.

John
Logged

waltershintani

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #16 on: April 20, 2009, 04:20:17 pm »

Quote from: johnbeardy
Necessary, no, but it all depends what you want to do. If you are happy uploading galleries and editing the html to connect them, then you won't gain anything. But Director is excellent - for example if you just want to add / remove a single image, or change the text, it's a lot easier with Director than regenerating the entire gallery via Web. Or if you want the same images to appear in multiple galleries (eg an image might appear in "new pics" as well as in its regular gallery), Director handles this easily. You'll need to learn a few tricks, but then then whole thing becomes a lot more efficient. There's a trial.

John

Thank you John, I´ll consider it. It seems to be more practical in order to upgrade the page every now and then.
Logged

ElisemkII

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #17 on: April 21, 2009, 03:32:13 am »

Thanks a lot. Director+ssp are a great and easy flash site builder. Any one has the ability to add a simple string with a mail to option as the standard lr module has? Regards Alberto
« Last Edit: April 21, 2009, 03:34:34 am by ElisemkII »
Logged

Alasdair

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2009, 01:56:21 am »

Hello there. Does anyone else have constant crashes when using the flash modules in LR. I am using OS X 10.5.7 and the flash has been un-usable since - well - pretty much always.
Logged

James R

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 364
Slideshow Pro for Lightroom
« Reply #19 on: May 18, 2009, 05:46:44 pm »

Does this program also allow you to burn the slide show to a DVD format?
Logged
Pages: [1] 2   Go Up