Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Pavneet Arora]

Hello,

I am trying to put aside doing my presentations using prosper, and
migrating to using ConTeXt+simpleslides.

I ask this knowing full well that many would consider these features as
simply adding visual noise to presentations, and normally I too eschew
them, but as I am reading Jean-Luc Doumont's book on effective
communications I am reminded that the primary purpose of presentations is
to affect change in the audience.  I am to give a presentation in a few
days to a group of designers/interior decorators, and for this audience
presentations using these features are both appropriate and often
expected.

I am looking for the equivalent of transition effects in the prosper
class---the simple Wipe transition would suffice; no need for Glitter
;).  The other feature that I would like is the incremental displaying
of a slide, i.e., the \overlays feature.  Is there an easy way to
incorporate these into a ConTeXt based presentation, even if it means
not necessarily using simpleslides?

advTHANKSance.



-- 
-----
- Pavneet Arora

Waroc Fine Audio + Custom Home Cinema
www.waroc.com  416.937.WAROC (9276)

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Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Wolfgang Schuster]

Am 06.12.2011 um 14:30 schrieb Pavneet Arora:

> Hello,
> 
> I am trying to put aside doing my presentations using prosper, and
> migrating to using ConTeXt+simpleslides.
> 
> I ask this knowing full well that many would consider these features as
> simply adding visual noise to presentations, and normally I too eschew
> them, but as I am reading Jean-Luc Doumont's book on effective
> communications I am reminded that the primary purpose of presentations is
> to affect change in the audience.  I am to give a presentation in a few
> days to a group of designers/interior decorators, and for this audience
> presentations using these features are both appropriate and often
> expected.
> 
> I am looking for the equivalent of transition effects in the prosper
> class---the simple Wipe transition would suffice; no need for Glitter
> ;).  The other feature that I would like is the incremental displaying
> of a slide, i.e., the \overlays feature.  Is there an easy way to
> incorporate these into a ConTeXt based presentation, even if it means
> not necessarily using simple slides?

\setupinteraction[state=start]
\setuppagetransitions[wipe]
\setuppapersize[S6]
\setuphead[align=middle]
\starttext
\title{Knuth}\input knuth
\title{Tufte}\input tufte
\title{Zapf} \input zapf
\stoptext

Wolfgang
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Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Marco]

On 2011-12-06 Pavneet Arora <pavneet_arora@waroc.com> wrote:

> I am looking for the equivalent of transition effects in the prosper
> class---the simple Wipe transition would suffice;

Nothing ConTeXt related, but maybe suitable for you:
impressive¹, a python script that turns any PDF into a
slide show using different transitions.

Marco

[1] http://impressive.sourceforge.net/


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Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Pavneet Arora]

Thanks Wolfgang and Marco for the quick responses.  Marco, `impressive' looks 
just the thing that will easily allow me to add transitions while still using 
simpleslides to get me going until I can do my own DIY slides.

Regards.

-- 
-----
- Pavneet Arora

Waroc Fine Audio + Custom Home Cinema
www.waroc.com  416.937.WAROC (9276)

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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Thomas A. Schmitz]

On 12/06/2011 11:40 PM, Pavneet Arora wrote:
> Thanks Wolfgang and Marco for the quick responses.  Marco, `impressive'
> looks just the thing that will easily allow me to add transitions while
> still using simpleslides to get me going until I can do my own DIY slides.
>
> Regards.

Glad you found a solution. Maybe just a word explaining why I find it a 
waste of time to do work on such transitions in simpleslides: even if we 
accept, for the sake of the argument, that such transitions are more 
than a mere distraction, it is almost impossible to get acceptable 
results across platforms and pdf viewers. Most viewers under linux will 
either not show transitions at all or show them in such an ugly way that 
your audience may leave in disgust. If something like this doesn't work, 
newbies will of course assume that it's the module's fault, while in 
reality, it's the implementation of the pdf viewer. Instead of having 
inconsistent and potentially unsatisfying results, I prefer to leave 
these transitions to outside tools.

And a tiny bit of anecdotal evidence: I had been using a "cube" 
transition for a while in my classroom lectures. I thought it was cool. 
And then, one day, I was standing somewhere in the back of the classroom 
while I was changing slides with my remote control, and I saw the effect 
for the first time from the audience's point of view. The slide pretty 
much fills up the front wall of the classroom, and watching the cube 
turn was absolutely nauseating; I was surprised that none of the 
students had ever complained (or thrown up...). It was horrible, and I 
have given up all transitions ever since...

Thomas
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Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Hans Hagen]

On 7-12-2011 09:29, Thomas A. Schmitz wrote:

> Glad you found a solution. Maybe just a word explaining why I find it a
> waste of time to do work on such transitions in simpleslides: even if we

Page transitions have always been part of context pdf support (not that 
I ever use them as I dislike them too much):

\setuppagetransitions[random]

No coding needed as it's a viewer control feature.

Hans

-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
               Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
     tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
                                              | www.pragma-pod.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Pavneet Arora]

Dear Thomas,

Nauseating is an apt description ;).  In general, I too avoid them, but with 
this upcoming audience, unadorned may be mistaken (incorrectly) for plain.  I do 
think, however, that `dissolve' is subtle enough to offer a reasonable compromise.

BTW, is there a way of doing incremental slides with the simpleslides module 
like the overlay feature from prosper?  Or is that easily achieved in some other 
way that is native to ConTeXt?

Thanks and regards.


On 11-12-07 03:29 AM, Thomas A. Schmitz wrote:
> On 12/06/2011 11:40 PM, Pavneet Arora wrote:
>> Thanks Wolfgang and Marco for the quick responses. Marco, `impressive'
>> looks just the thing that will easily allow me to add transitions while
>> still using simpleslides to get me going until I can do my own DIY slides.
>>
>> Regards.
>
> Glad you found a solution. Maybe just a word explaining why I find it a waste of
> time to do work on such transitions in simpleslides: even if we accept, for the
> sake of the argument, that such transitions are more than a mere distraction, it
> is almost impossible to get acceptable results across platforms and pdf viewers.
> Most viewers under linux will either not show transitions at all or show them in
> such an ugly way that your audience may leave in disgust. If something like this
> doesn't work, newbies will of course assume that it's the module's fault, while
> in reality, it's the implementation of the pdf viewer. Instead of having
> inconsistent and potentially unsatisfying results, I prefer to leave these
> transitions to outside tools.
>
> And a tiny bit of anecdotal evidence: I had been using a "cube" transition for a
> while in my classroom lectures. I thought it was cool. And then, one day, I was
> standing somewhere in the back of the classroom while I was changing slides with
> my remote control, and I saw the effect for the first time from the audience's
> point of view. The slide pretty much fills up the front wall of the classroom,
> and watching the cube turn was absolutely nauseating; I was surprised that none
> of the students had ever complained (or thrown up...). It was horrible, and I
> have given up all transitions ever since...
>
> Thomas

-- 
-----
- Pavneet Arora

Waroc Fine Audio + Custom Home Cinema
www.waroc.com  416.937.WAROC (9276)

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Hans Hagen]

On 7-12-2011 12:44, Pavneet Arora wrote:
> Dear Thomas,
>
> Nauseating is an apt description ;). In general, I too avoid them, but
> with this upcoming audience, unadorned may be mistaken (incorrectly) for
> plain. I do think, however, that `dissolve' is subtle enough to offer a
> reasonable compromise.
>
> BTW, is there a way of doing incremental slides with the simpleslides
> module like the overlay feature from prosper? Or is that easily achieved
> in some other way that is native to ConTeXt?

context s-pre-61

will give you an example (the magic word is Steps .. non intrusive and 
efficient stepping)

Hans


-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
               Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
     tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
                                              | www.pragma-pod.nl
-----------------------------------------------------------------
___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Pavneet Arora]

[-- Attachment #1.1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1504 bytes --]

Thanks Hans.  Will do.  Steps sounds perfect for this and my other applications.

Regards.

-- 
Sent from my Nokia N900. Please excuse my brevity.

----- Original message -----
> On 7-12-2011 12:44, Pavneet Arora wrote:
> > Dear Thomas,
> > 
> > Nauseating is an apt description ;). In general, I too avoid them, but
> > with this upcoming audience, unadorned may be mistaken (incorrectly)
> > for plain. I do think, however, that `dissolve' is subtle enough to
> > offer a reasonable compromise.
> > 
> > BTW, is there a way of doing incremental slides with the simpleslides
> > module like the overlay feature from prosper? Or is that easily
> > achieved in some other way that is native to ConTeXt?
> 
> context s-pre-61
> 
> will give you an example (the magic word is Steps .. non intrusive and 
> efficient stepping)
> 
> Hans
> 
> 
> -----------------------------------------------------------------
>                                                                                       Hans Hagen | PRAGMA ADE
>                               Ridderstraat 27 | 8061 GH Hasselt | The Netherlands
>           tel: 038 477 53 69 | voip: 087 875 68 74 | www.pragma-ade.com
>                                                                                             | www.pragma-pod.nl
> -----------------------------------------------------------------


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___________________________________________________________________________________
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maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
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___________________________________________________________________________________

Re: Migrating from prosper to simpleslides in creating presentations

[Pavneet Arora]

BTW, I am using evince under Ubuntu and haven't noticed too many
inconsistencies, but then I don't normally use transitions, but do use
incremental slides a lot, which I understand are also only pertinent
with PDFs: from p. 4 of the prosper manual in the section for Overlays,
``All those macros are only really meaningful in pdf mode; in ps mode,
they do nothing or interpret their argument, depending on the option
no/accumulate.''

On 11-12-07 03:29 AM, Thomas A. Schmitz wrote:
> On 12/06/2011 11:40 PM, Pavneet Arora wrote:
>> Thanks Wolfgang and Marco for the quick responses. Marco, `impressive'
>> looks just the thing that will easily allow me to add transitions while
>> still using simpleslides to get me going until I can do my own DIY slides.
>>
>> Regards.
>
> Glad you found a solution. Maybe just a word explaining why I find it a waste of
> time to do work on such transitions in simpleslides: even if we accept, for the
> sake of the argument, that such transitions are more than a mere distraction, it
> is almost impossible to get acceptable results across platforms and pdf viewers.
> Most viewers under linux will either not show transitions at all or show them in
> such an ugly way that your audience may leave in disgust. If something like this
> doesn't work, newbies will of course assume that it's the module's fault, while
> in reality, it's the implementation of the pdf viewer. Instead of having
> inconsistent and potentially unsatisfying results, I prefer to leave these
> transitions to outside tools.
>
> And a tiny bit of anecdotal evidence: I had been using a "cube" transition for a
> while in my classroom lectures. I thought it was cool. And then, one day, I was
> standing somewhere in the back of the classroom while I was changing slides with
> my remote control, and I saw the effect for the first time from the audience's
> point of view. The slide pretty much fills up the front wall of the classroom,
> and watching the cube turn was absolutely nauseating; I was surprised that none
> of the students had ever complained (or thrown up...). It was horrible, and I
> have given up all transitions ever since...
>
> Thomas

-- 
-----
- Pavneet Arora

Waroc Fine Audio + Custom Home Cinema
www.waroc.com  416.937.WAROC (9276)

___________________________________________________________________________________
If your question is of interest to others as well, please add an entry to the Wiki!

maillist : ntg-context@ntg.nl / http://www.ntg.nl/mailman/listinfo/ntg-context
webpage  : http://www.pragma-ade.nl / http://tex.aanhet.net
archive  : http://foundry.supelec.fr/projects/contextrev/
wiki     : http://contextgarden.net
___________________________________________________________________________________