Principles of functioning
Slides are shown one after the
other, in the order in which they appear in the timeline.
The following diagram symbolizes the principles of functioning
of slides:
The
slides
On the high part of the diagram are represented slides A, B, C
and D.
- Every slide possesses an entering transition (symbolized on
the diagram by a small square T). The transitions don't have
all the same duration (symbolized on the diagram by the
lengths TB ', TC ', etc.): It is indeed possible to define
slide by slide the duration of the entering transition (either
to indicate no transition: duration=0).
- Every slide possesses a duration which is appropriate for it
(symbolized on the diagram by the lengths B ', C ', etc.):
Some can last only some seconds while the others can last
several minutes. The durations are expressed in second but are
not necessarily whole values: A slide can very well last
12,234 seconds!
- Every slide is a composition. That is an assembly of one or
several multimedia elements which are livened up in the time.
The animation in the time is realized through shots.
- Every slide can define a new background (bottom of screen).
- Every slide can define a new musical playlist.
The slides
which do not define background, use the background defined in a
previous slide. So in the following example:
- Slide 1 - Define a background
- Slide 2 - Does not define background and thus uses the
background defines by the slide 1
- Slide 3 - Does not define background and thus uses the
background defines by the slide 1
- Slide 4 - Define a background
- Slide 5 - Does not define background and thus uses the
background defines by the slide 4
The same
principle is applied to the musical playlists. As long as slides
do not define new playlist, they use the last defined playlist.
Shots
and blocks
The low part of the diagram
represents the slide C.
- Every slide is defined with of 1 in several shots. The shots
are symbolized on the diagram by rectangles C1, C2, C3, etc.
…
- Every shot have its own duration (symbolized on the diagram
by the lengths C1 ', C2 ', C3 ', etc.). Some shot can last
only some seconds while the others can last several minutes.
Some shots can have a duration equal to 0. (The durations are
expressed in second but are not necessarily whole values: A
shot can very well last 12,234 seconds!)
- The shots can contain several multimedia objects. The
multimedia objects are integrated into blocks which can be of
type title (contain only text), of type images (or photo) or
of type video.
- The shots are transparent. That is that if the obtained
image does not fill all the screen, the background (bottom of
screen) will appear.
Remarks:
- The shots define the organization of blocks (multimedia
objects) at the given moment.
- The shots animations are generated by the transformation
of the organizations from a shot to the other one.
Concretely,
if in the foreground, a photo occupies all the screen, then
occupies only a small part of the screen in the following shot,
then the animation will consist of the transformation of the
photo of all the screen (previous shot) towards the small part
of the screen (following shot).
- Shot 1: Image using all the screen: Duration=2 seconds.
- Shot 2: Image using only the bottom right screen quarter:
Duration 3 seconds.
- Shot 3: Image using again all the screen: Duration=2
seconds.
- Result: the photo will be shown on all the screen during 2
seconds then will be reduced gradually towards the right lower
quarter of the screen during 3 seconds then will get bigger
until occupy again all the screen during 2 seconds.
- The slide will end as soon as the photo will have reached
the position defined in the shot 3.
Remarks:
- The transformations are gradually made: in the example you
will see the image being gradually reduced.
- The transformations are made during all the duration of
the following shot.
The definition of the objects of every block can vary from a
shot to the other one: In the following example, are represented
three different definitions from the same block:
- 1st shot: The image is full.
- 2nd shot: The image is re-framed on the statue.
- 3rd shot: The image is re-framed on the walkers.
If we apply
these definitions like the previous 3 shots:
- The complete photo will be shown on all the screen during 2
seconds then will be reduced gradually by zooming on the
statue towards the right lower quarter of the screen during 3
seconds then will get bigger until occupy again all the screen
by moving towards the walkers during 2 seconds.
Remarks:
- FfDiaporama can manage up to several hundreds of slides in a
single project.
- Every slide can consist of several (tens) of shots.
- Every slide can contain several (tens) of blocks.
- Blocks can be visible on some shots and invisible on the
other shots.
The "Visible" property of blocks and the management of the
breaks
Blocks have a visible or
invisible property. In the following example, the image is 3
times inserted (in 3 blocks) into the same slide.
- The first defined block the whole image filling all the
screen
- The second defined block the image re-framed on the
statue and positioned in the form of ellipse in the right
part of the screen
- The third defined block the image re-framed on the
walkers and positioned also in the form of ellipse in the
right part of the screen

The statue and the walkers have their property positioned on
invisible on the 1st shot.
Then the statue becomes visible on the 2nd shot.
Finally, the statue becomes again invisible on the 3rd shot
and the walkers become visible.
Result :
- During 2 seconds, the 1st shot is shown and we see only
the whole image which occupies all the screen
- The second 2 following ones, the statue appears
- The next 2 seconds, the statue is replaced by the
walkers
This example is really very simple, because it is also
possible to liven up the appearance and the disappearance of
blocks.
Indeed, as evoked previously, the animations of shots are
generated by the transformation of the organizations from a
shot to the other one.
So, if on the 1st shot, the statue occupied the left lower
small quarter of the screen instead of the same position as on
the 2nd shot, then instead of appearing simply during 2
seconds on the 2nd shot, it would appear by getting bigger
since the left lower small quarter of the screen.
To note that in the case of videos, these are put in break
when they are invisible.
So, a video can be display during some seconds in a 1st plan,
then be set invisible and thus in break in a 2nd shot, then be
visible on 3rd shot and resume its displaying, there where it
had stayed in the end of the 1st shot.
Remark:
The total duration of the project is not equal to the sum of the
slides durations because the transitions make that slides
overlap: Two slides of 10 seconds with each a transition of 1
second will give a total duration for the project of 19 seconds
(and not of 20 seconds)!
See also
ffDiaporama 1.0 - July 2011