Cannot add still images to tracks

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TheCap
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:40 am

Cannot add still images to tracks

Post by TheCap »

The subject pretty much says it all. When I try to add a still image (jpg, gif, png, etc.) to a track, I get a small pop-up that says something like "Cannot open the file :" and the file name of the image I want to put into the track. Movies (m2v, avi, etc.) seem to load up fine, but still images fail every time. No other programs are attempting to access the image files at the same time as Multiquence. The OS on this machine is Windows ME.

This is a fresh re-installation of v2.55, after an uninstall of the old v2.02 program. The old installation had no issues loading still images into tracks. The default action for still images on the system is OPEN in ACDSee, which works perfectly, as always.

Help, please !!!
Stiiv
Posts: 335
Joined: Sat May 15, 2004 7:29 pm
Location: Fallentown, PA

Post by Stiiv »

Hi, Cap. I'm a WinME orphan, too, & I'll try to help. You provided some good info in your post re: your setup. The fact that you have those filetypes open in ACDSee by default is making my spider sense tingle a bit, but if it worked for you previously, it should work now. (The WinME default is Image Preview, at least here.) Let me get a stupid question out of the way: you're trying to add stills via "add image section" on the menu, right? Sorry, but I have to ask. :wink:

Aside from ACDSee, do any of your other programs have trouble with jpg, gif etc.? Are there any graphic files that DO work in MQ?

If you haven't already, take a look in Folder Options/File Types; examine the various actions listed for each type. I'd check the filetypes in the registry as well....open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in Regedit & look for anomalies in each type's entries.

You also (hopefully) have the option of using System Restore to go back to a time when everything worked...you DO set restore points manually, don't you? :lol: That's one the first things I learned with ME. If all works well, as before, then reinstall the newest MQ & see if the error persists.

Let me know how it goes.
Stiiv
TheCap
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:40 am

Post by TheCap »

Hi, Cap. I'm a WinME orphan, too, & I'll try to help.
I've had no troubles with WinME in all the years I've used it. Of course, I run a ridiculously clean machine and it gets powered off when not in use.
The fact that you have those filetypes open in ACDSee by default is making my spider sense tingle a bit, but if it worked for you previously, it should work now. (The WinME default is Image Preview, at least here.)
Not to worry ... ACDSee is an old, old friend. Stable as a rock and an ancient but well debugged version. It plays very well with pretty much everything.
Let me get a stupid question out of the way: you're trying to add stills via "add image section" on the menu, right? Sorry, but I have to ask. :wink:

Yup. Also tried drag-and-drop, as I did in the old days with v2.02. Neither method was successful, with the same results.
Aside from ACDSee, do any of your other programs have trouble with jpg, gif etc.?
Nope. I've been pushing pixels in one form or another for just over 25 years, so trust me when I say that whenever I find a program that DOESN'T handle JPGs or GIFs perfectly, it's gone in a flash. All other programs I have on the machine that use these formats do so flawlessly.
Are there any graphic files that DO work in MQ?
Now you've gone and got me thinking, and it hurts my head. I created three test images, all at 720x480 px, all from the same master file : one JPG, one GIF and one PNG, all specified with no transparency (the GIF and PNG, anyway) at 24 bits of color. Lo and be-freakin-hold ! The JPG and GIF get the "Can't open the file" pop-up message, but the PNG drops onto the track as expected.
If you haven't already, take a look in Folder Options/File Types; examine the various actions listed for each type.
All clean as a whistle - one action, Open, set up as default to open in ACDsee.
I'd check the filetypes in the registry as well....open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT in Regedit & look for anomalies in each type's entries.
Also done ... very boring. Same number of keys (about three or four), all the same numerical values, file types are properly defined. Identical layout and key sets for JPG, GIF and PNG.
You also (hopefully) have the option of using System Restore to go back to a time when everything worked...you DO set restore points manually, don't you? :lol:
Um ... yeah. Yeah, of course. Sure.

Ok ... no. Honestly, Multiquence has been so dependable in the past and I considered it such a low screw-up risk that I didn't even think to set a restore point. Mind you, I DO set restore points if I have any doubts, but this time ... no. "My bad" as the kids would say.

So ... JPG and GIF are still out of commision, but PNG appears to be in working order. Of course, that's just "run program ... load image into track ... HEY, it's THERE like it's supposed to be". I'll have to see how things behave when I actually try to DO something !

Thank you so much for the assist ! If anything about why JPGs and GIFs might be failing to open springs to mind, please share !

TheCap
GoldWave Inc.
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Post by GoldWave Inc. »

A few users started having problems after installing camera drivers and software. Apparently the JPEG and GIF decoding modules included with Windows would be replaced by proprietary ones that failed to work in Multiquence. Some video drivers also have been known to cause that kind of a problem.

If Multiquence v2.02 still has no trouble adding those images on your computer, then there may be a glitch in the latest update, but I haven't noticed any problems so far.

Chris
Stiiv
Posts: 335
Joined: Sat May 15, 2004 7:29 pm
Location: Fallentown, PA

Post by Stiiv »

PNG appears to be in working order
Aha! Here's what I'd do (Caution - in non-computer contexts, don't do what I'd do. Usually. :wink: ): After setting a restore point :!: , I'd examine/compare all actions for png files to the gif & jpg filetype actions, copy/paste & see if that enables loading into GW.

Maybe seeing my setup would help; here's the actions for gif I've set up on my machine:

Action: open
Application used to perform action: rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SHIMGVW.DLL,ImageView_Fullscreen %1

Action: edit
Application used to perform action: "C:\Program Files\Jasc Software Inc\Paint Shop Pro 7\psp.exe" "%1"

(PSP7 is my old gfx pal, like ACDSee is yours.)

The other actions are print-related & shouldn't apply here. Hope some/all/any of this helps. Lemme know.
Stiiv
TheCap
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Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:40 am

Post by TheCap »

Stiiv wrote:I'd examine/compare all actions for png files to the gif & jpg filetype actions, copy/paste & see if that enables loading into GW.
Done already - all actions for GIF, JPG and PNG are absolutely identical. Just one action for each - Open - and that calls ACDSee, with the same executable and parameters. No print or edit actions for those three file types.
Stiiv wrote:(PSP7 is my old gfx pal, like ACDSee is yours.)
Get out of my head, Stiiv ! I also use PSP 7 on my WinME box ! Always have, too ... rock stable and very capable.

Anyways ... I've tried using PNGs with transparency (straight transparency, not alpha blended) in Multiquence with great success this past weekend. Actually, after giving it some thought, PNGs are really the best option for this use. PNGs give me the required transparency of GIFs (without the need to manually specify a transparency range in Multiquence) as well as the full 24bit color palette and nice compression ratios of JPGs. With this much of a "win, win" for PNGs, I doubt I'd use GIFs or JPGs for video compositing anyways. (I guess you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, eh ?)

So ... looks like the glitch isn't going to stop things from moving forward. Thanks again for your valuable input and help !
Stiiv
Posts: 335
Joined: Sat May 15, 2004 7:29 pm
Location: Fallentown, PA

Post by Stiiv »

Thanks again for your valuable input and help !
Well, you're very welcome, but I didn't actually help you solve anything....then again, re-defining the problem & embracing the work-around is often the only/best way to go with our Commodore 64's, uh, I mean WinME boxes. :wink: Chris (author of MQ), a forum reader, or the lovely & talented Doug D'Bugg will hopefully chime in soon & tell us what we're overlooking...because now, it's personal! :shock:

PM's are off here, so if you want to trade ME horror stories & solutions, arcane PSP lore, etc., shout me at stiivryan at gmail dot com. We veterans of the red-headed bastard stepchild that was Windows ME should stick together. Ah! "Band of Blunders"! :wink:
Stiiv
GoldWave Inc.
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Post by GoldWave Inc. »

I'm still wondering if v2.02 works and if the problem is limited to v2.55. I haven't had any trouble adding images in v2.55, so that seems to point to a isolated system problem. If all else fails and you have the time, reinstalling Windows often works wonders.

Chris
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