Please
review these technical FAQs to see if your question is answered
on this page. If your question is not addressed here, please
go to the last question to find out how to contact our Technical
Support department.
- How do I install PhotoActive FX and the
Demo Effects onto my local hard drive?
- How does the Demo differ from the purchased
software?
- I bought the Full set of effects. How do
I install them?
- How do I uninstall PhotoActive FX from my
computer?
- How do I download PhotoActive FX?
- What do I do with the demo effects once
I purchase the full version of PhotoActive FX?
- Will PhotoActive FX work with PowerPlugs:
Transitions?
- Do I need any special hardware to use PhotoActive
FX?
- Is there an international language version
of PhotoActive FX?
- What should I do if PhotoActive FX appears
to install correctly, but the commands "Still Photo
Effects" and "Animated Photo Effects" do nothing?
- Sometimes when I click on an effect from
the Effects Gallery it does not preview. Is it broken?
- The Floating Toolbar is missing. How do
I fix it?
- How much additional hard drive space do
I need to install Volume II ?
- Most of the photos printed from Adobe PDF
files have horizontal streaks through them. Is there
a correlation between the effects and the PDF file or
is the problem with the printer?
- I applied a Transition In effect to a picture.
When the Transition In effect finished, the Transition
In effect reverted to its first frame. What I wanted
was to end with my photo showing. Please tell me how
to fix this.
- Is the word "PhotoActive FX" branded into
every effect in the full version?
- The Demo software only has 40 effects to
try. How can I see the other 100+ effects so I can best
make my purchase decision?
- Why does the animation sometimes play on
the slide after the one it is supposed to?
- How can I use more than one picture in an
effect?
- How can I use WordArt with PhotoActive FX?
- Can I add PhotoActive FX to charts and graphs
in my presentation?
- What
should I do when I receive an error message trying to
download the paid version of PowerPlugs: PhotoActive
FX
Additional
Support
-
How do I contact Technical Support?
- How
do I install PhotoActive FX and the Demo Effects onto
my local hard drive?
Follow these simple steps.
- Download
the FREE Trial software (Click
here): (The Demo Effects are included with
the software.)
- Choose
a volume of effects from the home page to try.
-
pfx1demo.exe
[ 6.4 MB file] or
-
pfx2demo.exe [7.2
MB file]
- Make
sure NO OTHER applications are running at the time
of installation.
- Double
click on the file called pfx1demo.exe or
pfx2demo.exe (This will automatically begin
the Installation Wizard.)
- Follow
the installation Wizard instructions until complete.
- *Note:
It is recommended that you allow the application
to install itself to the default folder: C:\Program
Files\PowerPlugs\PhotoActive FX.
- Wait
for the "Setup is complete" message box to appear.
- *
Note: Please be patient while the software interface
is added to PowerPoint. You may experience a
short delay during this last phase of the installation
process, especially if you are using a slow
processor.
- Take
the time to register your software to finish the
installation.
- You
have finished the installation. Start using PowerPoint!
Top of page
- How
does the Demo differ from the purchased software?
From a software
perspective, there is no difference between the Demo
and Purchased "Full Version". Both applications are
fully functional and FREE. What you are buying is
the complete, totally useable volume of effects. The
Demo only contains a handful of sample effects to
experiment with, but they will be displayed with a
watermark when placed onto a PowerPoint slide. When
you purchase the full set of effects there will be
no such markings.
We recommend that you keep the software installed
on your computer if you intend to buy the full set
of effects and discard the demo set of effects.
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-
I
bought the Full set of effects. How do I install them?
Follow these
simple steps.
The
CD ROM version
of the software is a snap to install.
- Insert
the CD into your computer.
- When
the AutoRun interface appears, click on the 'Install
Software' button.
- Follow
the installation Wizard instructions until finished.
If
you purchased the Download
ONLY versions...
NOTE:
You MUST have your own modem connection to be able
to successfully download the secured [non-demo]
FTP software. You will NOT be able to properly download
this software if you are connected to the Internet
via a network [T1, firewalls, proxy servers etc.].
You MUST order the CD ROM version of the software.
Contact our Sales
Department.
- Download
the software installer [pfx1reg.exe, pfx2reg.exe
or pfx12reg.exe] from the secured purchase
page. The link would have been sent to you via
email.
- Make
sure no other application is running on your computer
when you start the installation.
- Double-click
on the appropriate installer file [pfx1reg.exe,
pfx2reg.exe or pfx12reg.exe ].
- Follow
the installation Wizard instructions until complete.
*Note:
It is recommended that you allow the application
to install itself to the default folder: C:\Program
Files\PowerPlugs\PhotoActive FX.
- Wait
for the "Setup is complete" message box to appear.
*
Note: Please be patient while the software interface
is added to PowerPoint. You may experience a short
delay during this last phase of the installation
process, especially if you are using a slow processor.
- Take
the time to register your software to finish the
installation.
- You
have finished the installation. Start using PowerPoint!
Top of page
- How
do I UNINSTALL PhotoActive FX from my computer?
Follow these simple steps.
- Exit
PowerPoint.
- Click
on the Windows Start menu and go to the Programs
submenu and select the PowerPlugs/PhotoActive FX
folder.
- Click
on the "Uninstall" shortcut. This will remove the
application from your computer.
- Using
the Windows Explorer, manually delete the PhotoActive
FX directory folder and library files from the "Program
Files" directory.
Top of page
- How
do I download PhotoActive FX and the Demo effects?
Click
here to choose
a volume of effects from the PhotoActive FX home page
to try.
Top of page
- What
do I do with the demo effects once I purchase the full
version(s) of PhotoActive FX?
There is no need to keep the Demo Library of effects
once you buy the full version(s) of the PhotoActive
FX software, however it will not harm anything if
you do not delete them as long
as you do not combine them with the purchased effects.
- Locate
the PhotoActive FX folder in the "Program Files/PowerPlugs/"
directory.
- Open
the PhotoActive FX folder and locate the Still
FX Library and the Animation FX Library folders.
- Open
each of the Library files, locate the folder
called "Volume 1 Demo" and "Volume 2 Demo".
- Highlight
the Demo folders and delete them.
Top of page
- Will
PhotoActive FX works with PowerPlugs: Transitions and
PowerPlugs: SuperShapes?
Yes, PhotoActive FX, PowerPlugs:
Transitions, and PowerPlugs: SuperShapes can all be
used within the same presentation without conflict.
Top of page
- Do
I need any special hardware to use PhotoActive FX?
No, extra hardware is not required. If PowerPoint
97 or PowerPoint 2000 is currently running on your
machine, so will PowerPlugs: PhotoActive FX. No graphic
acceleration hardware is necessary. You should be
fine as long as your computer meets the minimum system
requirements described on the product description
page.
MINIMUM - Pentium 166 - 120 MB available disk space
- 32 MB RAM
As a general rule of thumb, however, graphic and animation
software can be resource intensive. There are noticeable
performance improvements when fast processors and
large amounts of RAM are available.
Top of page
- Is
there an International language version of PhotoActive
FX?
No.
At this time PhotoActive FX is only available in an
English translation.
The current version will still function properly within
non-English PowerPoint 97 and 2000 software, however.
If you experience any difficulties please notify
us immediately so that we can resolve the issue.
We do anticipate developing Internationalized versions
of the software in the future.
Top of page
- What
should I do if PhotoActive FX appears to install correctly,
but the commands "Still Photo Effects" and "Animated
Photo Effects" do nothing?
First verify that you have
a presentation open and that you have an image selected
on your current slide. If the commands still are not
doing anything, chances are that the PhotoActive FX
interface did not install properly onto your machine.
To verify this, go to the "Tools Menu" and choose
"Add-ins…". You should see PhotoActive FX listed in
the "Available Add-Ins:" Window with an "X" to the
left of the text. If you do not see the "X" the software
did not install properly.
To fix this:
- Click on the Windows Start
menu and go to the Programs submenu and select
the PowerPlugs\PhotoActive FX folder.
- Click on the "Reconfigure"
shortcut.
- Click on the "Remove from
PowerPoint" button and wait for the Interface
to be removed.
- Click on the "Add to PowerPoint"
button and wait until the Interface is added
again.
- Click on the "OK" button
and go back to PowerPoint and try again.
Top of page
- Sometimes
when I click on an effect from the Effects Gallery it
does not preview. Is it broken?
No.
This was a bug in the 1.0 software but has been corrected.
Update your software to version 1.3; it's FREE.
Description of Bug:
This is not a regular experience and may only occur
when using the Still Effects. Chances are you are
running the Windows 95 operating system on a Pentium
1 processor and your computer processing speed is
below 200Mhz. Chances are also that this experience
is only noticeable in the beginning of your session
with the software.
This phenomenon is annoying but the effect you are
trying to use is not broken. It will appear that the
effect is not available. When you select another effect
it too may appear unavailable. You are witnessing
a delay in the importation of the effect to the degree
that it appears the effect is being skipped by the
program altogether.
The solution is a little patience or a faster processor.
Click and wait to see if an effect will preview. If
nothing, click on another effect and pause again.
Repeat this process until an effect finally displays
itself in the Preview Window. Depending on the complexity
of the effect category this could require clicking
on 3-5 other effects before they start previewing
without "skips". Once the effects get stored in your
computer's cache file (from usage during the session)
this problem will go away.
Top of page
- The
Floating Toolbar is missing. How do I fix it?
Sounds
like you are using an international (non-English)
version of PowerPoint and an older version of PhotoActive
FX 1.1 software. The problem has since been fixed.
| Identify
the situation: |
Step
#1:
Verify that the software installed properly and
make sure all the files are present.
Using your Windows Explorer locate the directory:
C:\\Program Files\PowerPlugs\PhotoActive FX
Inventory for downloaded software:
- 9
Sub-directory Folders
- 3
Executables
- 1
DLL Extension
- 1
PPA Extension
- 1
ISU Extension
- 2
Text Files
- 2
Help Files
- 10
Web Shortcuts
|
Step
#2:
Verify that the software installed itself into
PowerPoint:
- Go
to the "Tools Menu" and choose "Add-ins…".
- You
should see PhotoActive FX listed in the "Available
Add-Ins:" Window with an "X" to the left of
the text.
- If
you do not see the "X" the software did not
install properly.
- (Go
to Question #10 for further instructions)
|
Step
#3:
If you verified that steps 1 & 2 are OK, then
most likely:
- You
are using an international (non-English) version
of PowerPoint
- And
using PhotoActive FX trial software downloaded
prior to May 21st, 1999.
|
| Solution:
|
|
|
Top of page
- How
much additional hard drive space do I need to install
Volume II?
The
Volume II effect libraries require an additional 30
MB of available hard drive storage space. Be sure
to give yourself plenty of available usage space,
however.
Top of page
- Most
of the photos printed from Adobe PDF files have horizontal
streaks through them. Is there a correlation between
the effects and the PDF file or is the problem with
the printer?
This
is a bug in Adobe Acrobat Distiller 3.0. If the Word
document contains a picture with transparency, Acrobat
Distiller 3.0 cannot convert it to a PDF correctly.
Also if the Word document contains any WordArt, it too
cannot be converted properly.
Problem
Description:
Inserted photos into PowerPoint and added still effects.
Then copied them to the clipboard and pasted them into
Word documents. Then generated EPS files using the Tektronix
Phaser 550 driver, and generated PDF files using Adobe
Acrobat Distiller 3.0. The original application files
look fine. The majority of the PDF files also looked
fine. Saved the files to a ZIP disk and sent it out
for digital printing. Most of the photos printed from
the PDF files have horizontal streaks through them.
Suggested Solution:
Many photoactive pictures use transparency. To avoid
this PDF conversion and printing problem, turn off the
transparency before copying the picture to the clipboard
from PowerPoint or after pasting it into Word. To turn
off the transparency, select the picture and then click
"Set Transparency Color" from the Picture Command Bar
in PowerPoint or Word. Then click the handle (white
square) located to the bottom right of the selected
picture. This will turn off the transparency. You should
now be able to create a clean PDF file.
Top of page
- I
applied a Transition In effect to a picture. When the
Transition In effect finished, the Transition In effect
reverted to its first frame. What I wanted was to end
with my photo showing. Please tell me how to fix this.
Viewing Animation
Effects:
In order to answer this question you need to check
which PowerPoint layout mode you are viewing the animation
from. You are most likely previewing from PowerPoint's
"slide layout mode" rather than the "show preview
mode". PowerPoint automatically resets all animations
previewed in the layout mode back to their first keyframe.
To prove/test this fact,
Test 1) Apply the "Rising Curtain" animation and go
into PhotoActive FX's Advanced Mode to view the effect's
preset keyframes. You will notice that the last keyframe
displays the curtain in its raised position, as you
desire.
Test 2) You can also view a preview of your PowerPoint
Slide Show. You should find that your animation plays
as it was intended.
Top of page
- Is
the word "PhotoActive FX" branded into every effect
in the full version?
The "PhotoActive
FX branding text" is what is referred to as a 'Watermark'.
It is used to prevent unauthorized commercial usage
of our Trial/Demo software effects.
The demo is intended to allow prospective users the
ability to "test-drive" the PhotoActive software and
see some sample effect output quality. The demo set
of effects was never intended to serve for any individual
presentation productivity.
Alternative:
We have a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee on all the CD-ROM
products purchased directly from our company (Download
software excluded).
Contact our Sales Department at: 1-800-394-0700 or
email them at: orderdesk@crystalgraphics.com
Top of page
- The
Demo software only has 40 effects to try. How can I
see the other 100+ effects so I can best make my purchase
decision?
We
have made the remaining effects for Volumes I and II
available for your previewing. Since it would make the
initial download file size even bigger and not everyone
needs to see the whole collection to make a purchasing
decision, we have made the extra effect libraries available
under separate download files called MORPFXV1.EXE
and MORPFXV2.EXE.
These files can be found along with the Trial
Software Download. Look for the link that reads:
"Download the Rest-of-the-Effects
to Sample Here: ".
They can also be found on the "Get the latest
version" Web page. Simply use the Web link within
your PhotoActive FX software, located within the "Useful
Links" submenu of the "Help" menu.
Top of page
- Why
does the animation sometimes play on the slide after
the one it is supposed to?
This is actually a PowerPoint Animation control
settings issue, not PowerPlugs software problem.
Try the following to resolve the confusion:
1) Select the animation on your slide.
2) Right mouse-click and select the 'Custom Animation'
option.
3) From the 'Multimedia Setting' tab choose "Pause Slide
Show", "After current slide" and then check-off "Hide
while not playing".
4) Go to the 'Order & Timing' tab
5) Select either 'Start animation' "On mouse click"
or "Automatically".
Top of page
- Can
I use more than one picture in an effect?
Yes
and No.
Yes: You can group pictures in PowerPoint before
launching PhotoActive FX, which will make the assemblage
act as one picture for PhotoActive FX' usage.
No: PhotoActive FX only uses one photo/image
source at this time. So, if you were thinking about
applying an animation effect that changes from one
photo to another photo, you'll need to reconsider
your design idea.
Top of page
- How can I use WordArt
with PhotoActive FX?
While
PhotoActive FX was not designed to work with PowerPoint
Text or Text PowerPoint Effects there is a work-around
trick you can use.
* Please note from the start, that this trick will turn
your PowerPoint Text/Text Effect into a graphic format
and make the text unchangeable.
a) Create the PowerPoint Text/Text Effect you desire
on a white slide background
b) Take a screenshot by pressing the 'Print Screen'
on your keyboard
c) Paste the screenshot (press the 'Ctrl' & the
'V' key at the same time) on the PowerPoint slide
d) Select the screenshot image on your slide and choose
PowerPoint's 'Crop' tool (located in the 'Picture Toolbar')
e) Crop the unwanted area around your PowerPoint Text/Text
Effect
f) You should now be left with a picture version of
the PowerPoint Text/Text Effect you wanted
g) Position the picture on your slide and proceed to
use PhotoActive FX as normal.
Top of page
- Can
I add PhotoActive FX to charts and graphs in my presentation?
Yes,
but you will not be able to edit the graph/chart after
the effect is added.
How to:
* Select the image from the PowerPoint slide layout
just as you would any other image.
* Click the PhotoActive FX control of your choice 'Still
Photo Effect' or 'Animated Photo effect'.
* Proceed as normal.
Top of page
- What
should I do when I receive an error message trying to
download the paid version of PowerPlugs:
PhotoActive FX?
If you are trying to download through a company network's
Internet connection, you may receive errors or have
problems downloading. Please be aware that many company
network connections are protected by firewalls and proxy
servers, and these firewalls and proxy servers can cause
downloading problems. We recommend that you try downloading
through a regular modem connection that does not go
through a company network. If you are unable to download
please try the troubleshooting tips below or contact
our sales department to have them ship you the CD ROM
version instead.
Please try this if you are behind a firewall:
-
Close all browser windows
-
Go to Start menu, Settings, Control Panel
-
Click on Internet Options
- Select
the Advanced Tab
- Check
one or all of the following:
a)
Use Web Based FTP
b) Use passive FTP for compatibility with some firewalls
and DSL modems
c) Enable folder view for FTP sites (in this case
you would uncheck this option)
-
Click Apply
If
you are able to view the file but prompted to enter
a password after clicking on it:
a)
Right-click on the files(s) and select Save Target
As, Save Link As, or Copy To Folder depending on which
browser you are using.
b) Type in the user name and password where "X"
is your user name and "Y" is your password.
ftp://XXXXXXXXXX:YYYYYYYYYY@www.crystalgraphics.com:2122/
c) Try using a different web browser to download the
files.
Top of page
|
|
Technical Support Options
Website-based Tech Support: CrystalGraphics
customers automatically receive unlimited access to our Online Technical
Support FAQs which list the typical technical support problems that users
encounter, along with our best information regarding their solutions.
This service is available free of charge.
Email-based Tech Support: If you are a CrystalGraphics customer
and have read through all the common questions and answers in the technical
support section of the CrystalGraphics website, and your issue is still
not resolved, you can click
here to send us an email for a customized answer to your unique issue.
Most emails are answered within 24 hours of receipt.
Telephone-based Support: If you should need telephone-based assistance
within 30 days after your purchase, you can call our tech support team
Monday through Friday, 8:30AM - 2:00PM Pacific Time.
1. Please note: Our tech support staff is often on the phone helping other
customers, so you may get voice mail when you call. But don’t be alarmed:
A technical support representative will make every effort to promptly
return your call and assist you. If you do get voice mail, be sure to
leave a message that includes your name and contact information such as
your complete email address and a phone number (include your country &
city code numbers) along with a description of the problem you are experiencing.
2. For customers calling from within the U.S. and most parts of Canada,
call 1 800-504-6148.
3. For customers calling from outside the U.S. and Canada, please dial
+1 800-504-6148.
4. Note: Some locations outside the U.S. may not be able to connect directly
to either of the above numbers. In this case, please call +1 408-496-6175,
extension 271.
5. If you don’t get a call or email back from our technical support team
within 1 working day of your voicemail or email message, or if you are
not satisfied for any reason with the support you have been provided,
please call our Technical Support Manager at +1 408-496-6175 x 276.
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