May 2009 Edition - User Interface/Training Notes

In the May 2009 Edition, the following areas contain changes for which users will need to get acquainted:

In SongShow Plus:

• Secondary (aka choir) display output: This new feature is called Stage Monitor.  You now have the option to send a display signal to a second output monitor. This monitor is intended to provide lyrics and text support to persons on the platform. Text can be presented either white on black, black on white, or two other colors of your choosing. It does not use any background, nor any effects, transitions, or animations. Images are displayed, but videos are not. Typically, a second video card will be necessary to use the Stage Monitor display output.  Unlike the video card used for projection, this additional video card does not need to be DX9 compliant.
  The Stage Monitor does not have separate Display property settings and will partially mirror the display properties settings for the projection display, however most of the display properties for text and objects are fixed.
• Pre-made Slide Shows: If you convert a song into a slide show, the song you convert will now reference the slide show that you just made. The next time you go to add that song to a program, it will ask you if you want to add the converted (pre-made) slide show instead. You can have multiple pre-made slide shows per song. You can also add other slide shows to a song so that you can reference slide shows that may have been converted prior to this edition of SSP.
• Icons: The look of the toolbar icons have changed. However, they are generally located in the same place.
• Transport Controls: The transport controls in the media control panel have been updated, and some buttons have moved.
• Restored features: The link to files capability has been restored (but only from a menu command, not the in the file importers), and the capability to "load" an image as a background has also been restored.
• Fill Screen Option: The option to fill the screen with song lyrics (ignoring layout settings) has been moved from user preferences to Display Properties.
• Basic Settings Window
  • Split: The window used to set the "Basic" properties for song or scripture has been divided into three tabs: Background, Text, and Layout. This reduces the size of the window significantly.
  • More Layout Options: More layout options are now available when using Basic properties giving you more control over how songs are presented without having to use the Advanced properties.

In SlideShow Builder:

 Image Export: You can now export all slides in a slide show to image files.

• HTML Export: You can now export all slides in a slide show to HTML documents (Professional Edition). Stock style sheets are provided, or you can use ones of your own making to customize the HTML documents as you need them.
• Object Visibility: You can now specify that certain objects are hidden on a  slide. When hidden, they will not be rendered on the slide. This is convenient if you wish to take something away, but don't want to necessarily delete it just yet.

Both:

• Effects Visibility: You can now specify in the list of effects properties that certain effects are ignored. This is convenient if you are attempting to create a specific look and are experimenting with a variety of effects. It lets you disable the use of an effect without requiring you to delete it and all of its settings.
• Public Domain Bibles: A new plug-in is now available called Public Domain Bibles. This contains the King James Version, American Standard Version, and the World English Bible translations. Previously only one public domain Bible was provided and it was automatically included as part of the main SongShow Plus installation. 
• H.264 Support -  H.264 Support for mp4 and mov files is now available through a new plug-in.
• Additional Bibles - Additional bibles are now available for SSP.

 For additional details on these and other items, refer to the What's New document that addresses all the changes for the May 2009 Edition.

(SSP059)