Keynote presentation on CD

[someguy]

Hey everyone,

I have iWork '05 (not '06, in case that matters) and I'm making a presentation that I would like to burn to CD's and mail out. The problem is that I want it to be something that will just play on anyones Windows or Macintosh system without necessarily having to have any particular piece of software if possible.

What is the best way (if any) to do this? If I can't do it this way, how would I go about making sure everyone would be able to play it one way or another?

Thanks!

 

[jsw]

File->Export, then choose QuickTime as the method, then "Interactive Slideshow" (I'm on '06, but I think it's stayed the same since the last version).

All they need then is QuickTime, and they can step through it with the spacebar. Or you can make a self-playing one, which requires no interaction.

Try it on a simple, short presentation (even a really quick one you mock up with a couple of pages) and send it to someone with Windows to make sure they can see it OK, then export the real one the same way.

Note: the files aren't small, but it's on a CD, right? So it shouldn't matter.

 

[someguy]

I've done the QuickTime method already and it works great, it's just that if I send this to someone without QT, they'd have to go download and install it, and if they aren't computer savvy enough to do that on their own...

Can I include installers for QT on my CD?

Also, how do I get it to autoplay if they do already have QuickTime?

 

[jsw]

I've done the QuickTime method already and it works great, it's just that if I send this to someone without QT, they'd have to go download and install it, and if they aren't computer savvy enough to do that on their own...

Can I include installers for QT on my CD?

Also, how do I get it to autoplay if they do already have QuickTime?

I don't think you can legally include the installers (not sure) but a link to http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download is all they need, and it's pretty simple to do.

Another option - which might not be in '05 - is to export to Flash, which almost everyone already has. And also not sure if '05 has this, but the iDVD export would allow you to make a video playable on any DVD player, computer or not.

 

[someguy]

No iDVD export, but I can export to Flash. Can I still get the same quality that way though?

 

[jsw]

No iDVD export, but I can export to Flash. Can I still get the same quality that way though?

The quality is actually pretty good. It'll export the SWF file as well as a trivial HTML file to wrap it. Try it and see what you think. Maybe '05 is not as good, but the '06 version isn't bad at all.

 

[someguy]

Alright, I will. Thanks for your help so far.

 

[someguy]

In the QuickTime export options menu within Keynote, there is an option to "Key Frames Every [###] Frames" and it is ticked and set to 24. Just out of curiousity, what is this?

Also, is there anyways to make it so that the movie runs fullscreen by default?

 

[jsw]

In the QuickTime export options menu within Keynote, there is an option to "Key Frames Every [###] Frames" and it is ticked and set to 24. Just out of curiousity, what is this?

Also, is there anyways to make it so that the movie runs fullscreen by default?

It just helps to make sure things are properly rendered, as the frames in between just use deltas from the previous image to draw the new one (part of the compression technique). Key frames are completely rendered ones to make sure everything is "right" every once in a while. Sort of like if I were giving you driving directions as "go up a block, turn right, turn left, go 200 feet, veer right, etc.". I could do that until you hopefully got to where you were going (no key frames) or, every once in a while, say "Now you should be at the the corner of Main & 2nd St." (key frames). They add to the size of the file but are a good idea.

As far as full screen goes: it's an option in '06 to default to it, but in '05 I think you need to do it manually as a user, and unless you have QT Pro, you can't.

 

[someguy]

It just helps to make sure things are properly rendered, as the frames in between just use deltas from the previous image to draw the new one (part of the compression technique). Key frames are completely rendered ones to make sure everything is "right" every once in a while. Sort of like if I were giving you driving directions as "go up a block, turn right, turn left, go 200 feet, veer right, etc.". I could do that until you hopefully got to where you were going (no key frames) or, every once in a while, say "Now you should be at the the corner of Main & 2nd St." (key frames). They add to the size of the file but are a good idea.

As far as full screen goes: it's an option in '06 to default to it, but in '05 I think you need to do it manually as a user, and unless you have QT Pro, you can't.

I have Pro but could not figure out how to set it to default full screen. I'll look again in a bit.

 

[jsw]

I have Pro but could not figure out how to set it to default full screen. I'll look again in a bit.

Just remember that your audience won't likely have Pro, so don't assume that they can set it to full screen. I think '06 lets you do it regardless of Pro being installed on the client device, but I'm not sure.

 

[someguy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you watch movies in full screen even without Pro? I thought I remembered that option from before I upgraded, but I could be wrong.

If not, though, you're saying that if I set it to start in full screen mode by default and the client doesn't have Pro, what would happen exactly? Would it just run in it's own window or return an error message..?

 

[jsw]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you watch movies in full screen even without Pro? I thought I remembered that option from before I upgraded, but I could be wrong.

If not, though, you're saying that if I set it to start in full screen mode by default and the client doesn't have Pro, what would happen exactly? Would it just run in it's own window or return an error message..?

No, without Pro, you can't set a movie to run in fullscreen mode (barring some simple hacks). However - which I cannot verify because I have Pro here - I think that, if you specify fullscreen mode as an export option for QT export, it will then play fullscreen regardless of whether the client has Pro. I do not, however, know this for certain.

 

[someguy]

No, without Pro, you can't set a movie to run in fullscreen mode (barring some simple hacks). However - which I cannot verify because I have Pro here - I think that, if you specify fullscreen mode as an export option for QT export, it will then play fullscreen regardless of whether the client has Pro. I do not, however, know this for certain.

Alright, can anyone else (who might by chance be reading along here) verify if it works this way? It would really help me out. Thanks.