VP8 and photopaint X4

I know this forum doesn't get much traffic but I sure hope someone out there can help me. I have been working on scanning an old out of print book into Ventura...ala the Gutenburg Project except I want all the text recognized.

First, I had some problems bring cdr's into Ventura. someone in another thread here told me to convert the CDR's into CMX format. I did that and I haven't had a lick of trouble since. I'm hoping for something similar with photos I have scanned into Photopaint as jpgs.

Sometimes, not always...and it seems to happen most often when I have had PP open just previously...when I want to import a jpg into a frame in Ventura, the open file window will come up with nothing in the window and simultaneously the whole computer locks up. I have to reboot. Nothing I have been able to come up with helps. Except perhaps...perhaps...a complete shut down and restart later on.

I have tried saving the .vp file as another name. I have tried truncating the .vp file to one page. No joy.

And then the next day...maybe...the picture will import fine.

I am at a loss. Anyone??!! 

Any help or suggestions will be welcomed gratefully.

This smells a bit like a graphics driver problem. Try right clicking on the desktop and selecting Properties|Settings|Advanced|Troubleshoot. Set the slider to None and disable any other accelerations to see if that helps. If so, then you can go back and notch the slider up to find out what the optimum setting is that doesn't cause problems.

If this works to solve the problem, it might be worth checking for an updated driver from the manufacturer. If there are no updates, or if they don't help, you can use the slider setting to keep the issue at bay.

One last thing. We generally use TIFs instead of JPGs for bitmaps with Ventura. Although I've never had problems using JPGs with Ventura, we use them so infrequently, I can't really offer any insight. But we don't have problems with TIFs.

Hope that helps!

Allways TIF is better than JPG, altough it seems your problem is a temporary link on your operating sysem

Thanks to both of you.. Setting graphics acceleration to zero seemed to help...I haven't had the opportunity to test it thoroughly but the one time when I would have expected a lock-up, it didn't.

Of course that raises some further questions. I haven't updated my video card drivers in some time...just figured if it wasn't broke don't mess with it and this was the only situation I was having problems with.

 

So what does graphics acceleration do ...really? I mean so far with GA set to zero most of my programs seem to work as before when I had it set to max. Or at least I'm not noticing any major differences--there might be a slight jerkiness in menus opening in CorelPPX4...but so far that's all I have noticed. How do I benefit from GA?

The other question is that TIFs seem to be about three times as large as jpgs. When I am done with this project, the whole will be converted to PDF for download from my website. I don't want the download to be any bigger than possible. How does converting a jpg to tif help me?

Thanks again...next stop video card site for updated drivers...

Graphics acceleration uses the capabilities built into the chip on your graphics card to speed up screen redraws, texture rendering, etc. These days it's more noticeable with video and games (and to a lesser extent paint programs) than DTP or vector-based graphics programs.

That said, if turning off the acceleration really solves the problem, it's a graphics driver issue that can probably be solved with an update -- and I would pursue it. Even if a newer driver has the same problem, you can still use the slider to get maximum performance without crashes. And it doesn't take much effort to find the optimal setting.

Well...I did upgrade the video drivers (and it was a project that went sour fast, although I did manage to recover by the skin of my teeth)...and so far, knock on wood, it seems to have solved the problem.

All evidence and limited trials indicated that turning graphic acceleration off did indeed solve the problem. So as I say, I updated the drivers. So far so good. I did my routine--the one that has historically caused my system to crash--and it didn't even blink.

I have put off updating my video drivers for several years simply because I was afraid that what did happen would (lost mobo drivers for pci bus) but now that I have I am hoping that it will save me major headaches. If so it was well worth it.

Thanks to all who offered help and advice.

Sure and it's sad but I spoke too soon. Neither the upgrade nor setting the graphics acceleration to zero seems to help. I think the issue is that Ventura just doesn't want me to import two jpgs in a row especially if I have had PhotoPaint open during that session. Once the computer has been shut down completely and then restarted I am, so far, able to import another jpg. It's almost as if the critical part of memory is being monopolized by Photopaint or the import utility. Does that make any sense?

I think the problem is with Ventura...but I am open to any other suggestions..

??

I would also say that jpg is not the best format to work with. As a final output, fine, and that depends on what its final destination might be, but not for  your working file, i.e. if you are working with it. TIF is preferable, as it is lossless.

Do you save between your imports? How about closing the file between? And closing VP? Do any of those tactics make a difference? Are you keeping the images external?

I have always worked with a minimum of other applications open. That seems to keep the memory less congested. VP is a memory hungry beastie, so that might help. I would always close PhotoPaint when not using it.

I have found some difficulty when calling PP from within VP. (This is probably memory related -- after all it is an old program!     ;-)    )

Some other thoughts which I hope help.

Regards,

Stilman

Stilman Davis:

Do you save between your imports? How about closing the file between? And closing VP? Do any of those tactics make a difference? Are you keeping the images external?

I save between everything! I have tried closing VP between importing jpgs...no difference. And yes, my images are external. None of those actions seem to help at all.

I have always worked with a minimum of other applications open. That seems to keep the memory less congested. VP is a memory hungry beastie, so that might help. I would always close PhotoPaint when not using it.

My policy as well. The trouble seems to be that once I open PhotoPaint, some part of it gets stuck in memory and from that point on, even if I close PP, I still can't import into Ventura. Not until I shut the computer completely and then off and restart.  That seems to clear memory.

Again, this has been happening for a long time but until now I would just grit my teeth and try to find some way of going on. It is only just recently that I have wondered if it is fixable...after all, it is an old program.

 

 

DWFII wrote:
> The trouble/ seems to be/ that once I open
> PhotoPaint, some part of it gets stuck in memory

One thing that might help is adjusting PP's memory allocation under Tools|Options|Memory. Here you can specify how much RAM PP is allowed to use. While cutting back that RAM may slow PP down a bit, it may also help with your problem. No guarantees, but it's worth a shot.

And try looking at the Processes running...

Ctrl-Alt-Del
Task Manager
Processes Tab

See if more instances of certain programs are actually running as a process even though you've shut it down.
I find this with Incredimail all the time... Once I get up to about 3 or 4 Incredimail Processes running even though I've shut the Program down completely, the Incredimail Program itself starts to really bog down.
It must be confusing Windows as to what Process to run.

Same thing might be happening with your Programs, where Windows doesn't completely let go of them and free up resources to do your specific program thing with.

  the 'dd'

 

 

Tried both of these suggestions..

 

In memory that is alloted to PP I reduced it from 60% (of 2 gb) to 30%.

In task manager processes, i found no instances of PP although I had to wonder why there was 9 instaces of svchost.exe running.