"The 12 Days of Christmas" using Photos and Making a Video

Here's part 2 of making a fun presentation which I created from my photos used in my own products.

First, I made a PowerPoint presentation, as detailed in the previous post.

Next, I clicked on the slide sorter icon towards the bottom right of the page.

I then clicked on Slide 1, held down the Shift Key and clicked on Slide 14 so that all the slides were highlighted.

Then it was click on File and Save As.

In the Save As box I kept the same File Name and file location in My Documents but instead of the Save as Type: PowerPoint Presentation, I clicked on the arrow and scrolled down till I found JPEG File Interchange Format and clicked the Save button.

A new box appeared on the screen and I clicked on the Every Slide button.

After that I clicked on the OK button so that each of the JPEGs could be saved in a separate folder.

I closed the PowerPoint file, went to My Documents and found the folder (not the PPt file) for "The 12 Days of Christmas" and opened it. There were all the slides from the presentation as JPEGs.

After that, I opened up my movie making program (you should have a free Windows Movie Maker program on your PC if you don't have access to a purchased program).

I inserted all the JPEGs, added the timings and did the basic fade in and fade out transition.

After that, I saved it as a Windows Media Audio/Video file (WMAV file) in the smaller format to be posted on the internet.

I uploaded to YouTube and was able to select a free soundtrack which approximately matched the length of the movie.

From below the uploaded file I clicked on Share, then on Embed and copied the Embed Code and inserted that in this blog post for you to enjoy. (You can also select the size of the video to suit the width of the blog post)

So now you can go off and use your photos to produce your very own Christmas spectacular!

You can check out my full length videos by clicking on the links to the left of this post (Alzheimer's Products and Digital's Great!).

If you found this post entertaining and/or educational please feel free to share it with others.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" using Photos and Slideshare

It's been quite a while now since I've written a post not connected to my bed & breakfast or work for aged care and early childhood (this entails creating DVDs, Photo Downloads, Kindle Books and Interactive Jigsaw Puzzles on CD).

The past year has been very traumatic and emotional watching my 95 year old mother decline in health and eventually pass away on Remembrance Day in November.

I not only wrote and delivered the eulogy but also created the audio visual presentation for the funeral service. Doing this really brought home how important photos are for our memories, not only of places but also of people, especially our loved ones. Here's the link.

Although I haven't been posting on the blog for several months, the visitors to this site have actually increased. The internet gurus say that to increase traffic to a website or blog, bloggers must keep posting at least once a week. I think that theory's just gone out the window!

However, when I look at how people arrive at this blog, it's usually via the images. So photos once again play a huge part in the lives of those of us who respond to the visual.

I'll continue to add photos for your enjoyment and give you a few hints as well.

Here's a fun Slideshare presentation which I created from my photos used in my products.

First, I made a PowerPoint presentation, then created a PDF.

Next, I uploaded it to www.slideshare.net (a free service for uploading all sorts of documents and presentations).

After that, I got the embed code and I put it in my blog for you to enjoy.

Why don't you do the same with a few photos in a presentation for Christmas (or whatever special occasion you like)?

The 12 days of christmas 2012, by Fran West from Fran West

I did turn this into a moving slideshow presentation in PowerPoint and also created a Flash file but Slideshare just kept the basic PDF file. To create video uploads in Slideshare you have to upgrade your membership and pay.

The next post will be about how I created the movie version from the PowerPoint presentation.

If you found this post entertaining and/or educational please feel free to share it with others.

Feeling Like A Small Cog In A Big Machine?

Welcome to issue no. 30 of Pilot your life. March 2012
You can read the full colour version or just read the text below.

Have you ever felt like you were a small cog in a big machine?

Pilot your life newsletter no. 30

View more documents from Fran West

As I discovered on my trip to the UK last year, there are cogs and then there are other cogs.

In addition to my passion for flying, I also like travelling on trains, particularly when they’re in different countries. Not only do the trains vary but the terrain through which they travel can be very different too.

In Wales, the narrow gauge steam railways cooperatively market themselves as the Great Little Trains of Wales. One of the great little train journeys I went on was the Snowdon Mountain Railway which runs through Snowdonia National Park in the north of the country. The train departs the station in Llanberis and winds its way over 7.5 kilometres up the steep mountain slopes to reach the summit of Mount Snowdon at 3,560 feet (almost 1,200 metres).

Because of the steep terrain, the train can’t run on normal train tracks. It runs on a rack and pinion system designed by a Swiss engineer, Dr Roman Abt. Basically, each small locomotive has toothed pinions (cogwheels) which grab onto the rack, giving it traction for the ascent. During the descent, the rack and pinion system acts as a brake.

To climb up the mountain, the locomotive also runs with the chimney first and pushes the carriage up the steep incline. Everything is geared to reaching the summit (and returning) safely and working with nature.

Looking back at the photos I’d taken of this little train and its tracks got me thinking about cogs. For some people, the term “feeling like a small cog in a big machine” has a lot of negative connotations like powerlessness, lack of importance and being under valued.

However, this Welsh cog railway illustrates the positive side of cogs.

Cogs are part of a team.

Not only are they a valuable part of a team, they’re part of a successful team because the train reaches its goal, the summit of Mount Snowdon. They’re also extremely important because without them the train wouldn’t run at all. And they’re powerful too because they enable the train to ascend without slipping backwards and descend without speeding out of control down the mountainside.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway also puts into practice one of my own tips. It tackles everything in bite size pieces. There are no big powerful locomotives in the system. All that’s required is one small loco and one carriage. There are, however, quite a number of engines and carriages to take the thousands of visitors up to the summit and back.
A winning formula since 1896 and still going strong.

So what do you think is the logo of the Snowdon Mountain Railway? A cog of course. That’s how important cogs are.

So, if at any time you feel like a “small cog in the big machine” of life (or business) and you need a bit of inspiration, then just think of the wonderful cogs of Wales.

Here are another three tips for how to pilot your life (personal or business):

Turn negatives into positives.
Look on the bright side.

Teamwork is extremely powerful.
Together Everyone Achieves More.

Tackle everything in bite size pieces.
It’s easier to eat a block of chocolate a bite at a time
than it is to try and eat the whole block at once.

Mounted Police Are Magnificent In Person And Also In Jigsaw Puzzles

Mounted Police and their horses are not only magnificent in person but their photos made up into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles, which can be done on a computer or laptop, are stunning too.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Mounted Police Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of Mounted Police Officers in London, England, in front of Buckingham Palace and accompanying the Horse Guards. There are also two photos of Mounted Police Officers at the Australian International 3 Day Event in Adelaide, South Australia.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

London's Historic Buildings Make Beautiful Jigsaw Puzzles

London, England, is a vibrant place and its historic buildings have many interesting tales to tell. They're also a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

London Buildings Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

These photos are of some of London's iconic buildings like the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the National Gallery and Admiralty Arch.

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Welsh Castles Aren't A Puzzle, They're Really Wonderful

Wales is blessed with castles of all types and from different historic periods. They are a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Welsh Castles Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Scottish Castles Are Put Together A Piece At A Time In Jigsaw Puzzles

Scotland is blessed with castles of all types and from different historic periods. They are a photographer's delight and I've made their photos into interactive Jigsaw Puzzles which can be done on a computer or laptop.

In this series of CDs there are 5 different photos which have been converted to jigsaws of 12, 24, 40, 104 and 260 pieces each, making a total of 25 jigsaw puzzles.

This range of puzzles can be used both by children with different skill levels and adults. Jigsaw puzzles are easy to do with the click of a mouse button and can be played over and over.

Puzzles are not printable, they're designed to be used on a computer or laptop or even on a large screen via a data projector.

Internet access is not required.

Scottish Castles Jigsaw Puzzles CD

Australia (incl. P&H) $29.00 AUD Overseas (incl. P&H) $33.00 AUD

If you would like to try a sample jigsaw to see how it works, email me at
fran@franwest.com.

Isle of Wight's Needles Lighthouse Makes a Point off the Coast of England

The Needles Lighthouse, off the Isle of Wight, England, was one of the "must see" lighthouses that I had to visit when in the United Kingdom.

It was built in 1859 by Trinity House to safeguard not only shipping travelling to Portsmouth and Southampton along the Solent but also shipping in the English Channel.




The present Needles Lighthouse is situated in the western corner of the island, off the south coast of the English mainland. It’s impressive, not only because of its location at the end of the rugged Needles rock formations jutting out of the sea, but also because of the helipad (built in 1987) on top of it.

Here's the link to the rest of the article on HubPages. It has more photos, videos, maps and information for you to enjoy.

Positive Police Presence on Magnificent Mount in London, England

Our South Australian Mounted Police do an incredible job. However, they don't have to deal with the hundreds of thousands of people like the Mounted Police in London do.

For a person from a city of about a million people, Adelaide, South Australia, the millions of people in London are overwhelming. Nevertheless, in all that seeming chaos, there is order, British order, and outside Buckingham Palace, crowd management is essential. Obviously, the Mounted Police play an important role in controlling tourists and locals alike.

As with our South Australian Mounted Police, this officer looks as though he loves his job and his horse. It must be a great feeling to have a job where you get the best view overlooking the crowd, particularly when it's changing the guard at Buckingham Palace.


If you zoom in on the photo, you'll see the horse is looking right at the woman with the camera. I'm sure it's saying "Hurry up, lady, I've got a job to do. I can't stand around posing all day for tourists you know!"

Here's some more information about the City of London Mounted Police.