PDFrizator

Submit portable freeware that you find here. It helps if you include information like description, extraction instruction, Unicode support, whether it writes to the registry, and so on.
Post Reply
Message
Author
lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

PDFrizator

#1 Post by lautrepay »

The PDFrizator is a Freeware tool to create PDF presentations, with the possibility to setup the PDF page transition effect, page advance time, and background music. This can be done for already existing PDF's, or from the various file type formats supported, that can all be converted, and visually combined, in the same project.
Because of the possibility to convert multiple file formats, the PDFrizator is also a handy tool to rapidly, and visually, create PDF files.
http://www.rttsoftware.com/pdfrizator.html
http://www.rttsoftware.com/downloads.ht ... PDFrizator

Run the installer, choose portable.
Portable: Write settings to the application folder.
Stealth: Unable to test due to a previous normal installation.

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#2 Post by lautrepay »

V0.6.0.25 available.
Changelog:
· Fixes serious stability issues present in the previous version.
Since PDFRizator is, as far as I know, the only free of cost, portable and stealth (for me) tool that can create presentations in pdf, I've been tempted to add it to the database.
However, it seems that only Adobe Reader is capable to properly handle a presentation with all the posibilities that the app offers.
So, to avoid falses expectations, I think it's better to keep it here in the forum. If someone have a different opinion, please post here.
Anyway, I've tested some portable readers, with this result:
1) Evince: No audio background, little problems with the transition effects, can't start in presentation mode, no loop.
2) Foxit: No audio background, problems with the transition effects, no loop.
3) Sumatra: No audio, no automatic advance of the slides, no loop, no transition effects, can't start in presentation mode.
4) PDF-XChange Viewer (my default viewer): The full screen mode is similar to Sumatra's presentation mode, but to go to the next/previous slide is necessary to click on the arrows of a pop-up menu.
5) STDU Viewer: No presentation mode at all.

If somebody want to test, here are the correct instructions:
1) Download the zip package with the installer.
2) Extract the setup with Universal Extractor.
3) Move the content of {app} to a folder of your choice.
4) Create a file named .portable in the app folder with this content

Code: Select all

[portable]
  portable=portable
5) Launch PDFrizator.exe.

User avatar
webfork
Posts: 10818
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:06 pm
Location: US, Texas
Contact:

Re: PDFrizator

#3 Post by webfork »

In all the PowerPoint presentations I've seen, almost no one ever uses all the features of PowerPoint. The animations and other garbage are by and large seen as just distracting. Its almost always a static page (usually black background w/ white text) and, when presenters are asked to put their PowerPoints online, they almost always export it to PDF. This seems like a much better solution.

Edit: PDF-XChange and Evince both have a full screen presentation-style view. Sumatra has a full screen viewer but still keeps the scroll bar along the right side of the screen.

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#4 Post by lautrepay »

webfork wrote:In all the PowerPoint presentations I've seen, almost no one ever uses all the features of PowerPoint. The animations and other garbage are by and large seen as just distracting. Its almost always a static page (usually black background w/ white text) and, when presenters are asked to put their PowerPoints online, they almost always export it to PDF. This seems like a much better solution.

Edit: PDF-XChange and Evince both have a full screen presentation-style view. Sumatra has a full screen viewer but still keeps the scroll bar along the right side of the screen.
Thanks for the feedback, webfork.
To be sincere, I was under the imoression that presentations in pdf were just a curiosity rather than something with practical benefits.
As I've mentioned, Evince has a full screen mode and a presentation mode. The difference with Foxit Reader and Adobe Reader is that Evince can't start directly in presentation mode (like a .pps), but it does a very good job. By the way I'll do some tests with KPDF in the next few days.
Maybe you've got an outdated version of Sumatra. V1.8 has a full screen mode (grey background, scroll bars) and a presentation mode (black background, you can go to the next/previous slide with a left/right click or scrolling up/down the mouse wheel.
On the other hand, PDF-XChange has a full screen presentation-style view, but is not as easy as Sumatra to go back/forward.
When I've said that I prefer to avoid falses expectations the reason is that you need a pdf reader to preview the presentation made with PDFRizator. If it's something simple (just fixed images with no audio, no transition effects, manual advance of the slides), there's no problem, since you're able to preview the work with all the portable viewers (except STDU).
But if you are trying to do something more, let's say, sophisticated, you'll need the reader of Adobe to preview and eventually correct your work.

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#5 Post by lautrepay »

PDFrizator is at v0.6.0.29.
[2012-08-13] - PDFrizator 0.6.0.29 released!
Maintenance release to fix some annoying bugs introduced in the previous version.

[2012-08-10] - PDFrizator 0.6.0.28 released!
Maintenance release to fix the Bing images and TwitPic search services, due to changes the providers made to the API's.
Includes also minor enhancements and bug fixes.
Key features:
  • Create PDF presentations, setting up the page transition effect, automatic page advance time and the presentation background music.
  • Convert multiple file type formats (e.g. .gif, .jpg, .png, .tif, .cbr, .cbz,...) to PDF.
  • Add supported file types to the project using the command line, Shell drag and drop, Internet search, or paste from the Windows clipboard.
  • Powerful Resource Explorer, able to browse local files and online ones using Internet services such as: Bing images, Google images, Picasa, Flickr and Twitpic.
  • Advanced Sound Explorer, with embedded player, to easily select local music files, or found in the Internet, searching in sites such as SoundCloud.
  • Easily view and convert .cbr and .cbz Comic Books to PDF.
  • Acquire from TWAIN sources, with timed acquire function.
  • Auto deskew pages, even from already existing PDF's.
  • Visually merge, delete, rotate, rearrange and set result PDF pages size.
  • Advanced GUI, with docking functionality.
  • Possibility to install in portable mode.
Image

Download: http://www.rttsoftware.com/files/pdfriz ... rSetup.zip

Softpedia review.

vmars316
Posts: 261
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2012 11:47 am
Location: Colorado
Contact:

Re: PDFrizator

#6 Post by vmars316 »

Looks great!
Since you are a PDF guy, I'll ask.
Where can a find a GOOD+ convert PDF to html .
I have downloaded and tested ~8 of them.
And none of them (many purchase software) do a good job.
One of them (I think it was smartPdf) took a 3.6mb pdf
and turned it into a 19mb html file.

Thanks for your help...Vernon

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#7 Post by lautrepay »

@vmars316:
I am certainly not a pdf guy but, if you need a suggestion, try with Abbyy PDF Transformer. I tested it sometime ago with good results.

User avatar
webfork
Posts: 10818
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:06 pm
Location: US, Texas
Contact:

Re: PDFrizator

#8 Post by webfork »

Tested PDFrizator on Win7 x64. I tested an old version so my apologies if some of my wishlist items have been fixed already.

---

As it stands, this is a great images-to-PDF tool, which is already something I was looking for, with basic graphics-to-pdf tools. You can rearrange images and even add from various search engines. The default image engine, Bing, will complain about needing a key, but Google's works great with multiple style options (size, color, style, type, and safe search). Also supports Picassa, TwitPic, and Flickr.

In this respect, the program is great and I'm glad to have it. However, some of the advanced functions I was really excited about I couldn't seem to get working:
  • How do you run the PDF presentation? There's no play/run presentation button.
  • I imported a PDF into the editor and rotated the page, but then tried to save and it didn't show up rotated. When I clicked on the next page and then back, the rotation just reverted to normal.
  • Tried to edit one of the pictures I added and couldn't figure out how to push those changes into the presentation. It seems once you add an image (from the local machine) you can't modify it.
Wishlist
  • Help file
  • Crop tool available for PDFs as well as images
  • You can export images to PDF, but would love to see a PDF-to-images capability. PDF-XChange already does this VERY well, so it's not critical, but would be a nice feature.
  • Various basic presentation tools (e.g. ability to add very basic words to the presentation, image sizing, borders, etc.)
Anyway, some problems here. Has huge potential as there is a real need for a good freeware PDF editor (even a commercial one as Adobe's editor isn't great), but I can't seem to make this work.

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#9 Post by lautrepay »

webfork wrote:How do you run the PDF presentation? There's no play/run presentation button.
There's no built-in preview. After the work is done, go to File>Preview PDF. The PDF viewer selected in Preferences (or the default one) will show the presentation. Or directly choose File>Convert to PDF to save the document.
That said, your mileage will vary depending on your viewer. I can see no differences between a full screen PDF view and a PDF presentation using PDF-XChange Viewer, but you'll note the details using (mainly) Adobe Reader, Foxit Reader or even Sumatra.
webfork wrote:I imported a PDF into the editor and rotated the page, but then tried to save and it didn't show up rotated. When I clicked on the next page and then back, the rotation just reverted to normal.
I haven't had that problem. I click on the Page tab and edit the pictures one by one, modifying the rotation and deskew angle. The changes will be kept until you save them. You can also, in Presentation mode, and picture by picture, define the display duration and transition effect.

User avatar
webfork
Posts: 10818
Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2007 8:06 pm
Location: US, Texas
Contact:

Re: PDFrizator

#10 Post by webfork »

Update on this program: I think it creates a Start Menu entry (in Win7x64). Will retest with the latest version.

lautrepay
Posts: 715
Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:31 am

Re: PDFrizator

#11 Post by lautrepay »

webfork wrote:Update on this program: I think it creates a Start Menu entry (in Win7x64). Will retest with the latest version.
Please, be sure to extract the installer following the instructions of the second post.

Post Reply