CommonPhotoStar is a picture-manipulating amusement software running on Windows computer. It can turn pictures into short movies via three methods:

1) Produce Flash movie by zooming / panning a single picture;

2) Produce quasi-GIF (Flash Movie) by re-combining video snapshots (JPEGs);  

3) Produce consecutive picture-series by cropping on a very large photo.

For the purpose of making quasi-GIF, PotPlayer or any other video player might be employed to choose segments from video of interest and output JPEG snapshot series.

The software as a quasi-GIF tool intends to be used for individual relaxing, diminishing the tense feeling after long working days, making user even healthier. However, it could also be used in some working areas for demonstrating certain process, such as organism growth, action details in a sporting movement, etc.

Targeted Users may include:

• Home users;
• Teachers or other lecturers;
• Art designers;
• Scientific worker.

CommonPhotoStar is green software which doesn’t require installing; it is less than 3 MB, can be copied and pasted to any locations in your disks / directories, building new albums after running. It is compatible to Windows XP/7/8/10. CPU with Dual-core 2.2 GHz or higher speed is suggested for better performance. It passed thorough scanning with anti-virus tools before releasing.

Here we also honorably declare that the sole target of this software is to benefit user, thus there are no any Ads inserted in the software.

Screenshot 1  (Muted mp4 video, 3.19 MB)

Screenshot 2  (Muted mp4 video, 11.4 MB)

Screenshot 3  (Muted mp4 video, 16.4 MB)

Screenshot 4  (Muted mp4 video, 5.12 MB)

Known Issue: This software could run on normal Windows Operation Systems. However, we did find out that some WinPad or some computer installed trial OS version, which could only provide limited features, causing unknown-path failure. CommonPhotoStar is always pursuing advanced feature, so official OS version should be required. Thus user before choosing to use this software should test running it.

Step 1: Produce video snapshots (jpg files) with any video player, such as PotPlayer.

Step 2: Double click the first empty folder panel in the album to import these jpg files.

Step 3: Click Video Snapshot Player in the toolbar to watch the videos, choosing album-folders by mouse wheel if already filled other folders with JPG files.

Step 4: You can select start and end pictures by clicking left button of the mouse (while paying attention to the numbers on horizontal and vertical bars, the numbers are file number and folder number respectively), it will play your selected pictures.

Step 5: Click the right button of your mouse (once), it'll show time. Then, before time-display went out, keep pressing (don't release) for more than 2 seconds the left button, this will start producing flash swf movie.

Step 6: You can click left button and continue selecting different pictures and making more swf movies.(produced movie knows where to go)

Step 7: If you click right button on the displayed swf movie, you will exit Video Snapshot Player, and enter into Flash File Player.

Step 8: While in the Video Snapshot Player if you right click for the second time before time-display going out (or simply by pressing Esc key), you can also exit the Video Snapshot player.

Step 9: By right clicking Flash File Player display, you can toggle between normal and full screen. Or if you double click left button, you'll get four windows simultaneously playing swf movies if you already produced more than 4 movies (and wheeled to before 4 files).

 

Step 1: You can also produce swf movies with just a single picture. Clicking any picture, the first click will show original size of the picture, click for a second time, it will zoom to screen size. Click the third time, it will enter into Swf Creator, there's a right button menu, you can move to choose "Record" icon to record your zooming or moving movements of the picture and produce swf files or picture files.

Step 2: Here let's learn how to record the moving and zooming actions. By pressing the right button of mouse, you will see a menu system composed of icons. Don't release the button otherwise the menu will disappear. Now move the cursor to the "Record" icon, then release the right button, by this time you can move or wheel-zoom the picture, you can practice, because right now you are still not really recording. Recording starts up when you begin pressing the left button (don't release), now any mouse move or wheel-zoom operations to the picture will be recorded, this recording can last about 10 seconds, as long as you are still pressing the button, release the button anytime you feel ok. After that you can find the picture is replaying what you recorded. Now press the right button and move to the "Flash2" icon, and release the button, you will see a swf movie already produced.

Step 3: For single picture movies, you can turn your picture, posing it to any angle. Just press the right button and let the menu showing up, keeping the button pressed while turning the mouse-wheel, this will turn your picture to any angle. Release the button after you finish turning.

Modern camera or mobile-camera are high resolution devices, could easily take very large pictures with rich details. For ten years I was figuring how to record large picture movements like that of my traditional CPS way, yet without losing resolutions, now I already got it done.

Step 1: In the main window click left button on any large picture once (my large picture is typically 3~4 times the size of screen), now you can move this picture freely and watch every details. But how should we record its shifting movements?

Step 2: Press C key on the keyboard (and release), this in fact had created a new folder in your album for holding picture files to be produced.

Step 3: Now be careful. Any minor movements of your mouse will produce a snapshot of screen. Your movement is the actuator of screen-capture, not time. So we'd better plan beforehand the routs etc., i.e., the direction and speed of the movement, in order to making the file series produced have more continuous transitions. Remember: no files produced when you don't move your mouse.

Step 4: In fact, after C key pressed (and released), you can also use mouse-wheel to zoom-in zoom-out on any target area of your large picture, the zoom operations are also recorded into the generated picture files.

Step 5: By simply right clicking or pressing Esc key, you can exit the recording state.

Step 6: As you already automatically added those new picture files in a new folder of album, so in this step，like to the video snapshot files produced from any other source, you can just watch the results with the Video snapshot player integrated in CommonPhotoStar, choosing part of pictures that you feel more satisfactory with, and output high resolution flash movies perhaps.

Handling large pictures could make us puzzled maybe. It got computers stuck sometimes. The simplest way is to batch-reduce their sizes, which, however, made high resolution meaningless. The local-area-movement snapshot function introduced here could be a new option for designers getting wanted parts of picture files.

In addition, the photo video produced this way could be amazing. Tips: After pressed C key while zoomed a large photo, if you want to watch anywhere in detail, you'd better also use mouse-wheel to zoom-in or zoom-out, this will increase frames, making details you care having smoother effects, bringing about even nicer video.

After many years working as a copy editor for various programming books in a university press, the editor gained some basic knowledge of C++ coding. Earliest versions were tested in 2008, so around 2010 CommonPhotoStar appeared for the first time as a shareware, for example, version 1.895, and still later on, version 4.6 (all containing only PhotoFlash feature). These helped gaining feedbacks.

It stopped updating for nearly 10 years (busy during 16 years service to the university press). Only in 2021 starting from April the author began creating a new project featuring playing video snapshots.

Then the two projects were combined together, the bugs in the original CPS suite were fixed as much as possible, the new program underwent many adjustments and tests (also added large picture local-area-movement snapshot capabilities).

Author hopes this software could help people better enjoy their life.

This software by its nature isn't about social life (without adding social modules, so it's completely independent of internet), it most likely acts as self-amusement tools, making you feel happier. The author likes this software he built, and wants to share it with you.

While most of the functions could be used by making mouse operations, some functions are only accessible via keyboard.

1) Main Interface:

Arrow keys can play snapshots while you zooming a picture in any folder containing pictures. These are not album functions; it only intends to provide a way viewing contents of any folder in the computer.

Down Arrow: Start folder playing (full screen).

Up Arrow: Stop folder playing (full screen).

Right Arrow: Start folder playing (picture size).

Left Arrow: Stop folder playing (picture size).

Shift key: While playing with arrow keys, it toggles between normal speed and slow speed. It's used to view non-video-snapshot pictures.

C key: Crop screen wile viewing large photo (pictures will automatically go into an empty folder).

F5 key: Toggle and call a bigger cursor for remote use of mouse (and keypad).

2) Video Snapshot Player:

Space bar: Toggle between full screen and non-full-screen.

F2 key: Swf producing, it's the same as mouse-swf-output.

F3 key: Swf producing, with increased animation speed.

F4 - F6 keys: With reduced animation speed, F6 is the minimum (for non video-snapshots, i.e., for individual pictures).

Shift key: It toggles between normal speed and slow speed. It's used to view non-video-snapshot pictures.

This software is not a Freeware, it's a Shareware expecting user symbolic payment to the author for the efforts of programming he did along the years.

This is a $5 shareware in order to benefit anyone, making it affordable to buy.

You can test use the full-functional trial version, usually for one month, after the period its functions will be limited.

So if you want to use it for longer period of time, you may buy a license and activate it, removing the limitations.

For the benefit of more users, new Trials will be provided periodically, so you may download new Trials without a license.

You may contact author via PayPal Account: 1795872187@qq.com

Or visit website: www.commonphotostar.com

Users in China can pay by using WeChat QR code:

 

 

Refund policy.

Users could buy the license (Activation Key) at his / her will; we take it as bonuses they are willingly giving us. So anytime if anyone wants a refund for any reason, just contact the software author via his email: 1795872187@qq.com, tell him the reason why you want a refund, and he’ll decide providing further technical help for you or just helping you to complete refund.

 

CommonPhotoStar service location.

Simon Song,

1-402, Building 7, Laluo, Chaoyang, Changchun, PRC China.

Thanks to Microsoft Company, since they developed Windows system and programming tools. Without these frameworks made by the programming predecessors, nobody could do anything alone.

Author wants to thank users for using this software. It's honorable when a tool designed could be used by many people, manifesting what he did in his hand worthwhile, or beneficial.

Special thanks to my parents and wife as well as my daughter. They helped me enjoy a healthy and happy life everyday. To me, they are dear people like you, outside of me yet deep in my heart, since I know it's all of you who built this wonderful world.

Thus I feel each of you is another "me" whom I should cherish and help, that I indeed owe special thanks to you. Surely we all should do things to improve this world, benefiting those around us.

Let's work hard, making the world a better place for everyone.

Graphical and photo editors market is flooded with all kind of applications. Some are good but some are really bad. It looks like developers are focusing in creating more and more graphic design applications and sometimes, they forget some basic rules in developing such products.

The general idea is to incorporate as many features and options as possible in one single software instead of keeping it simple, easy to use and useful. More features automatically means higher production costs. Higher production costs are reflected into the application final price.

I had to test various photo editors, image viewers or graphical design applications and the general idea is the same: more is better.

CommonPhotostar comes with a completely different approach and the idea behind this application must be appreciated. CommonPhotostar is not trying to overwhelm you with features, tools and options that you may never use. This small application was specially designed to provide a simple, intuitive, user friendly and easy to use environment so you can browse and view your images in an enjoyable way.

Because it is really simple and easy to use, CommonPhotostar can be utilized by home users (to enjoy watching their photos), by teachers or other lecturers (to help illustrating with photos) or by art designers (as a powerful browsing tool).

The bottom line is that CommonPhotostar is a great and useful photo viewer/recorder. You can view your photos and images, you can zoom in and out or you can produce Sightline Media flash effects, and you can also re-play video snapshots. Due to its simple and intuitive interface, CommonPhotostar can be used by everyone.

CommonPhotostar comes with a 30 days of trial period. During this time, user can familiarize with CommonPhotostar, can learn the basic controls and options and he can try to record and produce Sightline Media flash. After the trial period expires, you need to purchase a full license (CommonPhotostar comes with an affordable price, compared with other similar applications).

Why is CommonPhotostar famous?

CommonPhotostar is famous because it is a dynamical picture browsing and recording application.

User Comments:

The essence of this software is Love. Shifting left, right, up, down, zooming in-or-out, changing bit by bit, all is that picture which stands for nothing but Love.