As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Hello, I was looking for a Video Camera that I could extract still pictures from. I saw a really cool video of the Electrical Parade and thought that if I could take still pictures from the video it would be way easier than trying to figure out how to take night pictures with my camera. Does anyone have any suggestions. I saw the Flip Video Recorders, but my friend said that Flip is going away and they are discontinuing them. I'm not sure how true this is but thought I'd mention that as well. Thanks again in advance for all your advice. Have a Mickeytastic Day!
Yes, it's possible to grab still frames from digital video, but it may not be the solution you hope for. Generally, you'd do it with video editing software, not with the camera.
The still video frames are likely to be no better than using a still camera - blurred and poorly exposed. When played as video at 30 frames per second, the eye can't register the imperfections in each shot, and the mind averages things out. Freeze the frame, and it doesnt look nearly as good. Also, the auto exposure systems in camcorders are no better than those in still cameras. A difficult exposure for one will be difficult for the other.
If you want the simplicity of point and shoot, video is no easier to use. Point and shoot is point and shoot. However, when you know how to use the exposure controls on a still camera, you have a lot more options than you have with a camcorder.
Most of today's digital still cameras are also video cameras. When you use them in video mode, the quality is as good as any camcorder. When used in still mode, the quality is much better than the still you can get from video.
Basically, to get good video or stills when shooting nighttime parades, you need the same things. A good nighttime exposure mode, a camera with good low light performance, thoughtful camera placement, and a tripod.
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Co-Author, PassPorter's Walt Disney World, PassPorter's Disney Cruise Line, and PassPorter's Disneyland and Southern California Attractions
Dave, Thanks so much for your post. I had seen several examples of stills from video that were indeed blurry. I thought that it was just the camera. I will try to practice here around the 4th of July taking night time photos. I have an Olympus so hopefully I can get it worked out before we go. I looked back at some of the photos we took in the years past and realized they weren't as bad as I thought. I just want to take great pictures when we go since it will be my step-daughters first time and I'd like to capture that. I think we will also order the photo cd from Disney just as a back up. Thanks again for the advice.
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Olympus SP-600UZ. It takes pretty good pictures but I don't think I'm using it to its full potential. I am still new to all the advanced picuture taking like f-stops and macros. I would love to find someone to show me how to really use it and to be able to learn how to take really awesome pictures. I get by now but I know there's a whole lot more to explore on it.