Yes, what you PhotoRead before going to sleep can play in your dream. The dream recall part is up to you. If you only vaguely remember your dreams you need to get into the habit of recording your dreams.
I personally see spontaneous activation fun to see what the mind is doing and is capable of, useful for stuff I'm not really in a hurry to know consciously. I see manual activation as the fastest way to get the best results.
One thing you can do to aid both spontaneous and manual activation. Spend less time on a preview and a bit more time on a post view of the text. Ultimately what makes the system more effient for your needs is 'using it' using the your skills at every opportunity. Noticing what works best for you.
I remember falling for a trick question on the forum once. Took up the challenge of photoreading a dictionary to find the answer. I decided to use my reverse dictionary since most of the dictionaries are pretty poor on definitions. Held the definiton in my mind while I PRed the book. Wasn't taking it seriously since I was photoreading the dictionary while chatting with someone on MSM. I had PRed the page and was moved to hold it to come back to that page for a closer look. Next thing I know I'm arguing with myself, hearing myself say thats the answer - no it's not -yes it is. You fell for it, it's was a trick question. You'd never find that in a dictionary because it's not the 'proper' definition. Well at least photoreading the words gave me the answer
Alex