Tutorial: PhotoImpact: Creating DVD Menu from scratch

[sjj1805]

I have created a tutorial describing how to create a DVD Menu from a blank screen. The tutorial is 1.35MB in size so too big to post onto the user forum.

This was written using PhotoImpact 11. To use the procedure with version 12 simply substitute
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead PhotoImpact 11 to become
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead PhotoImpact 12 wherever necessary.

A copy in PDF format is here (the tutorial can be printed)
http://www.steve-jones.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/tutorial/UleadPhotoImpact_11_Tutorial.pdf

Written in the form of "Creating a DVD Menu from scratch for dummies"
it contains several screen prints to guide you through the process and includes:

1. Overview and reasons for creating your own DVD Menus
2. Importing existing assets into Photo Impact 11/12
3. Creating a new DVD menu from a blank screen
4. Naming Conventions
5. Inserting your new menu into DVD Workshop 2
6. Inserting your new menu into DVD Movie Factory 4
7. Inserting your new menu into Video Studio 9

Regards

Steve J

[sjj1805]

Further to my 29 page PDF Tutorial detailing how to create a DVD Menu from scratch
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php?t=11184

Installing the Ulead DVD Menu Plug in 2.0
(To modify this to work with PhotoImpact 12 please see This link)

Download and install the following zip file.
http://www.steve-jones.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/tutorial/DVD_Menu_Plug_in.zip
To work correctly you must have Photo Impact 11 installed in the default installation directory. Unzip the file to C: and ensure you have the use Folder Names box ticked.

When you re-start Photo Impact 11 you will find the DVD Menu plug in located under the effect list on the toolbar.

Highlight Images.

For a Home Made Highlight Image to work correctly you must make sure that you have converted the object Type to become a Path Object

Background Video/Audio

You can have a moving background video rather than a simple background image.
You can do this easily with the DVD Menu Plug in.
On the Assign Object Name Tab drill down the list on the right until you arrive at IMG_BG and click the entry.
Now on the Bottom left of the Dialog box
Object Class = Background

Item = Background Image.

2 drop down boxes now appear where you can select a video to be used as your backdrop. If this video also contains sound you do not need to select anything in the second drop down box background Audio.


Ah well..... I shall put it into a bit more detail later on but my wife has told me I'm sitting at the computer too much and have to paint the ceiling

See you all soon.

[sjj1805]

While waiting for the first coat of paint to dry I took a look at the Plug In Directory. Ulead have placed a very good easy to follow guide concerning how to use that DVD Menu Plug in, so if you have download my zip file (above)
you will find the guide on your computer at the following location

C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead PhotoImpact 11\plugin\MDT\MDT2.pdf

Regards

Steve J

[Ron P.]

Steve,

While going through your great tutorial, I came across a glitch..

Per your instructions on the DVD Layout Guides, I click on the UOL file and it does nothting. My computer doesn't know what to do with it? I know it has to be a Ulead file of some kind, but PI doesn't recognize it either..

What can I do next...?

Thanks

Ron P.

[sjj1805]

Ron

The UOL files are object libraries. You have to go to the EP
Object Library Manager
Load.

Regards

Steve J

[sjj1805]

Will this same tutorial apply in PI 10???

Yes it will work with earlier versions of Photo Impact but you won't need to download my zip file if you wish to include the DVD Menu Plug in

Instead you can download the DVD Menu Plug in
http://www.ulead.com/pi/plugin.htm

The download "exe file" does not work with version 11, hence my zip file (mentioned in the tutorial section)

Regards

Steve J

[sjj1805]

TEST: PhotoImpact -v- Adobe Photoshop for creating DVD Menus for Ulead authoring programs.

I wondered if it was possible to create a DVD Menu in Adobe Photoshop using the knowledge gained from PhotoImpact.
I opened one of my custom DVD Menu Templates then saved it as a Photoshop PSD file.

I opened the PSD file with Adobe Photoshop, it opened as a number of layers all given the same names as those created in PhotoImpact.

My next test was to see what would happen if using Adobe Photoshop I made a small change to some of the layers (I moved a couple of objects) and then saved it under a different name "Test.PSD"
I went to Windows Explorer and renamed Test.PSD to Test.UFO
I returned to PhotoImpact and opened Test.UFO. It opened correctly with all the object names and layers preserved.

My next test was to see if the PhotoImpact DVD Menu Plug in would accept the file which had been changed by Adobe Photoshop.
An error message stated the file had to be saved as a UFO file, so clearly it was not fooled by the simple alteration of the file extension.

I then saved it as test2.ufo. Now the DVD Menu plug in accepted the file though it did report that a couple of (other) items needed to be re-defined
(A job that can be done by the plug in.)

My final test was to open both these altered 'Menus' with DVD Workshop 2.
Test.ufo would not show up in the Menu wizards. If dragged directly to a Menu placeholder it behaved rather like a background image.
Test2.ufo left unchanged (Ie I did not make the changes required by the DVD Plug in) resulted in a 'corrupt file' (easily fixed by using the plug in.)
The results of my tests show that it is possible to prepare a DVD Menu in Adobe Photoshop BUT you would need to bring it into PhotoImpact before you would get it to work as a DVD Menu.

Steve J

[Glennmizu]

Hello again Steve. and thank you for your help before.

Well after a few days away I am back at it with Photo Impact 11.

I have a DVD menu created and floating on top of it is the thumb nail.
On page 25 you say "It is now time to save your completed menu. Please refer to the following"

I want to use it in MF 4.

So I went to page 27 an followed your instructions and I checked C:/Documents and Settings/my name/My Documents/Ulead DVD MovieFactory4.0 Dics Creator

but there is no Favorites file. Only a BurnNow file a DnDCap file and a DMF_Temp file.

Also when I do find the Favorites folder, then how should I save the thumb nail to that folder?
So sorry for the stupid questions.

Hope you have time to reply.

Cheers Glenn Waters

[sjj1805]

Glenn
The quickest way will be to do a search for *.UFO files with the windows search facility.
You should then easily spot where your current Menus are saved.
When you save your home made menu into one of those folders it will appear in DVD MF4 in the same way as your existing ones.
The thumbnail within that UFO file will then show up in MF4.

Regards
Steve J

[sjj1805]

Glennmizu

After thinking again about your post I checked the various user settings I have on my multi boot computer and could see that there was just one user (myself) with this folder. It seems that you need to create the folder

C:/Documents and Settings/my name/My Documents/Ulead DVD MovieFactory4.0 Dics Creator

By following these steps:
1. Open Movie Factory 4
2. Go through the steps to create a DVD - dont take too much time here, I intend to cancel this once we complete stage 4
3. When you get to the screen showing the available DVD templates click the customize button (middle left of screen), make a small change (dont take too much time, you will be discarding it later.)
4. Select Add to Menu Template
5. This creates the above folder
C:/Documents and Settings/my name/My Documents/Ulead DVD MovieFactory4.0 Dics Creator

You can now exit Movie Factory 4 and can also delete from the newly created folder the menu you just created in step 4 above.

Thank you for drawing my attention to this matter.

Regards
Steve J

[Glennmizu]

Thanks Steve, I followed your directions and it successfully created the “My Favorites” folder in

C:/Documents and Settings/my name/My Documents/Ulead DVD MovieFactory4.0 Dics Creator

Next problem.

How do I get my new menu into the “My Favorites” folder?

I have tried right clicking the new thumb nail of the menu and selecting export object/file then Ok and navigate to the
“My Favorites” folder.

Also I tried to copy and paste the menu to the “My Favorites” folder

Which puts a ufo file in the folder but when I click on the “My Favorites” in MF4 there is no thumb nail to be found. The folder is empty.

I am very sorry for so much trouble. Once I can successfully do it 1 time I won’t have any problems in the future.

Up-date

Steve some how I got your Naming Guide into my MF4 "My Favorites" list. This some how happened when I was trying to put my new menu in.
If I could only do it with my menu now. I have spent about 3 hours trying but no luck as yet.

I look forward to your reply when you have the time. Hope you got the painting finished nicely.

Cheers

Glenn Waters

[sjj1805]

I have tried right clicking the new thumb nail of the menu and selecting export object/file then Ok and navigate to the “My Favorites” folder.
Glenn Waters

Glenn it sounds like you are trying to save the thumbnail as a seperate item.
The image thumbnail is an object layer in the completed Menu. This object layer is hidden so that you are unaware of its existence.

You save the entire menu.ufo file into the Favourites folder which you now have. The purpose of the hidden thumbnail in the menu is Movie Factory (or whichever other product you use) will display that thumbnail image in the list of menu templates.

Please continue to ask if you have further problems, if you have difficulty with something I am sure many others probably have the same difficulty but may be afraid to ask. You also bring to my attention anything which I may have overlooked, such as the need to get MovieFactory to create a favourites folder - Thank you.

Steve J

[Glennmizu]

Hello again Steve and thank you again.

OK I have fixed the problem of the thumb nail and it is now a hidden object just like in your naming guide.

Now where do I save my menu to my favorite’s folder from?

Should I right click on the menu and choose export?

Sorry again for the very basic questions.

Cheers

Glenn Waters

[sjj1805]

Regards
Steve J

[Glennmizu]

Steve thank you so much. That worked like a charm.

I now have my nice new menu with English and Japanese in MF4. It looks and works great.

Thanks again for your time trouble and kindness.

One mistake I was making earlier was when I was making the thumb nail of the menu. On page 22 it says to "Select All Objects" But after I created the thumb nail I wasn't using "Deselect all Objects" So the thumb nail was getting caught up with the menu.

Thanks again and hope that your British weather is a bit better then the cold snowy weather that we are having here in northern Japan.

Cheers

Glenn Waters
www.glennwaters.com