Disappearing menus and chapters

[cpagonis]

After I compile my clips I create my menus and chapters. When I am happy with the progress I close the dialog box and then save the whole project. I can then return to the menu /chapter creation at a later point. However, I noticed that if I make a change such as modifying a title, changing a transition, modifying sound levels, indeed any change at all, all the work on the chaptering and menus is lost. It means that I have to get it all right before I create menus and can never go back and make adjustments without having to re-create the menus. Surely this isn't supposed to happen? Has anyone else noticed this and how do you deal with it.
I use Videostudio 9

[Effort]

Do not hold me to this, but I think that if as you have said, you make a change, 'any video edit change', that, YES, you have changed the entire time line, the entire foundation on which the, Menus and Chapters are based on, so they then have no relationship to the relationship they use to have. The line goes, "move a grian of sand on a beach, and you have changed the entire World." It should be possible to use a word processor to save each verbage you want to use for what ever, to be on the safe side. Well, do not feel alone, I have been there as well.

Maybe, its a life lesson on how even a small change in life can have, ........................... Well, you get it now, yes?

{Good luck}, Hmmm did the Irish really make up that saying?

[cpagonis]

Groan....
That's not what I wanted to hear, but sort of expected it. Thanks for your very mystic, Zen type, philosophical answer...it made my disappointment easier to cope with.

[Ron P.]

Hi Cpagnois,

What I'm reading in your post, you are preparing to burn a disc, to your HDD or DVD folders (video t_s). This means that you have DVD compliant files (either NTSC or PAL) you are creating the menus and chapters for. This should be the final stage just before burning. So all editing should be completed at this time.

To make changes, you need to go back to your project file (.vsp) make the changes, then render another DVD compliant MPEG. Once that is done, close the project, or Start a new project, with nothing in the timeline, go to Share>Create Disc. Then you can add your menus and chapters, and continue on to burning to a disc, your HDD, or creating an ISO file. You can save your work at this point and VS should upon re-opening this project, remembered the chapters and menus.

So in summary it appears that you are working with 2 different parts of Video Studio, and that changing somethings in the Edit portion does not affect a rendered file, that is used in the Burn Module.

Following the recomended procedures found by clicking on this link:
Recommended Procedures , will result in less headaches.

Regards

Ron P.

[cpagonis]

Thank you vidoman.
I understand the principles. But I have to say it is still a slow laborious process if you later decide to make a small change to, let's say, an hour long AVI file. You have to re-build chapters and menus (which could take over an hour, getting titles and fonts replicated) then re-render (another couple of hours) to mpeg. All for the sake of a small but significant enhancement. C'est la vie!

Many thanks to you vidoman and Effort for your feedback.

[Effort]

How about, doing a save, and re-save as in a back-up, (with a different name), of the whole thing so that you can always have it as a fall-back and for sure you would do the, save/re-save new name again if it came to haveing to use it? I think this should work, unless I am missing something.



I think we have a WIN!

Hope, this idea works!

It's so wonderful to have a, Life Raft, if you find your self in an Ocean, with your Ship going down, down, down below, you will think it was very worth the, {Effort}, to have, 'gotten', the Life Raft on your now sinking Ship.

Good Sailing, I mean, 'Videoing'

[Trevor Andrew]

Hi Effort

Yes I think you are missing something, I am sorry to say.

When you go to the burner stage, Share Create Disc, then Add your video file, you create your menus and chapters. The locations of which are linked to the main file frame by frame.

You can exit/close the burner and save the project. Further closing the project altogether. Shut down VS if you like. All your menus are saved within the project.

If you now open the project again, you can Share Create Disc and still have all the menus preserved.

But if you edit the project or edit the main file then the burner stage cannot link to the menu positions. You have now to rebuild the menus, and possibly any used defined
Background / audio clips.

The program needs to maintain the links, if you edit these then …………………
Its just more work for you.

Get the editing complete before burning.

Hope this Helps

Trevor

[Effort]

Hi, Trevor

- I guess you did not understand. The, 'Project - with menus and chapters', would be, 'Saved/Closed', then re-opened and a, 'Copy', made of it with a different name, But, 'Containing ALL the Menus and Chapters' it would be a back-up, But, a different, Project, But, really the, same.

Then, one could go back to the first, 'Project', and if they messed-up, they would have the Back-Up, as a, { Back-Up }.

I could put this into a more detailed form, but I hope, this is enough, Effort, on my part to get the concept understood, if not, O'well, I did make the, Effort, to the point I feel is enough for it to be understood by enough people.

I understand, that the program, might not accept the above, but, it should be, I.M.H.O..

[Ron P.]

Effort,

While I agree with your theory, it doesn't work if anything is changed, as Trevor stated. The menus, chapters are linked to the video file. If you go back and edit, say changing the duration, replacing a clip, adding clips, then the links would be broken, or at least not where they should be.

In other words, what you are saving is the Project File (vsp), not the video files. The project files just contain information, such as where the menus, chapter points are to be.

Ron P.

[Effort]

I hear you............, but, and this is a BIG, 'but', what I was thinking and it seems like it was not conveyed, is that all the, [{'data'/the video} files ect.], would be backed up as well, I would put them in their own folder. So in this way you have a true and full back-up of all that is needed. I knew this, and just assumed you would understand this was the game plan. In other words, a TRUE and full back-up is made. And if that does not work we would pull out computer, 'B', and zap it all over in, 'full' to it. Hope it is clear now.

Cheers.