MF5 bug? ANY thumbnail template with > 10 thumbs crashes.

[Herb Jones]

I took templates from MF3 and copied them to the MF5 (I am trial'ing MF5). Most of them work, MF5 crashes if it finds a thumbnail template without text. I then used Photoimpact (trial'ing it also) to slap in text just to keep the templates useable.

A question I have however, MF5 crashes when I try to add more than 9 thumbnails to the layout. Can someone from U'lead confirm that this is a bug? Adding thumbs is extremely easy with PhotoImpact, I am pretty darned sure I am copying correctly. I have tried manually copying the thumbs and manually incrementing the three sections (number, text, frame); and I have also tried using the DVD plug-in to rename the three objects. Either way, it pukes on more than ten thumbnails!

Every other quirk with MF5, I have worked around (i.e. lack of templates was one!) This one however is really a nuisance!

The other quirk is MF5's inability to save a thumbnail layout. It reverts back to the default 'Smartscene Menu' and loses all my hard work every time. My own created workaround, save your work as a favorite every time, and select the favorite when you re-load. Works, but your favorites directory gets very messy in a hurry.

I have e-mailed U-lead tech support on five occasions. Number of responses? ZERO. Makes me want to trial another piece of software and see how their tech support is.

I guess if my glitches get answered in this post I may reconsider. We'll see...

Can someone e-mail a template that they have successfully used with more than 10 thumbs?

Tanx,

-hj

[333]

In MF5 itself, I can only choose 4 thumbnails in a main menu.
This is quite disappointing

If someone know how to solve this, please let me know

333

[Herb Jones]

MF5 can definitely handle more than 4 thumbs. Nine seems to be the max. If you add ten, it works, but the number 10 turns into an 'a' on the menu. 11 and up totally crashes.

If you are having 5-9 not working, then you may be doing something wrong with creating the templates.

Can someone from U-lead at least confirm that >9 is truly a problem?

-hj

[htchien]

Can you tell people the build number of your DVD MovieFactory 5? It's in the About box via the menu command from the corner Settings and Options button.

Best regards,
H.T.

[333]

MF5 can definitely handle more than 4 thumbs. Nine seems to be the max. -mt

Is that by modifying a template or there is a standard template for it ?

I've looked at all the templates but I don't see it at all

[Herb Jones]

The build is...

5.0.0198.0

Thanks htchien for your time!

-hj

[maddrummer3301]

.

[Herb Jones]

maddrummer3301 post does not apply to my problem. The only other file in the layout directory is a system.ini, of which a) there is only a couple of lines of text in the system.ini (not much to goof up!), and b) I haven't overwritten it. Definitely not causing templates > 9 to crash.

Not getting down on maddrummer3301 - I sincerely appreciate the post, it means someone is trying to help!

Has anyone gotten an 11 thumb menu to not crash? If so, I would be dying to see the template. Heck, just an acknowledgement of a bug would help at this point (of course, that and a fix and we'll call it a day!)

I am trying to create a layout from scratch and use the layout under 'Customize'. (la####.UFO file).

I also tried creating a full template under the Gallery tab/thumbnail menu (Scene directory ##_SceB##.UFO), with the same results (pukes > 9 thumbs).

My same template works when I take 8 and cut in 9. I then take 9 and cut in 10, and it accepts the menu on the right preview pane, but acts screwy (either an 'a' shows up for the number instead of 10, or no number '10' shows up at all - it doesn't puke though). Add 11, and it crashes.

-hj

[snoops]

Hi Herb,

I cannot provide an official answer, but it is most likely a bug or simply a current product limitation.
Why? Because none of the layout templates from Ulead, that I'm aware of, have more than 8 thumbnails. So they probably never tested more than 8.

(showing the 10th thumbnail in hex "a" is another indication)

[sjj1805]

Try unzipping this
http://www.steve-jones.pwp.blueyonder.c ... uttons.zip

To the following location.

MF5=
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Content\Menu Template\4x3\General

VS10=
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead VideoStudio 10\Content\Menu Template\4x3\Bonus

Nothing fancy, just 12 thumbnails and navigation buttons.
Use the customize options to add your own background, music or other modifications.

By the way, this was made by using PhotoImpact as per my tutorial here:
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=11378

[maddrummer3301]

.

[sjj1805]

Did you try the one in the above zip file?
There were errors in the 12 thumb contained in one of the other products, That's why I created one which I got to work in MF5 and also VS10.

[maddrummer3301]

.

[Herb Jones]

maddrummer is way out of line.

Don't bump this post simply because you don't want to fix a bug!

"I should have never posted how to move the templates from previous versions. "

Why is this bad - because a potential customer has pointed out a bug because if it? I was supposed to live with the 2 thumb template that is the ONLY thumbnail template offered with the MF5 trial? You won't sell very many copies that way.

"Yes, some work but not all. MF5 is different. "

I actually figured out how to move templates myself, and that some crashed because of requiring a text additon - not that difficult.

"I only copied the simple thumbnail menus, not the complex ones."

Complex meaning more than 8 thumbs? Not that complex.

"I recommend not to mess with the menus unless you are experienced and how how to backup the directories before disturbing them. "

Everybody experimenting with this bug seems pretty experienced to me - other than one person, who of course, seems to be inexcusably trying to dodge the issue by lazily stating that everyone else is incompetent...

"I think you should remove that post in the user examples maybe.
To complicated and makes MF5 unstable.
And yes going over 8 or 9 does appear to have a problem if creating your own in Photo_Impact. "

Bump the post and simply state - NO, IT DOES NOT WORK. That's your final answer!?! Do you work for U-lead?

Don't even tell me that that's an option!

maddrummer - stop posting. You are hindering, not helping the issue.

-------------------------------


Steve J. Thanks for the zip file, I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to create it and try it!

I think I got this bad boy figured out!

In MF5, I copied your 12button.UFO to:

C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Content\Menu Template\4x3\Customize\Scene Selection Layout

(which normally only contains La###.UFO files).

1) From the menu page, Gallery tab, I double click on the only Thumb menu template available 05_SceB01. The preview pane then shows the menu with this template.
2) I select 'Edit' tab.,
3) Press 'Customize...' button.
4) Drag down to change 'layout'.
5) Double click on the '12button' template.

It pukes.

So instead, I tried a different approach. I copied 12button.UFO to:

C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Content\Menu Template\4x3\Scene Button

(which normally only contains 05_SceB###.UFO files).

Now your template shows up in the Gallery tab next to teh MF5 default.

If I double click on '12button' here, it works!

So the big kewpie question is...

What is the different between a La##.UFO file and a 05_SceB##.UFO file?
They appear to contain the same information when viewed through PhotoImpact.
Why would they act differently as described above if they are the same?
Bug perhaps?

To really test this finding, I then moved my 16 thumb template to the Gallery area, and called it up this way. It appears to load fine!

Thanks a million for your help. If you work for U-lead you deserve a raise for your quick and accurate responses!

I am going to try burning a 16 template just to see if it truly works. The 4x3 cropping is going to require me to shrink some windows first. I will post the results.

This is very strange I had tried loading a template through Gallery before, and it did not work. Perhaps in the flurry of trying many things, I perhaps tried a hastily modified template that was bad to begin with (i.e. I forgot to increment one of the numbers - I had one of these floating around during experimentation).

Thanks again for your time,

-hj

[sjj1805]

Herb Jones
Thanks for your support.

If the 12 thumb menu I created is placed in any of the folders below
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5\Content\Menu Template\4x3\
with the exception of these 3:
Customize
Scene Button
Scenes Button

Then the menu will appear in your menu library and will work like any other.
It is a basic menu and so you have to customize it with your own background which can be either a still image or a video. You also have to customize it with your own background sound/music.

I only created a 4x3 menu so that we could show that you can have menus in MF5 with a a greater number of thumbnails.

I tested this 12 thumbnail menu in my copy of MF5 version 5.0.0183.0
I also tested this menu in my copy of VideoStudio 10+ version 10.0.0110.0 Plus

The menu worked correctly in both programs.

maddrummer3301
I sympathise with the problem you have experienced with various menus.
I realise that a few users have published methods of moving menus, buttons etc between programs and in fact have written a tutorial myself here:
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=13854

I am in a fortunate position with my hard drive configuration described in some depth here:
http://phpbb.ulead.com.tw/EN/viewtopic.php?t=13421

And pictorialy here:



This configuration allows me to experiment to a degree that I realise is not feasible for most members of this forum where I have all of my Ulead programs installed on Drive C in the default directories, but also they are installed on Drive F. When selecting the boot drive from the system BIOS drive F becomes drive C and so these same programs are identically installed in their default locations (On drive C - the other one!)

If push comes to shove I can therefore restore items quite easily with copy paste. this allows me plenty of freedom to experiment.

I am therefore able to try things out that I wouldn't advise others to do, and it is only when I have made extensive testing that I suggest the modification steps shown in the above tutorial.

In fact you can create a problem if you copy the smartscene menus the wrong way round - you shouldn't get a problem if you follow the steps I published. The reason for this is something that most users would probably overlook and which I found whilst delving into the possibility of sharing the Movie Wizard Style Templates. These Wizard Templates look for the smartscene menus and if you rename them incorrectly then VideoStudio 10 will not be able to find them

and now delete the following two files relating to the duplicated menu
05_OneS01.ufo
05_OneS01_MS.ini

If instead you deleted
05vs_OneS01.ufo
05vs_OneS01_MS.ini

Then the VideoStudio Movie Wizard would complain.

The Movie Wizard templates are complex and involve alterations to many 'ini' files and so for that reason I have advised users not to mess with them.

Regarding compatibility of the menus between products.
Basically there are 4 groups of DVD Menu.

Standard 4x3
Standard 16x9
SmartScene 4x3
Smartscene 16x9

Providing a menu is kept in its correct group you can place the menus in any of that groups sub-directories.
The are only divided into sub-directories with names like
Classic
Holiday
Speed
Travel
etc

For ease of use. When you make your own menus you could end up with
dozens of menus. It is simply a system of cataloging them.

If you look at the Ulead Website they offer some extra menus plus instructions concerning where to place them for the various products
http://www.ulead.com/download/freegoodi ... mplate.htm
However the Ulead website page is out of date, these menus also work in the more recent versions. They also work with DVD Workshop 2.

In fact the Smartscene Menus can also be imported into DVD Workshop 2 but obviously they only behave as standard menus.

I have opened several Ulead menus from all of the ulead products I own and inspected them closely with photoimpact and the DVD Menu Plug in.
These menus are cross platform.

The only Ulead program that requires alteration of an ini file
in relation to the pasting of DVD menus is VideoStudio 9.0 (NOT 10)
and that alteration is only to inform videoStudio 9.0 of the existance of any new sub-directories that have been created to hold your menus.
This is documented in my Tutorial
Making a DVD Menu From Scratch.

I also sent the following to a representative at Ulead a few weeks ago:

I don’t know if you have a suggestion box but if so just an idea I have.

It is quite a popular discussion on the forum about sharing Menus, transitions and other items between various Ulead products.

It would seem to be a good idea in future Ulead products to have a common files folder for these items such as

C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Menus
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Transitions
C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Music
Etc. rather than each individual product having their own.