Need help with safe area and menu authoring

h_david_a · Post by **h_david_a** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 1:49 am

Hello!
I have few stupid questions:
1)I want to make a menu, which contains ONLY background picture/video and background music. Without ANY

buttons, frames, chapters, etc. What should I do?
2)Tell me please, how to adjust TV safe area in menu. (I've adjusted "project" safe area, and after burning menu was cropped

but video was OK)
Thanx

Post by **jparnold** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:48 pm

I am assuming that you want to create a DVD by burning it.

You could try selecting Use first clip as introductory video and not have any other clips when creating a disk. The resulting video should then just start playing your video after the you load the DVD.

If you have 'Display title safe area' selected in preferences then when you enter a title you will see the 'safe' area bounded by a thin line. If you ensure any entered text is within that area then your text should not be cropped when viewed on a normal TV. I have never had any problems.

h_david_a · Post by **h_david_a** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:54 pm

No, the idea is that I have a picture with some background music, which repeats from disc insert till I push "play" button, after that I can watch my movie. So I need exactly CLEAN dvd menu template.

In preferences I've 0% tv safe area. BUT when I try to customize menu layout I get menu safe area 10% again!!!

So, when I burn disc I get normal video BUT cropped menu!!!

GeorgeW · Post by **GeorgeW** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:40 pm

h_david_a wrote:No, the idea is that I have a picture with some background music, which repeats from disc insert till I push "play" button, after that I can watch my movie. So I need exactly CLEAN dvd menu template.

Does your video only have ONE Title? If so, you can try HIDING the play buttons on the main menu (rt-click/Hide Object) -- this will start playing the Title (as long as your project doesn't have Chapters and a Chapter Menu).

h_david_a wrote: In preferences I've 0% tv safe area. BUT when I try to customize menu layout I get menu safe area 10% again!!! So, when I burn disc I get normal video BUT cropped menu!!!

It's curious that the guideline still shows on the MENU Customize screen -- even if you go the other way and set the Title Safe to 30% -- it seems to show the same size for the Menu.

That being said, keep in mind the "Safe Area" settings only show you a guideline for what the boundaries are to display on your TV. They don't actually re-size the content -- they only show the boundaries for you to decide where to place things...

Regards,
George

Post by **Ron P.** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 3:40 pm

For a clean menu, just having a background image, select a Thumbnail menu or Text menu, Click on the Edit Tab where you build your menus. Then select Background Image/Video. Now browse to an image and select it. Then on the Preview Window, right-click on the Title, Play arrow, Menu Number, etc., and select Hide Object. You should be able to remove (rather hide) everything. You should now have a menu that is just an image.

On the Edit Tab you can also select the music you want to play. It should loop until you press play.

The TV Safe Area is what it says. You are probably using a monitor that has a resolution of 1024 x 780 or larger. TV resolution is 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL), unless you have a HD TV or Widescreen, then it could be 1080, 1080i, or something similar. What happens when you create a DVD, the resolution is smaller then that of your PC monitor. So VS provides the TV Safe Area so you will have an idea of where to place titles, objects, etc., so they will not be cropped off when viewing on most TVs. Your picture in your menu is going to be cropped, by the TV overscan. VS does not do this, your TV does...

h_david_a · Post by **h_david_a** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:26 pm

vidoman wrote: The TV Safe Area is what it says. You are probably using a monitor that has a resolution of 1024 x 780 or larger. TV resolution is 720 x 480 (NTSC) or 720 x 576 (PAL), unless you have a HD TV or Widescreen, then it could be 1080, 1080i, or something similar. What happens when you create a DVD, the resolution is smaller then that of your PC monitor. So VS provides the TV Safe Area so you will have an idea of where to place titles, objects, etc., so they will not be cropped off when viewing on most TVs. Your picture in your menu is going to be cropped, by the TV overscan. VS does not do this, your TV does...

Yeap, in normal programs like Adobe Premiere or Adobe After Effects "safe area" is just a rectangle on screen. But in VS it's something more

as I said before I've got ABSOLUTELY normal video, BUT cropped menu image

(Booth on TV and on PC AFTER recording dvd). I've LCD TV so I guess that "safe area" is 0%.

h_david_a · Post by **h_david_a** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:40 am

'bout safe area: my LCD TV Sony CROPS image!!!

it's disgusting!!!
So I'm sorry for 2-nd stupid question