WS2: Create a 'Life On Mars' style DVD Menu

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sjj1805
Posts: 14383
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:20 am
operating_system: Windows XP Pro
System_Drive: C
32bit or 64bit: 32 Bit
motherboard: Equium P200-178
processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2080
ram: 2 GB
Video Card: Intel 945 Express
sound_card: Intel GMA 950
Hard_Drive_Capacity: 1160 GB
Location: Birmingham UK

WS2: Create a 'Life On Mars' style DVD Menu

Post by sjj1805 »

My wife recently bought me Series one of 'Life On Mars.'
For those who haven't seen this series, without giving anything away, briefly a Detective Chief Inspector is involved in a Road Accident, when he 'awakes' he has travelled back in time to 1973 and is now a Detective Inspector.

The world then was a very different place to what it is now - No CCTV, No DNA, No Armed Response Units etc.

I was impressed by the DVD Menu employed with this boxed set, briefly you have a sheet of paper pinned to a wall with some boxes down the left and writing alongside those boxes. A red X signifies the chosen menu item.

I decided to try and recreate this menu and in fact found it was very simple and uses a combination of highlight images and hidden buttons.

Step 1: Start a Blank menu
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Step 2: On the Menu Tab drag your image onto the menu so that it forms the background
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Step 3: Drag a button onto the menu - any button will do because we will be hiding it later. Resize the button so that it is quite small - this is to prevent an overlapping button issue later.
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Step 4: Create an image of a letter X using PhotoImpact. The X should be on a transparent background and then saved as a UFO file.
Here is one ready made for anyone who wants to give this a try
http://www.steve-jones.pwp.blueyonder.c ... rial/x.ufo

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Step 5: Import the image into the DVD Workshop Highlight Images Library and then drag it onto the button created at step 3 above.
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This has now associated the highlight image with that button.

Step 6: Drag the highlight image into position. It is also recommended that you show the button boundaries by clicking the 3rd button along at the bottom right of the preview screen.
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Step 7: Use copy and Paste to duplicate the button the required number of times and then align the buttons and highlighted images into the required positions.
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Step 8: Set the Color mapping of each button to RED/RED
Values are R - 196: G - 0: B - 0:
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Step 9: Attach the required actions or playlists to each button
Such as chapter 1, chapter 2, Next, previous, Playall etc.
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Step 10: Make each button invisible. Doing this will not hide the highlight images associated with the buttons.
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Task completed now test your new DVD Menu.
milan_np

Post by milan_np »

Great tutorial.

I am using DVD Workshop 2 SE and I don't see 'Highlight Images' in my library. However, there is a folder 'Highlight Image' inside 'C:\Program Files\Ulead Systems\Ulead DVD Workshop 2 SE\Contents' folder. I tried to add all the files in Library Manager but when I drag image to the menu, I only get black image.
sjj1805
Posts: 14383
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:20 am
operating_system: Windows XP Pro
System_Drive: C
32bit or 64bit: 32 Bit
motherboard: Equium P200-178
processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2080
ram: 2 GB
Video Card: Intel 945 Express
sound_card: Intel GMA 950
Hard_Drive_Capacity: 1160 GB
Location: Birmingham UK

Post by sjj1805 »

When you are on the [Menu] page you have to select the [Button] tab.
You should then see highlight images in the library.
There must be a filtering process regarding what appears in the library, dependant upon which tab has been selected.
milan_np

Post by milan_np »

What is the difference between DWS 2 and DWS 2 SE?

Seems like there is no highligh images bundled with SE version of DWS. I uninstalled the product and re-installed it. I don't see 'Highlight Image' folder inside installation folder anymore. However, I came to know that this folder was adde by extra components downloaded separetly from the Ulead website.

I don't find any information on SE version from Ulead website either.
sjj1805
Posts: 14383
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:20 am
operating_system: Windows XP Pro
System_Drive: C
32bit or 64bit: 32 Bit
motherboard: Equium P200-178
processor: Intel Pentium Dual-Core Processor T2080
ram: 2 GB
Video Card: Intel 945 Express
sound_card: Intel GMA 950
Hard_Drive_Capacity: 1160 GB
Location: Birmingham UK

Post by sjj1805 »

SE stands for "Special Edition" though some users prefer to call it "Simple Edition" or "Stripped down Edition."

SE versions are normally given away free with either the cover of a computer magazine CD or when you purchase a piece of hardware such as a camcorder. SE versions do not contain the full range of facilities afforded by a Full Version which costs USD 295.00 or GBP 160.71 or EUR 236.55.