change background music duration in menu's

nealenapier · Post by **nealenapier** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:21 pm

Is there a way to stop the background music synching with the thumbnail clips?

I am using VS10 to create 20 sec video thumbnail clips on the dvd menu at the create disk stage, using one of the standard thumbnail menu templates. My selected menu background music is also being set to 20 secs and recycles in synch with the menu clips.

I just want to play the complete background music track regardless of the length of the thumbnail clips.

Thanks,
Neale

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:28 pm

Do you mean when you switch menu pages? If so, when you go to the next menu page the music restarts. There's no way to change that.

nealenapier · Post by **nealenapier** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 1:43 pm

Not exactly. I mean that my menu consists of chapter point thumbnails with 20 sec video clips displayed on the actual thumbnails (taken from the first 20 sec of footage in that chapter). The clips are repeated every 20 secs (which is ok) and so is the music (not ok).

Black Lab · Post by **Black Lab** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:08 pm

If you are using motion thumbnails then your menu music will only last for the duration of the thumbnails, a maximum of 20 seconds. If you do not use motion thumbnails I think your menu music will last as long as the sound clip, or until you switch pages.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:00 pm

Even without motion menus, I am pretty sure that audio backgrounds in menus are limited to a maximum of 30 seconds.

The only way I have found of getting around this is to use either SmartSound or a third party audio editor to trim a 30 second audio clip so that it either loops or at least has a decent fade-out. At least that way, an abrupt stop then start from the beginning is avoided...

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:09 pm

Just did a test.
Select any type of menu
Smartscene
Thumbnail or
Text Only.

Turn OFF the motion menu option.
I just placed a nice piece of music from one of my albums and happily let it play for some 2 minutes or so before I manually stopped it.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:38 pm

Steve -- just did the same thing myself, and you are absolutely correct! I guess I was locked into thinking that the background audio limitation was limited 30 seconds, starting in my case with VS7 which of course never had motion menus anyway.

Moreover, since motion menus were introduced (with VS9?), I have used them consistently, and the max. 30 second limitation is definitely there for those menus, including in VS10.

But I had been totally unaware till now that for non-motion menus, the audio time limitation had gone!!

Mind you, I still prefer motion menus, so will continue to use my SmartSound trimmed and looped background music in my menus!! That is, unless VS11 introduces unlimited motion menus...

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:50 pm

Ken Berry wrote:.......
Mind you, I still prefer motion menus, so will continue to use my SmartSound trimmed and looped background music in my menus!! That is, unless VS11 introduces unlimited motion menus...

Not practical unfortunately. What happens under the bonnet when you create a motion menu is that it creates a short video resembling your DVD menu.
superimposed upon that video are hotspots located where your buttons and thumbnails are located. When you press up / down / left / right on your DVD remote you move from hotspot to hotspot. Press the OK button and the hotspot is activated.

So if you have a 3 minute background video or thumbnails then you are creating a 3 minute video - that will be repeated for each and every menu page.

I just opened up DVD Workshop 2 to see what the maximum motion menu duration was that I could create and it would go no higher than
4 minutes 14 seconds.

You could end up filling a DVD with several menu pages and have no room left for the video!

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:07 am

I had meant the 'unlimited' to be linked to the audio background, rather than the video. 30 seconds has always seemed short to me, though most people would have chosen by then. One minute at least would be more reasonable. Again, I am talking about the audio element, not the video.

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 12:13 am

Agreed I think 30 seconds is also too short.

chazz · Post by **chazz** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:48 am

why are u wasting time AND SPACE in the menu???

If you have a backdrop track, it should go int the content

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:01 am

chazz wrote:why are u wasting time AND SPACE in the menu???

If you have a backdrop track, it should go int the content

Its called diverse thinking, thinking out of the box, lateral thinking, using your imagination.

I often use background videos with my DVD Menus. The look especially good when you take a short clip from the movie, then place a solid block of colour on top, use the transparency filter to allow the film to show through so that it gives an appearance of being faded in the background. This way it is not too overpowering to your menu buttons.

chazz · Post by **chazz** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:29 am

sjj1805 wrote:
chazz wrote:why are u wasting time AND SPACE in the menu???

If you have a backdrop track, it should go int the content
Its called diverse thinking, thinking out of the box, lateral thinking, using your imagination.

I often use background videos with my DVD Menus. The look especially good when you take a short clip from the movie, then place a solid block of colour on top, use the transparency filter to allow the film to show through so that it gives an appearance of being faded in the background. This way it is not too overpowering to your menu buttons.

yeah that wouldnt take over 30sec though......menu IMHO is an abbreviated sequence much like the james bond title theme sequences.

And if you put in the soundtrack it still has to be in MPEG format fully rendered in DVD resolution.

I agree that its a user choice, but still a unwise choice IMHO

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:33 am

A method of making your video appear to have a lot of motion whilst still keeping it short is to throw in one or two animated gifs.

chazz · Post by **chazz** » Sat Apr 21, 2007 10:48 am

just to clarify for the OP and myself here:

1. Motion menus are limited to 20-30 because Ulead has no facility to separate the video track from the audio for the menus, so both tracks are played for the menus. Perhaps in newer version there will be options to mute the linked soundtrack, and have an external track for the menus.

BTW, whats the difference bw Videostudio and mediastudio?