Deadline Help requests

[T8]

Hi,
I have been using DVDWS2 for a few months and am now in the grips of a deadline deliverable with some probs so I need some help please. I have scanned the Knowledge Base, FAQ's etc.
Prob1:
The project has about 40 menus (more presentation than a dvd is why) and are fine with a background image and several buttons -making 40Mb. All menus are made in pshop along with text which is then highlighted using frame boxes in DVDWS. All menus are shrunk from 16:9 to 4:3 which is very frustrating and boosted back using IFO.
I need preview windows (currently using disabled motion buttons) of varying size on menus. Footage has been dropped in and re-sized with 3 or 4 in a menu over 20 menus. The project size has blown up to 350Mb or so with memory topping out over 1GB making the project unusable to add anything else in & still without the major content included.

Q1:The footage dropped in is 720x480 and scaled down as a motion button to various sizes. So do i need to re-encode them to 310x240? or is there a motion disable or file shrinking workaround to reduce the project file size and memory hogging until burning?

Q2: If not is there another way to have preview windows in this while keeping the project file usuable?

Q3: Can photoshop graphics be easily turned in to buttons and be highlighted in the same shape, eg a hammer shape?

Q5: As I have multiple versions of this project ,some with complete video menus in some, is there a way of dropping these into another project?

Q5: Is there a way a menu can be a mask with video running in a defined window inside of it, rather than a motion video on top?

Newbie stuff & I aplogise in advance if some of this is obvious. Any help much appreciated.

[GeorgeW]

Prob1:
The project has about 40 menus (more presentation than a dvd is why) and are fine with a background image and several buttons -making 40Mb. All menus are made in pshop along with text which is then highlighted using frame boxes in DVDWS. All menus are shrunk from 16:9 to 4:3 which is very frustrating and boosted back using IFO.

Using IFOedit to do that might work in some cases -- but try your resulting DVD on a 4:3 TV to see if the highlights match up properly

Q1:The footage dropped in is 720x480 and scaled down as a motion button to various sizes. So do i need to re-encode them to 310x240? or is there a motion disable or file shrinking workaround to reduce the project file size and memory hogging until burning?

The resulting menu will be full D1, so it doesn't matter what size the thumbnail footage is (in terms of the final DVD Menu).

Q2: If not is there another way to have preview windows in this while keeping the project file usuable?

You could prepare your motion menus outside of DVDWS, and import them as background motion. Then add highlight buttons to the different thumbnails (already embedded in the motion menu)

Q3: Can photoshop graphics be easily turned in to buttons and be highlighted in the same shape, eg a hammer shape?

There is some PSD support -- In the MENU step, hit the BUTTON tab. Then about half way down on the left, you see a little down-arrow -- left-click on the down arrow and select Object - Menu Overlays. Then hit the little folder icon, and import your PSD file with layers.

Drag that PSD to your menu, and you should be able to drop items onto the button objects

Q5: As I have multiple versions of this project ,some with complete video menus in some, is there a way of dropping these into another project?

If you use the above mentioned apporach (creating the menu motion outside of DVDWS, you can then re-use them (you would still have to add the button highlights and links). Alternatively, save a "dummy" project with the embedded motion menu, and then just open the dummy project, and add the different video assets, and re-link the menu buttons.

Q5: Is there a way a menu can be a mask with video running in a defined window inside of it, rather than a motion video on top?

Add your motion thumbnail. Then use one of the Frame - General pictures to overlay the motion thumbnail (drag it onto the thumbnail).

Regards,
George

[T8]

Thats very helpful George, thank you very much.

I figured out some of the stuff like psd buttons and the frame, so they have greatly improved things.
I am more familiar with PC graphics than DVD, hence some silly mistakes I seem to be making, plus I am dealing with PAL footage going to NTSC. I have been testing the dvd on a multi format TV from 4:3 up to widescreen and it seems OK.

On Prob 1, is there a better way of resizing in your opinion?

Also, when I drop in footage onto the motion background it seems to go full size without the abililty to resize to a smaller window or create multiple windows - or am I still missing something?
At the moment I am working with chapter buttons, but these have the highlight link problem, unless this can be disabled somehow?

You mention preparing motion menus outside of DVDWS, what packages do you suggest?

Sorry to be a P-I-T-A George and everyone, I just have a very truncated timetable to get 2 projects done without the benefit of all your great DVD experience.

best regards

[GeorgeW]

On Prob 1, is there a better way of resizing in your opinion?

Unfortunately, not for true widescreen menus
I wouldn't use the IFOedit trick for fear someone might need to play your DVD on a 4:3 TV. But if it's only for your own use, then it should be ok on a widescreen TV. Granted, it might be out-of-spec if you have more than 18 menu buttons on your 16:9 menu.

Also, when I drop in footage onto the motion background it seems to go full size without the abililty to resize to a smaller window or create multiple windows - or am I still missing something?
At the moment I am working with chapter buttons, but these have the highlight link problem, unless this can be disabled somehow?

Make sure you have the BUTTON tab selected before dragging onto the menu (3 Tabs are Menu / Button / Text -- select the BUTTON tab).

You mention preparing motion menus outside of DVDWS, what packages do you suggest?

Any NLE that can do Picture-in-Picture effects (overlay tracks).

Regards,
George

[T8]

Your a star George.

I know about the Button tab and it seems to work OK, but the Prob 1 I encountered was the files size blowing up to 300Mb or so and being unusable with this method - and that was before footage was included!

Will experimant further, unless there any more tips.

Many thanks.