MF 7 Pro trial basic questions

[Jjay]

Getting old is really taking it's toll on me. I'm not a new poster, but for the life of me, I can't log on with the screen name I've always used and you guys know me by .... namely, DiscCoasterPro. I dunno why, but it tortured me enough to just change. Anyway... on with my questions.

I've been using DVDWS and LOVING it forever. But, now I'm finally going to pull the trigger on a new i7 build for myself and with that, I'll be playing with some HD video. I am currently trying to figure out which video editor to go with as well as SADLY, upgrading to another authoring program

Again, perhaps cause I'm getting old, but this Movie Factory doesn't seem intuitive at all to me. Please allow me to explain what I have been doing in DVDWS, and what I'd like to continue to be able to do with Movie Factory 7 Pro.

Nothing elaborate. I convert VHS tapes using my Canopus 300. I bring the conversion currently into Premiere Elements 3 where I clip the front and back, and add some text over the video in the end that says ... THE END . I may adjust audio a bit, but thats really all I have to do in an NLE.

To create my DVD, I bring that video into DVDWS, I capture the first frame as a JPEG still. Then, I go to menu, select that still as a background, type in the words I want to use, go to the objects menu, select the little movie board Icon, make the transparency 25% and type the name of the video clip, get a little button icon, drag my movie chapter onto it and DONE.

Now in the trial of Movie Factory. I've been struggling with the menu template for so long I just gave up. I DON"T WANT A TEMPLATE ... <sigh> But it seems I have no choice in the matter. So, I expect at least to be able to select an item in the template that is forced on me, then hit the delete button for it to go away ... but no, I can't. I seem to be able to hide it, or drag it off the screen, both annoying alternatives, but I can't figure this thing out.

I'm not trying to get fancy, rather I'm trying to simplify this by not using any template. I fear, this may be a long road to hoe to get my brain dead self to understand (as Dorothy said to Toto in Wizard of Oz) I'm not in Kansas anymore. This isn't DVDWS.

Any help with this template removal would be appreciated. Also DVDWS had a to of objects, buttons, and graphic, this program seems to have nothing. Is that just because it's the trial?

thanks all very much
joe

[teknisyan]

At this time, you cannot create a menu from scratch using DVD Movie Factory 7 Pro. As you mentioned, you can only hide whatever object you do not want in the menu.

However, since you are also into video editing, you may want to try VideoStudio X4. Where you can download different menu via the http://www.photovideolife.com/

[BrianCee]

Not sure I fully understand what you want as your final product - it was the bit about setting transparency and dragging you movie which lost me.

We can't get MF 7 in the UK so this is what I do in V6 - I would hope V7 will be the same.

to make a video with YOUR title - I do it this way .

Put your video in the timeline - make sure you untick 'Create Menu' before clicking 'Edit Room'

Using the little 'Import Media' folder just above the timeline import your jpeg image to the timeline and move it in front of your video.

Select your image and click on the little film reel tab at the top and set a time for the image display.

Select the 'T' tab and type your title - and set it to the same length as your image - I find the easiest way to do that is to switch to 'timeline view' rather than 'storyboard' - (use small video frame icon top left end of storyboard/timeline) - then you can just drag lengths to be the same

Click OK and you should now have a video with a title over your background which goes straight on into your video - - you can if you want while in the edit room add a crossfade or other transition between your image and the video

As I say not 100% sure what you were trying to do - but see if what I've said gets you close - it does not use any preset background or videos.

[Jjay]

Thanks for the replies. I know there are ways to ham and egg around what would otherwise seem to be a simple viable feature.

Forgive me if I sound upset, but FOR THE LIFE OF ME ... I can't understand why a company would take the absolute best video authoring program to date, and toss it in the garbage can only to reinvent the wheel, and a square one to boot.

Corel should try to find the forest though the trees. What sits right in front of them is the best ever authoring program. If I were the head of Corel, I'd give my programmers DVDWS and let them simply update it, take nothing out, but add a few needed things, and stop trying to reinvent the wheel.

But ... hey, what the heck do I know, I'm just one of those consumers.

[cdoughertycd]

Jjay: I've dealt with the same not wanting a menu template deal with Movie Factory 7SE, end up using my own jpgs but have to hide or drag offscreen the template stuff to get to it.

Abiel: Does VS 4 have the burn program in it thru share? or do we have to buy MF 7? Also if so, do you know if it allows for a templateless menu where we can use our own jpgs?

Thanks

[Ken Berry]

Yes X4 has its own burn module built in. But it is virtually identical to MF 7.

[cdoughertycd]

Ken, do you know if MF 7 has more then MF 7SE?

[cdoughertycd]

Ken, I tried to download a trial version of MF 7 but got a message (using Windows 7 home premium) that it had files not trusted, never could get it downloaded.

[Ken Berry]

MF7 Pro certainly has more functions than MF7 SE. I think it also has more templates.

And I don't know what to say about the "files not trusted" message. Certainly other people (including myself) have downloaded the full Pro version and installed it with no such message and no subsequent problems. You might want to consider disabling your anti-virus program while you do this one since that is what would be giving the message, not Windows 7.

[Jjay]

While this and I'm sure other shortcomings of MF7 can be a pain, it begs the specific question, AND hopefully a SPECIFIC answer.

WHY??? Why would a company toss a better program to reinvent the wheel with less versatility than the one they tossed? And, now that I look back at older posts ... Why would they do this in the face of consumers who it seems practically begged for a DVDWS upgrade.

Waddia ... taking your ball and going home? LOL, that's gotta be it.

[Ken Berry]

They never reinvented any wheel. Movie Factory existed as the poor cousin of DVDWS for the time that the latter existed. Corel decided to ditch the latter at about the same time they decided to ditch Media Studio. Indeed, they subsequently decided to ditch Movie Factory too, but see to have changed their mind on that one, though time will tell. But ultimately, it all came down to cost, and the have in effect ditched the more expensive programs which did not have a wide consumer base. An enthusiastic consumer base, yes, but not a wide one.

[Jjay]

Alright, if that is the case, then, why, as many seem to have asked, don't they release DVDWS as an open source software for those knowledgeable enough to rewrite it ( or do whatever open source people do to programs) so we can enjoy it?

They still took their ball and went home IMO .... like spoiled little kids, leaving the rest of us to play with rocks.

[Ron P.]

Alright, if that is the case, then, why, as many seem to have asked, don't they release DVDWS as an open source software for those knowledgeable enough to rewrite it ( or do whatever open source people do to programs) so we can enjoy it?

They still took their ball and went home IMO .... like spoiled little kids, leaving the rest of us to play with rocks.

If you had your hands on a product that would blow your other products out of water, would you really want someone else to get their hands on it? Just like Corel has done with the release of MotionStudio 3D, which is Ulead's Cool 3D Production Studio revamped, they should revamp and release DVDWS2. But for them to say, here have this to the open source market, would be shooting themselves in the foot. DVD MF would be history in no time, and may even jeopardize VS..

[Jjay]

If you had your hands on a product that would blow your other products out of water, would you really want someone else to get their hands on it? Just like Corel has done with the release of MotionStudio 3D, which is Ulead's Cool 3D Production Studio revamped, they should revamp and release DVDWS2. But for them to say, here have this to the open source market, would be shooting themselves in the foot. DVD MF would be history in no time, and may even jeopardize VS..

Exactly my point. The logical conclusion to that way of thinking would be ... hey, I have a product here better than anything, LET ME MARKET IT! But, no, that's not what they think, obvioulsy, because they do not wish to pursue it. So the natural progression of that thought, would be, this program isn't all that great. Which contradicts the logic of your original suggestion.

That's how I came to the conclusion that they simply took their ball and went home. If we don't like it, no one can like it.