Chapter points

[moodymike]

I am having a struggle with chapter points for a DVD. Managed with difficulty to get the red markers to come up on the "Make DVD" screen by pressing auto chapters ( these had been selected on the timeline). When I select OK to go on to menu project reverts to a single scene. Helpppppp.

[BrianCee]

Many users struggle with chapter points created in the timeline - often they do not carry through to the Create disc module - appears to be a long time bug in the programme.

The best option for most users appears to be NOT to create chapters in the timeline but wait until you are in the create disc module and use the add/edit chapter in there to create chapters from new.

[WaltMaken]

I've tried unsuccessfully to change the thumbnail point for a given chapter point to be different than the in-point for the chapter point. i.e. I'd like to be able to select a thumbnail point that is anywhere from 3 seconds to 45 seconds or more, later than the actual chapter in-point. When I do the add/edit chapter point, and change the thumbnail scene, it only lets me add that point as a new chapter point, rather than establish the thumbnail to be for an earlier-time chapter in-point. If you've used Adobe Premiere Elements, their methods of creating disc menus and chapter points is much more intuitive (at least at this point in my learning curve with VSP 5) and it is a very simple matter to make the thumbnail video point be different than the actual chapter in-point. Is there a way, easy or not, to make the thumbnail in-point be different than the chapter in-point in VideoStudio 5? Thanks

[BrianCee]

If I understand what your saying Walt it sounds as though you are trying to change the thumbnail picture in the wrong place - which I presume is why you appear to have a problem.

After you have created your chapters in the "Add/Edit Chapter" window click OK and you will be taken back to the menu creation window.

Click Next (at the bottom) - then in the next window choose a suitable thumbnail menu. Immediately under the preview window is a dropdown labelled "Currently displayed Menu"

Change that drop down to display the chapter selection menu.

Now RIGHT click over the thumbnail you want to change and from the flyout select "Change this scene thumbnail"

A small window will open in which you can select any scene in your video as the thumbnail

Click OK in that small window and your thumbnail will show a different scene.

i've knocked up a quick demo and posted a screen grab below which may clarify things. click on the image to enlarge it

[WaltMaken]

Brian, Thanks so much for your quick response. And the screen capture definitely is helpful. Hopefully I'll be able to attach my screen capture & you'll know exactly what it is I'm doing wrong. Did I choose a menu that doesn't allow thumbnails or what? As you can see, the drop down menu I see with the menu I've chosen does not show the option to "Change this scene thumbnail". Thanks

[lata]

Hi

Brian may respond but will be on vacation shortly....

I am not sure exactly what you are trying to do but clearly there is some confusion.
You are using a Text Menu and as such has no thumbnails, Brians image shows the Thumbnail Menu, you did refer to Thumbnails earlier????????

Your image shows as using at least 8 Chapter points,
Can you explain again exactly what you are trying to do.

The chapter points can be edited from the first page, hit the Back button.

As another observation the video file looks rather large, the scale at the bottom should be Green and only Green

[WaltMaken]

lata,
There was definitely confusion on my part, primarily because I had missed seeing that "Text Menu" identifier because I'm so used to the Premiere Elements method which has all menus having thumbnails. Anyway, to get to the point, thanks to you, I've made forward progress in my learning curve with the VSP X5. My next question is, how do I now access all 17 of my chapter points so I can change the thumbnails on more than just the first 3 chapter points? See the attached. I'm not seeing anything obvious, but then having overlooked the "Text Menu", the solution could be staring me in the face....... Thanks

[WaltMaken]

Never mind......I discovered how to access the others, with the forward arrow........ Thanks so much for your help. I think we're there.

[BrianCee]

Walt - in the create Disc module at the top of the gallery where you choose the menu is a drop down - you can use that to select which type of menu option to display - including 'All'

just above the drop down are two tabs - 'Gallery' is the default but next to it is a tab marked 'edit' - click on that and you will find further modification options such as changing the picture/video background and the music.

about 2/3rds down is the option "Customise" - click on that and at the bottom (if you are using thumbnails) there are options to change the number of thumbnails per page and to change the shape of the frames - although remember basic changes can be made on the actual menu screen by pulling the yellow corner blocks which appear when you click on a thumbnail - note that the green dots distort the thumbnail and the pink dot allows rotation, the thumbnails can also be moved around the menu you are not committed to the default.

[lata]

Hi

Press the Back button till you return to the first screen
You will see the video's you have added in the timeline displayed as a thumbnail.
Each thumbnail will create a link on the menu menu (Title Menu)

Select a thumbnail and the Add/Edit chapters becomes available, Edit being the operative word
This will open a new window allowing you to manage your chapter points.
Existing chapter points displayed as a thumbnail in the timeline, a small red marker shows below the preview screen.
I do not think you can re-position the points, remove then add again.

There have been many problems in using chapter points, especially when adding them in the edit timelines, which I assume is what you have done. However X5 works much better than the earlier versions, however i would still advise that you add chapter points from the burning module.

Once you have closed the module you are returned to the project timelines, save the project again before closing and the menus should be retained, available next time you Share Create Disc, at least for the present project.

How many Chapter Points?

You seem to be using a lot, the menu templates can be customised to use 8 links per menu page.
There are templates available donated to the forum by one of the members, i think some use 30ish
They are Text types, but would expect that given that 30 thumbnails are gonna be small to get them on screen

[WaltMaken]

Brian, Trevor,
Thanks for the additional suggestions & insight into the menu creation process. You have both definitely helped my learning curve with VSP X5.

[icreadence]

Many users struggle with chapter points created in the timeline - often they do not carry through to the Create disc module - appears to be a long time bug in the programme.
The best option for most users appears to be NOT to create chapters in the timeline but wait until you are in the create disc module and use the add/edit chapter in there to create chapters from new.

In X3, it came with the option to download MovieFactory 7 SE. In this program, the chapter marks embedded in the MPG file (or is that in the .upd file) are detected fine. I am using X4 and they are not detected in the embedded DVD creator. This is a huge impact to workflow as in most of the videos I create, I do some sort of editing at every chapter point (usually with a title). This make the selection of the exact point MUCH easier.
Can you confirm that this is indeed the case (that Chapter point from the timeline do not work in the embedded DVD app)? It has been flaky for me, but that might be that I have been using both and did not notice this.
Thanks

[lata]

Hi

There has been a lot of problems in adding chapter points to the timelines.
Not every version has the same problems, quite complicated to explain just what was happening.

As far as I know the service patch 2 for X4 cured many problems with chapter points.
Have you installed the patches.

Without running further tests I cannot remember if Chapter Points were embedded to the Mpeg files. Ok I ran a quick test, no I cannot see the chapter points within the Mpeg, nor do they show when adding a VSP.

All is not lost......

If you add the chapter points to the timeline and go directly to Share Create Disc the chapter points do show.
But the process will re-code / render the project to a mpeg2 prior to burning.

Video Studio X5
This program did appear to work with Mpeg 2 embedded chapter points --- showing after selecting "Add Edit Chapters then Insert Scenes as Chapters"
The VSP options, add VSP showed the chapter points as soon as i choose to Add Edit Chapters.

Interestingly, a Mpeg made with X4 showed Chapter Points using X5, so X4 embeds the points but the burner module does not read them., not that it will help you.


My own personal opinion is that chapter points should be created in the burner module as thats where you create the menu.

[icreadence]

Hi
There has been a lot of problems in adding chapter points to the timelines.
Not every version has the same problems, quite complicated to explain just what was happening.
As far as I know the service patch 2 for X4 cured many problems with chapter points.
Have you installed the patches.
Without running further tests I cannot remember if Chapter Points were embedded to the Mpeg files. Ok I ran a quick test, no I cannot see the chapter points within the Mpeg, nor do they show when adding a VSP.
All is not lost......
If you add the chapter points to the timeline and go directly to Share Create Disc the chapter points do show.
But the process will re-code / render the project to a mpeg2 prior to burning.
Video Studio X5
This program did appear to work with Mpeg 2 embedded chapter points --- showing after selecting "Add Edit Chapters then Insert Scenes as Chapters"
The VSP options, add VSP showed the chapter points as soon as i choose to Add Edit Chapters.
Interestingly, a Mpeg made with X4 showed Chapter Points using X5, so X4 embeds the points but the burner module does not read them., not that it will help you.
My own personal opinion is that chapter points should be created in the burner module as that's where you create the menu.

Thanks for the feedback. I did try the direct to disk method and that seems to work OK. I have yet to try the disk. I have been used to making the mpg file first and using that. X4 does embed the chapter points, but DVD in X4 will not detect them. DVD movie factory does detect them, but now it will not work (I suspect the upgrade to X4 from X3 had something to do with that. This of course meant that much of the work I did prior to this (make the MPG and author the DVD) was lost (by going back to the project and creating the DVD from there.

I have not tried entering chapter points in the DVD program in a long while, but when I did I found the process cumbersome as the timeline lacked the zoom in and out controls that make frame accurate adjustments easy. Once the chapter points are there, the rest seems to work well in the X4 DVD program.

[lata]

Hi

What do you mean by DVD Movie Factory does not work.

Are you saying the program no longer works, DVD MF 7SE needs X3 installed to work.

I tried adding an Mpeg which worked ok recognising the points provided I used "Insert Scenes as Chapters"
-----------------
As for navigating the timeline to set the points, I use the digital clock, nudging the times, or the slider to fast forward. But yes the timeline is a bit limiting in its scale.