VS X5 Pro Submenu Thumbnails not saving

[zforray]

I just spent 20-minutes going through 17-chapter thumbnails settings for a DVD menu of this project only to find none of the changes are saving. I tried repeatedly and the chapter thumbnails always revert to the original values for ALL sub-menus. Does seem to save the main menu thumbnail.

All I do is right-click, select to set the thumbnail, find the place and it works. Just doesn't save when I click to CLOSE the DVD process and come back in, eventhough it says "Saving project"

15.1.0.34 so I think I have all outstanding patches. When I go through the internal process to "check for updates, it says I am up-to-date.

[Ken Berry]

Unfortunately, you are suffering something we have been complaining about for literally years -- that automatic "save" when you close the burning module. It may be saving to some temporary file somewhere, but it certainly doesn't save to the project .vsp file, as we think it should. If that is all you do, relying on the automatic save, then as you have found, the menu informationis lost.

But what you have to do instead, before closing down VS completely, is do a MANUAL save, to ensure that the entire project, including the menu settings are indeed saved to the VSP file. That way, when you reopen the project, the menu and sub-menus items should all still be there as you left them.

[zforray]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I forgot to mention that I already tried that as well. I always do a CTRL-S when I exit the DVD menu editor (I too don't trust the auto-save) and return to the core program. I did it this time, as well. I even completely exited the program, loaded the project, went directly to SHARE | DVD, changed 1-Thumbnail on a sub-menu, did the CLOSE, then CTRL-S again, rinse-lather-repeat and it always went back to the chapter-point image/thumbnail, not what I set.

Never understood why there isn't a SAVE button/option in the DVD menu editor section.

If all it took was to re-save the project every time I made a change to the DVD menu, I could live with it. My point is it simply doesn't work, at all.

[Ken Berry]

Never understood why there isn't a SAVE button/option in the DVD menu editor section.

That is precisely what we have pressing for with Corel for literally years and several versions.

I note, though, that you say you did this manual save before closing the burning module. It is also worth trying doing that manual save just before your close the entire program, as I suggested above.

[zforray]

What I meant was after returning to the main program, I always CTRL-S, not in the DVD/burning module. I have been burned before by changes no being saved.

I did an experiment and went back in and re-re-re-re-re-changed the thumbnails for 1-menu of 3-chapters and then went directly to render/burn (I simply didn't have time to change all 19-thumbnails since it took >3-hours to render and then burn this video). Now it saved the changes.

IMHO, really, really stupid behaviour. You need to pound on them some more to fix dumb things like this. There is toooo much competition out there for video editing programs. I would hate to abandon VS because for a lot of quick and dirty projects, it is my go-to program but something like this is really annoying.

I just got the Adobe Master Suite and am going to hit Premier Pro and learn how to really use it. Earlier in the year I had a video with horrid lighting/color and the only program I could find to correct it was Premier. It was painful/difficult to use but neither VS nor Nero nor PowerDirector would do what I needed.

[lata]

Hi zforray

Can you confirm exactly what is not being saved.

I assume when you return to the burner module that the chapter points are there, but the thumbnail image that you selected has reverted to the first frame.
Is this correct.

Or are you saying that all chapter points are lost and you have to add Chapter points again?

Ok

I have managed to replicate this problem, I preformed several tests and on one occasion was able to save the details, except for the first thumbnail. All other tests lost the thumbnail frame data.
I tried a few approaches in the hope of finding a work-round but no go.

I know that we did have a lot of problems in retaining the menu data but thought Corel had finally fixed that with X4 SP2 and of course X5.

I do not have a solution and can only ask that you approach Corel Support, unless they are told of the problem they cannot fix it.

[zforray]

Glad to hear you have confirmed what I am seeing. Unfortunately, it is not that uncommon for code changes to get deprecated between releases (heavy sigh) but I am little surprised nobody has noticed/reported this.....Does everyone create chapter-points that are perfect and line-up with the thumbnail they want? This project is a high-school play and each scene opens with the lights down/dark so I didn't want 19-black thumbnails!

So far, the only way I have found to retain the sub-menu chapter thumbnail selections is to go all the way through and burn the project. I even tried going all the way through to the burn page and then clicking close but it still lost the changes. I haven't had a chance to try to start the burning and then kill it to see if that saves it.

My sequence:

1. Edit video is main module - click SHARE | Create DVD
2. Add chapter points - auto at first then correct/cleanup (this project has 19 chapters)
3. Continue to Menu creation - pick a thumbnail menu (this one has 3-chapters per sub-menu)
4. Right-click and change main menu thumbnail
5. Select sub-menu - Right-click and change thumbnails on first and subsequent sub-menu pages
6. Click close - "saving project" flashes

Going back into the DVD creation process - straight to the menu editing section (not making any chapter changes) and then the sub-menus, the thumbnails revert back to the beginning of each chapter point, not the thumbnails I just set.

[lata]

Hi

Ok I have found a work-round that seems to help for all thumbnail images with the exception of the first thumbnail. Don’t ask I have no idea.

This is what I did.

1 / Start a new project, nothing in the timeline
2 / Share Create Disc—Opens the burner module.
3 / Add Media – Top Left – select either add Video Files choosing a DVD Mpeg2 Video file, or Add VS Project Files, a VSP

Your chapter points should show, that’s if you created them in the timelines.
Otherwise Add Chapters.
4 / Now change the chapter thumbnails.
When I tried all thumbnail images remained as selected except the first one, Hmmm

After closing remember to save the project, give it a name indicating that is it to be used to burn a disc. “burn school play”

When I opened the project again the new images remained selected, except the first.? At least you only have one to change.

Just a thought, you said 19 chapters, so you will be using 3 menu pages, maybe you will have to change the first on each page? Not got that far yet?

Post edited,..it seems to only affect the first chapter point on the first page, all others seem ok

[zforray]

19-chapters on a 3-chapters-per-menu-page design/template = 7-sub-menu pages of 3-chapters per. No, my first shot was going through all 7-pages of sub-menus changing EVERY chapter-thumbnail and the only one that stuck was the main menu thumbnail (in fact, I recall it not sticking once, like with your experience).

Never tried going directly to the DVD creation/burning module. In my case, I need to overlay some external audio and add transitions, which I don't thing the burning module does.

[Ken Berry]

In my case, I need to overlay some external audio and add transitions, which I don't thing the burning module does.

No it will not. So, why not try adding your audio etc, then instead of going straight to Share > Create Disc, choose Share > Create Video File > DVD. This will then produce a DVD-compliant mpeg-2. Make sure you know where it is stored on your computer -- normally your designated working folder. Then you can start a New Project -- don't worry about a name as yet as the objective right now is just to clear the timeline of your project and end up with an empty new timeline.

Then select Share > Create Disc > DVD. The burning module should open with an *empty* timeline. Then use the Add Media button, navigate to where your new mpeg-2 is located and select it. It will then appear in the burning timeline. Then proceed as outlined by Trevor... making sure that at the end, you manually save the entire project back in the editing module.

[zforray]

I am curious as to why manually adding the media to the DVD/burning module is any different than the core VS module passing the module name to the DVD/burning module. We determined that manually forcing a save in the main VS module didn't make a difference - only performing an actual burn saved the settings (haven't had a change to see if starting a burn and canceling it will also save the thumbnail settings - hope to try that today since I need to have a finished product delivered Monday.)

[lata]

Hi

I do not know why using the Add Media option works better than simply Share Create Disc with the project open. But it does. I do not know why there is a problem, I am simply trying to find a workround.
You should contact Corel Support and report the problem.

Creating a Video File First has always been the best option when creating a disc. It is the way I always work
Its just that the program allows for using the open project. VSP
Whatever you choose to use a DVD Mpeg2 video file has to be created.

However you do not have to Add Video File, you can Add VSP which will retain the Thumbnail Image, except for the first thumbnail.
Make sure you start a new project, with nothing in the timeline Share Create Disc. Add Media

Another option would be to create 19 projects, render each to a DVD Mpeg2 (Batch Convert) You now have 19 video files.
Adding Media Add Video File will create a Thumbnail in the main title menu, for each video added a thumbnail will be created, you would not need chapters.
Navigation Controls will allow you to choose any movie, play just that and return to menu or select any then play to end of disc.

Menu’s, you can have upto 8 thumbnails per menu page.

[zforray]

FWIW, I just went back into the project, via VS, and while the thumbnail changes were saved when I burned the DVD, ALL sub-menu thumbnails reverted back to the chapter points, not what I set. So basically, they aren't being saved, AT ALL.

I have more audio editing/overlaying to do before I can re-render.

[lata]

Well I have just run through the process three times using various menu settings and in each case the thumbnail image was retained on the disc files.

Provided you use the Add Media option. I chose to use Add Media -- Add Project Files VSP.