VS Pro X5 - CREATE MENU AND CHAPTERS

[vinodmehta]

Hi:

This may have been answered, I am not sure.

Here is what I am trying to do:

I have Blue Ray burner. To utilize BD disc <25 GB capacity, I am thinking to create a menus with chapters.

1) Create VSP projects and save for each country I have visited. Within each country, let us say, I visited 7 cities or places.
for ex. Turkey is my main menu and then I want to create chapters, each for cities or places I visited a) Istanbul,
b) Canakkale, c) Cappadocia and so on... VSP projects are created using jpg photos from my camera file folders.

2) Do the same for Greece and create 7 chapters under Greece menu.

3) Add other country and chapters to maximize the disc utilization.. I am aware of the time it takes to burn the disc. My VSPs project for each country will not be more than 30-50 minutes.

I am aware of write speed on DVD is 16X and on BD is 6X and how long it takes to burn the disc.

I just want to know if this can be done or not. This way I will HAVE few discs on me instead of each disc for each country visited.

So, when I play DVD/BD it will show these countries to start and then allow me to visit the cities or places under sub menu.

Is this possible to do?

Thank you in advance for your advise.

Regards and have happy Holidays.

Vinod

[Ken Berry]

That is certainly do-able with VS. In fact, you would follow exactly the same procedure for building your BD menu as you would with a standard def DVD -- only of course, choosing from the HD menu templates offered by X5.

The only note of caution I might sound relates to your expectations of the number of projects your want to burn to a BD disc. Yes, a single layer BD disc will hold up to 25 GB of video. But you have not said anything about the format of the video in your projects, nor the exact BD format you will be using in the burn to disc. If your original videos are standard definition -- mpeg-2, say -- then you need to bear in mind that during the burn to a BD disc, they will be converted to transport stream high def mpeg-2 in the burning module. Such files are much bigger than standard def mpeg-2, and thus will take up more space on the BD disc than you might be thinking.

The alternative would be to use AVCHD as the BD format for the disc. (AVCHD is of course one of the compatible BD formats.) And AVCHD files, while large, are nevertheless smaller than their HD mpeg-2 counterparts, so you will be able to fit more on the disc.

But it will also require a bit more care in the burning modile. If you are simply inserting vsp files into the burning module, then you will need to adjust the burn properties in the cogwheel Options icon in the bottom left of the burning screen to reflect the AVCHD format and properties you want. Otherwise, by default, VS will use the preset properties there which are BD mpeg-2. A better (or safer?) option in my view would be to convert each project in the editing module into an AVCHD before you even open the burning module (Share > Create File > AVCHD). Then, with an empty editing timeline, select Share > Create Disc > Blu-Ray. The burning module should open with an empty timeline -- if there's anything there, delete it, and manually insert your new AVCHD files. Make sure 'Do not convert compliant MPEG files' in the Options icon is ticked. Then build your menu and burn.

[vinodmehta]

Hi Ken:

Thank you for your response. I will follow the steps to either create AVCHD or MPEG-2 format. I am not going to use all 25 GB.

I still like to know how to create the Menu for each travel and sub menu within that travel group. And then how I bring these travel groups "in create disc menu and have these sub chapters displayed" under each travel group. I think I will have to create VSP for each travel with all sub menus save with name say TURKEY. Then create another VSP folder say Greece with it's sub menus. Now when I go to share and create disc - i will have to link Turkey and Greece and go to add chapters. This area I am not sure how I link before burning and achieve my project goal. FYI all my VSP created using High Resolution jpeg photos. Currently the dvds are created with mpeg format. I will change per your advise to AVCHD or mpeg-2 using HD menu template offered by X5.

Regards.

Vinod

[canuck]

Since your main concern at the moment seems to be the "menu structure" I would forget about burning to any kind of disc whether standard DVD or BR disc. I would first create the project as a standard DVD but "burn" to image file or a Video_TS folder set. This avoids creating a lot of coasters until you are happy with the way the menu works. An image file or folder set can be played with software players like VLC. (Creating to standard DVD image file or folder set is a lot faster then doing an AVCHD or BR "burn")

[Ken Berry]

I will have to create VSP for each travel with all sub menus save with name say TURKEY.

I am not quite sure what you mean by this since it is not normally possible to save an individual vsp with menus or sub-menus in them. But you can still do what you want easily enough as part of the menu building stage.

First off, in the Editing module you can if you want, in each project, insert Chapter points where every chapter later included in the sub-menu (or Chapter menu) would start. These will later be recognised when you open the Burning module and insert either that project vsp or a newly rendered clip from the project into the burning timeline. There is little point, however, in giving those chapter points names in the Editing module as the names are not carried over into the burning module and you have to rename them there. For that reason (and others) some of us here only insert chapters in the burning module and forget about it in the editing module.

In the Burning module, with your first video (or video project) inserted in the timeline e.g. Turkey, you make sure Create Menu is ticked. Turkey will thus appear as the first video on the main Menu page. But then you click on "Add/Edit Chapter" below the "Add Media" icons in the top left of the burning screen. A new screen will open with your Turkey video in its preview screen. You drag the jog slider below that screen to the point where you want a new chapter to start, then click on "Add Chapter". Repeat that until you have added all the chapters you want, noting that Chapter 1 is automatically the start of the video. See attached Image.

Then you add your other videos (or project files) e.g. Greece etc, and do the same with them.

When satisfied you have inserted all the chapters in all the main videos, you click the Next button on the burning module main page. That will take you to the Menu Creation page where you will choose a Menu template from the Gallery, and then click on the Edit tab to add your name to the main menu and chapters, change background images/videos to the menu and sub-menus, and add music to the menu. You then preview the whole thing on the Next page, then if satisfied, burn the disc or create a BD folder which you can burn to disc using another program.

[jdowney]

Hi Ken,


I followed your instructions, but when I get to the Edit menu I am unable to edit the chapter names...

I even tried selecting the Customize menu, and that did not work for me either. I was still unable to edit/change the chapter names. All I see is "chapter number with Enter text here..." I can change the font attributes, but I can not edit the content. When I right click on the "chapter number 1 Enter text here..." the submenu that appears has the EDIT function deselected/greyed-out.

Ultimately, I have a single VSP file with 12 chapters. I would like to name each chapter for selection purposes, and then print it out for the DVD cover.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[lata]

Hi

After creating the Chapter points you hit the Next button

The screen displays the main menu.
Immediately below the preview screen is Currently Displayed Menu, this allows you to choose the chapter menu/menus
Here you can edit the chapter menu and change the Chapter names, right click a name and Edit (or double click the text)

If you have 12 chapters that will require two chapter menus unless you have a ISO template containing 12 links.
You may be best using Thumbnail or Text menus.


Also view this post
http://forum.corel.com/EN/viewtopic.php ... 07#p283307

[canuck]

Ultimately, I have a single VSP file with 12 chapters. I would like to name each chapter for selection purposes, and then print it out for the DVD cover.

!

So you have 1 Title which you have sub-divided into 12 chapters? Is that correct?