Newbie question, making menues, slideshowes

Janti · Post by **Janti** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 8:08 am

Hello all

I'm currently trying out Unlead VideoStudio 9, I've been experimenting with it for a while -- so far without being able to find out if it can do what I was planning to buy it for:

I have a lot of slideshows made in Photo Story for Windows (wmv format), that I would like to assemble on one DVD, that is: several shows on each DVD, inkluding menues, one picture for each show, to make it easy to go directly to the show i want.

Results so far: I don't get any menues (only the main menue), all the shows I've burnt onto the DVD disc are there, but I cannot navigate between them.

Besides: There is a christmas tree frame etc. that's ruining the overall enjoyment. I've tried to remove it, with no success so far.

Apart from this I find the DVD picture made from the wmv files relatively good, and I would like to keep the program if it turns out that it can do what I need it for.

All help appreciated!

Regards

Jan
Norway

Trevor Andrew · Post by **Trevor Andrew** » Thu Sep 01, 2005 9:01 am

Hi

This comment,

Besides: There is a christmas tree frame etc. that's ruining the overall enjoyment. I've tried to remove it, with no success so far.
Indicates that you are using the Movie Wizard.
You need to use the Video Editor.

(as for the template-christmas tree- there should be a lot more to choose from.) UNLESS you are using the Trial Version....
Read :- (I am having problems viewing my library video files) http://www.ulead.com/tech/vs/vs80faq.htm )

Ok

By adding your videos to the movie wizard the program combines them into one project and one video.
Not what you want.

I have not worked with Wmv files but would assume that you have to convert / render each file to mpeg 2 a Dvd compatible format before burning your disc.

Once you have the correct file format,

Start video studio select ‘Video Editor’
Share—Create Disc—

Add Video—browse your hard drive and add the video slide shows.

For each video you add a separate menu will be created.
Click ‘next’
Customize your menu’s

Next—to view / play

Hope this helps

Janti · Post by **Janti** » Fri Sep 02, 2005 6:36 pm

Thank you!

I've now tried the Video Edit option instead of the Movie Wizard that I used the first time.

Result: The picture quality is worse, and I still don't get the possibility to chose between clips, that is: still no menue. But I got rid of the christmas decorations.

Anyway: if this is the quality I can get out of this program, it's not good enough.

I will try to experiment a little more, though.

Regards

Jan[/quote]

sjj1805 · Post by **sjj1805** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 9:43 am

If you dont need to EDIT your slideshows - appears you have already created them

The perhaps you should take a look at another Ulead product
DVD Workshop. Not sure if it handles WMV files as I am currently at work and our firewall does not give me access to the ulead website, but you will find the specifications there.

VideoStudio is an EDITOR used to cut things up and join them back together again with fancy transitions and sound effects, it can produce DVD's but it is limited in that respect.

On the other hand DVD workshop is software that takes your already prepared videos and converts them into DVDs where you have lots of control over how the menu's and chapters look and work.

There is a 30 day free trial on the ulead website.

Post by **Ken Berry** » Sat Sep 03, 2005 12:39 pm

IMHO, DVD Workshop would be vast overkill for a newbie. VS 9 should be more than capable of producing a good DVD, including one consisting exclusively of slideshows. If he ignores the Wizard, as has already been suggested, he gets a wide selection of templates for the menus. And if, in the burning module, he enters each slideshow separately, then there should be a separate menu button for each slideshow.

That being said, I have never used anything in WMV within VS. However, given that it is a highly compressed format, which would have to be, in effect, decompressed somewhat to produce a DVD-compatible MPEG file, I would not be surprised if there were also a corresponding loss of quality. It is a bit like starting off with a VW Beetle but expecting to produce a Mercedes Benz. VS 9 nevertheless handles WMV files. If he insists on using the WMV format for his originals, then each slideshow would need to be put into VS9 as a separate project and rendered to MPEG. Then in the Burning Module, each of those MPEGs would be entered, and separate buttons should appear for each in the menu.

But my own suggestion would be to start all over again and compile new slideshows by inserting the original photos into the VS9 timeline and compiling MPEG slideshows from them directly, then joining all these in the Burning Module as a DVD.

And if you were looking for another program, I would certainly not be suggesting to a newbie that he look at a top-end and rather complicated product like Workshop, but at a much easier product to handle like Movie Factory/DVD Disc Creator. Although I also have Workshop, MF is in fact my product of choice to produce slideshows on DVD as it does so in a totally problem free fashion. And on top of that, the menus it offers are superior to VS 9 (though potentially not as sophisticated as Workshop's once you have worked out how to produce them!!)