Creating a DVD with Multi layered menu

[MCREDD]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie, when it comes to DVD Authoring, so please excuse the misuse of terminology and my ignorance. I desperately need some help with authoring a DVD with multiple layered menu's.

The project is a dvd Manual for components with short 2-3 minute video clips on each component. These components then join to form more complex components, and this repeats between 4-5 times.

The manufacturer wants a DVD which shows the master part assemled and can then drill down into each component.

I have managed to accomplish the request by creating multiple little DVD's using Nero Vision and then joining them using dvdremake pro and then joining those dvd's again using DRMP.

The customer however wants animated menu's all the way through and so now, I am stuck. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Please forgive any mistakes I may make on this forum, as this is my first post ever.

[smrpix]

If I'm reading this correctly, you've got the structure and the authoring sorted, but you're looking for a way to make animated transitions to create the illusion of drilling down between menus. Is that correct?

The standard tool would be After Effects, but there are other 2D animation programs as well. You create a short clip where the start and end frames match the "from" and "to" menus, render them out as standard DVD mpeg files and then add them into your existing structure. So the "clip1" button rather than going straight to clip1 would (for example) go to the animation, then to clip1, then to another animation pulling out of clip1 and then returning to the menu.

In general, much of what menus appear to be doing is an illusion based on this simple trick.

[MCREDD]

Thanks smrpix that sounds like it could work. However I am a newbie and it took me the better part of 2 months to get where I am now. So How would I do this? what software could I use?

And although this helps with the transition from the menu to the actual clip(much needed and appreciated), all the menu's also need to be animated(DRMP can't do or I don't know how)

I have After effects installed but have never used it(newbie).

Thank you very much for your response. Just knowing it is possible is a great start.

[smrpix]

Start going through the After Effects manuals and getting started tutorials. You have a steep curve ahead of you.

You can't create animations in DVD Remake, only links. You make your animations in After Effects and use stills of the first and last frames as your menu backgrounds. Menu-->animation clip-->content clip. You're creating an illusion.

If you have After Effects do you also have Encore? It has a built-in option for going from menu to transition to clip.

[Brainiac]

Do you have Adobe Encore too? What you want to do can definitely be accomplished with both After Effects and Adobe Encore. As smrpix stated, render the transitions in After Effects. Then you can do the authoring in Encore. You would link each button to it's transition, each transition to a clip, each clip to another transition, and the final transition to the menu. This may take quite a bit of work.

When you say all the menus need to be animated, do you mean animated thumbnails and/or backgrounds or transitions between menus or both?

Brainiac

[MCREDD]

Big THANK YOU to smrpix and Brainiac. Thanks Guys I do have adobe Encore as well. Will definately start going through it. You have definately answered most of my questions, just one remains.

Just to be clear about the menu animation:- On Nero you can create 3D Menu's, which play a intro clip with 3d animation, and then an animated clip in which the buttons/preview windows don't move(the still), and then an animation to get into the clip. Using 3DStudio Max, Adesk Inventor and AutoCAD I was able to replicate the animation and using nero I was able to create the dvd. However once you join the individual DVD's into 1 using DRMP you do not get animated menu's just a still. I want to insert my animation in place of the still.

By menu animation I mean the above.

However after reading your replies I think I must also look at the adobe products and maybe figure out a different angle(dont use DRMP, but rather use Adobe Products).

[smrpix]

Just a guess, by combining several DVDs into one rather than creating a single complex DVD from the get-go, you probably hit a limitation of DRMP. This is not particularly unreasonable or unexpected.

Sounds like your skills are ahead of your current tools. Best of luck.

[MCREDD]

Thanks(I Think), How would I have created a complex DVD and what does that actually mean.... Could you post a link or similar to such a process, as this sounds interesting.

Thanks for all the help.

MCREDD

[smrpix]

I meant if you created the entire structure from the start as a single DVD with submenus rather than trying to bundle three dvds together. I'm guessing the bundling is happening in DRMP so you're not able to leverage the animated menu creation of Nero.

Complex is a descriptive term, not a technical one.

[MCREDD]

Sorry excuse my ignorance as I said I'm a newbie, and thanks for your patience. I did'nt think that I could create submenus with unique animations. Am I wrong? Can you have a submenu with a unique animation and would adobe be able to do this? can you post a link.

Thanks

MCREDD

[poisondeathray]

The intro clip you're referring to is what is commonly called a "first play" . It's a video that is played as soon as you insert a disc

Each menu can have an animation . An "animated menu" is really just a MPEG2 video, with a loop point set. The animation is part of the video (e.g buttons flying on, whatever happening in the background, anything etc...) . The loop point is where the video goes back to after playing once through . That's all part of the "animated menu"

Videos linking between menus or timeline are commonly called called "menu transitions" .

There are many tutorials . Check adobe.tv for a series on Encore . Also Lynda.com for beginner to intermediate tutorials

[MCREDD]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU x 1000. Knowing that this is a possibility is phenomenal. My sincere thanks and appreciation to you smrpix, poisendeathray, and Brainiac. If you guys think of anything else that could help I would appreciate it.

[smrpix]

I did'nt think that I could create submenus with unique animations. Am I wrong?

I don't use Nero so I can't give you a definitive answer. It can certainly be done manually in Encore.

DVD sample structure:



Defining a transitional animation is as simple as drawing a line to it from the menu button properties. But you have to create the transitional clip yourself in After Effects (or others) as noted earlier.

[poisondeathray]

I find it helps to plan it out on paper (yes, there is still such a thing LOL) , so you have the order, how menus , timelines and end actions link up. I find planning ahead of time will save lots of headache later

Personally, I would redo this project from scratch in encore - but you should be able to save some of the assets like animations for use in encore

But there might be a way to do this easily (just replace the static menus with animated motion menus) with various reauthoring software. There are some huge comprehensive guides on this site, but it's beyond my level of knowledge

Here is one from manono , he is around often, so you can get help if you're stuck
https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/254043-Guide-for-extracting-menus-for-editing-and-r...00#post1514500

[smrpix]

I find it helps to plan it out on paper

+1!

[MCREDD]

WOW! And to think I've been sitting on Encore all this time thinking it was to complex for me. Time to redesign.

You guys have been absolutely amazing.

As we say in RSA:- Shot alot guys(Thanks)

[Brainiac]

"I find it helps to plan it out on paper" (as stated by poisondeathray)

+2! It definitely saves headaches and confusion!!!

Encore is more powerful than some people realize. Is it perfect? No, but what software is.

Also, redoing from scratch, as poisondeathray said, is what I would do. You get to learn as you go, so similar projects down the line come quite a bit easier.

Holler if you need us.

Brainiac

[hizzy7]

I liked encore, but its' not being supported anymore. Also, it makes HIDEOUS subs. Every time I look an a dvd made in encore, I'm like "This program costs how many thousands?!?" oof.