DVD Menus...

[skip2mylou]

hello everyone, i am making a DVD of my favorite CSI espisodes. now i have an original CSI DVD and i really like its menu. so i was wondering, can i copy a menu for another DVD and use it to create my own, you know and edit it a little bit. please post generously thanks.

[reboot]

Head over to the forums at http://forum.digital-digest.com/
Look for "Menu Shrink". It's a bit like DVD Shrink.
I think it will take existing menu's off a DVD, and let you use them elsewhere.

[Baldrick]

menushrink

[skip2mylou]

COOL.... thanks, this will help greatly im sure

[canadateck]

You can just pull the "Menu Video" off the DVD with DVD shrink or DVD Decrypter.

[skip2mylou]

why do i get this error?

[canadateck]

Just use DVD shrink ,you can even see what you are Pulling "Ripping" off the DVD.

[skip2mylou]

so just select the menu folder and back it up?

[skip2mylou]

ok, i need to still edit this menu, and DVDShrink and this MenuShrink are harrassing me. first off, MenuShrink is throwing a tantrum of how it cant find its folder, and after i rip the menu from DVDShrink, i dont know how to edit the menus in TMPGEnc DVD Author. please excuse me if i sound...well u know, but please help me...
thanks.

[canadateck]

The Menu is just a Video.You use that Video as your DVD menu "Back ground" ,if there is Text/Links that dont suit you then use some kind of image overlay,this would mask the Text you "Dont" want,Then Type in the text you do want.

[skip2mylou]

could anybody please explain to me why i was gettin the above error?

[canadateck]

could anybody please explain to me why i was gettin the above error?

I'm not sure how menu shrink work.Just open the DVD with DVD shrink , then use Reauthor mode.click through all the files until you find the Menu Video and your set. What do you mean edit the Menu? This is a video Menu your really cant edit and keep all the Chapter, Movie,title info to use when you Author your DVD,all you want right now is the Menu Video,then use that as your background in your DVD Autoring software and use hidden button on the Text that is already there or use a image to mask the Text that is on the "Menu Video".

[skip2mylou]

ok now i understand perfectly what you are saying and as a matter of fact, is what i meant by editing.

[skip2mylou]

um do u know a DVD authoring software with a very good MENU editor, because im not that satisfied with TMPGEnc DVD Author.

[canadateck]

Ulead DVD Workshop might have the features you are looking for,they have a free trial.

[jakol]

urmmm...you said Very Good menu editor...try DVDLab Pro.

edit: not just menu editing but a very nice DVD authoring program.
To make a very "nice" menu you need a good graphics and video editing software too.

[skip2mylou]

cool thanks, i havent installed anything, but do you know if DVDLab Pro does what i need, you know can i import a video as the menu background? and move buttons around?

[guns1inger]

You will probably find that most motion menus have the text embedded in the menu, with the activations as subpictures. This makes it very difficult to move or change the buttons as they are video, not graphics.

[reboot]

DLP will do what you want, and a ton of other stuff too. Make buttons in any graphics app, import to DLP. Set invisible links, easter eggs, motion menus, switchable menus, motion backgrounds, mixed mode disks ((S)VCD and DVD on one disk, and lots more.

[skip2mylou]

thanks, it looks like DVDLab Pro is to go, um does DVDLab Standard do the same as well?

[skip2mylou]

@ reboot

i see that u have DVDLab guides, do you perhaps have one on menus, o wait ill just check...hehe

[reboot]

DLP will do more, but basic DL will do what you need as well.
They're both 30 day free demo's, so get the Pro version and play for a month
Yes, I have guides on all sorts of menus and effects (D-FX)

[skip2mylou]

can u please give me a link to any of your guides pertaining to creating a menu such as this:
a DVD intro clip to the Root Menu (bieng a still pic w/ continuous audio), then Root Menu to Chapter Menu (bieng a still pic w/ continuous audio), and the chapter menu has a "next" button, im sure u know wat i mean. because i didnt find such a guide in your section (i probably have bad eyes, please keep in mind that i am a total newbie to DLP). thanks.

o BTW your beginners guide to DLP was very pleasant thanks

[daamon]

@ skip2mylou - Check out menuedit, it might be useful.

[skip2mylou]

hey thanks man, ima check it out...

o BTW (@ reboot), ur guides are pretty good, i am using them to get the hang of DLP, keep it up man

[reboot]

Look at the "Totally ridiculous motion switched menus with D-FX" guide that I wrote.
Just click the link in my sig, and it's in that list.
It has (basically) 3 sections. Motion menus, switched menus, and D-FX menus, and how to combine them all.
For what you want to do:
Make Firstplay link to movie 1 manually, by selecting the +
Click on Firstplay, drag, and drop on movie 1.
Put your intro clip into movie 1.
Link the end of movie 1 to ROOT VTS, again by using the + drag and drop.
Go from there, and see if you can figure it out.

[skip2mylou]

thanks ill try that, appreciate it.

[jeanl]

why do i get this error?

skip2mylou, jeanl writing here (author of MenuShrink). The error you see happens when you MenuShrink can't create the backup folder in your DVD folder. It could be because you're trying to open a read-only folder (for example, the original DVD in the DVD drive). Make sure you rip your DVD to a folder on your hard drive before attempting to use MenuShrink.
It could also be because you do not have the right permissions on your machine. I'm not too sure but this can happen when you're not admin on your machine, and the permissions are setup in a strange way. You could check by trying to create a backup folder in your DVD folder.

In any case, let me know if you need more help...
Jeanl

[skip2mylou]

@ jeanl

pleasure to meet you, thanks for the tool and alos for explaining the error, i appreciate it. the problem was that i didn't rip the DVD to my HD...:P BTW, do i have to rip the WHOLE DVD or can i just rip the Menu part?

[jeanl]

OK so that explains it...

Just the menu part will do (ie. all the IFOs, BUPS, video_ts.vob and vts_xx_0.vob).
But then, if you want to reconstruct a working DVD, of course you'll need the rest of the files, so I would rip the whole thing if I were you!
Jeanl