DVD Authoring Menus

[EmpireStrikesBack198]

Hi,
I am looking for a software program that makes menus. I would like to make professional looking menus, possibly motion, and I would like it to not limit me in anyway. Is there a software program like this out there? I don't mean software like DVD-Lab or Adobe Encore (I can't use since I have Windows 2000). Thank you very much for any help you can supply.

Blake

[guns1inger]

There is no one piece of software that will do all of this for you. You will need at least the following

Graphics and still menus - Photoshop/Paint Shop Pro/Gimp
Motion Menus - After Effects/Wax2
Video Editing and Prep - Vegas/Premiere/Pinnacle
Encoding - CCE/Tmpgenc/Procoder
Audio - SoundForge/Audacity
Authoring - DVD Lab Pro/Encore/DVD Workshop 2

If you want to take the easier way out, look at template based authoring packages. Some of the templates are cheesy, some are OK. The problem is if you don't like the templates then you have very little ability to change them or make your own.

If you want to make professional looking menus without limits then you need to get the best software for each function, prepare all you assets before authoring, and spend a lot of time getting to know the functions of each so you can get the best out of them.

My primary tools are

Photoshop 7.1
After Effects 6.5
Vegas 5.0b
Sound Forge 8
CCE
DVD Lab Pro

Added to that are a smattering of freeware tools - avisynth, virtualdubmod etc.

But there is no single piece of software out there that has a 'Make Professional Menu' button.

[EmpireStrikesBack198]

I have about half of those programs. I imagine there are some trial versions and manuals for the ones I don't have (After Effects, Vegas. CCE) so I won't "waste" my money on something I don't particularly like.

I also posted this same exact message on a different forum and a person told me that my OS is the only thing that is limiting me and basically offended me for not knowing that. Would it be better to upgrade to Windows XP and get Adobe Encore or stay with Windows 2000 and try the various programs you recommended?


Thanks for your help and accepting my ignorance.

Blake

[northcat_8]

Windows 2000? Get in the 21st Century...if you have the cash to buy the programs...you're talking $900 for each adobe program listed below.

Encore is Adobe's Authoring App.

My motion menus are created with:

Bryce 3D (from Corel, no longer available)
Adobe Photoshop CS
Adobe Premiere 6.5
Adobe After Effects 5.5
Ulead Cool Edit

and to use these to full effect, DVD-Lab Pro.

[guns1inger]

I would not upgrade to get Encore. There are other apps that can do just as well, and are more stable. Encore seems to be buggy, with each patch just swapping old bugs for new.

It really depends how serious you are about this as to how much money to want or need to spend. Your original post seems to be asking for the sort of kit the pros would use. In that case, top of the list would be scenarist, at around US$20k, then many of the other apps listed here. If you are setting yourself up as a small production house, much of this is pretty much on the money.

If, on the other hand, you are looking to make pretty good quality home DVDs, you can set you sights, and budget, substantially lower.

Give us an idea of

What you intend to do this for - sale or yourself ?
What is your budget ?
What are your sources (DV, capture card, Divx) ?
What is your experience ?

And we can tailor something more reasonable for you.

[borax]

You may try GUI for dvdauthor. It runs without a problem in W2000, can create motion menus and if you are used to it, more or less everything is possible if you edit the configuration file (XML) by hand (only necessary for very special effects like fade in/fade out transitions or switched menus).

And it is freeware...

[burnman99]

You may try GUI for dvdauthor. It runs without a problem in W2000, can create motion menus and if you are used to it, more or less everything is possible if you edit the configuration file (XML) by hand (only necessary for very special effects like fade in/fade out transitions or switched menus).

And it is freeware...

I'm with borax there...you can create very good motion menus with this or with DVDAuthorGUI if you know AVISynth (which is a great open source video program BTW). Also, Zwei-Stein is a good video editor and is free. Two good free paint/image editing programs for static menus are the GIMP and Paint.net. CDBurnerXP Pro or DeepBurner and Burnatonce are good free burners. So basically, you really don't have to spend a lot (or any) to make a good DVD.

Hope this helps!

Rog

[EmpireStrikesBack198]

First, to answer guns1inger's questions.

What you intend to do this for - sale or yourself ?
This is for my self.

What is your budget ?
I'm able to buy anything.

What are your sources (DV, capture card, Divx) ?
DV, capture, and Divx.

What is your experience ?
I've made two DVDs. I used DVD-Lab and Ulead Videostudio.

DVDAuthorGUI
AVISynth
ZweiSteinCDBurnerXP Pro
DeepBurner and
Burnatonce
Photoshop 7.1
After Effects 6.5
Vegas 5.0b
Sound Forge 8
CCE
DVD Lab Pro
avisynth
virtualdubmod
scenarist

I want to make motion menus like the menus in the Star Wars DVDs, The Fifth Element DVD, Dawn of the Dead DVDs, etc.. Menus like those with a first play and some action after you select "Play Movie" or something like that. Is there anything remotely like that? In the meantime, I'll check out all these programs you all suggested.

Thanks for your help!!! I really do appreciate it! Thanks again!

[mike909]

Personally, I use Adobe Premier Pro 1.5, Photoshop CS, and Encore DVD (mine is not buggy, though others say it is). I create motion menu's like you are talking about, with fade-in's, transitions etc. Only thing I havn't figured out is how to make it play something on the way 'out' of the menu's (i.e when you hit play movie). I asked this question not long ago...here's that post...
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=258683&highlight=
anyways, I like adobe products, so that's the path I take. Everyone has preferences though.

[northcat_8]

I want to make motion menus like the menus in the Star Wars DVDs, The Fifth Element DVD, Dawn of the Dead DVDs, etc.. Menus like those with a first play and some action after you select "Play Movie" or something like that. Is there anything remotely like that? In the meantime, I'll check out all these programs you all suggested.

Thanks for your help!!! I really do appreciate it! Thanks again!

The menu is basically up to your imagination and ability levels. If money is not an issue, then the Adobe line is top of the line, if for no other reason, they all work so well together...although I don't care much for Encore and would rather use DVD-Lab.

First play is pretty self explanitory, but I don't have an answer for you on the menu transition question.

[guns1inger]

I believe that Adobe's video software is actually pretty overrated. After Effects is OK, but Photoshop is the only stable application they have ever published. I have never had a truely happy relationship with Premiere because of stability issues, which is why I started using Vegas. The Vegas workflow keeps me there.

I think Adobe has a strong following and a great plugin architecture, which is why there are so many additions for their products, but I just don't believe that the base product is anywhere near as good as it should be.

As for the menu transition, I have responded to your original thread on how it's done on commercial disks. I think you will be disappointed - there is no magic involved.

[Sp1d3rm4n]

don't hijack topics.
one topic is enough.
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1285792&highlight=#1285792
/baldrick

You are in breach of the forum rules and are being issued with a formal warning.
/ Moderator Baldrick

[GeorgeW]

DVD LabPro will allow you to "Attach External VTS" -- meaning you could create a new DLP project (main menu), then attach your already compiled DVD.

[Bstansbury]

Back to your orginal question. With the list of software that you already have, and the fact that you have made 2 DVD's, and you have used VideoStudio, you have everything you need except the experience on how to do it. Depending on what version of VideoStudio you have, it should have come with Cool3d, which will create very good 3d motion introductions to your video segment. Some will challenge if this is "Professional", but my definition of "Prof", would be a $2,000,000 NLE system, and the resources of "Parimount Studios".

Lets face it. You're making home movies that you want to look good and not like home movies. YOu can do this with experience. Videostudio 9 has all the tools you need. The professional part is only limited to your experience and talent. I would be embarassed to have my friends and relatives see the first 2 or 3 DVD movies I made,... but I get all kinds of thanks from people that see the ones I make today.

Also, if your serious about making DVD's, you should have already been onto a high performance processosr, windows XP SP2, with DV firewire connection, and your system should have 1GB of memory and 2 or 4 160GB high speed disk drives on a motherboard that has at least 4 IDE RAID busses so that the disk drives are not on a shared buss.

Best of luck,... and have fun.

[northcat_8]

4 IDE RAID busses so that the disk drives are not on a shared buss

I miss my RAID MoBo so much....

[Bjs]

Well almost all covered here , but i'll have a say as well .

Menu creation :

Gimp for masks creation .
Avisynth for motion menus .
Wax 2 for some other menu related use's
Blender

You seen it all in menus before , they slide , roll , spiral , and more , well it can all be done in blender and its free , and full of oodles of buttons too tinker with ...

How about create your own personal logo that displays on the dvd , now thats pretty impressive .

Dvd authoring :

Pgcedit for dvd creation .
Imagetools to burn with .
Nero 6 (commercial came with sony dl unit)

Supporting utilities :

Batchdemux for mpeg demultiplexing
Vitualdub framserve to bbmpeg (high quality dvd mpeg2)
Bbmpeg (best and free mpeg2 encoder anywhere)
Besweet for all audio needs
Muxman for muxing video / audio / subtitle

Other :

Vobedit
Ifoedit
Dvdauthorgui

....

Vobedit and ifoedit to help create my dvd menus from the m2v still menus generated using dvdauthorgui ...

In a few weeks , I have created some really cool menus .

Now working on that rolling menu , ie , you pick button and menu turns and moves away to another view point , just like those pc game menus , its great stuff , timing is the tricky bit , but once you have that done , there's no stopping you ...

And my way is the freeway .

With this collection , there is nothing that cant be accomplished when it comes to dvd menu creation .

As for a pc to do this all on :

The minimum specs I can create professional looking dvds on is :

P3 800
128mbs ram
20gig hard drive (7200)
Asus v6600 agp vivo
Windows 98
Virtualdub
Xvid codec for compression
Bbmpeg to convert avi to dvd mpeg2 compliant format

And the forementioned tools above .

Now while some users may be shocked by the low quality of this system example , this system is still being used by me even though I have biult a completely new system with xp2 using avertv usb2 capture device .

I mean seriously , some posters need a serious look at themselves and think , dose this person have my checking account , just look at one of the posts above mine , and you'll see one mention 1 gig of ram and 2 or more 160 gig drives , come on people , be seriuos , this is utter nonsence .

The only real time you need a cpu capable of surpasing 2 gigahertz is when using usb2 capture devices for seriously high quality capturing .

And is the only time .

Anything beyond this isnt any good , and is just not cost effective .

I personally assesed an 64bit 3200 amd system against my 2400xp athlon , and the 64bit only just kept ahead .

My brothers (I biult) , a 2800 xp athlon blew the 64bit out of the water in all video related tests .

Pentium 4 2800 , didnt even come close to my 2400xp video tests , and was considerably slower . and was a draw between it and an 1800 xp athlon system I biult 2 years ago .

So if any one knows whats what in pc know how , I am the person you should ask .

Ps : my pgcedit guide is almost ready , it soon to appear here online ..