TMPGEnc DVDAuthor background pix - WAY too big?

[nathanaa]

I've been making up some DVDs with TDA, and decided to try putting my own background images in. I have a picture that I want to use, but when I burn the DVD to a DVD-RW for testing (boy and I glad I did this), the menu screen on the TV is HUGE - in fact, far too big to see the menu buttons. Navigating the menu screen is almost impossible (I would know how to get around, but only because I made it).

I have tried using PhotoShop to reduce the size of the JPEG picture, to as small as 25% of the original pic, and re-compiling my DVD file with the smaller pic, but when I burn my test disc, the menu graphic does not change size (still far too large).

Am I doing something wrong? Do I just need to find a smaller picture to use?

Any advice or thoughts appreciated, thanks.

[jimmalenko]

TDA has TV-safe dotted lines in the Menu area - I think you need to turn them on though. THere's an option which reads something like "Show TV-safe area" or similar, that will put dotted lines over your graphic to show where you need to place everything.

[nathanaa]

I looked around and could not find such an option. Although, when I got the program (last autumn?) I do seem to recall accidentally turning something like that on, and then turning it off again.

Any further tips on where I can find that option? Thanks!

[jimmalenko]

You can only turn it on or off on custom menus. Once in your custom menu, click on the "Edit Theme" button. Then click on the "Options" button and you should get the following:



The TV safe area is the red dotted line in my picture.

[nathanaa]

Ah, ok, got it. I'll take a look at that.

I'm still wondering though - how do I make the background pic that I want fit the TV-Safe area? Do I just have to choose a pic that fits, or is there a click-and-drag way, or something else?

When I can get back to my video editing computer later today or tonight, I can just try different things, but thought I'd ask in case you or anyone else knows off the top of their head. Thanks again jimmalenko.

[BobK]

I'm still wondering though - how do I make the background pic that I want fit the TV-Safe area? Do I just have to choose a pic that fits, or is there a click-and-drag way, or something else?

I tried using different sized pictures, but that didn't work. TDA stretches them to fill the screen. There may be another way, but the only way I found to fit the background pic to the TV-safe area was to add a border around the picture using whatever graphics program you like that can do that.