DVD authoring for professionnal DVD

[bambam]

Hi

I was wondering what software on the PC professionnal who are making DVDs for big compagnie are using.
Are they available and usable for the common human ?
I seen the star wars DVD and they look so good, I was wondering if I could be able to do something like this using the right software.

I think nero or ulead are making good authoring software but somehow a little limited ...

thanx for your suggestion for professionnal dvd autoring software

[guns1inger]

Scenarist from Sonic - US$10000 +, plus training.
DVD Studio Pro - 1 decent Apple Mac computer, plus licensing

Nero make rubbish authoring software.

Ulead make pretty good beginner and intermediate software

That said, the basic ingredients are talent, planning and time. With these and even moderate authoring tools you can make very professional DVDs. The menus for the Indiana Jones box set could very easily be made in free software, for instance.

None of the top packages make the artwork or design, or plan out the approach and the detail of the user experience. All they do is facilitate the authoring. In fact, the more complex the authoring tool, the more planning and preparation you have to do to make sure you have all your elements ready and complete before you begin.

You also have to take into account the resources large companies have at their disposal - staff, money, source materials for developing with.

But if you have the talent and the time, and some good still editing software, video editing software, ideas and planning, you can create menus that are as good or better than many commercial ones using free and/or cheap off the shelf software.

Personally, I use DVD Lab Pro. It is an acquired taste, as it does not lead you through the process. However it is the most flexible authoring tool, and allows for professional level features with minimal effort, as well as VM programming if you need to get that complex.

[thecoalman]

ulead are making good authoring software but somehow a little limited ...

Ulead DVD workshop is pretty much only limited by your talent. There isn't much you can't do with it. I has templates like the other ulead products and other consumer apps like Nero but it doesn't chain you to them. You can skip the templates all together and start with a blank slate.

[Inv8r_ZIM]

Another vote for DVDLab Pro. It's affordable and extremely versatile, even if you do run into the occasional bug. I actually, as an excercise in learning the software, recreated one of the SW discs menu systems with it, but with a couple of extra neat tricks not employed on the official discs (like staggered motion thumbnails, a simple game, and some other things). Very very handy piece of software.

[lordsmurf]

ulead are making good authoring software but somehow a little limited ...

Ulead DVD workshop is pretty much only limited by your talent. There isn't much you can't do with it. I has templates like the other ulead products and other consumer apps like Nero but it doesn't chain you to them. You can skip the templates all together and start with a blank slate.

I echo this. My primary authoring tool is Ulead DVD Workshop, though I still use Apple DVD Studio Pro from time to time (not often).

Of course, that's only the physical authoring. All the menu elements are made in Photoshop or Premiere, and it takes a bit of graphics/video talent to get a good menu. The authoring software merely lets you assemble your masterpiece, it DOES NOT create it.

[bambam]

Ok thanx a lot for your recommendation

I use a software by ulead but it is called dvd movie factory
And with this software I cannot make a cliakcble item with the shape that I want
Fore example I made an image using photoshop and I would like to use different object with different shapes as a link to a chapter in the video or to another menu section...
Also making video transition between my menu and sub menus...
I cannot even make text link
I would also like to put easter eggs in my DVD.. and I never find the way of doing it
maybe Ulead DVD workshop have more advanced feature.

I will take a look at your softwares
Thankx a lot for your comments I appreciate

[thecoalman]

And with this software I cannot make a cliakcble item with the shape that I want

Not only can you resize items you can import just about any image in any format. If you're proficient with an image editing application you can create custom buttons, text or anything else you want and import them into Workshop....

[solarfox]

I use a software by ulead but it is called dvd movie factory
And with this software I cannot make a cliakcble item with the shape that I want.

I would also like to put easter eggs in my DVD.. and I never find the way of doing it
maybe Ulead DVD workshop have more advanced feature.

ULead DVD Workshop does indeed have much more advanced capabilities than ULead DVD MovieFactory. It's like comparing the Microsoft Works suite to Microsoft Office -- DVD MovieFactory has enough basic features to get you started, and is probably sufficient for someone who just wants to quickly slap together a collection of their home movies or vacation videos without too much of a learning curve; but if you need to put together a complex project with professional-looking multi-level menus, moving transitions, and so forth, you need DVD Workshop or something like it.

(Personally, I use DVDLab.)

[GeorgeW]

ULead DVD Workshop does indeed have much more advanced capabilities than ULead DVD MovieFactory. It's like comparing the Microsoft Works suite to Microsoft Office -- DVD MovieFactory has enough basic features to get you started, and is probably sufficient for someone who just wants to quickly slap together a collection of their home movies or vacation videos without too much of a learning curve; but if you need to put together a complex project with professional-looking multi-level menus, moving transitions, and so forth, you need DVD Workshop or something like it.

(Personally, I use DVDLab.)

The interesting thing is that the latest versions of DVD MovieFactory have features not found in DVD Workshop 2.x (because DWS is long overdue an update, but I don't see one coming anytime soon)

Agreed with solarfox that if you are after menu-navigation control, multiple audio tracks and subtitles, then the only software Ulead offers with those features is DVD Workshop.

Regards,
George

[thecoalman]

The interesting thing is that the latest versions of DVD MovieFactory have features not found in DVD Workshop 2.x (because DWS is long overdue an update, but I don't see one coming anytime soon)

When you really get down to it version 1-> Version 2 wasn't really much of an update either especially if you had the AC3 Powerpack. I know they added a lot of things to make things easier but all the core features are present in both.

[GeorgeW]

The interesting thing is that the latest versions of DVD MovieFactory have features not found in DVD Workshop 2.x (because DWS is long overdue an update, but I don't see one coming anytime soon)

When you really get down to it version 1-> Version 2 wasn't really much of an update either especially if you had the AC3 Powerpack. I know they added a lot of things to make things easier but all the core features are present in both.

imho, I think version 2.x was actually a big jump over 1.x because it added things like:
-multiple audio tracks
-subtitles
-playlists
-menu features such as Invisible Buttons and Auto-Activate
-Mastering options (CSS, Macrovision, DLT Output -- although who really uses the protection features...)
-and not to mention the AC3 you already brought up (why pay for the AC3 Powerpack when it came with version 2)

Regards,
George

[bambam]

Between Ulead DVD workshop and DVDLab Pro
which one you would say is the easier to use/learn ?

[thecoalman]

IMO DVD workshop. Basic stuff is drag and drop.. I've only briefly used DVD Lab Pro so I can't give you an opinion based purely on experience but most of the user opinions I've read slant towards it having a very steep learning curve. That's not say it's a bad program, it's just to say DVD Workshop is very user friendly but still a powerful tool. Easiest way to find out is download the trial for both and give them a try.

[ozymango]

Of course, that's only the physical authoring. All the menu elements are made in Photoshop or Premiere, and it takes a bit of graphics/video talent to get a good menu. The authoring software merely lets you assemble your masterpiece, it DOES NOT create it.

This should be repeated very loudly -- Both DVD Lab Pro and Ulead DVDWS (and a lot of other cool programs) have the technical ability to create functional menus -- but they can not make up for decent creativity and artistic skill on the part of the end-user.

That is, sure you can create a "canned" menu out of any program, and it will look ok and work ok, and anybody familiar with that program who watches your DVD will immediately go, "Hey, this was created with the templates/buttons/icons in [insert program name here]." Which may or may not be fine for you. But don't get hung up on the authoring app at the expense of making a good menu that reads clearly, that is simple for your viewer to figure out, all that good stuff.

Related: I've seen some very cool menus on commercial (and non-commercial) DVDs that do all sorts of things -- spin around, morph, 3d effects, zoom, pan, tilt, whirl, whatever -- yet I liken most menus to the splash screen on a website: Once you've seen it, you'll wanna skip right over it the next time. And I hate menus that have a lot of "clip" features where you have to wait for stuff to load before you can go on to the next screen. Yes, they look cool -- once.

Of course, this kinda assumes movie or video playback DVD authoring, not more interactive stuff where the menu is part of the fun. But 99% of what I do is just transfer home video to DVD and a simple, readable, nicely thought-out menu is what seems to do the trick 99% of the time, and it's much more about the artistic "look" of the screen, than anything else.

[videopoo]

Those are some good words...

DVD is 10% authoring; 90% menu design and good functionality - and this only comes with experience and talent.

[guns1inger]

DVD Workshop is easier to learn in the short term, and makes using multiple audio or subtitles somewhat easier than DLP for beginners. It also encodes video and audio better than DLP, you need these functions.

On the otherhand, I prefer DLP's approach, which is "here are the tools, do as you see fit". It better suits my workflow, and has much more advanced features, such as menu cells, delayed cell menus, access to the VM registers for getting into the nitty gritty of the menu structure, playlists (title and chapter) and many other features.

Bottom line : you have to work out what you really need, and what suits your workflow and though processes. Both of these still require that you have planned your project in advance, and have a good idea of what you want to achieve. Both ship with templates, although personally I think they all look pretty canned and cliche.

if you don't need the advanced features of DLP, the DVD Workshop is probably the better bet. It is the warmer and fuzzier of the two. DLP is more advanced in the features it offers, but much more utilitarian in it's approach.

[GeorgeW]

Between Ulead DVD workshop and DVDLab Pro
which one you would say is the easier to use/learn ?

Between those two, I'd say DVD Workshop has a more user-friendly interface. Functionality wise, DVDLab PRO offers more SD DVD Advanced features, but at the cost of a steeper learning curve (and it expects you to know how to prepare your assets). But what I feel is difficult, others might find easy (and vise versa). So as it was mentioned, the best bet would be to download the TRIAL versions to see which fits your workflow...

Regards,
George