DVD Menu Maker

[ozab]

Hello -

I am currenlty using Pinnacle Studio to edit videos and make DVD with MENU.

I would like to make some more NICER looking DVD menu's like the PRO's

Any suggestions or links?

Thanks!

[guns1inger]

If you seriously want to make menus that look like professional movies, the you need to learn photoshop, a good video editor, a good authoring tool that allows for programming at the VM level, and also need to learn how to plan out the menu on paper first.

So before you launch into buying yourself a Mac with a whole new suite of expensive software, or spend $$$$$'s on Scenarist, think about just how much time you are prepared to put ito making these menus, and just how complex they need to be.

Realistically, you can create good looking menus with a free and cheap software, however the bottom line doesn't change. The software does not create a good looking menu - the user does. Great menu design is 90% inspiration and creativity, and 10% hard work. All the software does is help you put it all together. If you want something slick, cliched and same 'ol, get iDVD or Ulead Movie Studio and use the templates. At first glance they look slick and clever, and all your friends will be amazed. Unfortunately, after the third or forth they all look alike.

You can make great looking menus with Paint.net or Gimp for still work, Pinnacle (if that is what you have) or any other editor, for motion work, and GUIForDVDAuthor to bring it all together. Total cost is $0.

The real cost is how much time you are prepared to spend learning how to get the most out of the tools, and coming up with the designs and ideas in the first place.