Here is how you can use Ulead's GoDVD plugin as a menu-generator. You have to have the following tools:

- Ulead MediaStudio Pro 6.0 or VideoStudio (www.ulead.com)
- Ulead GoDVD plugin (www.ulead.com)
- IsoBuster (www.isobuster.com)

Also, you will need to prepare:

- A still image file for each menu item

Now, the steps are:

01) Run MediaStudio/VideoStudio and insert each still image as a 1 second clip, laid out end-to-end on the same video track

02) Insert a silence clip on the audio track that equals the total duration of all clips

03) Save the project and output as a (S)VCD

04) Start the GoDVD plugin and load the mpeg file you created in step 03

05) Select a background for your menu

06) Use the "next i-frame" and "add" buttons to navigate to and add each of your scenes

07) Enter text for each scene

0 Save the GoDVD project to an .ixa file only--no need to write to to a CD

09) Rename the resulting .ixa file to something meaningful, and make it have an .iso ending while you are at it

10) Load this .iso file as a "BlindRead ISO (.iso)" file in IsoBuster

11) Click on the SEGMENT directory, select all of the items, and export them

12) If you are creating menus for VCD, you will need to change the items' .dat ending to .mpg

The resulting mpg files are true mpeg stills ready for use in VCDImager.

I realize that this method relies on software that is not free, but perhaps the information will be useful to you if you already have Media/Video Studio and the plugin (I know a few of you do).

- digvid