Creating motion menus in Premiere?

[mtgoat]

Does anyone know of any tutorials or have suggestions concerning creating motion menus in Premiere? Specifically, I want to have several small "windows" in motion over a static background. I have read this tutorial:

http://www.crazypants.com/vegastutorials/vvmenuone.htm

which explains how to do it with Vegas 4.0. However, I already have Premiere 6.5 and have spent considerable time and $$ on it and other Adobe products. I can't claim to have mastered Premiere, but I feel ready for a challenge. I am also considering Adobe After Effects, but I'm not sure what it's capabilities are in this regard.

[racer-x]

mtgoat, I've made a few motion menus. If it was me, this is what I would do.

* Create the bakground image in photoshop. Cut out the windows and leave a transparent layer underneath. Save file as .psd. Use 720x540 for NTSC.

* Create the video clips you want to use. Make them the same duration. Resize the avi clips to fit in the winows. Set each clip on its own video track in Premiere. Put the background image on the next video track above the clips.

* Use the transform filter in Premiere to resize and locate the video clips into the windows you want.

* You can also add text to the menu with the title maker.

* Render it out to dvd-spec Mpeg-2.

Now you'll have a video clip that will be your motion menu. Bring it into the dvd authoring app of your choice and add links the the videos, add music or sound track.


For help with Adobe Premiere go here
http://www.wrigleyvideo.com/videotutorial/tutorials.htm

[mtgoat]

Thanks racer_x, that's exactly what I needed.

[mkelley]

In addition to racer's excellent advice, let me also recommend After Effects -- there is *nothing* with this program you can't do visually, and it's a joy to work with.

If you currently have Premiere 6.5 and are thinking of upgrading to Premiere Pro, there is a steal of a deal on the Adobe Video Collection, which includes Premiere Pro, After Effects 6.0 (standard version), Adobe Encore and some audio editing program, all for $800.

[dcsos]

When I make the loops, I find the important thing is to make an internal dissolve in the loop back to the first frame of your loop on the TIMELINE in after effects, then , tuning the menu presence to loop at this length..
DONE THIS WAY, the LOOP VISUALLY IS SEAMLESS..


But these skills are completely unnecessary, as DVD ARCHITECT and
With adobe's new DVD authoring application, you no longer need to make your LOOPS if the footage is already in the DVD you are making

You just highlight the section of the MPEG-2 stream already imported as the main movie and create as many virtual loops as you can stand to put on one MENU. Voila LOOPS...

RACER, You and I will no longer be making 320x240 cept for internet

[mtgoat]

Thanks for all the great advice. One question, though. Why 720x540 for the background stills? I probably would have gone for 720x480 like my captured clips.

I'll likely go for AfterFX soon, although it would be hard to tear me away from DVDMaestro for authoring.

[dcsos]

You are told that in making menus, to avoid aliasing problems when you resize your artwork that if you have started with the recommended "OVERDO"
sizing he cited...then upon resize all is perfect!

However , when making motion menus the resizing routine now is down to even smaller screen size (not to 720x480, but to smaller sizes)
typically 352x240 (forgive me PALLies from EUROPE) so I think you can prepare your motion clips at their native size..(correct me if i'm wrong, folks)

THE OVERDO SIZING ROUTINE is really a workaround for GRAPHICS (type) not images, ANYWAY....

[racer-x]

mtgoat wrote:

Why 720x540 for the background stills? I probably would have gone for 720x480 like my captured clips.

Download this pdf, it will explain better than I can
http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/pdfs/ps_to_pre.pdf