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  1. I've finally gotten brave (or should I say stupid) enough to try learning Scenarist. I've been reading the help files etc. that come with it - but they are rather overwhelming at times.

    I've heard that "it's a bitch to learn" - but I was curious - is there an "idiots guide to scenarist" that provides a quick, no frills step by step guide to using the program.

    I know this is probably a dumb question and wishful thinking on my part - but I'm the type of person who learns best when I have a few simple steps to the final product - then expand to learn the 'subtleties' later.

    Any suggestions?

    Gadfly
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  2. Answering my own question - I did manage to find one guide here

    http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/mpg/scenarist.htm

    in case anyone else might be searching.

    Gadfly
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  3. Member SaSi's Avatar
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    Some time ago, when I did have more time, I started writing a Scenarist tutorial. I completed Lesson 1, which is how to make a simple single movie no menu DVD. I left Lesson 2 unfinished.

    I can e-mail you Lesson-1. It's 160kb .zip file of a Word document.

    Since Christmas is round the corner, I may get more time and finish a couple of more lessons, if you want to be a student and comment on the tutorials.

    I am thinking of lesson 2 being multiple titlessets with a simple menu and simple navigation, lesson 3 to be adding multiple audio tracks and subpictures and lesson 4 about using multiple menus and navigation.

    How about it?
    The more I learn, the more I come to realize how little it is I know.
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  4. Thanks for the offer - it sounds great!!!

    check your pm

    I have a few questions re:Scenarist Language folders.

    If I wish to create a title menu - my understanding (from the manual) is that the background/subpicture etc. should be dropped in the Video Manager folder - more specifically - in the Language folder. The same applies when creating a root menu.

    At present I'm not creating in any other Language except English - so I don't have Language folders - and I've left the Audio assets as 'not specified' in the track editor.

    Do I have to create a Language folder even though I only have one Language to choose from? Does the DVD have a default play re:language options?

    If I don't create Language folders - will the menus I've created work by just dragging and dropping the assets into the VMG and VTS folders?

    I'm sort of confused on this point.

    Any info and/or suggestions greatly appreciated

    Thanks

    Gadfly
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  5. Member adam's Avatar
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    There is no requirement that a DVD use language units. Its basically just an organizational method when you have different languages. You can just drag your main menu onto PGC1 of Title 1 and start from there, I do it all the time. Its not a matter of the player defaulting to English, even when you have multiple languages all you are really doing is saying that when this variable occurs use the menu labeled Spanish instead of English...its not like its really recognizing it as a language. If you don't use language units the player just says, ok this VTS is the first play item, I'll play it and follow the instructions given as I go.

    There may be certain limitations with this method but for most projects it won't matter and its certainly just as compliant as any other DVD that uses language units.
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  6. Member SaSi's Avatar
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    Adam is correct in his comment and for a simple DVD structure you don't need to worry about language folders or a root menu.

    There is - basically - a single case where you do need that.

    If you want to create a multiple VTS DVD (more than one title) then you need a Video Manager menu to navigate between the two or more VTS (titlesets). This is because you can't "jump" from a titleset menu to anything other than VIDEO Manager. Took me a while to figure out the mechanics of this.

    You may wonder why you need to create multiple titlesets. Basic reason is that you can't mix different aspect ratios or different frame sizes in a single titleset. So if you want to create a DVD with half D1 and full frame movies, you need two titlesets. Same applies if you want a 16:9 and a 4:3 to be present.

    In such cases, you need to create a menu in the Video manager and two menus (these are actually optional) in the 2 VTS. You can however navigate directly from the Video Manager's menu to the different programs in the VTS.

    The DVD structure "dictates" that each menu in the VMG must relate itself to a separate language. This helps the DVD Player select the appropriate VMG menu for autoplay depending on the language preferences the DVD player may support.

    If you don't care about languages, just create a language folder, name it English and add a PGC in there.

    To create a first play movie that autoplays, just add it in the First Play PGC and from there link to the VMG menu or a VTS menu. The first play video will only play when the DVD is loaded.

    There is an excellent tutorial on the issue at www.mediachance.com where they discuss the multi-VTS features of DVD-LAB 1.4 Pro. Take a look.
    The more I learn, the more I come to realize how little it is I know.
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  7. Thanks for the info. Some of the stuff is so new that it'll take me a while to process - but I'm printing things out for reference - which will help.



    Today I spent fighting with the menus & chaptering. I did create a Title and a root menu just to try the process.

    I am having trouble with the links.

    My Title Menu has only 3 buttons: Play Movie, Scene Selection, Resume Play.

    My root menu has a button for each chapter point I've made plus a "play movie" and "resume play button".
    Unfortunately I don't know how to create the links to make these things works. The manual is pretty confusing (at least it is a present).

    Any step by step instruction would be appreciated - meanwhile - I'm off to fight another round with Scenarist (at present it's Scenarist 1 - me - no score


    Thanks

    Gadfly
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  8. Member adam's Avatar
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    So when you say you created the buttons I assume that means you created and imported the subpictures and then used the Simulation Window to insert the highlights over your subpictures and link the buttons? Make sure you hit the simulation button (S inside a tv icon) and play the clip and test out the navigation commands. It should function just like if you were playing a DVD on your DVD player.

    If you have done all this, then the easiest way to make your links is via the Scenario Editor page. You should already have your menus and items layed out in their appropriate Titles, PGCs, programs etc...

    Find your menu and if you have created the buttons then at the very bottom there will be a box with a little icon labeled, "Btns." Left click on this box and hold, then move your mouse to any item that you want to link to from that menu. It will draw a line to that item. So, if you have a play movie button, drag a line to the first chapter of your movie, or to that title or whatever depending on how you have it layed out. After you release the button a tiny preview of your menu will pop up. Click on the button that you want to take you to that item. So, after dragging the line to play movie, you would click on the menu button labeled, play movie. Go through and do this for all of your links. If you are ever unsure what has or hasn't been linked, double click on the Btns icon and it will show you the simulation window. From there, you are going to have to familiarize yourself with what the actual commands look like, but you will at least be able to see what buttons have and haven't been linked yet.

    Once you have some links made fire up the simulation window and test them out.
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  9. Thanks for that bit of advice - I totally overlooked the Simulation button!!
    The other problem I had was that I hadn't realized that I had to drag the 'chaptered video' into the title folder in the Scenario Editor - so my chapters weren't showing up.

    I have three more questions - hopefully one of you will answer for me.

    I now have an almost 'authored' movie - I've gotten most things so they work - but I've run into a couple problems

    1. How do you set a 'resume play' button?

    I double clicked the button tab in the Scenario Editor - and brought up the Simulation Window with the Button Command tab. I chose command "Type 3" from the first drop down menu, then "resume" from the second drop down menu. I left everything else to default. Unfortunately this didn't work. I'm not sure what else to do???

    2. I wanted to add music when the title menu is playing. The Title menu is a 'still shot' background rather than video. I have a small ac3 audio file - I've brought it into the data window - I've tried to drag and drop it to every folder I thought might apply - but it isn't taking. Can I add audio to a still shot title menu? If so - how?

    3. Once I've finished authoring - what do I do next in order to create the files to burn? And how do I burn them? Can I use CopyToDVD - picking up the video_ts file - as I've done with other DVD projects?

    4. What is demuxing - or is it remuxing?

    Any info/advice greatly appreciated.

    Thanks

    Gadfly
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  10. Member adam's Avatar
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    1) Resume play is a little trickier, and difficult to explain. Try reading this thread, hopefully you will figure it out.
    http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34134&highlight=scenarist+resume

    2) When you add the item to the track menu you must select either still show or slide show if you want to have audio. After loading the item on the track menu, select it on the column on the left. It will show you a timeline of it. Just drag and drop your audio onto the open grey area or click new/audio stream and add the audio to the new part of the timeline it creates.

    3) After your project is ready go to the layout editor tab. Set an output directory, go down to where it says step 3 and check the box, then hit Start just below that. Once its done compiling go to the output directory you set and look in the 0 folder. There will be a VIDEO_TS directory and inside will be all of your vobs, IFO's and BUP's. From there you have a number of options to burn it but my preferred method is to use ImageTools Classic to create an iso image and then burn that with DVD Decryptor.

    4) There are program streams and elementary streams. An elementary stream would be just your video track, or just your audio track. To make these streams useful you multiplex them into a program stream. In the case of DVDs, this would be a vob file. When you compile your project in Scenarist you are multiplexing. If you need to do any kind of re-authoring or editing of the vob you usually need to break it down to its elementary streams and handle each independantly, so you demultiplex it. It just seperates it into its smaller parts.
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  11. Thank you Adam. Your explanations are excellent - and your prompt reply greatly appreciated. Now I can finish my project - and find out what other mistakes I've made

    Gadfly
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  12. Member SaSi's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by adam
    From there you have a number of options to burn it but my preferred method is to use ImageTools Classic to create an iso image and then burn that with DVD Decryptor.
    Adam,
    Creating an ISO image and then burning seems a little odd. It appears to be two steps instead of one and each one taking almost as much time.
    What is the reason for your preference? - in contrast to just recording the VIDEO_TS directory with a burning program?
    The more I learn, the more I come to realize how little it is I know.
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  13. Member adam's Avatar
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    Because I have yet to find another program which I trust. I haven't trusted Nero in years, and the couple times I did use it for DVDs I got a few playback problems. Supposedly Recordnow max does a good job, but I don't feel like paying for it since the freeware tools I use work just fine. Making the image in Imagetools takes maybe 5 mins if you set ouput to a different hdd than the source. If you read around this seems to be the method of choice for a large amount of people.

    Imagetools and DVD Dec make for an excellent freeware solution to burning DVDs.
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  14. I've had the best luck with CopyToDVD - Nero has failed me, Roxio has failed me, Record Now MX came with my burner - and it too has failed me. CopyToDVD has given me the most reliable results bar one - and that is Gear Pro.

    I have had a problem doing a backup of previously burned DVD's (via the copy>copy function) with ones I've done through CopyToDVD - whether they were copies created by using ShrinkDVD or one's I've authored myself in Maestro. Gear was the only program that consistently burned copies of these which played without problems.

    I tried an image file once - failed miserably - not sure why - but I gave up trying as I already had a method which worked for me. Some day - when I have a few brain cells to spare I may try to figure out what it was I did wrong. Unfortunately - for now - I have more projects than time.

    Gadfly
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  15. Just a word of 'celebration' - My first DVD with Scenarist was a success!! Of course I had to bypass the 'resume button' function - as it requires a bit more deciphering than I was up to. But I did the basics and it works nicely. I am pleased

    Thanks to you guys for the help you gave me.

    Gadfly
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  16. Member SaSi's Avatar
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    Nice to see frustration turn into joy. Isn't it a feeling, or what!?

    Now perhaps you are able to write a guide with what you did!
    The more I learn, the more I come to realize how little it is I know.
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  17. Your right SaSi - it feels good when you've finally mastered something to the point of getting a finished product - but what I did was a 'no frills' project. I've got a long way to go before I can claim to understand Scenarist. Given this I don't think I'm up to doing a tutorial of my own. I think that's more in your league than mine.

    Catch ya later

    Gadfly
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  18. Originally Posted by SaSi View Post
    Adam is correct in his comment and for a simple DVD structure you don't need to worry about language folders or a root menu.

    There is - basically - a single case where you do need that.

    If you want to create a multiple VTS DVD (more than one title) then you need a Video Manager menu to navigate between the two or more VTS (titlesets). This is because you can't "jump" from a titleset menu to anything other than VIDEO Manager. Took me a while to figure out the mechanics of this.

    You may wonder why you need to create multiple titlesets. Basic reason is that you can't mix different aspect ratios or different frame sizes in a single titleset. So if you want to create a DVD with half D1 and full frame movies, you need two titlesets. Same applies if you want a 16:9 and a 4:3 to be present.

    In such cases, you need to create a menu in the Video manager and two menus (these are actually optional) in the 2 VTS. You can however navigate directly from the Video Manager's menu to the different programs in the VTS.

    The DVD structure "dictates" that each menu in the VMG must relate itself to a separate language. This helps the DVD Player select the appropriate VMG menu for autoplay depending on the language preferences the DVD player may support.

    If you don't care about languages, just create a language folder, name it English and add a PGC in there.

    To create a first play movie that autoplays, just add it in the First Play PGC and from there link to the VMG menu or a VTS menu. The first play video will only play when the DVD is loaded.

    There is an excellent tutorial on the issue at www.mediachance.com where they discuss the multi-VTS features of DVD-LAB 1.4 Pro. Take a look.
    There is another necessity for multiple VTS in a project, and that is if you have one clip with stereo & 5.1, and another with just stereo - you cannot mix & match audio types in a single VTS either as all audio streams in a single VTS must be the same, including the codec (AC3/PCM etc)
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  19. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    Uhhh .... 17 years later?

    Honestly, at this late date, the "idiot guide to using Scenarist" is to just not use Scenarist (unless you're an idiot, or into masochism given the very user-unfriendly painful interface of the software.

    And honestly again, if you know anything about Scenarist, and the costs at the time, only warez kiddies tended to have it. Hence all the "how to use" posts for a pro program that cost 4 figures. That mostly made threads like this proclaim "ARRGGHHH!" (pirate). Which, in those days, before some serious rule-tightening, happened a wee too much at some online sites (including vcdhelp/dvdrhelp).

    VTS has been essentially auto-handled by good authorware for at least the past 15 years now.

    ... for the few people actually still making DVDs.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  20. Member
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    Is anyone here available to explain how the GPRM works in Scenarist? Or anyone available to send me Scenarist SD tutorials?
    I would very much appreciate it.
    Thanks for the help in advance
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