Completely Customised Menu

[spatel]

Hi there guys,

Does anyone know of any software that allows you to create completely customised menus?

What i had in mind was that I would create an image (using eg. Fireworks) and then you could import that image in to an "Authoring Software" which could create 'hotspots' (like making links on html) over my chosen sections of the image (where the background image i created already had button images incorporated).

To explain more simply using an example:

Say I had a wallpaper image of Lord of The Rings... now i would open the image up in Fireworks create text (such as Play, Chapters etc.) over the image. Then i would save the image. I would then import this image into an authoring software which would allow me to draw 'hotspots' around the text sections which would link to the relevant commands.

ALSO V. IMPORTANT... this software needs to allow re-authoring (or the adding of menu's) to already existing DVD file structures. (ie. I have a fully compatible (movie-only) DVD... IFO's, VOB's etc.... and i want to add this menu that i will create to it).

Please help as this is really annoying me!! (and it is a different problem to the one I have asked in my other post!)

HELP!!

[dafreak]

tmpgenc dvd author is a pretty simple application that will allow you to do this.

check out the authoring tools in the tools section for more programs.

[spatel]

Hi,

Thats what I am using at the moment... but it does not allow you to draw your own "hotspots"... it only gives you set templates (or am i wrong?). I wanted to be able to draw my menu links where ever I wanted on the background image...

[northcat_8]

What you would need to do is also take that image and if you wanted say certain items to be actual menu buttons. You would need to create the menu buttons with that image.

For example on my DVD picture to the left over there. I could make a menu button on a menu where that DVD was just part of the overall picture. If I want to make it a selectable item. I would need to make a button with that as the image of the button. Then when I added that button to the menu in my authoring program, I would select the DVD button I created and then I would have to drag it onto the picture so that it matched the background image.

It's just like trying to line up duplicate layers in photoshop, except that layer you are moving is a button that you have made...

It's kind of a teadious operation, getting the buttons made is the difficult part. You have to look up the extention for buttons for your authoring program and then figure out how to convert it. For example, pinnacle studio 8's buttons are in ".tga" file extention, that is a selectable output from photoshop, so that makes that relationship pretty easy. Doing the same thing with say...Ulead DVD Workshop is not so easy since their buttons are a ".WNT" file extention.

You may want to add a slight shadow to the button you make so that it stands out, or just let it be and it will change colors when they select it.

You can also hide easter eggs in your DVDs the same way.

One thing I forgot to mention, when doing this make sure you have decent spacing between the buttons on your menu, some consumer authoring programs get confused fairly easy.

[johns0]

Dvd-lab will let you create the type of menus you want,just import the background,hotspots and other buttons and link them to what ever time frame or page sequence you want and then render the outlay and project it over the background.

[northcat_8]

A slight adjustment to what I said above...you can make menu buttons out of image files in DVD Workshop....they work just like hyperlinks....I'm retarded, I don't know what the hell I was talking about...actually the project I am doing right now is a basketball highlight film and one of my menus is a team picture of all 12 kids and each one of their faces is the selection button to play a short clip of individual stats and a few highlights for each kid.

The faces are cut out and edited in photoshop and saved as .gif files because I need to save transparency around each kid's face.

Like I said...retarded.

[spatel]

Thanks for your help guys but i still cant do what i want to do...

Its all well and good that I can create a menu (in .gif, .jpg, .psd etc...) but how do I use that menu with a existing DVD movie????!

Example:

I have ripped Gladitor onto my computer (movie-only) and it is in original DVD format.

How do I create a menu for it (custom) and then how do I link that menu to the movie to create a compatible DVD?

Which software can I use to create the menu (can it be in standard image format and then imported into the DVD menu creation software or does it have to be created in the dvd menu software?).

And once the menu is created, which software will allow me to link the DVD movie with the menu without having to convert the movie to avi/mpeg first?

I can use TMPGEnc DVD Author to create a menu and link to the DVD movie... which is perfect but I just wanted to be able to create my own custom menu's (not just use templates from the TMPGEnc software).

I know I'm probably just asking th esame question over and over but I really dont understand what i'm supposed to do!! Please help!!

[racer-x]

Here's what you can do:

1) Rip the movie to One single vob, then demux the vob to m2v and ac3.

2) Import the m2v and ac3 into DVD-Lab.

3) Make your menu in Photoshop and put your buttons on a layer above the background. Save as psd.

4) Import psd in DVD-Lab and use the "Hot spot" selection tool to select the links. Set the links to the desired chapters.

That should do it.


northcat_8,

I like that Kid's faces for links idea. I may use that myself for my son's baseball team DVD.

[northcat_8]

Thanks.

I thought that was a pretty cool idea too. I have their faces done and the menu is perfect, but now I am try to get their name to fade in above their head as you go from kid to kid. I don't like cluttered looking menus so I am wanting each name to appear and then disappear as you go from kid to kid. That would not be too difficult if the background was a standard color but mine is not, so I'm back in photoshop putting a background matching pattern on their names so that you can see them when they are highlighted but not before and not after.

An awful lot of work for a menu...

[racer-x]

It's been a while since I've used DVDWorkshop. I use DVD-Lab now and love the freedom it gives. You can use "Switched Menus" for that effect. I'm not sure if DVDWorkshop supports "Switched Menus", but DVD-Lab does.

I did a cool switched menu on my Led Zeppelin Music Compilation DVD. It has all their Albums on it in 448 kbps Surround Sound. I took the Led Zeppelin IV Album cover for the menus. I made 7 menus, 1 for each album. In the picture of the old man on the wall, I had the album and song list diplayed. I had the links to all the albums to the left. When you sellect a different album, the picture would change to the albums cover and song list.

Yeah it's a lot of work, but it's worth it to have a totally original menu.

[spatel]

hey...

Thanks for your help... i will try that:

But first:

How do i make a single VOB out of the DVD folder i already have ripped to my HDD (what software do i use?... will smartripper do it?)

Second, What do I use to demux? (Will VirtuaDub do it or TMPGEnc DVD Author?)

Thanks.

[northcat_8]

I did a cool switched menu on my Led Zeppelin Music Compilation DVD. It has all their Albums on it in 448 kbps Surround Sound. I took the Led Zeppelin IV Album cover for the menus. I made 7 menus, 1 for each album. In the picture of the old man on the wall, I had the album and song list diplayed. I had the links to all the albums to the left. When you sellect a different album, the picture would change to the albums cover and song list.

That is pretty cool.

Yeah it's a lot of work, but it's worth it to have a totally original menu.

Very true...

[racer-x]

spatel wrote:

How do i make a single VOB out of the DVD folder i already have ripped to my HDD (what software do i use?... will smartripper do it?)

Second, What do I use to demux? (Will VirtuaDub do it or TMPGEnc DVD Author?)

Everything you need is in the tools section. You can use DVDShrink to take the files you already have and ouput to One Vob. You'll have to go in the settings to enable that. Make sure you choose No Compression since it's already compressed. I hope for your case there's enough room for your menu!

DVD-Lab can Demux the Vob for you, but I think you're better off doing it before you import. You can use Rejig to Demux the Vob into m2v and ac3.

[spatel]

hi... i looked in the preferences for DVDShirnk and there is nothing about outputting to a single VOB file...

[racer-x]

It's in the ouput folder in the Preferencs. There is a box that's ticked by defoult to split the vobs in 1 GIG size. Disable it!

Here's a guide: http://www.dvdshrink.info/preferences.php

[AarontheRipper]

Actually, the latest version of TMPGEnc DVD Author has a menu editor that will allow you to do just about anything you want if you're willing to get a little bit creative with it. If you haven't upgraded to the latest version of the prog, you are really missing out. For example, use the menu editor and use you wallpaper as the background. Then save the buttons you want as jpegs and you can import them as pictures to be the actual buttons. The editor allows you to put them wherever you want, and it gives you so much more flexibility without sacrificing ease of use.

[spatel]

Hi thanks for the advice... i've already got the latest version of TMPGEnc Author... (1.5.20.62 (February 05, 2004)). Please can you tell me how to import your own jpg's as buttons and make them links etc. because at the moment i can only import my own background image but not change buttons or anything...

[jarvis1781]

SpruceItUp and DVDMaestro will let you do what you want

also Sonic MyDVD

[crosswalk]

I have been playing with this button thing,

Try this with Tmpgenc Dvd Arthur:

Use the Menu editor, select a menu that has more than enough framed images than you need. select no frame, click on the frame and select open file, navigate to your jpeg and select. If Jpeg is created with transparent areas that dont need to be viewed only the non transparent parts will be visible. The buttons will already be linked based on the menu template that you selected.

[bottle-necked]

Hi thanks for the advice... i've already got the latest version of TMPGEnc Author... (1.5.20.62 (February 05, 2004)). Please can you tell me how to import your own jpg's as buttons and make them links etc. because at the moment i can only import my own background image but not change buttons or anything...

Once on the menu creation page click "Edit Menu Theme", then choose "Yes" to create a new menu, then pick out the items that best suits your needs from the various selection boxes. Then click "Options" and choose Safe Area, Grid, and whatever else you like. This will setup the edit screen.

To change the "Play All" button just double-click on it then browse to your item. There is a way to create a PSD file with a highlight overlay that makes a neat button but I have yet to create one. Heres the BBS link I found. Click on the background to replace it, double click the text to change and edit. Simple. Items can be resized and even dragged off the screen and hid if you like.

Create Motion menus like in Ulead VideoStudio. Add the music, effects, video or background, optional text, etc. Encode the menu clip then select it as the background image (mpeg2 file). Set up menu options so motion menus are turned on and sound for menus is on.

For simple music playing with a photo background again it's best to create this as an mpeg2 file outside author, then select it as background. Make it as long as you want your music and use the photo as the background. Don't forget to set motion menu options.

Don't forget to setup menu play options.

The program is fairly simple and most things can be done but some not in a way you might think. Like dragging items off the screen (out of view) instead of being able to delete them.

Good luck.

[spatel]

thanks for your help guys... ill give it a go...

[spatel]

bottle-neck: Thanks for your help, i found how to edit the menu etc. but it only gives me the option of 1 main menu and 1 track menu (i need 1 main menu, 1 chapter select and 1 bonus features).

Also, I know how to change the image of the "play all" button but how do you use pre-made images for the other links? (it only lets you use text).

Finally, does TMPEnc Author keep all the other information that the imported DVD-Video had? (ie. I imported DVD-Video files which had subtitles and more than one audio stream... will it keep these?)

Thanks again for your help guys.

[bottle-necked]

I'm not very good with the program but I will try to help ya best I can. . .

bottle-neck: Thanks for your help, i found how to edit the menu etc. but it only gives me the option of 1 main menu and 1 track menu (i need 1 main menu, 1 chapter select and 1 bonus features).

Your Bonus menu is simply another movie track that you named "Bonus". You would create chapter points and the program will create a menu page for that track. Simply put all your bonus material in (1) track and create a chapter point for each file. You will have a bonus selection page then.

Rename untitled track 1 to Chapters, untitled track 2 to Bonus, and the Play-all button. Set the menu options to Display Main Menu".

During actual play clicking "Play-All" plays the DVD, clicking "Chapters" opens the chapter menu. Clicking "Bonus" opens the bonus selection menu.

Problem: Bonus selection (chapter) will play all the bonus material then return to the main menu, not play an individual bonus clip and return. The only way around this is to put your bonus clips in it's on track so it would then have it's own menu page. You will have many more links on the main menu page. A disadvantage of the programming for sure.

Problem2: The play-all function will probably play everything on the DVD before returning to the main menu. Not-good at all. Another limitation to the program I don't like. I know of no fix except to drag the play-all button off the screen and only have the two other selections. Unless someone else knows of a way of doing it, I don't. The program simply puts links to the chapter selection menus on the main page. To achieve a "Play" function you must first select that chapter page then PLAY. Not exactly what most of use has in mind for a main menu. I might be wrong but I can't find a way around it.

Also, I know how to change the image of the "play all" button but how do you use pre-made images for the other links? (it only lets you use text).

Create a menu template that has thumbnails and text for each item. In "EDIT Menu Theme" mode double click the thumbnail image and browse to your photo file using the supplied "File Open" button. You can use about anything here for the thumbnail image except a Gif file I think. Enter your desired text or you can 'enter no text' that will delete the text box. I usually drag this empty text box off the screen also.

Finally, does TMPEnc Author keep all the other information that the imported DVD-Video had? (ie. I imported DVD-Video files which had subtitles and more than one audio stream... will it keep these?)

I think the answer to this is "No". 1-video stream, 1-audio stream, no-subs.

I use DVD Author because of the simple fact it allows me to export DVD Folders that are not actually compliant when other authorizing programs won't. I can exceed the filesize restriction. When working with a large backup movie project it will create the hdd folder that I can later shrink to fit with DVD Shrink. Trying to create extremely custom menus in it isn't too easy. Other programs are much better at this I think. [IMHO]

Good luck.