dvd-lab motion menu - can't see chapter thumbnails?

[DaveS]

Have a template I use for dvd-lab for my chapter menus and it ususally works fine - static background and chapter thumbnails.

I pulled in an avi file for a motion backfground, but when I compile, I see the motion background, but my chapter thumbnails that I can see on the menu in my project aren't there. The hotspots are there b/c I can cursor around the menu and select a chapter, but when dvd-lab created the motion menu, something happened to the thumbnails..

any suggestions would be apprecaited...

[drjtech]

Did you "Render Motion" before compiling? This is an action under the "Menu" tool selection.

-drj

[DaveS]

@drjtech - thanks, good idea. I'll give it a shot.

In looking at it a little, I think what that will do is render each thumbnail as motion also, so my background and thumbnails will be included but will all be motion (was looking for motion background w/ static thumbnails).

My guess is that the render will work, and if I put that avi (or I think I have to encode it to mpeg and put on my menu) back into my dvd-lab project, it will work fine - the icon frames did work, so if the pictures are under them, I'll get what I was looking for.

Any suggestions on making the thumbnails static? I think if I don't render them in the pre-render, they won't be included at all (as opposed to being included as static), but I can try some more.

[DaveS]

update - well I see what's happening (or not)...when I have a static background, the thumbnails under the buttons are displayed, but when I go to a motion background, the thumbnails are no longer part of the background and therefore not shown.

I can pre-render the background, but that will make the thumbnails motion thumbnails, which I don't want. I assume I could set a very short timeframe for the motion, but they would jitter in that case.

I was playing around with the state / colors, but those are for the actual buttons that are sitting on top of the thumbnails.

If I could copy out the block of thumbnails and render them myself w/ the background, I would, but I can't find a way to copy them in one shot, easily. I could export the whole menu as a slide, and maybe add my own transparency between the thumbs...a bit more work.

Somehow, I am thinking that I can either pre-render to include status thumbs w/ my motion background, or change some settings all w/in dvd-lab to get this to work.

The tutorial mentions this a little but doesn't get into it...if anyone's done this before & can say how, it would be greatly appreciate.

[DaveS]

ok - sorry for the ongoing blabbering, but I think I've got it...in the render motion menu, unchecking the render object box will still include the object (e.g. thumbnail) in the output but not as a motion object. so, to create a motion menu from a scene selection menu w/ a motion background, in the render motion dialogue, you need to include (e.g. check off) the background item and uncheck each of the thumbnails, then render. the result will be a avi file w/ the motion background w/ the thumbs superimposed. you then render this avi file yourself to mpeg2 and then use that as a motion background on your menu..it will have everything in it.

hopefully this helps someone .... (maybe I can make a mini guide to expand a little on this)

[mastersmurfie]

I can pre-render the background, but that will make the thumbnails motion thumbnails, which I don't want. I assume I could set a very short timeframe for the motion, but they would jitter in that case.

Somehow, I am thinking that I can either pre-render to include status thumbs w/ my motion background, or change some settings all w/in dvd-lab to get this to work.

The tutorial mentions this a little but doesn't get into it...if anyone's done this before & can say how, it would be greatly appreciate.

DaveS,

try this:

under "Pre-Render motion menu", on the right side you should see the list of motion objects. Should show something like "video still" and several "link over chaper#". If you highlight each "link over" and uncheck "Render this object in the final clip", leaving only the video still checked, this might be what you are looking for. It leaves the thumbnails as images only, while the background has motion.

try that...it just worked for me. I use DVD-Lab ver 1.3.

EDIT: looks like you already found it

mastersmurfie

[DaveS]

@mastersmurfie - thanks...intersting that in that list of motion objects, I have the background video and the link overs but don't have any 'video stills' .. the link overs must be the video stills as the actual links themselves can't render motion so maybe the link over refers to the thumbnail under the actual link? in either case, what you say seems to be working....

thanks for your help !!!

[edit:]
tip - in the window on the right, click directly on the checkmark or x to check / uncheck the item; click a little to the right of the check/x to cycle through the other options (shuffle and loop if shorter)...saves mouse movement in checking/unchecking the items

interesting - it is including the button links in the background eventhough I think they will stay 'out of the background' as well (e.g. will still be in the project when I replace the motion background w/ the new rendered background). so I think I am ending up w/ 2 images of each button, one in the background video and another as an object I can still manipulate. when I add the rendered background to my file, the drop shadows on my buttons get darker, and I think that's why. I can't find a way to control whether the buttons get included in the background. [edit:] One workaround after adding the motion menu back in is to remove the drop shadow from the 'real' buttons, leaving only the drop shadow which is now actually in the menu background..this seems to help (although I still have 2 button images, one in the background and one over it in the foreground..but, you can't tell b/c the button is 100% opaque)

[mastersmurfie]

@mastersmurfie - thanks...intersting that in that list of motion objects, I have the background video and the link overs but don't have any 'video stills' .. the link overs must be the video stills as the actual links themselves can't render motion so maybe the link over refers to the thumbnail under the actual link? in either case, what you say seems to be working....

thanks for your help !!!

No problem. Mine shows a "video still" because (I think) the background that I used for this particular test was a piece of the movie that I dragged to the background of the chapter selection menu.

[edit:]
tip - in the window on the right, click directly on the checkmark or x to check / uncheck the item; click a little to the right of the check/x to cycle through the other options (shuffle and loop if shorter)...saves mouse movement in checking/unchecking the items

Wow! Never even realized that before...been using DVD-Lab for a long time... oh well...it's amazing the things that you can learn by just randomly "clicking" on your screen

mastersmurfie

[DaveS]

oh well...it's amazing the things that you can learn by just randomly "clicking" on your screen

mastersmurfie

some of my best work comes from randomly clicking on the screen!!