On GUI for DVDauthor

[tin2tin]

Hi,

Just a few inputs and questions on the quite impressive GUI for DVDauthor:

- Is there a way to pass the mainmenu without clicking a button to get to the next and more advanced menu(TitlesetMenu)?

- Is it a bug that makes it impossible for me to change certain values after I've saved/loaded ex. button colors and subtitle fonts?

- I wish I could change the videofilename after I've added it and build additional menus linking to it.

- Is there a way to add languagenames to subtiltes(as seen in the dvdplayer)?

- Is there a way to define what buttons/subtitles/audios are set as defaults when starting up the dvd?

- Safe areas jpgs/gifs here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=da&ie=UTF-8&q=%22safeareas.jpg%22&btnG=Google-s%C3%B8gning&meta=

- Iso creation would be a nice feature.

- This GUI is so damn good my only real wish is that spumux some day would be able to antialias using the 4 possible colors instead of just 2.

Well all for now and thanks!

TinTin

[borax]

A bunch of questions...

For most of the questions:
Yes, but ATM only if you tweak the xml files by hand and using the batch mode...
To pass the main menu, set pause=1; to set the default(s): add a precommand with the defaults:
audio=1;
subtitle=65;
button= 2048 (button number multiplied with 1024).

Is it a bug that makes it impossible for me to change certain values after I've saved/loaded ex. button colors and subtitle fonts?

May be. I will have a look!
Can you provide me with a reproducible example?

I wish I could change the videofilename after I've added it and build additional menus linking to it.

That is already on my todo list...

This GUI is so damn good...

Thanks too!

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

Thank you for your reply

How I get the "load bug":
1. Load project
2. Under Def. settings - change HighLight/Activated color
3. Preview

It'll be the same colors as you loaded and not changed.
(But thay can be changed in the .gfd file)
(By the way maybe is not a bug - I think I read somewhere in your doc's that the preset settings was to be set in the beginning of the project and not changed afterwards, which this is.)

Just an idea as iceing on the cake:
The possibility of using Menu transitions. I don't know if this is actually possible in the dvd structure but it maybe could be done as:

1. As an mpg playing between ex. menu1 and menu2 done in some videoeditor proggy with a dissolve or wipe or whatever. Maybe it then should be possible to save the menu preview with buttons so these stills could be animated in the right size.

or

2. Using avisynth to create a transition mpg to play between menus ex. a dissolve between a freezeframe of lastframe of menu1 and of firstframe of menu2. Or some other ways.
Found a some links which might be helpful(if you're interested):

http://www.avisynth.org/Dissolve
http://www.avisynth.org/FreezeFrame
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=58690
http://www.avisynth.org/stickboy/
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=1bfd4fc0cf20556b17dfbbb61d652efd&threadid=5977...light=dissolve
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&postid=378590
http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69155


The last ones are a bit more advanced maybe just a dissolve and or fade out/fade in...

I dunno.

I sorry I just keep getting these ideas without the skills to do anything about them.

And thanks again for your great GUI.

Tin2Tin

[borax]

Concerning the 'load bug':
When I just test it with a very simple menu I can't reproduce it. But maybe you are not talking about the main menu, but a titleset or submenu. For these menus you have to change the colors always in the explorer view (click on the three color icon within 'Highlight' or 'Activated' of the corresponding menu. The change in the Default settings has a 'direct' result only for the main menu (and for all 'future' (titleset and sub-) menus you create with the actual default settings). Otherwise it in not a 'default' but an 'actual'...

To 'crossfade' between menus the only correct way I can think of, is to use a 'pseudomenu' in between. Then you can see menu 1 as long as you like. If you move to the next menu, the 'in between menu' is shown with a preset duration but without any active elements (buttons). After the 'playtime' of the
'in between menu' the menu 2 is loaded with infinite duration.

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

Otherwise it's not a 'default' but an 'actual'...

My fault.

Used my day to figure out how to do the freezedissolve/freezecrossfade in avisynth:

# FreezeDissolve
# AVS script to freeze last frame of first clip and freeze first frame 
# of the next and dissolve between the two.
# By tin2tin

function FreezeDissolve(clip video, clip video2, int duration)
{
vtrim = Trim(video,framecount(video)-1,framecount(video))
vtrim = loop(vtrim,duration) 

vtrim2 = Trim(video2, 0, -1)
vtrim2 = loop(vtrim2,duration) 

viewdiss = Dissolve(vtrim,vtrim2,duration)
return viewdiss
}

# Parameters and test
video = AviSource("C:\from_menuclip.mpg")
video2 = AviSource("C:\to_menuclip.mpg")
duration = 100 
FreezeDissolve (video,video2,duration)

# FreezeDip2Color
# AVS script to freeze last frame of first clip and freeze first frame 
# of the next and dip to a color between the two.
# Change video, video2, duration and DipColor to your needs. 
# By tin2tin

function FreezeDip2Color(clip video, clip video2, int duration, DipColor)
{
vtrim = Trim(video,framecount(video)-1,framecount(video))
vtrim = loop(vtrim,Duration)
vtrim = fadeout(vtrim, Duration, DipColor) 

vtrim2 = Trim(video2, 0, -1)
vtrim2 = loop(vtrim2,Duration)
vtrim2 = fadein(vtrim2,Duration, DipColor) 

ViewSplice = AlignedSplice(vtrim,vtrim2)
return ViewSplice
}

# Parameters and test
video = AviSource("C:\from_menuclip.mpg")
video2 = AviSource("C:\to_menuclip.mpg")
Duration = 25 # Duration of final clip
DipColor = $000000 # fade to/from black

FreezeDip2Color(Video, Video2, Duration, DipColor)

I'm not a coder, nor have I ever tried avisynth before, but I think they're actually working... automatic generation of transitions between menus in GUI for DVDauthor, would be a super cool feature :P :P :P :P

All for now,

Tin2Tin

[borax]

OK!
I will try your scripts.
If my suggestion from above will work, I will try to include it into GFD.
ATM I'm working on a chapter editor (using the mpeg2lib.dll to get rid of the timeline problems with directshow ), which will automatically create chapterimages or even chapterclips.

[tin2tin]

Wow what a killer feature you're working on!!!

The transition stuff is really just iceing on the cake, but do you mean that maybe its possible to use the <pre>/<post> comands to play a transition mpg between menus? Or making up a new menu without buttons playing with a preset duration?

If the <pre> is used I guess ex. the chapters menu would always be linked from the maintitleset, so it would make sense always to play a crossfade mpg from maintileset -> chaptersmenu as a <pre> of the chaptersmenu.

However one would never know what menu the maintitlemenu would be accesed from, so maybe all menus linking back to the mainmenu could have a fadeout to color as a <post> and the maintitlemenu could have a fade in from color as <pre>. So all menus linking to the maintitlesetmenu would have a dip to color kind of transition.

Just my thoughts for now.

Looking forward to your chapter editor!

Tin2tin

[borax]

... but do you mean that maybe its possible to use the <pre>/<post> comands to play a transition mpg between menus? Or making up a new menu without buttons playing with a preset duration?

Yes, both options are possible. But I would recommend using new menus for that kind of stuff, as all titles in a given titleset need to have the same properties (aspect, resolution...).
I have just tried it (with an additional 'in between menu'), and it seems to work (at least in WinDVD - not yet tested on a stand alone player). But as it is quite a lot of effort, I will probably only write a guide on how to do it 'by hand' (with batch mode), as it really gets terrible complicated if you are using additional submenus (for audio/subtitle selection, multipage chapters...) or special features like 'End action for titleset = next title'.
I think it is only usable for the 'standard' case: Main menu, several titlesets, no submenus, 'Start action for Titlesets' = 'Show menu', 'End action for titleset' = 'Main menu', no animated menus (otherwise the 'start frame' is unknown for the transition). Maybe I will include this case with an automatic creation of the transitions...

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

I wonder if it is possible when finalising the dvd to make gfd count the number of links to and from individual element(clip/menu), if it is possible then maybe the 2 kinds of transitions could be added automaticaly:

If an element only is linked FROM ONE other element then a crossfade transition mpg can be rendered and added to the clips <pre> command. And the from_element will not show any transition in its <post> command.

In short:

one_from_link = add crossfade to <pre> of to_element and no transition in <post> of from_element.

If an element is linked FROM MORE elements then a fadeout-to-color-transition could be rendered and added to the <post> command of the from_element. And the to_element could have a fadein-from-color-transition rendered and added to the <pre> command.

In short:

more_from_links = add fadeout to <post> of from_element and add fadein to <pre> of to_element.

If that's not possible then maybe it is more simple just to add a fadein to all <pre>commands and a fadeout to all <post> commands as a selectable feature?

This stuff is getting too complicated - at least for me

TinTin

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

If you need a free installer - here's one:

http://nsis.sourceforge.net/

It might be a help to first timers to get all the subprograms in one install.

Tin2Tin

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

Great stuff with your new Chapter editor. Good job.

Maybe it could be simplyfied a bit by seperating saving and chaperlist editting?

So saving would be done by two functions "Save Current"(like it is) and "Save Chapterlist"(new function).

And the chapterlist could have "Delete Chapter"(like it is), "Add Chapter"(new), "Update Chapter"(new)

And the "Go!" buttons should only add chapters to the chapterlist(without saving).

That way the Create Chapters #/minutes/file/clipboard - functions could be used as "suggestions" - without filling up the hardisk with wrong files - if you later want to ajust the "chapterpoint suggestions".

That way an ex. workflow could be: create a chapter for every 5 minutes - then ajust chapters (ex. manually moved to a new scene start using New/Update/Del) - when all chapter points are right, then the chapter list could be saved.

Without the seperation of saving and chaperlist editting - I tend to get lost in all the files created - but maybe it's just me?

Very cool with the show safearea function too!!!

Btw. I've tried to make a gui for the avisynth transitions - which is here.

Dunno how useful it is - but now there is a gui for it at least.

Thanks for you great tool!

Tin2tin

[borax]

I think it would be even more complicated with a split Create/Save chapters...

1. File/clipboard - functions are only "suggestions". These functions should only be used if you have an appropriate list of chapters (i.e. from a source DVD).

2. You may do your workflow like this:
- Create a chapter for every 5 minutes
- Double click on the chapters in the list to check them.
If necessary adjust the position with the right/left (or play) buttons
Create a new chapter at the 'correct' position.
Delete the 'wrong' chapter from the list (the image/clip files are deleted too)
Repeat for the other chapter positions

-> Only the 'correct' files remain

Btw. I've tried to make a gui for the avisynth transitions - which is here.
Dunno how useful it is - but now there is a gui for it at least.

I have seen it. Thanks! It will at least be useful for me to test/ develop

Meanwhile I have an idea how this transition topic may be implemented, but a lot of testing is still necessary (new variable(s) are necessary)...

[tin2tin]

Hi Borax,

Atm. I'm giving the slideshow thingy a shot:

It's also connected to avisynth and quenc.

I think the main thing in my previous thoughts was that it might be a slight improvement if it was a bit more visible when files where saved.

But it's very, very cool with the chaptoreditor - and the very quick way to make motion menus - that truely rocks!

Tin2tin