Want To Make My Own DVD Menus

[scottoinkingsburg]

Ok, this is driving me mad. I have authored many DVD's with the basic crap software that you get with any DVD burner, but right now I want to make a DVD for my bikini website, but I do not want it to look like a cheaply made DVD. So I have been doing a lot of R&D. Right now I am at the part where I want to make my own menus. I want to design my own buttons, I want to have my own motion background, yet every authoring program I have seen has fixed templates that are so basic same ol same ol crap. I want my menus to be my menus! Can anyone give me some advice on what programs I should take a look at?

[thecoalman]

Ulead DVD Workshop on the high end..,,, You can even use Ulead's cheaper programs such as Moviemaker in conjuction with there image editing app Photoimpact to create custom image templates. Definitely Workshop though for the most flexibility.

It will do practically anything you can think of for authoring.

[lordsmurf]

I would have to second Ulead DVD Workshop if you want advanced functionality WITH a friendly/easy user interface.

Archaic interface software like DVD-Lab, DVD Maestro and ReelDVD can do it too, but you tend to feel violated trying to learn them.

[freestyler]

DVD Maestro was geared toward a different audience (pro market) and was last updated over three and a half years ago (circa June 2001).

Its modern day equivalent - DVD Studio Pro 3 - has all the bells and whistles to make authoring go along more smoothly (especially with regards to making menus).

[lordsmurf]

Its modern day equivalent - DVD Studio Pro 3 - has all the bells and whistles to make authoring go along more smoothly (especially with regards to making menus).

If you have a Mac!!
But yes, another excellent choice, though still a somewhat harder learning curve. Thankfully not an too archaic of an interface.

[p_l]

Another vote here for Ulead DVD Workshop 2.

[mol3000]

Ok, this is driving me mad. I have authored many DVD's with the basic crap software that you get with any DVD burner, but right now I want to make a DVD for my bikini website, but I do not want it to look like a cheaply made DVD. So I have been doing a lot of R&D. Right now I am at the part where I want to make my own menus. I want to design my own buttons, I want to have my own motion background, yet every authoring program I have seen has fixed templates that are so basic same ol same ol crap. I want my menus to be my menus! Can anyone give me some advice on what programs I should take a look at?

i was just to ask something like this...... i want something that i can start from scratch also and the menus like LIKE MOTION MOVIES MENUS...... i hate some of this bs genic stuff and i need to make a good impression so i need MATRIX type menus

[canadateck]

To have great looking menu's not just some template's, a good start is photoshop to make buttons/menu background images. I make many motion menus in After effects, but you can also use small clips of the film you are using. you are not limited to what the dvd program has for templates many will let you import your own images/menus.

[p_l]

Absolutely. I use Vegas, with which you can do video overlays, even of animated gifs, which by the way you can also use in DWS menus. Just import your animated gifs as animated objects. Some behave flakey, though, so test your menu by producing an .iso and mounting it in a virtual drive before burning. DWS's final preview sometimes doesn't always correspond to what you end up burning.

[thecoalman]

even of animated gifs, which by the way you can also use in DWS menus.

Now that's something interesting to remember, I knew it would import gif's but never thought to try a animated gif.... Thx

[p_l]

For example, the moving red light in the middle is a transparent overlay of an animated .GIF done in Vegas, and the moving red dots at the top are an animated .GIF (from Animated Objects) added in DWS.

This is a really compressed .WMV coming in at under the 2MB limit for files uploaded to this site, so sorry for the quality, but it at least it gives you an idea.

title1.wmv

[Skynet107]

To have great looking menu's not just some template's, a good start is photoshop to make buttons/menu background images. I make many motion menus in After effects, but you can also use small clips of the film you are using. you are not limited to what the dvd program has for templates many will let you import your own images/menus.

Exactly. Author your menu's in photoshop or your favorite editor. Then add whatever motion effects you want in After FX. A very powerful combination.

Dunno why anyone would call DVD-Lab "Archaic" though. Easily the best DVD authoring app for the price. It imports Photoshop images too with all the layers intact.

[lordsmurf]

Dunno why anyone would call DVD-Lab "Archaic" though.

Because of the kludgey interface that mimics software that was designed almost 5-10 years ago at this point in time. It mocks a so-called "pro interface" which is quite honestly not very work-flow effective, and most of those "pro" softwares require training courses just to learn how to use them thoroughly.

Most people would balk at the thought of returning to an interface along the lines of DOS, Windows 3.x or Win95. Why should it be any different for DVD Authoring software?

[mol3000]

For example, the moving red light in the middle is a transparent overlay of an animated .GIF done in Vegas, and the moving red dots at the top are an animated .GIF (from Animated Objects) added in DWS.

This is a really compressed .WMV coming in at under the 2MB limit for files uploaded to this site, so sorry for the quality, but it at least it gives you an idea.

title1.wmv

i want my menu to be something like that..... where video clips is playing in the back ground and maybe the buttons is animated when you touch each one........

[p_l]

You don't see it on my example, but on the real menu, a long red highlight bar lights up when you touch each episode title in the middle. In Ulead DVD Workshop 2, those are called Highlight Images. You can use the ones that come with the templates, or you can create your own.