Magix Movie Edit Pro Menus and Sub-menus

[gayclarke]

I know I'm being dumb with this but I don't find the Magix program very 'intuitive' to a newbie and the help files don't seem to have a good 'idiots' guide to getting started. (At least Cyberlinks Powerdirector was easy to get going with!)

It seems great once I've mastered something but I'm hung up on my final menus.

I have 6 videos approx. 40 minutes each. I've split them into 5 minute chapters automatically and manually set a chapter at the begining of each video. Now I want to create a menu with the 6 videos on plus a sub-menu with the chapters within.

The help instructions show a burn interface with options either side of the screen which I don't have when I click the burn tab. (pic attached)

Am I going about this in the right way and can anyone help me get to the next step please?

Regards, Gay
55 year old granny with brain turning to mush!

[gayclarke]

OK I think I've got it but not sure if it's the right way.

I've selected the chapters to show and just ticked 6, 1 for the start of each video.

When I use the remote button though, my Disc Menu and Sub Menu look the same though so maybe I'm not going about this the right way?

[guns1inger]

Let's set the terminology so we know we are all talking about the same thing;

Title - each separate video. You have 6 titles, each approx 40 minutes in length

Chapter - an arbitrary point in a title that a user can skip to using the next key

You want a menu with 6 titles on it ?

It looks like the page layout you want is either the second one, but you only get three titles to a page, or the fourth one, but you don't get thumbnails.

[gayclarke]

Yes I have 6 Titles.

At the moment I have something that looks like I want roughly.

I have selected Chapter Menu Only and ticked the 6 chapters that start each title. My Disc menu and sub menu are identical. If that is the limit of the software I can live with. Very pleased with it for what it cost.

Ideally I would have like the 6 titles showing on the main menu with a sub menu for each with the chapters withing each title but mabye that's asking too much?

[guns1inger]

I don't think it is asking too much, and other budget, entry level authoring tools can do it. Tmpgenc DVD Author is a good example. And it has some flexibility about the design so you can get in a move things around if you wish.

Out of curiosity, what does the composition tab do ?
Does it offer you some control ?

[gayclarke]

Can't see any obvious solution there but will have another lay with it later - if I can ever get my first attempt burned!

[JMVDWXYZ]

I realize this is way too late to be useful to you but in the interest of helping the next person to come along...

I REALLY like my Magix Movie Edit Pro 11 - lots of power, but not the easiest to use.

So, assuming I understand what you're asking for (a main menu with 6 titles each going to a submenu with approx 8 five minute chapters listed) here's what I would do.
1) On the Record tab import the videos each as a NEW video
2) On the Burn tab's Complete 'subtab' choose (double click) the look that you'd like. Note that the far left part of the lower portion of the screen lets you choose between things like motion layouts and still layouts.
3) On the Burn tab's Composition 'subtab' choose (double click) the LAYOUT you'd like to use with the 'theme' chosen in the previous step. If you scroll almost all the way to the right you'll see the layouts that support 6 (up to 10) titles.
4) On the Burn tab's Controls 'subtab' choose (double click) the type of frame you want around your thumbnails (skip this part of you've decided to UNcheck the "Frames" option in the Menu Adjust window.
5) If you didn't already do this in the previosu step, In the 'button bar' just above your DVD menu preview, click the far LEFT button to show the Menu Adjustment section.
6) Make sure your MODE is set to "Move and chapter menus"
7) Set Numbering (whether a 'jump to' # is shown with the menu item) and Frames (whether a frame is put around the thumbnails) as you like
8) I like to use the Advanced Options to choose my own audio clip (usually from video) when I use a motion background. I click on the Background Video button and look at how long the background video is then I load my audio up into the Audacity free open source audio editor and crop it down the right size and use that for my Background Sound selction.
9) If you click on the "wrench" icon to the right of the "Menu adjustment" icon you get settings that let you place the thumbnails where you want them on the menu as well as edit thumbnail titles, fonts, still image, etc.

Sorry, got carried away there. That should do what you want - though how you fit 6 40minute videos on a single DVD I have no idea. Oh, wait - was it a dual layer?

Jon-Mikel

[gayclarke]

Many many thanks for that and, no it wasn't too late. I got sidetracked with other stuff and have only just managed to get back to it.

Of course, everything I had just got the hang of, I have now completely forgotten and I absolutely hate the help features for this software - very un-'user friendly' considering much of it is not very intuitive. (Rant over )

Your reply was a great help but I think I am missing part of the puzzle.

I was trying to decide between a still image or a part of the movie showing on the menu (for each chapter). I couldn't remember how to do either or easily find it.

I decided on the motion thing and clicked image preview thinking that would do the trick but no, it doesn't move, and since I didn't set a still image for the chapters, can't remember how, and they have a black run-in, all I get is black boxes that turn yellow when I move to them.

I'm also not sure how I select that I want text not chapter numbers. Is this totally outside my control? I can switch off the number, which were in a small grey box at the top of each chapter frame, but the numbers disappear to leave the grey box. Grrrrrr

Can anyone help?

Regards, Gay
55 year old granny, not grey yet but fast getting that way

[gayclarke]

Ok I'm getting there - a simple double click on the blank chapter screen let me select a frame but I still haven't fathomed out how to see a moving picture for each chapter.

Not totally sure if I want ti yet but it would be nice to know how to do it.