Menu button thumbnail offset [Archive]

ATR

May 12th, 2008, 08:36 AM

I do not have a Premiere Elements 4 manual with this page 154 from which you quote. So, while I go searching for that, let us set a baseline.

There are three types of Timeline Markers, namely, Scene Markers (green), Stop Markers (red), and Main Menu Markers (blue).

1. Do you want a Main Menu with a Scene Menu? If so, do you want your Main Menu to have buttons for, at least, Play and Scene Selection? If so, do you want the scene thumbnails shown on the Scene Selection page after you hit Scene Selection on the Main Menu page?

2. OK, if so, then you need to set Scene Markers (green) in the Timeline (that is when you are in the Edit Mode before you get to creating menus).

3. Alternatively, if you have not done "2", when you are in the Create Menu section, add the Scene Markers (green) to the Timeline at each of the spots where you want the corresponding thumbnail that is going to be viewed in the Scene Menu.

I will be back later to see how you responded.

ATR

ATR

May 12th, 2008, 09:06 AM

The following details of Premiere Elements 4 Timeline Markers are from a PDF Help from Adobe. I am not sure if this is what you are reading (no page numbers in this download):

http://help.adobe.com/en_US/PremiereElements/4.0/help.html?content=WSA826BC5C-2FA7-4a1a-92F4-8B5538783B39.html

I suspect the confusion is what you can and cannot do with Main Menu Markers. If you really do want just a Main Menu page without a Scene Selection Page AND you want to use the Main Menu for scene selection, then you are going to be limited to how many scenes you can represent, and then as NAMES. It is the “Scene Selection Menu linked back to the Timeline Scene Markers” that I think you are after for your thumbnails that you want your viewers to use to select a given scene in the project.

To be continued…

ATR
As for the offset option, that is not going to move the scene marker (green) on the Timeline, it is just going to adjust the view of the thumbnail as displayed in the Scene Selection page.

Marian Bertoldo

May 17th, 2008, 08:38 PM

I can't see my previous reply so I will repeat it. (I cannot get instructions on how to use this forum properly as I only have dial-up and the instructioin area is not responding).
I am not using a Scenes menu. These are buttons for the Main menu. I use the thumbnail offset to select a good still picture when I am creating the Main menu marker and I expected these thumbnails to appear as buttons on the main menu. I'm beginning to think I would be better off making my own menu templates in Photoshop Elements. To this end I have been to the Adobe website but cannot find instructions on how to do this in LiveDocs Help On The Web- it keeps sending me around in circles. Very frustrating when you only have dial-up.
Thank you for trying to help.
Marian

Marian Bertoldo

May 17th, 2008, 08:43 PM

ATR

May 17th, 2008, 11:06 PM

Marion,

So that I can get a better idea of what you are reading, what is this manual that you are referring (page 154)?

The DVD Templates (Main Menu Pages) that Premiere Elements 4 has will let you use it as a scene selection page, BUT I have not seen one that will allow you to include thumbnails on that Main Page along with the text for those Main Menu buttons. Unless you go into the DVD template file in the Program Files and modify the template, you are limited to just how many buttons you can get on the Main Menu page without spilling over to additional Main Menu pages. In that case, it would be easier to work with the Main Menu in conjunction with the Scene Selection Menu.

The Offset adjustments that you are communicating are allowing you to adjust/fine tune the location that the viewer you see when he/she clicks the TEXT button for that scene on the Main Menu.

When it comes to making your own DVD templates, you can Edit, but not create, in Photoshop Elements. There is one exception where the specific combination of Photoshop Elements 4 and Premiere Elements 2 installed on the same computer will allow you to create DVD menus. If you have Photoshop CS, CS2, CS3, you could give it a try but read the content of the following links carefully.

I will be back in about 15 minutes with a pile of links for you to read.

ATR

ATR

May 17th, 2008, 11:54 PM

Marion,

Start with this link
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25223&highlight=Menus

My response #6 in that link gives you key instructions for creating your own menus using certain Adobe software.

The software DVD Architect may be the answer that you are looking for.
http://www.wideopenwest.com/~wvg/DVD-A%201.htm

If you want to think Adobe, then you could look at Adobe Encore DVD
http://www.adobetutorialz.com/categories/Video-and-Audio/Encore-DVD/
Here is another version of the previous link
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/encore/articles/enc15menu/enc15menu.pdf

You could also explore http://www.muvipix.com and its supply of DVD templates free and at a cost:
http://muvipix.com/products.php?page=2&maincat_id=7&subcat_id=8
I think that I saw at least one over there with thumbnails on the Main Menu page.

Go through the whole of the DVD Templates offered by Premiere Elements 4. I took a closer look at them after posting earlier and found at least three templates that offer scene thumbnails on the Main Menu.
Under the General Category:
a. Generic One
b. Portfolio
c. Corkboard
I had not noticed them previously.

If at all possible, I strongly recommend a try out of a software before you purchase it. It cuts down on the frustration and waste of time.

ATR

ATR

May 18th, 2008, 08:46 AM

Good morning Marion,

I just realized that you never said and I never asked "What specific DVD template in Premiere Elements 4 are you working with and trying to get thumbnails its Main Menu page?"

If it is one of the few that does offer thumbnails on the DVD Main Page, then we need to go in another direction.

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

May 26th, 2008, 02:11 AM

Hello ATR
Thank you for your help. I understand now that if there is no space left on a Main menu template for them then you cannot expect the thumbnails to appear there. I tried the 'General' category as you suggested and the only one I liked was Generic One but every time I tried to drag it to the disk layout panel the whole progeam shut down. I ended up using Portfolio and it worked OK. I got all the thumbnails on the Main Menu but I don't like the layout of this one.
I have tried making my own with all the bits and pieces of information I've been getting from all these links. I filed it in the Adobe templates folder in the Entertainment category and created a folder called Interviews. When I go into Premiere Elements and click on Create Menus, my heading is there under the Entertainment category, but there are two blank spaces where the Main Menu and Scenes Menu are to go. (I didn't make a scenes menu because I don't need one). I used the correct filing format- Interviews_pal_s_mm and of course it is a PSD file. I tried to import it directly into Premiere Elements but the File menu does not have an Import option. This is Premiere Elements 4 I am talking about, it should have an Import option in the File menu. Any ideas?
Marian

ATR

May 26th, 2008, 09:39 AM

Marian

At this point I am not sure if you are dealing with a creation as installation issue, or both. So, I am suggesting the following review:

1. Installation
You do not/can not import new DVD menus via the File Menu. In Premiere Elements 4 the route is Program Files/Adobe/Premiere Elements 4/DVD Templates/Category Folders/Category etc. It sounds like you have followed that route, but double check. You may want to watch the following video tutorial on installing DVD templates in Premiere Elements:

http://muvipix.com/products.php?page=3&maincat_id=7&subcat_id=10

This is titled "tu-(Elements#7)Installing DVD Templates". The link cited above should take you to correct page (page 3 of Complimentary) where you scroll down to this video. To find it from that web site's main page, you would go Products/Complimentary. Use the "click here to view online"; clicking the green "Free" icon does not always function for me. The video was done with Premiere Elements 2, so you will find the folder location different than in 4, and in those days there was a NTSC and PAL version. As you have read, starting with Premiere Elements 3 there is just PAL whether you are a NTSC or PAL person. If you have not done so already, you may want to check out your installing by installing one of the free DVD templates from the web site mentioned above.

2. Creation
Go back and double check naming and those codes in each of your .psd layers/layer sets.

3. Import Routes
Get Media and the options shown when Get Media is targeted. You could import a .psd into Premiere Elements 4 by Get Media/Files & Folders/browse to .psd. But that is not going to work as a DVD template.
There is also a Import Media icon when it is targeted at the top of the Organizer interface.

4. System Failure. I find it not uncommon for more frequent failures with specific existing DVD templates. In those cases, they tend to respond properly after a few tries.

Let me know how if any of that turned things around.

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

May 31st, 2008, 03:19 AM

Hello ATR
Once again thank you for your help. This dial-up is so gruelling it took me 3/4 of an hour to get to that link. As it turns out I already know how to download to the correct folder. My problem is with a menu I have created myself. It is in the correct folder and if I go directly to the folder and click on it it opens in Photoshop. I cannot however get it into Premier Elements with all the other menu templates. The name I gave the folder is up there with all the other menu templates in the Entertainment folder, but there are just two blank spaces where the menu and scenes menu should go.
I am angry with Adobe for not having the instructions for making menus in their users manual when they blatantly make statements that you can do all this. I am still trying to get some sense out of them via their support portal but it is very frustrating. I didn't do a very good job of making a menu anyway because I'm not sure how to do the rollovers and do not know where to find the arrows for forward and back. For the highlights I just put (=1) after it but I suspect I have to write the text again. It's hopeless. I paid for a product and should be able to make full use of it without having to go to these lengths to learn how to use it, and without having to pay extra for tuition.
Sorry about the negativity but that is how I feel at the moment.
Kind regards,
Marian Bertoldo.

ATR

May 31st, 2008, 08:12 AM

Marian

Do not give up. I will think about this some more and be back later today.

But here are just some quick thoughts.....

1. You say that the thumbnails for your DVD template show up as a blank DVD Main Menu & DVD Scene Menu. When you are in Create Menus, what happens if you drag these into the Monitor OR alternatively highlight them in the DVD Menus Panel and click apply? Do you now see your menus in the Monitor or is the Monitor blank?

2. Did you size your DVD template to the PAL sizing?

3. You could try transferring one of the program's DVD templates to the Desktop, make a copy, and work with editing the copy. Then install the edited copy back in the original folder in Program Files/Adobe/Premiere Elements/DVD Templates/folder for that template.

DVD template creation can take a lot of time and work and often people get frustrated trying to edit or create one of these. Check out the chat in the following topic at the Adobe Premiere Elements User to User Forum. I got involved in that one too.
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b55eb0

To be continued...

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

June 5th, 2008, 02:27 AM

Hello again ATR
I will try your suggestions. Re Q2 the answer is yes, I sized it to PAL and used the file name 'Interviews pal s mm' and Adobe adds the psd.
I am not completely inept on computers- I have done cert lll IT and am about to start cert lV with a view to doing the Dip.Software Development next year. I love database and love making software programs but don't know enough by far. I am going to click onto the link you left me now. I didn't do it before posting this reply because I don't know how long it is going to take. I'll have to get back to you on that.
Thank you once again for your kind help.
Regards, Marian.

Marian Bertoldo

June 12th, 2008, 02:07 AM

Hello again ATR
From lthe link you left for me I found someone else with the same problem and who is just as upset with Adobe and fed up trying to find instructions for making DVD templates from scratch.
Someone knows how to do it. The previous link you gave me to Muvipix had free menus for downloading. Who is making these and is there some way I could contact them for instructions? Adobe Support portal still not posting a reply and my last response to them was June 3rd.
Regards,
Marian Bertoldo.

ATR

June 12th, 2008, 03:53 PM

Marian

Steve Grisetti appears to be the major creator of those DVD templates at that web site. Chuck Engels over there may also be involved.

The following link will get you to the contact page at the Grisetti/Engels site:
http://muvipix.com/contact.php

Please let me know if and how they responded.

I regret that I do not have Photoshop, otherwise I would love to troubleshoot "creating DVD templates in Photoshop" hands on for you. I take it that none of those how to links have worked for you. I know it is a very frustrating moment when you know what you want, and it is not falling into place. Have none of the alternatives led to a workable solution, namely editing existing ones or downloading free DVD templates from a site such as the Grisetti/Engels one?

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

June 17th, 2008, 03:39 AM

Hello again ATR
Thank you for the link. I have sent an email from the site. Unfortunately none of the other solutions worked. I really need to be able to create my own so that I can cater to any situation for which a suitable ready-made menu cannot be found. I'll let you know the response I get. Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Marian.

Marian Bertoldo

June 21st, 2008, 01:46 AM

Hello ATR
Steve Grisetti emailed me and left a link where I could find all his tips, which are sets of instructions for many different tasks involved in editing video in Premiere Elements. These are $10.00 each OR you can subscribe to the website for $49.95 and download all the tips and tutorials for free. I saw a few tips that I would like so it made more sense to subscribe, which I have done. Steve has also given me his email address and is happy to help me out if I get stuck. All in all it has been a very favourable outcome ATR and I thank you for putting me on the right track. I will let you know the standard of the information supplied in these tips etc.
Regards,
Marian B

ATR

June 21st, 2008, 08:37 AM

Marian

I will be looking forward to your further comments on creating DVD menus and how you resolved the glitches that you have encountered in the task.

I am also looking forward to my favorite words.."It works".

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

July 29th, 2008, 01:25 AM

Hello ATR!
I have been in touch with Steve Grisetti and have downloaded some of his tips from the Muvipix website (I am now a subscriber) one of which is customizing an Adobe DVD template in Photoshop elements. When I tried to do it myself there was only one layer and it was not possible to go any further. I emailed Steve about this and he is astonished to find he has struck the same brick wall. He hasn't been able to help me much with starting one from scratch and doesn't know why mine won't show up in the Create Menus window with all the others. He suggests that I put my problems up to forum discussion in case someone else is having the same problems or in case someone knows the answers.
I have also been in contact with Adobe all this time and they have admitted that their manual is deficient in this area and have assured me that they will be attending to this and will let me know.
I will be back when I have more news. I have broadband now so it is not so frustrating.
Best regards,
Marian

ATR

July 29th, 2008, 08:16 AM

Marian,

Thank you for the update on your situation.

I have edited (customized, not created) Premiere Elements 2 and 4 Adobe DVD Menus in Photoshop Elements without problems. With the 4 version, you do need to be careful that the version of the template that you are editing is the one the program will pick according to the program preset.

In the final analysis, when I come up against a hard problem, often I find that it is not the experts (wherever they may be) who figure this out, but rather you with determination, analysis, exploration, experimentation. But, there are those cases, where the program is not equipped to do the task. But, from your descriptions, it sounds like you are trying to do something that other people have. Did you go step by step with Steve Grisetti and Adobe, and they still did not have the answer to your question. Did you post your question at Steve Grisetti's site and/or Adobe and get any responses from a R. Johnson who contributes to both sites?

I did not understand what was involved when you mentioned having but one layer. Maybe it was related to one of Steve's tips on editing (not creating) a DVD menu. Is your current problem:
1. Editing DVD template
2. Creating DVD template
3. Installing the edited and/or created DVD template into Premiere Elements

I will look forward to your progress.

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

September 15th, 2008, 12:54 AM

Hello ATR
I was horrified to see that your last reply was as far back as June. How time flies!
My problem is 2 and 3. (I am using Photoshop Elements 6 and Premiere Elements 4)
I am now able to edit DVD menus in Photoshop Elements and I have made a DVD menu from scratch, but I do not know how to do the rollovers (highlights). You have probably seen the Adobe Design Centre Tutorial showing how to make a DVD menu called Into The Wind. It shows the effects of highlighting but does not tell exactly how to do this. For someone who hasn't got a clue it is very sketchy.
I still cannot get the finished menu into the Photoshop Elements Create menus window with all the other menu templates. I get two empty squares in the correct category and with the correct name I have given it but no actual template.
Steve Grisetti wanted me to start a new strand on the Muvipix website but I just haven't had the time to get around to it. It's different to Elements Village and I had trouble navigating to the forums.
You are right about persevering. I find that to be the case with database. I have to just figure things out for myself and the more I do this the more I learn and the easier it is the next time.
Best regards,
Marian.

ATR

September 18th, 2008, 12:51 PM

Marian,

I have not thought about DVD Menu creation from scratch in a long while, so I need to refresh by thoughts. But, while I am doing that, here are some preliminary questions:

1. With regard to not getting your DVD Menu creations into Premiere Elements 4, I am wondering if there is an additional coding that is needed that is not obvious. This is way out, but....when you set the preset for a project, Premiere Elements 4 automatically selects the DVD Menu set that is appropriate for that project preset. It may be defining that trigger that is the issue??? I am not referring to main menu vs scene menu extensions, but a code related to project preset. I have to think about that some more.

2. With regard to highlighting the buttons, did you re-review the links that were cited in the very early part of this thread? I would like to look into this further. Could you post a link to the Adobe Design Tutorial that you mentioned. I tried a few times to find it from your description but could not.

As I said, I do not have Photoshop to do some DVD Menu creation troubleshooting that way. But, I may try troubleshooting these issues by going into Premiere Elements 4 and taking apart the existing DVD Menus further.

Steve Grisetti has the tools and expertise in this area, so I am surprised that he has not gotten all the wrinkles ironed out of this. Nonetheless, we will stick with this and see what we can come up with.

To be continued....

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

September 21st, 2008, 11:37 PM

Hello ATR
Here is the link to the Adobe Design Center Tutorial- Create a DVD menu in Adobe Photoshop-
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/encore/articles/enc15menu.html

I find it is not detailed enough where it counts and it assumes too much of the learner. It was created 4 years ago, Photoshop Elements 6 is different to this in that it does not have folders for layer sets- or perhaps I am just doing it wrong.

I will re-contact Adobe to see what progress they have made in putting together help files for this. They have acknowledged that these instructions were overlooked and are supposed to be working on it but said that it would take some time.

Thank you for your help and I will let you know what Adobe have to say.
Regards,
Marian

Marian Bertoldo

September 21st, 2008, 11:48 PM

New Forum User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 12

Hello ATR
Here is the link to the Adobe Design Center Tutorial- Create a DVD menu in Adobe Photoshop-
http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/en...enc15menu.html (http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/encore/articles/enc15menu.html)

I find it is not detailed enough where it counts and it assumes too much of the learner. It was created 4 years ago, Photoshop Elements 6 is different to this in that it does not have folders for layer sets- or perhaps I am just doing it wrong.

I will re-contact Adobe to see what progress they have made in putting together help files for this. They have acknowledged that these instructions were overlooked and are supposed to be working on it but said that it would take some time.

Thank you for your help and I will let you know what Adobe have to say.
Regards,
Marian
] (http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=408269)

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ATR

September 22nd, 2008, 08:34 PM

Marian,

Just to let you know that I started to work on some DVD Menu editing with focus on highlighting details of the link that you cited.

So far, I have had no problems editing and installing these DVD Menus, but I am still working out one or more wrinkles.

To be continued....

ATR

ATR

September 25th, 2008, 08:32 PM

Marian,

I have read and worked with the Adobe Design Center Tutorial in depth, working with the existing DVD Templates of Premiere Elements 4 in Photoshop Elements 6.

Those Premiere Elements 4 DVD Templates .psd layer sets DO open in Photoshop Elements 6, although I cannot create them.

There were a lot of "wrinkles" to iron out, but I think that I have it figured out what they did, step by step by step for thumbnails as shown for a DVD Main Menu as well as a DVD Selection Menu.

Have you worked out your problems. If not, let me know if you want me to post my detailed account of my adventures with these DVD Menu Templates.

ATR

Marian Bertoldo

October 1st, 2008, 06:44 PM

Hello ATR
Thank you for going to so much trouble and yes please, I would love to see details of the results of your labours.
I have contacted Adobe again and they have assured me that their tech. people are now working on step by step instructions for their owners manual, but I'm not holding my breath.
The main things that I could not figure out were the rollovers (highlights) and how to get the finished menu and scene menu to show up in the Create menus window with all the other menu templates, instead of two empty squares.
Best regards,
Marian Bertoldo