Fuzzy Menu Text

[TeddKYGB]

So it seems like I am having an issue with the menu's.

I choose a menu, apply it and the preview it while in PE7. The preview window comes up but the menu picture shifts jut a little bit and the text becomes fuzzy and nearly unreadable. Even though I have a 512MB video card I thought it might be just that.

I burn it to a DL DVD and when I go to play it on my TV the menu is again fuzzy.

I did a search and found this thread but it doesn't contain a solution. Is anyone else having this issue and found a solution?

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40608&highlight=menu+text

[ATR]

Which specific DVD Menu are you using from Premiere Elements 7?

If I recall, you have Windows XP, SP3, 3 GB RAM, but lots of space required.

Depending on a lot of factors, it could be a resource problem. I suspect that the 512 MB video card may be taking away from your available RAM. By the way, what is your available RAM in contrast to your installed RAM.

BUT, some of those DVD Menu Templates have and can have problems. So, let me know which one of those that you are using, and I will try to replicate your issue with my Premiere Elements.

Did you say which Premiere Elements 7 project preset that you are using?

ATR

Here is the other half of the thread that you referenced:
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40619

[TeddKYGB]

Yes I have XP/SP3 with 3GB and a 2.3Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo chip. I also have 120GB of free hard drive space and recently defragged. I apologize on the video card its a GEForce 8600GT with 256MG of memory.

WIth just IE and PE7 open task manager tells me I have over 2GB of RAM available so I have plntyof room there. I think I have more than enough machine here. FWIW, I've used other DVD authoring/video editing (ULEAD & NERO) software and have not had this issue. I am trying to move to PE7 because I like the features better.

The template I was using was Portfolio and Grid.

Is there a template we know doesn't have issues? I've randomly tried a bunch and the still look fuzzy on the screen. I have burned them because it would be a waste of DVD's.

I appreciate your help and I really want to stick with PE7 but there seems to be all the quirky issues that competing software doesn't have.

[TeddKYGB]

Just found something that may or may not be of consequence. If I remove the audio clip from my menu options (both menus) and I preview I DO NOT see that little shift if the menu that makes things fuzzy. The text still isnt really that clear but much better without the music. If I put a music clip back, the shift in the preview reappears. I've tried other audio clips and I get the same shift, so it isnt a specific audio clip it seems to be the way PE7 is handling that in the menu.

Hopefully that helps and I'll continue playing with it on my end.

Has anyone had great sucess with a specific template and/or scene text that I can try?

[ATR]

TeddKYGB

The DVD Menus that you mentioned, Portfolio (no music) and Grid (with music), seem to have smaller text and poor contrast against the default backgrounds.

Just as a test, how about this?
Use the following DVD Menus and check them out and see what happens to the fuzzy that you observed for the examples that you gave for fuzzy problem menus:

Entertainment/Blue Notes (No Music)
Seasons/Pink Tulips (No Music)

Try adding your own audio to each to see if that impacts the clarity of the Menu Text of these menus.

You say that you have 2 GB of your 3 GB RAM available. Among other things factors, I suspect that your video card is taking away from your available RAM, but......... How about this? You say that you are burning to a double layer DVD. That tells me that you are dealing with a large project. So, try these problem DVD menus in a mini project to see if this same fuzziness is there is Preview before the burn and in the final product.

ATR

[TeddKYGB]

ATR - I had actually tried both adobe audio clips as well as my own and always saw the same thing. In preview if the menu had audio I got the "shift" and the test became blurry, without audio things stayed a more clear. Motion scene markers do the same thing

I also tried stock adobe video clips that had a menu with and without music and saw the same thing. So by elimination its the presence of music or motion scene makers that causes things to get more blurry not the specific music file or video file

I really dont think it has anything to do with the video card as the machine just isnt at all that taxed.

I tried both those templates in the project and blue notes looked the best. I am going to burn a new dvd folder tonight and test it on a TV tomorrow. I'll report back then.

Thanks

[ATR]

I will be watching for your results.

But, have you tried that mini test where you took just a few video clips (ex. Adobe Sample files), added one of the problem menus, and saw what that looked like with and without the music as part of the DVD Menu Template?

ATR

[Chuck Engels]

Take a look at this topic, might be of some help to you
http://muvipix.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=37614#p37614

[ATR]

CE

Thanks for the link, but, although interesting, I do not pick up on the direct support.

Correct me if I am misinterpreting this...in that link a user is trying to work out details for creating own DVD menu (or at least editing a pre-existing one). In the thread here in Elements Village forum, the issue seems to be using a DVD Menu Template that Adobe has included in Premiere Elements.

I have used the DVD Menus mentioned here as problem DVD Menus. Aside from the smaller fonts and the poor contrast between text and background, they do work for me without pixelation or other. Have you personally tried using these DVD menus (General/Portfolio and Grid) and what did you find?

Thanks in advance for the feedback.

ATR

[Chuck Engels]

The resulting problem is the same however, fuzzy text.
I have not used Premiere Elements for authoring DVDs for over a year now. Everything I do in Encore DVD these days, just trying to help find a solution. I thought the topic was worth looking into, if not then I apologize.

[ATR]

CE

No need to apologize, thanks for getting involved....just looking to see if you tried these Adobe made Premiere Elements 7 DVD Menu Templates in question.

There tends to be all sorts of conflicting reports on whether or not some of the DVD Menu function properly. We ran into that with the Premiere Elements 4 Baby Girl Template. The Adobe version did not work for many; Steve Grisetti generously offered an online version, which worked for him but not several others. So, I was just taking a count on this one.

Sometimes I think that I see a trend in these "problem" menus, that being larger MB for Space Required coupled with a large project; other times it can be the text size and contrast of text on background; other.

In weak moments when I am troubleshooting my own DVD menu issues (in creation of menus from scratch or editing of existing ones), I think "Well, maybe AutoPlay is not so bad after all".

ATR

[TeddKYGB]

I will be watching for your results.

But, have you tried that mini test where you took just a few video clips (ex. Adobe Sample files), added one of the problem menus, and saw what that looked like with and without the music as part of the DVD Menu Template?

ATR

ATR, I have...see above. I have run tests with my video clips and my audio, my video clips and adobe sample audio, adobe sample video clips and my audio, adobe sample video clips and adobe sample audio....all lead to the same result, a fuzzy text menu.

The test last night worked better as the menu was better but the actual video pixelation on the "movie" was horrendous. The menu I used was Blue Notes with no music and no motion scene markers. This was a game recorded in HD and is quite large so I will retry again but burn to a 8.5GB folder and then to a DVD DL. I'll return with the results.

To be honest I am ready to give up on it and go back to Corel MovieStudio. I am not sure if I want to limit myself to 1 menu with no music and no motion scene markers. But I will give it 1 more honest try.

Take a look at this topic, might be of some help to you
http://muvipix.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?p=37614#p37614

Thanks. I read it tonight.

[ATR]

TeddKYGB

I am sorry that things have not gotten better.

Correct me if I have gone off track here..but, I have been understanding that this text fuzziness is related to DVD Menus and, other than that, the quality of the body of your end product is OK. Please confirm.

Do you have any titles (text) in the body of your video? If so, how do they display, fuzzy or crisp? If you do not have any text additions to your video, what do you think about adding a title (text) on track 2 anywhere above your video on track 1 and see if that text is also fuzzy in the Preview before burn or in the end product burned to DVD.

When you open Premiere Elements, you set a project preset. Are you staying with that project preset all the way to the end product OR are you starting with a project preset and then changing the project preset in the burn dialog?

You mention Corel Movie Studio. Have you used that program successfully before for this type of a project? I remember that you said that you had used Nero and Ulead, and you found the results acceptable.

I do not have a project (of a size requiring double layer DVD) to experiment with. BUT, you say that you get these DVD menu problems with mini runs as well. I cannot replicate your issue here. I have only:
Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 3
installed and available 1 GB RAM, 50 GB free hard drive space,
Nvidia GeForce4 MX440 with AGP8X video card.

Please update us on your latest results and let us know if CE's link gave you any ideas.

Do not give up.

ATR

[ATR]

Add on....

What disc type did you use for your mini runs.....DVD-R or did you invest more double layer DVDs?

I will continue to think about why those menus are displaying problems in your setup that I just do not see in mine.

ATR