DVD Menu Double Play Help

[alphaae]

Well to say the least I love Premier Elements its got all i need at a fraction of the cost for what Pro is.

So to the pros and the vets I need some help.

I am trying to make a menu for a project I am working on in Primier Elements 7.

From what I've read on other post prevoius this can be done but it takes some trick work.

I want to make a NTSC Menu but I want to have just two selections in the menu.

One plays one section of my DVD and the other plays the a second selections.

I just want to know if anyone here would know how to code the layers in photoshop to do this?

I assume you can not make two (+-) play movie layers in your DVD photshop file so how would I go about doing this?

Secondly is there a way to tell elements to return to the menu after a certin point? Basically I want the movie to go back to the menu after each clip in my movie.

Oh yeah one more thing if you guys figure this out could you please let me know I need it to finish a project and this is the last thing I need.

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Chuck Engels]

You can do this within Premiere Elements, no need to change the menu in Photoshop Elements. Using Main Menu Markers and Stop Markers you can make this work very easily. See the following April 2006 Steve's Tip for some help using the DVD Markers in Premiere Elements
http://videoinasnap.chuckengels.com/source/archive.htm

[ATR]

Typically, if you have two movies that you want on one DVD-VIDEO, you are dealing with placing Main Menu Markers/Stop Markers and maybe also Scene Markers on the Premiere Elements Timeline. Those markers will be directly linked to the DVD Main or Scene Menu thumbnails to which they correspond. You do NOT go into the DVD template .psds in the Premiere Elements program files and look for some special coding there.

This is going to depend on which DVD Menu template you plan to use, but this basic principle applies:

Video 1 with Stop Marker at its end
A few seconds gap in Timeline
Video 2 with a Main Menu Marker at its beginning and a Stop Marker at its end. (When you place the Main Marker, you name it Bonus Movie or whatever. That "Name" will then appear on the DVD Main Menu automatically. So then the Main Menu has buttons for Play All, Scene Selection, and Bonus Movie.)
Scene Markers can be placed in Video 1 or Video 2.
With this plan you sacrifice the PLAY ALL option from the Main Menu.

Recently I worked out a scheme for this type of a procedure where you do not have to sacrifice the Play All option on the Main Menu. Check it out:
http://www.adobeforums.com/webx/.59b6bbf5

There are articles that describe (or suggest) the conventions for creating the layers (layer sets) that go into creating DVD Templates from scratch. Even if you think that you know what those conventions are, I would strongly urge you to go into the program files/DVD templates of Premiere Elements 7, pick a template, and open its .psd in Photoshop Elements 7 to get the best possible information on the structure of these menus. I would go into more detail now, but I do not believe that you need this information for what you say that you want to do.

Let me know if I read you right and which one of the Premiere Elements 7 DVD Menu Templates that you plan to use.

ATR

[alphaae]

Wow that was really fast here is a question the reason why I wanted to edit in Photoshop is to make my own menu.

I thought about just making a scene only menu.

With a scene menu basically I will get rid of the other scenes and just keep one and two will this work?

Again thanks ATR and Chuck you guys rule

[alphaae]

Just so you know Chuck I was using one of the DVD menus you can download from movipix as a template so I don't goof up all the correct coding.

[ATR]

alphaae

Are you saying that your goal is to have just two thumbnails on one menu?

And, from this menu give the viewer the option to play movie one or two?

That is it?

ATR

If that is it, then let me know if you need step by step on how to do that.

[alphaae]

Here is exactly what I am making for the menu

here is the link because the picture add on the forum is not working

http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=glorieta2009palssmpo1.jpg

I want the Play DVD on the english to play the english portino and the spanish one to play the spanish one.

So far I was just using the scene selection PSD file and just making the other layers no visable because I only need the two.

[alphaae]

That's what I want ATR just two button on the main menu to play video #1 or #2

I've been trying to get it to work with the photoshop file but I have yet to get it right

[ATR]

alphaae

I just did a test run on what I am about to describe, and it worked. Here goes:

I am assuming the you are creating this from scratch in one of the Photoshop versions (CS, CS2, CS3, or CS4).

1. Your DVD Main Menu is going to be named:
"whatever name you want"_pal_s_mm.psd.
It must have this name structure and the Image Size of 720 x 576 pixels whether you are in a NTSC or PAL area. The resulting .psd will go in a Folder named "whatever the name" in the Premiere Elements 7 Program Files/Adobe/Premiere Elements 7/DVD Templates/.... The name is for a DVD template that is to be used for standard definition (_s_).

2. The Layer Structure is going to look like this (more details on the layer set conventions and structure, if necessary): from top to bottom
a. Layer Set for with Title of the Movie
b. Layer Set (+) main menu 1 (contains folder for text = movie in Spanish and a layer for highlight)
c. Layer Set (+-) play (contains folder for text = movie in English and a layer for highlight)
d. Background

3. Your Premiere Elements 7 Timeline content should be configured:
a. Video1 in English, no markers at beginning and stop marker at end
b. followed by a few second gap on the Timeline
c. Video2 in Spanish, main menu marker at beginning of it and a stop marker at end.

Here is hoping....

ATR
(Go to the Premiere Elements 7 Program Files, carefully open one of the Premiere Elements 7 DVD template .psds in Photoshop Elements to check out the typical structure)

[ATR]

Add on....

Depending on the starting material, there are alternative routes for pre-made menus (those that came with the program) to get to the same end.

ATR

[alphaae]

Thanks ATR for your help but I finally figured out how to get it to work with a crude but effective method here's what I did for future people who may find this helpful

1. Work smarter not harder

-Use one of the premade menus that's included with the premier you will just need to do some twikking to get it to work the way you want it. Since adobe already coded them to work use one of their premades

-path to get to premade menus in premier
my computer>c:drive>program files>adobe>Adobe Premiere Elements>DVD Templates>Movie Genre>Secret Agent>spy_pal_s_mm.psd

-inside of the the DVD templetas folders will be several folders that are labled ....(name)_pal_s_mm.psd open the file the has mm in it meaning main menu do not open a _sm.psd (scene menu) or it wont work

2. LAYER SETS
When in photoshop several layerssets will appear you only need to turn layer sets on to viewable on as follows

A.-(+-) play movie
B.-(+) bonus
C.-background

Not you may leave title on as well if you want to write your own title in.

3.When you open Layer sets Play DVD and Bonus Features in photoshop you will see several layers but you need only work with three of them they are as follows....

Step 1 (+-) play movie

Layer 1. (en_US(-)) Play Movie
- This is where you may change the name of play DVD to whatever you wish such as Play Video 1 please also make sure that the font you use to make your DVD menus is an approved font to work if you are not sure about what fonts to use: use the ones in this manuel guide as a standard of acceptable fonts

(http://videoinasnap.chuckengels.com/docs/PRE2.0TemplateGuideforDesigners_1105.pdf)
Made availiable by good old chuck:)

Layer 2. Layer 1 copy
-This layer shows you what it will look like when you select the button (aka underline, arrow, etc.) in your menu you can change this to what ever you want delet the one in that layer currently replace it with yours. (It works best if you just select all in the layer delet it and replace it with your own)

Layer 3. (=1) highlight
-As you guessed this is what the button will look like when selected on the menu ( It works best if you use the same shape or item that you used for Layer 2. Layer 1 copy and change the color to something you would want for when the person selects the button on the DVD with their remote)

Step 2 (+) bonus

Repeat the steps listed above for Step 1 (+-)

1(en_US(-)) Bonus Features
(replace name you wish to display in DVD Menu)
2Layer 1 copy
(Replace button select icon for DVD Menu)
3.(=1) highlight
(Replace button higlight icon for DVD Menu)

Step 3 background

Background you wish to have displayed behind buttons in DVD Menu

NOTE: DO NOT CHANGE LAYER NAMES
Premier will understand what these do but if you change them they may not work right when making your DVD Menu in Premier

4.Save you PSD file

NOTE: BE CARFUL SAVING FILES
Make sure that when opening these files you don't just save them if you don't save them under a new name you may goof up the originals therefore i recomend you saving as a follows (new name)_pal_s_mm.psd make sure the ending name of the file with the underscores stays the same so Premier Elements can use it.

I suggest saving your PSD file to your desktop for the moment.

5.Create folders for Premier

One you have created your menu for premier you need to save it in the right folder for premier to use you will need to go to the following locations in your C: drive

my computer>c:drive>program files>adobe>Adobe Premiere Elements>DVD Templates>General>....

Once here you need to create a new folder you can name it what ever you wish (example My DVD Menu)

Once you have created that folder open it and cut and paste the PSD file you made into that folder

[example for new menu location]
my computer>c:drive>program files>adobe>Adobe Premiere Elements>DVD Templates>General>My DVD Menu>My DVD Menu_pal_s_mm.psd

6.Create Movie

Just make a movie

7.Set DVD Menu Markers

When creating markers for the DVD

1. Place a stop menu marker where you would like the video to go back to the menu for the first button. (example after first video)

2. PLace a Main menu marker where you would like the second video to start

3. PLace a stop marker at the end of your second video to return to the DVD Menu

8.Disc Menus

Selct your menu from under the general DVD Menu template floder and
drag it to the DVD menu creation point.

Becasue you already set the DVD marker points you should be good to go but preview it before you burn.

9.Burn DVD

wait for DVD to burn while waiting make pocorn to view your masterpiece

10. Watch DVD on big TV

Good Job you made your own custom DVD Menu just the way you wanted it with only two buttons on the main menu.

Hope this helps for anyone who needs to make a two button DVD menu.

[ATR]

alphaae

Thanks for the follow up details. We are happy that the information found here helped you to obtain the end product that you sought. These types of questions and the associated reference articles have been posted here several times before:
http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25223&highlight=Menus

Here is exactly what I am making for the menu
http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?i...9palssmpo1.jpg (http://img522.imageshack.us/my.php?image=glorieta2009palssmpo1.jpg)


Where did you get the DVD Template Main Menu that you displayed in the above sending? Since I had not recalled seeing it previously, I was under the impression that you were creating your own menu from scratch with Photoshop, after doing mini tests with pre-existing ones. Did you do your modifications of menus with Photoshop Elements or Photoshop?

Nonetheless, the basic principles remain the same throughout, allowing for all sorts of workarounds to achieve the desired effect. If you enjoyed this DVD Menu study, you might want to consider next DVD Main Menu buttons with thumbnails for video along with text.

Thanks for all your hard work and letting us know the outcome.

ATR
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