Help creating custom DVD menus with masked preview windows.

rkeahey

Newbie Joined: May 18, 2011 13:59 Messages: 6 Offline

Solved by

Nov 05, 2011 00:42

I'm interested in creating custom DVD menus, but not sure how to go about it. I know how to modify a template inside of PD. What I want to do is create menus that have masked preview windows. Are these created with tools outside of PD?

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: http://directorzone.cyberlink.com/detail/4787675

Wondering how they created the masked area for the coffee cup.

Apologize if this is a repeat question, but couldn't seem to find a relevant answer on the forum.

Thanks in advance.

Robert

Xerox

Contributor Location: California, USA Joined: Aug 09, 2009 01:36 Messages: 446 Offline

Nov 05, 2011 07:58

You don't need a mask. All you need is a background image. The placeholder will be on top of the background image.

Of course you have to create the background image with a graphics program. In the menu designer you can import the image, and it will replace the existing background image with the coffee cup.

The placeholder in the coffee cup menu is fixed in place and can't be moved around or resized. Other menus might have placeholders that can be moved and resized. If you create a new menu from scratch, the placeholders are rectangular.

There's a tutorial in the DirectorZone for modifying a menu: http://directorzone.cyberlink.com/tutorial/

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Nov 05. 2011 08:02

Gateway DX4380, AMD A8-5500 Quad Core 3.2GHz with ATI Radeon HD 7560D; 16GB RAM; 1 TB SATA 7200 RPM; Windows 8 Pro 64-bit; PDR11, PDVD12.

rkeahey

Newbie Joined: May 18, 2011 13:59 Messages: 6 Offline

Nov 05, 2011 11:58

Thanks Xerox,

Very helpful! Will check out the tutorial.

I'm pretty handy with Photoshop, so I can create the background mask.

Creating the placeholder is where I have trouble. Can't figure out how to make it resizable/movable like you mentioned. Will keep investigating.

Robert

Xerox

Contributor Location: California, USA Joined: Aug 09, 2009 01:36 Messages: 446 Offline

Nov 05, 2011 14:00

The placeholder on the title page is not moveable or scaleable, but the placeholders on the chapter menus can be.

For the title page, you won't be able to use the menu designer to alter the placeholder, you will have to go outside the PowerDirector system and explore the menu folders to discover the different components used to construct a menu.

Good luck. Gateway DX4380, AMD A8-5500 Quad Core 3.2GHz with ATI Radeon HD 7560D; 16GB RAM; 1 TB SATA 7200 RPM; Windows 8 Pro 64-bit; PDR11, PDVD12.