The standard choices are limited for for button highlights (the video buttons on chapter menus -- not navigation buttons). The look a bit amaturish.

Of course, attempting to use the "IMPORT CUSTOM" does not work (at least not intuitively). No matter what I tried to IMPORT, it would simply place a translucent shading over the entire button/thumbnail.

Here is what I did to work around this problem, as well as a description of what I've learned so far.

There are three files that seem to be associated with these highlights:

HLxx.png
HLxx.thl
GHLxx.png.

As best as I can determine, the GHL represents some sort of original Grayscale file. I cannot see how it is used anywhere.

The "thl" file is a renamed PNG file. I suspect it is a Thumbnail of the Highlight.

The HLxx.png seems to be the key file.

This HLxx file appears to be a designed to be two colors: a purple background with a colored foreground. The foreground color doesn't really matter at this point, because the file is treated as a greyscale file by Menu Designer.

In the My Documents/Cyberlink/Custom Menus/3.0/Menu_xxx/Highlight folder, there is a "std_highlight.xml" file.

Within that XML file, under the HIGHLIGHT ID=2 section, there are three parameters that are important:

image_grayscale="\HLxx.png" points to the file to be used.

bkcolor="FF00FF" is the RGB value of the background color in your highlight png file.

color2="FF0000" (NOTE: these numbers will be different depending on what standard highlight you started with). This is the RGB value of the foreground color that you want displayed.

Here is how I used this information:

I first edited a standard HL png file. I increased the resolution (they are 72DPI. One might thing that resolution is fine for screens, but I saw a marked improvement in the appearance by increasing). FYI, the image I started with -- HL09.png -- was 400x400 pixels, 72DPI.

I then filled the background with the purple color used (R=FF, G=00, B=FF).

I then created my highlight shape in a solid color. NOTE: It does not matter what color is used! Also note that you might make your shape in red, but it will not DISPLAY in red... it will display in whatever color is set in the color2 field.

I saved the PNG file and copied it to the /Highlight folder.

I then edited the "std_highlight.xml" file. I changed the "image_grayscale" field so that it pointed to my new file.

I then changed the "color2" field so that it would display the highlight in the color I wanted.

Then, in Menu Designer, I modified the menu template where I had made the changes. I verified that my changes had happened, and then saved as a new template.

OMG, it's absurd that we need to go through this much effort to create a custom highlight, especially when there is an IMPORT CUSTOM button on the screen!

I think might save some of the XML editing if you can live with one of the standard colors that are used (Red, Yellow, Cyan). You select one of the highlights with the desired color, and then save the template. Then Edit the png file in the \Highlight folder as described above.

It looks like the software is capable of displaying full color highlights, as well as these translucent monocolor masks.

I'll try and find another few hours at some point to further reverse-engineer this code, but a three hours of this nonsense is enough for today. Hopefully this might save somone else the time!

If anyone else can build on these findings, it would be most appreciated! :

==> Mike.