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PD8 Custom Menu Help Please!!!!
tlb27 [Avatar]
Newbie Joined: Sep 24, 2009 07:32 Messages: 14 Offline
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I've dug through this forum, maybe I'm just too frustrated but honestly have searched and can't seem to find what I'm looking for.

Please chime in if you can point me in the right direction.

I'm trying to build a menu close to what you get on most of the rentable DVD movies out there. Example: From the main menu you can normally click on a thumbnail or something that will take you to "chapters 1-5", right next to that you have the same options for "chapters 6-10" and so on.

I'm trying to put together an instuctional vid that has around 32 separate clips. These clips need to be grouped by 4.

I'd like to have a root menu that has "play" and "scenes". If you choose "scenes" you would then be taken to a page that would basically relay the following: "Click here for Group A 1-4", "Click here for Group B 1-4", "Click here for Group C 1-4"...on until I've got my 32 scenes accounted for. Once you click on one of the above "Group" buttons, you'd go to another menu page that would allow you to actually select the chapter 1,2,3 or 4. Pretty much just like you'd find on most DVD movies like I said earlier.

I don't want to have to hit a "next" button from 1 all the way to 32, I'd like to try and shorten that process up.

I've tried the menu designer, I mean what function do the "Item1" "Item2" buttons that they give you serve? Why can't I tell "Item1": point to this page, kind of like HTML, or do we not have that kind of control?

Thanks a million in advance,
timboothe
[Post New]
Hi Tim,

the menu structure depends on the chapter structure, which is defined by the method how you import your footage.
When your footage consists of one project with chapters only, what you want won't work.

But here is the solution:
If you split your footage to one project per "parent chapter" (means each partial project containing 4 chapters each as you want it) and then import these 8 projects in the menu designer, you will get a 3-level chapter structure.
What you will get you might also call a "Main level - Chapters - Scenes" structure, which is exactly what you want.

I hope my explanation was good enough and not too confusing

Cheers,
Tom

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Apr 16. 2010 08:10

PC: Intel Core2Duo E8600 2,66 GHz, 4 GB RAM
OS: Windows XP SP2
GPU: NVidia GeForce 8500 with 512 MB Video RAM
PowerDirector Version 8 build 3022
Cam: Panasonic HDC-SD100
Pax 123 [Avatar]
Senior Member Location: Miami, Florida Joined: Feb 25, 2010 06:35 Messages: 282 Offline
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Hi Tom

While you were helping Tim, I want you to know you helped me greatly too!

Bohn Laptop PC, ASUS
Core i7 Q 720
Win 7, 64-bit
RAM 8GB DDR2
Graphics, NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M 1GB DDR5
tlb27 [Avatar]
Newbie Joined: Sep 24, 2009 07:32 Messages: 14 Offline
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Tom,

Bless you sir!!! You nailed it man, I'm now able to put out menus like I want to. Did I miss something? Were these instructions anywhere in the help files or did you just figure it out trial and error? I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only one that would like to make menus in this fashion, you'd think that it would be easily findable in the help menu.

Anyhow, thanks a million, I really mean that.

[Post New]
Hi guys,

I figured that out all by myself - unfortunately it's not documented in the official pages.

Anyway I'm happy to help you all with that.

Cheers,
Tom PC: Intel Core2Duo E8600 2,66 GHz, 4 GB RAM
OS: Windows XP SP2
GPU: NVidia GeForce 8500 with 512 MB Video RAM
PowerDirector Version 8 build 3022
Cam: Panasonic HDC-SD100
Cap'n Kevin
Senior Contributor Location: Chebeague Island, Maine Joined: Dec 26, 2008 20:22 Messages: 2011 Offline
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Tom,

That was a darn good answer to a question that helped a number of others in the process. You jumped right in the middle and gave a great solution.

I don't make any discs myself so I don't know ANYTHING about creating disc menus....but I'll refer any questions I have about making discs in the future to you!!

Kevin
Check out PDtoots. PowerDirector Tutorials and more! Over 5,000 Subscribers.
James W
Senior Contributor Location: Lakeland, FL USA Joined: Aug 18, 2008 10:36 Messages: 911 Offline
[Post New]
The same information is also explained in one of the video tutorials. Q9300 2.5 GHz
4 GB Ram
Nvidia 9800 GT
[Post New]
anyway, please keep in mind that not all hardware (DVD) players fully cope with such PD 8 created disks based on multiple projects or films.

My hardware player for instance doesn't play all chapters (previously imported projects) continuously (one by the other), even when it was set in the PD 8 DVD menu designer to do so.
Instead, it plays only one chapter and then stops. So I have to choose each chapter I want to watch separately.

Regards,
Tom

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Apr 19. 2010 04:17

PC: Intel Core2Duo E8600 2,66 GHz, 4 GB RAM
OS: Windows XP SP2
GPU: NVidia GeForce 8500 with 512 MB Video RAM
PowerDirector Version 8 build 3022
Cam: Panasonic HDC-SD100
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