Menus, Again

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Solved by

Jan 08, 2009 22:49

*** My apologies for the re-post, but the first one got lost in the system after surviving only a few hours. (Available under Recent Topics, and can be found by searching, but not visible on the main index pages. Hopefully this one won't suffer the same fate!!) ***

Hi all,

Most of the menu templates in Power Director 7 include a small, usually irregularly-shaped window, through which the first part of the movie is visible. I don't especially like that, and looked for ways to get rid of it.

Just replacing the background image doesn't help - the window is still there. However, if I replace the background image with a video instead of a still image, the window is gone. Further, if I then replace the video background with an image, the window stays gone, ie I have achieved what I wanted. If anyone else wants to get rid of the window, this two-step method may help.

The same result can also be achieved by building a menu from scratch, but the double replacement method is probably easier.

Now for my question. Having said that I don't like this little window, I would like to know how to create one on a menu which I build from scratch. This may sound a bit perverse, but I am trying to understand the way the menu designer works.

Can anyone help please?

Thanks in advance.

Robert

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jan 09. 2009 10:06

Bob50

Member Location: Australia Joined: Dec 12, 2008 23:40 Messages: 88 Offline

Jan 09, 2009 04:00

Hi Robert,
I'm sorry I can't answer your question regarding building a menu from scratch but I wanted to thank you for finding out how to get rid of the window when using our own background image. I always wanted to do that.
Cheers
Bob

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 09, 2009 16:31

This is sort of a cheating way to get rid of the window, but it seems to work.
While you are editing, depending on whether you're on the main page or chapter page where the dastardly window appears, there are two ways to make it "go away."

First, click on the video window. Resize it to a very small box...but not so small that you cannot move it around while in editing mode. Select it and move it to a portion of the frame that is off and out of the way. Click on the frame again and make it as small as it will go. After you exit edit mode, you'll find that the window is so small that it virtually disappears.

The second way is to follow the exact same steps above, but just move the shrunken window point off to the side and outside the "video safe zone," (the dotted square box). Anything outside of this safe zone should not show up on your screen.

In reality, the window never really goes away, all you're doing is making it so small or placing it an area where it cannot be seen.

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 09, 2009 19:00

Frank

Thanks

Do you have any ideas on how I can create a window from scratch on a new menu?

Robert

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 10, 2009 20:06

Hi All

I have been advised by Cyberlink that PD7 does not have this functionality. If you want to create a template with a preview window you must do it by modifying an existing template (or, presumably, create it using different software)- you can't build one from scratch in PD7.

Robert

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 10, 2009 22:34

Sorry Robert,

I forgot to tell you what you just found out in that last post...you can modify or get rid of that window, but there is no new window command. But considering there are a lot of different styles and shapes of windows already available as a starting template, you can just modify them to to your liking to make a new one style.

Cindy R

Member Location: Louisiana, USA Joined: Feb 27, 2007 16:34 Messages: 124 Offline

Jan 11, 2009 08:41

I was finding that I couldn't get rid of some of those windows either and just re-sized them and put them outside the video safe zone. Works well.

On another topic with the menus . . . I have downloaded several menus from Director Zone. In particular, I downloaded the one named "TV Wall" although this happens with all of the menus I have tested.

I have a video I want to burn. I don't want the 1st video to show up on the main page. Instead, I want a photo which I put at the beginning of the timeline. I thought the menu designer would just pick up that first photo since it's at the beginning. Instead, it picks up the first video. I tried to go into Menu Designer, but it won't let me change it. It will only let me change the background picture which I don't want to do. Is there any way to customize the first view (photo or video) on the main page of the menus?

Also, can I customize how many buttons I want on a page? It seems like when I pull up different menus, the buttons per page are pre-set and you can't change them.

Althought I have been using PD for a couple of years, I have not had a need to use the menus until now - Dafydd, are there any of your great tutorial videos I can watch?

Thanks,
Cindy

vn800rider

Senior Contributor Location: Darwen, UK Joined: May 15, 2008 04:32 Messages: 1949 Offline

Jan 11, 2009 14:30

Hi Cindy,

I try not to get too involved in the menu designer - I'm too old and grumpy already. I have looked at the menu xml files before and made suggestions re changing the music tracks etc. and maybe editing the appropriate xml file is a possibility but probably a bit more tedious.

However, could you try making a short video clip of the photo ie a PD project with one photo in and drop that in the timeline first. A quick example seemed to work for me??

Cheers
Adrian Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 11, 2009 20:27

With at least some of the templates you can go into Modify and Add Buttons, to a maximum of six total.

Robert

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 13, 2009 02:23

Hi all

OOPS!!!

Quote:
Most of the menu templates in Power Director 7 include a small, usually irregularly-shaped window, through which the first part of the movie is visible. I don't especially like that, and looked for ways to get rid of it.

Just replacing the background image doesn't help - the window is still there. However, if I replace the background image with a video instead of a still image, the window is gone. Further, if I then replace the video background with an image, the window stays gone, ie I have achieved what I wanted. If anyone else wants to get rid of the window, this two-step method may help.

The same result can also be achieved by building a menu from scratch, but the double replacement method is probably easier.

When I tried to get rid of the preview window I must have lucked onto a particular combination which seemed to work. Unfortunately a bit more research has shown that my "double replacement" method generally does not work, so best to not waste your time trying it. If you don't want the preview window on your menu, follow Frank's advice, or build your template from scratch (in which case you cannot have a preview window even if you wanted it!)

Sorry about that.

BTW Frank and Cindy

I tried re-sizing the window as you suggested but nothing happened - clicking on the window has no effect - no box with handles to re-size. Is there a setting somewhere I should be using?

Thanks

Robert

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 14, 2009 19:30

Quote: BTW Frank and Cindy

I tried re-sizing the window as you suggested but nothing happened - clicking on the window has no effect - no box with handles to re-size. Is there a setting somewhere I should be using?

Thanks

Robert

Hi Robert,

Try these steps to see if this will let you resize that pesky window.

1. After putting something in the timeline, hit the "create disk" tab from the PD7 workspace.
2. On the left hand section, hit the "new" tab to open a new template.
3. This will take you to the default screen for a menu. On the bottom, you'll see a "goto" drop down menu. Select the "chapters" heading.
4. There, you'll see the video window. Just click on it and it should allow you to resize it. Also, you must be in the "edit" mode to do this. (When you are in the "menu designer" it's the fourth icon from the left.)

If the above doesn't work, I'm not sure what is going on, unless you installed the latest upgrade. Some users on here have reported that some functionality is disabled when they install it.

If you are clicking on the author and preview window located on the right of the create dvd screen, you cannot resize it from there. This is only possible when you click on the "new" button in the menu template tab or the "modify" tab, which you really don't want to do as it will change the original template permanently if you save it after modifying it.

There's a way around this, but that's for another post.

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 14, 2009 20:01

Quote: I have a video I want to burn. I don't want the 1st video to show up on the main page. Instead, I want a photo which I put at the beginning of the timeline. I thought the menu designer would just pick up that first photo since it's at the beginning. Instead, it picks up the first video. I tried to go into Menu Designer, but it won't let me change it. It will only let me change the background picture which I don't want to do. Is there any way to customize the first view (photo or video) on the main page of the menus?

Thanks,
Cindy

Hi Cindy,
The problem probably has to do with the photo file format of your picture. It should be in jpg format. If it isn't, you can open your photo with the photo editor/graphic program of your choice and do a "save as" to a .jpg format.

But here's the bad news, even if you can do this, although you'll see the photo in the beginning of the dvd menu, when you actually play the video, you'll still have that freeze frame in the beginning, so in other words, you'll see a freeze frame for 15-18 seconds before the actual video starts.

I've got some ideas on a work around. I'll get back to you on this after some experimenting.

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 14, 2009 20:23

Hi Frank

Thanks for the reply.

Your method worked, up to a point!!

I tried New, and was able to create a menu without the preview window by resizing as you suggested.

However, Modify didn't work, and that is what I really wanted. My aim is to create a menu with clickable text instead of buttons for the selection of chapters on the Chapters Page. Template 5 does this, but it has the dreaded preview window, so I was trying to modify this template to get rid of the window. Clicking on the window in Modify does nothing. Have you been able to delete the window from an existing template?

Cheers

Robert

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 14, 2009 20:47

Quote: Is there any way to customize the first view (photo or video) on the main page of the menus? Thanks, Cindy.

Hi Cindy,
I was able to figure out a work around. This is how you do it...

1) Make sure you have a photo/graphic that is saved properly to jpg.
2) Open up PD7 with the project of your choice, or a test project in the time line.
3. Go to the create disc menu by hitting the tab at the top of PD7.
4) Click on the menu of your choice and hit the modify tab.
5) Shrink and move the video window off to the side so it is outside the dotted video zone.
6) In the design menu, hit the "add image" icon.
7) Go find the photo in your computer and select and load it.
8.) Resize the photo that appears on the menu template to your liking.
9) Hit "save" and this should bring up the "save as" menu. Name it and save it.

What you have now is a menu template that doesn't play the video because the video window is off to the side. What is left is the photo that you inserted while modifying your menu. If you do a preview of the video in the create disc menu, you'll see that your image has taken the place of the video. When you hit play, the video plays and doesn't show the freeze frame since it isn't part of your time line.

Cool, eh?

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jan 14. 2009 20:59

Frank

Member Joined: Dec 10, 2008 18:27 Messages: 51 Offline

Jan 14, 2009 20:58

Quote: Clicking on the window in Modify does nothing. Have you been able to delete the window from an existing template?Cheers Robert

Hi Robert,
Very odd indeed. If you are in the create disc menu, and you click on any of the templates, and then hit the modify button, this should bring up the "menu designer" screen. Are you seeing this screen?

As soon as you are there, any of the objects, including the video window, is editable. As mentioned before, you can resize the video window to make it small and just move it outside of the video zone box.

If you cannot edit these menus in the modify stage, this may mean your PD7 is corrupted and needs to be reinstalled, or there may be a program running in the background that is interfering with the use of PD7. If this is the case, try turning off all your programs in the system tray. (Right click each icon in the lower right hand corner in windows.)

As far as removing the video windows completely, the only thing you can do is to just make them "invisible" via the resize method.

RobertWA

Senior Member Joined: Sep 20, 2008 00:18 Messages: 223 Offline

Jan 15, 2009 03:21

Hi Frank

Thank you for replying so promptly, but I think we may be talking about different things here.

The window which I want to get rid of is the one on the Main Page of the menu template, ie the one which shows a preview of my movie. I looked at several of the supplied templates and all had the Main Page preview window but none had it on the Chapters Page.

I am happy with the video buttons for chapter selection on the Chapters Page of the menu, and I understand that these can be re-sized, re-shaped, etc.

Your advice seems to focus on the Chapters Page, or have I misunderstood you?

I have un-installed and re-installed PD7, and I tried three different builds, including the latest, but all gave me the same result. The preview window on the Main Page is not editable in any way.

Cheers

Robert

Dan

Newbie Joined: Jan 08, 2009 21:41 Messages: 4 Offline

Feb 02, 2009 10:13

Frank -- I too want to get rid of that pesky video window. When going into the Modify tab, it will not let me highlight that little video window on any of the templates on the Main Page. When I go to the Chapters Page, it will let me highlight and move that video window!! Interesting. I cannot move the main page video window at all.

Jeffrey

Newbie Joined: Jan 28, 2009 12:15 Messages: 4 Offline

Feb 06, 2009 09:37

Robert,

I saw that same problem from day one. The only way I found to get around it was to build a menu from scratch. It wasn't too time-consuming, and now I've got a custom menu saved that I can modify for future use.

jeff

Jeffrey

Newbie Joined: Jan 28, 2009 12:15 Messages: 4 Offline

Feb 06, 2009 09:40

I would like to use text-only menu buttons on the "Chapter Page". Is there any to override the 6-button limit, even if it means modifying some file?

jeff