Authoring softwares specialized in professional DVD / BD menus design, usually offer the "highlight" feature. It is used to display a small picture (also called chip) near or inside a menu button when it is activated. It's more fun than the simple activation of the outside or inside of the button and it allows greater customization. Indeed most professional DVDs use this option. Unfortunately Avid / Pinnacle does not offer this function. Then, should we give up ? No, there is a way to do it or approach it with a constraint however : the figurine should appear near the animated button on a fixed background.
Here is what you will obtain after following this tutorial :
So, how to do it ?
Tiwa shows the way in the tutorial written by Le Papy (See "Custom buttons by TIWA"). He explains how to make buttons that hide into the background and appear only when they are activated. So I thought about a realization by associating them to the short video clips inserted in the presentation of a film (see "An introduction leading to the menu").
Let's go to practice.
Step 1 : Realization of the menu background
In the previous tutorial, after insertion of video clips during the commentary of the film's introduction, we introduced the oval buttons in lieu of the video clips. This time, we will extend the presentation of a duration equal to that menu, by leting the continuation of the clips or starting from the beginning of the clips (at your convenience).
Cut (1) this video in two parts : the introduction (2) and what will be the menu background (3) with video clips. Record these two parts separately (Tab 3 create a movie and then file). In addition, take a screenshot of the menu background (as seen in previous tutorial).
Step 2 : Creating highlight buttons
You will make the "highlight" buttons with the free, opensource graphic software that you can download on the official website via our link page-GIMP (EN)
Let's recall the principle:
1) choose the figurines
2) make a screenshot of the background through the figurine
2.1 - Choice of the figurines
You can choose many different, adapted to film's themes. Free pictures can be found on the internet (eg clip art) or draw them yourself.
As shall be displayed in monochrome (required by DVD standard) you will make them monochrome, black for example. To do this select the drawing (or outside and we select reverse) and fill it with paint can.
Here are some examples :
Choose the last 4 in our Australian example: the backpacker in the Australian bush, a diver to the coral reef, the Sydney Opera House, the city of Melbourne.
2.2 - Make a screenshot of the background through the figurine
| Open in Gimp the screenshot of the menu background previously recorded, as well as the backpacker. |
|
Select the outside of the backpacker with the magic wand or color selection (1), (refining the threshold (3) and mode (2) if necessary).
Then copy the selection and paste it in the menu background. So the backpacker appears in transparency in the menu background. |
|
Select the resizing tool in (1) to reduce the size of backpacker using the handle (2).
Validate by clicking scale(3). |
|
| Select the positioning tool and move the backpacker to its final position on the menu. |
|
| Anchor the layer. |
|
| Select the picture border (by staying inside the image). |
|
| Copy and paste it as a new image. |
|
| Select the outside of the image. |
|
Then delete the selection (del key on the keyboard) to make it transparent.
Record (1) in targa format (2) (to keep the transparency), then after selecting a file name (3) in your working directory, validate (4) : our "highlight" button is ready. |
|
Having proceeded as before for the other buttons, we are going to use them in Pinnacle Studio.
Step 3 : Use "highlight" buttons in the menu
You wil make almost the same manipulations than in the previous tutorial.
|
First, position on the timeline (storyboard) the introduction and chapters.
Then select the first chapter (1), the video tools box (2), the Title icon in (3), set time of cyclic menu (4) to 20 s (for example) and validate "Full screen classic title"in (5).
|
 |
| Select background icon (1). This time, choose the menu background that contains video clips (2) and then set the menu length (3). |
|
Select this time the button icon (1), then the "highlight" button (2) previously created, drag it drag on the menu background.
Having resized it with handles, position it so that it overlaps in the place where it has been previously created.
So it will disappear in the background being invisible. It will be advantageous for this manipulation to deselect the highlight style (4).
When placed, validate (4), then select from the dropdown list "normal buttonl" (6), the selector (5) is checked as shown in the screenshot, our brave backpacker tint in the color yellow (color selected in this example)!
And so on for the following buttons. Validate to finish. |
|
Nothing more to do than associate a button with a chapter: the button ( 2 ) selected in (1) is associated with the selected chapter ( 3 ) by validating in (4) and so on for every buttons.
It only remains to create the DVD / BD (5). |
|
Here is the resulting video below :
{Screenshots have been done using Snagit 10 from TechSmith}
Fine tuned by saby