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DVD MOTION MENUSPHOTOSHOP AFTER EFFECTS DVD STUDIO PRO

2Double-click inthe projectwindow toopen theImport Filewindow.Select theAE_PRJKTfolder fromthe DVD_MENU_TUTORIAL folder, then click on theImport folder. Double-check the FootageInterpretation of both video files in the MOVfolder. Select IntroToMain.mov, hit Cmd+Fand check Separate Fields is set to Off. Save.

1Copy the folder DVD_MENU_TUTORIALfrom the cover CD to your computer. Nowcreate a new project in After Effectsso thatyou can import these files.

3Create a comp for the first element, theIntro to Main menu. Go to Composition>NewComposition (Command+N) to createa new comp using the Preset NTSC DV,720x480. Name the comp IntroToMain andset the duration to 0:00:49:00. Click OK.

5Scroll through the timeline to see howthe graphics are animated. Note that oncethe type is on screen, it remains stationary forthe entire loop; it needs to do this to remainstationary so that the menu buttons line upproperly for the duration of the video loop.Buttons cannot be animated.

4You can now add elements to theopen comp. To save time, most of theIntroToMain menu has been pre-rendered,but the loop transitions have been left for youto complete. From the MOV folders in yourproject window, drag the file IntroToMain.mov into the open timeline window.

6When ananimated DVDmenu reaches itsend, the screenfreezes for 2-3seconds to give thelaser time to scanfor the next pieceto be played. In our

case, its back tothe start of theloop, so the lastframe must be identical to the first. Well usea dissolve to solid colour. In the projectwindow, expand the SWATCHES folder.

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Its easier than you think to create animated DVD menus, so why keep them static and uninspiring?

Jared Plummer shows you how to reinvigorate your DVDs with smart animation and audio

If you know the basics ofAfterEffects, Photoshop, andDVD StudioPro, then youre well on your way to

creating a fantastic-looking DVD. Static

menus can be boring and dont look as

professional as motion menus, so why

not take your disc to the next level using

motion menus and motion transitions?

This tutorial takes you step by stepthrough the process of setting up menus

and menu loops in After Effectsand then

preparing those files for import into DVD

Studio Pro. Your finished DVD will contain

an intro animation that seamlessly

transforms into your main motion menu.

This main menu will loop perfectly, and

you will create buttons that link to other

menus and/or video clips within your DVD.

Youll be using After Effectsto animate

graphics for your menu loops, Compressor

to encode yourAfter Effectsrenders into

MPEG2 video clips, andA.Packto encode

your music or sound effects into AC3 audio.

Both CompressorandA.Packcome

bundled with DVD Studio Pro. Next, youll

create simple overlay images in Photoshop

and import them into DVD Studio Proto be

used as menu buttons. Of course, there are

other ways to build menu buttons for use in

DVD Studio Pro, but if youre working withmotion menus, overlay images sometimes

called sub pictures are the only way to go.

Finally, youll import your MPEG2, AC3,

and overlay images into DVD Studio Pro,

which will be used to link together and test

all of your elements. Once everything is

working, youll be able to output and burn a

final DVD master of your project, make a

bunch of copies and take over the world!

Illustration and tutorial by Jared Plummer

www.transistorstudios.com

DOWNLOAD

JaredPlummer iscreativedirector and

co-founder of designcompany TransistorStudios. He resides inBrooklyn, NY, butfloats between theEast and West coastoffices. See more ofTransistors work atwww.transistorstudios.com.

INFO

2.5 hours

TIME LENGTH

ftp://ftp.futurenet.co.uk/pub/arts/zinio/ca103_dvd.zip

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PHOTOSHOP AFTER EFFECTS DVD STUDIO PRO

7In the timeline window, go to time(0:00:48:00) and choose Layer>New>Solid to open the Solid Footage Settingswindow. Click the Make Comp Size buttonand use the Eyedropper to select the pinkcolour of the file PinkSwatch.pct. Click OK.

8

Create an opacity key frame on the firstframe of the solid (0:00:48:00) and set it to

0 per cent. Next, create another opacity keyframe at 0:00:48:25 and set it to 100 per cent.This will create a fade to pink at the end of themotion menu. Now, to finish the loop, create apink in-point for the main menu.

9In the Projectwindow, select

your IntroToMainComp and chooseEdit>Duplicate(Command+D).This will duplicateyour comp.Rename this compMainLoop andthen open it. Goto 0:00:10:00 this is where youwill insert theLoop In transition.

10Drag the file LoopInTrans.mov intoyour timeline so that it starts at0:00:10:00. Be sure its the top layer. Setyour Work Area in-point by pressing B. Nowyou can do a Ram Preview (Composition>Preview>RamPreview) and see the loop inall its seamless glory!

11Now set up some renders for outputtoCompressorandA.Pack. First,double-check that the Work Areas for both ofyour comps are set to 0:00:00:00-0:00:48:29for IntroToMain and 0:00:10:00-0:00:48:29 forMainLoop. Next open the Render Queue bychoosing Window>RenderQueue and dragboth of the comps into it.

12Now to merge all of the figure layers,but dont panic if strange things startto happen. Copy and Paste this layer into anew document and then, using Brightnessand Contrast, create a black silhouette shape.

13The next step is to convert the rendersinto DVD-compatible MPEG2 video andAC3 audio files. Open Compressorand it willstart up with an empty batch window. Dragthe two files youve just rendered into theBatch Window. For each clip, select MPEG260min High Quality Encode by clicking the

arrow in the Preset column.

14Set a Destination to encode both clipsto. Click the arrow in the Destination

column, choose Other from the availableoptions, and then select the folder: /DVD_MENU_TUTORIAL/DVD_PRJKT/AV-ASSETS/.Click Submit. This will send your encodes tothe Batch Monitor and youll be able to see thetime remaining for your MPEG2 encodes.

15To encode your audio into AC3 format,open A.Pack; this should automaticallyopen the Instant Encoder window. If not, go toWindow>InstantEncoder (Command+1).There are three tabs in the right-hand panel Audio, Bitstream and Preprocessing. In the

Audio tab, change the Audio Coding Mode to2/0 (L,R), the Data Rate to 192kbps, and theDialog Normalization to -31 dBFS. Leave thesettings in the Bitstream tab unchanged andin the Preprocessing tab, change theCompression Preset to None.

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An easy way to get allof your buttons fromthe MainLoop menuto the IntroToMainmenu is to use Copyand Paste. With the

MainLoop Menu Editorwindow selected,you can quickly addthese buttons to yourIntroToMain menuby selecting all(Command+A). Thenyou can just Copyand Paste into theIntroToMain menuand all settings exceptthe button colours will

be transferred.

COPY AND

PASTE

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16Now import the audio from the AfterEffectsrenders into A.Pack. Drag thefile IntroToMain.mov onto the Left rectangle inthe Input Channels pane. Do the same for theRight channel. Click Encode, name the fileIntroToMain_Output.AC3, and save it to thefolder /DVD_MENU_TUTORIAL/DVD_PRJKT/AV-ASSETS/. Do the same for the second fileand save it as MainLoop_Output.AC3.

The buttons you createshould be aliased, asDVD Studio Prodoesnot treat anti-aliasedoverlay images verywell. If your buttons

are anti-aliased, someof the image pixels willend up a grey insteadof black or white. DVDStudio Prokeys outthe pure white as analpha and enables youto fill the black areawith any RGB colour.If your buttons areanti-aliased, the keywill look poor.

17

The audio and video is now ready toimport into DVD Studio Pro. But youre

still missing the overlay image that will beused for your menu button highlights. Again,to save time, a layered PSD file has beencreated, but youll need to prep it for DVDStudio Pro. Go to the folder DVD_MENU_TUTORIAL/Extra-Goodies/OVERLAY_PSD/and open the file OVERLAY.psd.

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21Click the Import button in the Assetswindow. Navigate to and select theDVD_MENU_TUTORIAL/DVD_PRJKT/folder and click Import. Provided you havebeen saving all of your files in the properplace, this will import all of the files youhave prepared so far.

22You can now create your menus usingthe prepared materials. In the assetswindow, select the files IntroToMain_Output.AC3 and IntroToMain_Output.m2v. Drag bothof them at the same time and drop themonto the Menu 1 icon in the Outline window.Rename Menu 1 IntroToMain.

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ALIASED

OVERLAYS

18Turn on the Buttons layer set. See howthe black bars line up with the

directors names. Youll change the colour ofthese black bars within DVD Studio Pro.

20Youll now have both of the AfterEffectsrender files encoded toMPEG2 and AC3 and your overlay imageis ready to go. Open DVD Studio Pro andmake sure you have all the right windowsopen. Go to Windows>Configurations>Advanced. Next, select the Outline view tabinstead of the Graphical view.

19Turn on the White layer and youll beleft with a pure black and white image.

Choose File>SaveAs, save the file as a Pictand name it MainMenu-Overlay.pct. Besure to save it to the folder DVD_MENU_TUTORIAL/DVD_PRJKT/OVERLAYS/.

23Select MainLoop_Output.AC3 andMainLoop_Output.m2v and dragthem together onto the Menus folder icon inthe Outline window. This will automaticallymake a new menu. Rename this menuMainLoop. Select both MP_TRNS_DEMO.AC3 and MP_TRNS_DEMO.m2v and dragthem onto the Track 1 icon.

24In theOutlinewindow, double-click MainLoop.Go to the MenuPropertyInspector

window andmake sure theGeneral tab isselected. Dragthe End: sliderfrom its default00:00:30:00 to 00:00:39:00. Click on theOverlay File button in the Property Inspectorand select /DVD_PRJKT/OVERLAYS/MainMenu-Overlay.pct. Repeat these stepsfor the IntroToMain menu, too (its End: sliderout point should be 00:00:49:00).

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PHOTOSHOP AFTER EFFECTS DVD STUDIO PRO

28Finally, set the menu end actions.Select the IntroToMain menu in the

Outline view. Go to the Property Inspectorand choose the General tab. Set the At End:setting to Timeout and the Action setting toMenus>MainLoop>[Menu]. By default, theMainLoop menus end action should be set toLoop. Set the end jump of the MP_TRNS_DEMO Track to the MainLoop menu.

FEATURE

25To create the buttons, double-click on the MainLoop in the Outline window. This willopen the Menu Editor window. Click the Start/Stop motion menu button in the lowerright-hand corner: the circular walking person symbol. While the menu is playing, click anddrag to create bounding boxes that will define the active button areas. Start at the top withJustin Harder and work your way down to Transistor Info.

26Set the buttons actions by selectingthe Matt Pyke button in the MenuEditor. In the button Property Inspector, clickthe Target selector and navigate to TracksAndStories>MP_TRNS_DEMO>[Track].

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When the simulationbegins, youll noticethat the first button isalready selected. Toavoid this, create avery small invisible

button above button 1on the menu. With thisbutton selected, go tothe Advanced tab inthe button PropertyInspector. TheNavigation settingsfor up, down, left, andright should all be setto Button 1. For theFunction setting,Invisible should be

checked. SinceDVD Studio Proautomatically setsthe button Navigationaccording to wherethe buttons are placedon the menu, you willalso need to reset thebutton Navigationsettings for the topbutton, Button 1,and for the bottombutton, Button 8.

Lastly, set theinvisible buttonsTarget to the MainLoopmenu. If you do not dothis, and the userclicks the invisiblebutton that has notarget, it will bug outand mess up themenu. You will not beable to select any otherbuttons until the menu

resets by looping.If you are reallyambitious, an evenbetter way to controlbutton highlights canbe found on www.tfdvd.com. Here youllfind a program calledTFDVD Edit, whichenables you to setthe time that buttonhighlights become

visible and accessible.

TAKE NOTE

METAL MICKEY

How to create convincingmetallic effects in Photoshop

NEXT ISSUE IN

27To alter colours, click the Colours tabin the Property Inspector window.Leave the Normal Colour and Opacity at itsdefault setting, then choose new colours forthe Selected/Activated states. If you dont like

the defaults, define your own via the EditPalette. Repeat for the IntroToMain menu.

29Now that everything is set, click theSimulator button in the Toolbar. This

enables you to test the disc before you burn it.It should loop properly and the Matt Pykebutton should take you to the Matt Pyke track.

30If everything looks good, close theSimulator and click the Build/Formatbutton in the Toolbar. This opens the Build/Format window. Name your disc, choose adestination for the DVD file, then click Build& Burn. This will multiplex all the files andburn them to a DVD-R.

31Test your disc on as many differentDVD players as you can. If everythinglooks good, and there are no glitches, startburning copies. World domination awaits!