Adobe Encore

If you want to automatically jump to chapters in your digital movies like you can with DVDs, QuickTime Pro can do the job for you. For a fraction of the cost of expensive video editors you can create a complete chapter list to allow you to skip to the exact moment in your movie you want everyone to see.

1. Type your chapter list in any word processor or text editor. One word chapter titles are best; never use more than three short words. End each title (except for the last) with a carriage return.
2. Step 2

   Save the file as a TXT file and open it in QuickTime Pro. Choose “Export” from the File menu, select “Text to Text” as the Export option with “Text with Descriptors” as the Use option. Click on the “Options” and choose the following settings: “Show Text, Descriptors, and Time,” “Show time relative to start of Movie” and fractions of sections at “1/30.” Feel free to overwrite the old file.

3. Step 3

   Open the movie in QuickTime. Choose “Show Movie Inspector” from the Window menu to see a window with the movie time settings. Scrub the playhead to the point where you want the first chapter to begin (use the right and left arrow keys to find the exact frame) and note the current time.

4. Step 4

   Load the new text file in a text editor and type the frame time value in the time descriptor just before your first chapter title (e.g. “00.00.10.5″). Set the beginning point for each chapter and type the time descriptor before that title in your text file. Finally, type the movie’s duration in the final time descriptor. Save the file (make sure it’s still in TXT format).

5. Step 5

   Import the edited text file into QuickTime Pro. Choose “Select All” from the Edit menu and copy to the clipboard. Return to the main movie, select all and choose “Add to Movie” from the edit menu. This will add the text track to your movie.

6. Step 6

   Choose “Show Movie Properties” from the Window menu to see a list of movie tracks. Select the audio or video track you want to divide into chapters and click “Other settings.” Choose “Text Track” from the Chapters pulldown menu.

7. Step 7

   Select the Text Track in the Properties window and deselect “Enabled” so the chapter titles aren’t visible in the movie. Cache or preload the track (depending on your version of QuickTime). Save the movie. When you play it back you will see your chapters in a popup menu next to the timeline.

FLV files can be converted to an ISO disc image quickly and easily using Adobe Encore. FLV files have gained popularity rapidly in the past few years. Adobe estimates 80 percent of online videos are FLV files. ISO image files, on the other hand, can be substituted for actual CDs and DVDs, according to “Windows Vista: The Official Magazine.” This is useful if the idea of constantly swapping discs is annoying, or if a master copy is needed.

1. Open Adobe Encore. When the welcome window pops up, click the “New Project” button.
2. Step 2

   Type the title of the project in the “Name” box and specify where the project will be saved by clicking the “Browse” button. Leaving it to the default location will save your project in the “My Documents” folder.

3. Step 3

   Select either “DVD” or “Blu-Ray” under “Project Settings.” Use the “Blu-Ray” setting only if you have a Blu-Ray burner and player. Otherwise, the “DVD” setting should work just fine. It will automatically upconvert or downconvert footage to a resolution of 720 by 480. Click the “OK” button when finished.

4. Step 4

   Right-click in the “Project” window and select “New: Timeline.” Right-click again and select “Import As: Asset…” to bring up the Windows Explorer or Mac OS Finder. Select “All Files (*.*)” from the “Files of Type” drop-down menu.

5. Step 5

   Locate and select the FLV files you wish to add to the project ISO. When finished, click the “Open” button.

6. Step 6

   Drag and drop the FLV files from the “Project” window into the “Timeline.” After a moment, the video should show up in the “Monitor.”

7. Step 7

   Click the “Flow Chart” button, located next to the “Monitor” button. This will bring up a graph with a line drawn between an image of a DVD and the timeline containing your FLV files.

8. Step 8

   Click on the timeline in the “Flow Chart” window. The “Properties” window, located to the right, will display the end actions for the DVD. Click on the arrow by the “End Action” menu and select “Link Back to Here.”

9. Step 9

   Click the DVD image in the “Flow Chart” window to change the “Properties” window to the Disc settings. Click the arrow next to the “Title Button” to change the actions the title button will have on your DVD remote. Either select the first chapter of your timeline or select the “Stop” action to have the DVD stopped when the title button is pressed.

10. Step 10

    Click the “Build” tab, located next to the “Project” tab. Next, click the “Check Project” button to see if the project is ready to be finalized. If there are problems, follow the onscreen directions.

11. Step 11

    Select “Dvd Image” from the “Output” drop-down menu. This will allow you to save an ISO of your project. Hit the “Browse” button and save the ISO somewhere easily accessible.

12. Step 12

    Click the “Build” button to finalize the project and convert the FLV files to an ISO image.

Whether you’re creating a movie menu for a home video you produced or for a downloaded movie you purchased from an online retailer, you can add music backgrounds, scene selections, menu backgrounds and more with DVD editing software. Although the exact instructions for each software vary, the main elements that go into creating the menus are similar. Make sure before you begin working with a movie menu that you have several megabytes of unused space on your hard drive as the software usually needs this to save movie data.

1. Open your movie editing software and navigate to the DVD creation section. In programs such as Sony Vegas, you need to have DVD Architect installed to work on a menu. In Adobe Premiere Elements, the DVD software is built in, and you can click the “DVD” button at the top right of the window.
2. Step 2

   Insert the movie file into the work area, also known as the timeline, of your editing software. Insert scene markers at the beginning of each story transition in the movie. Depending on the length of your movie, five to 10 scene markers should be sufficient. To insert a scene marker in most software, click on the beginning of a scene in the timeline and press the “DVD Marker” or “Insert Scene” button. A tab will appear above the scene, and it will automatically appear as a scene selection in the menu. If a dialog box pops up prompting you to give the scene a name, do so then press “OK” to save your changes.

3. Step 3

   Insert the background image in your menu. Most software allows you to set an image or video loop of your choice to be used as the background for the main menu page and any scene selection pages. The “Menu Background” or “Background Media” commands are typically found on the right side of the software window, next to the Movie Preview box. Use the “Browse” button in this section to look for images to set as the background. If you don’t want to use your own images, there are usually DVD templates to choose from in the software. Use the “Change Template” command to browse and select new templates.

4. Step 4

   Add an audio clip to your menu using the same “Menu Background” or “Background Media” commands as above. You can choose a whole song to place behind the menu, but it will only select a maximum of 30 seconds to loop, not the entire song.

5. Step 5

   Change the menu text to a descriptive title of your movie. This can usually be accomplished by double-clicking the default text on the Preview screen or selecting the “Edit Text” command.

6. Step 6

   Add submenus for the scene selection menu. In some software, you can specify the number of buttons and scene selection options in the template category, but in others, the menu is displayed as a folder view on the left hand side of the Preview window. To add menus in this case, right-click the name of the main menu in the folder and select the “Insert Submenu” command. You can edit this menu just as you did for the main menu.

7. Step 7

   Save your work. Preview your movie by pressing the “Preview” button before burning it to a DVD.

It is simple to create a DVD with a menu by using a DVD burner with a hard drive. In fact, most DVD burners give you a selection of menu types to choose from. This step usually occurs during the finishing stage when the data has already been recorded onto the DVD.

1. Establish chapters when selecting clips for your DVD. Do this by dividing your video into logical chunks of time. Good chapter points occur when there is a change of location, subject or period of time.
2. Step 2

   Organize your chapters in the order you want them to appear along a time line. Move your chapters around so that they are in a logical progression.

3. Step 3

   Name your chapters. It is important to do this before actually burning the DVD because you won’t be able to change them later. Most DVD burners automatically name anything you download into the hard drive with the date, source and record number. Erase this information and replace it with something that you will recognize years later when you watch this DVD.

4. Step 4

   Review your DVD time line to make sure that everything is in the order you want it to be and that all your chapters are labeled correctly. This will be your last chance to fix this information. When you are certain that you have everything right, burn your DVD on to a blank DVD.

5. Step 5

   Finish your DVD. This is a process that allows your newly burned DVD to be viewed on any DVD player. Go to the main menu and select “Finish DVD.” You will be offered a variety of menu styles to choose from. These will be of different colors, designs and sizes. Some menus will have spaces for three chapters per page, while others will have room for six chapters or more. If you have only a few chapters, select a format with as many spaces or fewer. If you have a menu screen with more spaces than you have chapters, they will be filled with black. This can appear to be an error when the DVD is viewed.

6. Step 6

   Wait for the DVD to finish. This usually takes about one minute.

One of the more common tasks when working with videos is burning them to a DVD for playback on a television. But if the file you need to burn is in AVI format you will need to use a video editing program like Adobe Premiere to burn it. This is especially true if you have more than one AVI file that you want to burn as a single sequence onto the DVD. Premiere and its companion program, Encore, make the task relatively straightforward.

1. Load the AVI files you want to transfer to DVD onto your computer, saving them to a single folder.
2. Step 2

   Open Premiere Pro. In the dialog that pops up, you are given the choice of opening an existing project or starting a new one. Elect to start a new project and name it. Click “OK.”

3. Step 3

   Select “File” and click “Import.” In the dialog that opens, go to the folder you saved the AVI files to. Hold down the “CTRL” key and select all of the files you want to import. Then click “Open.” The files you selected will appear in the “Bin” in the upper-right corner.

4. Step 4

   Drag each of the files down into the “Timeline,” placing them in the order you want them to play on the DVD. Now move the timeline “Slider” to a place you would like to make into a “Chapter” in Encore. Click on the “Set Encore Chapter Marker” icon. Type in a name for the marker and click “OK.” Adding these markers will tell Encore where to divide things.

5. Step 5

   Select “File,” then “Export” and click “Export to Encore.” This opens the sequence you created in Encore.

6. Step 6

   Choose a menu template from the ones available. Go to the DVD “Preview” window and test the functions to make sure the chapters play properly when clicked.

7. Step 7

   Insert a blank DVD into your drive (the drive must be capable of burning DVDs). Select “File,” then “Build” and click “Disk.” For the “Destination,” select the disk on the drive. Click “Build” again, and the program will start the burning process. The progress bar will let you know when it is finished.

Interactive, easy-to-navigate menu screens are standard in many retail DVDs–but with a little effort, it is possible for you to create the same high-quality DVD menus using DVD authoring tools. Super DVD Creator has a good menu maker, as it allows you to manipulate the timing of animations and control minor aspects of your DVD that are often neglected.

1. Download and launch Super DVD Creator (see Resources).
2. Step 2

   Select “DVD Compiler” to access the DVD Menu creation tool. Add the VOB file of your choosing by clicking the “+” symbol.

3. Step 3

   Double click “Title Menu” to change the name and picture of the main menu. Click the “Text” button to add text anywhere on the menu.

4. Step 4

   Select “Create Chapter Menu” to create chapters for specific areas. Double-clicking the “Create Chapter Menu” icon will allow you to manipulate the timing of each chapter.

5. Step 5

   Select “Add Background Music” to import a MP3 or WAV formatted song. Set the sound to play once or have it repeated on a loop while in the main menu.

The software products within the Adobe family of creative applications are very compatible. For example, if you are authoring a DVD in Adobe Encore, you can easily import project files from Adobe Premiere and Adobe After Effects with no need for intermediate renderings, which can save lots of time. You can also directly import an Adobe Photoshop project into Encore as an interactive DVD menu, complete with your layers preserved.

Creating the Menu in Photoshop

1. Step 1

   Open Adobe Photoshop and create a new project with dimensions of 720 x 480 pixels. (This is standard size for a DVD.)

2. Step 2

   Create a new layer and make your background image. Depending upon your project, this could be a solid color or simple gradient, a single photo or a photo montage. Click “Layer” –> “New” –> “Layer” to insert a new layer. Create a solid or gradient background using the “Fill” tool, or add photos using a copy-and-paste method.

3. Step 3

   Create a new layer and add text for the DVD title. Add text by clicking on the text icon and then creating a text box in your project. Style the text as desired (adding shadows, outlines, etc.) using options in the Styles menu.

4. Step 4

   Create a new layer for each clickable item your menu will have. Add text and graphics to suit your project and aesthetics. For example, the “Play” menu item could be in Arial Bold with a graphic triangle pointing to the right—the common icon for “Play.”

5. Step 5

   Save your work in Photoshop. Note the location of the saved the file–you will need it in Encore.

Importing the Menu into Encore

6. Step 1

   Open your DVD authoring project in Adobe Encore.

7. Step 2

   Choose “Input As Menu” from the “File” navigation at the top of the screen, and select the file you just created in Photoshop. Your menu will appear in the Monitor window.

8. Step 3

   Select an asset from the Project window and drag it over the appropriate menu item on your DVD menu. This will assign each element of your project to its own menu item.

Homemade DVD movies are a popular way to share special memories or creative projects with friends and family. With the steady increase in DVD capacity, the amount of material that can fit on each disc has also increased. Because of the extra material that can be put on DVDs, it helps to include titles and menus on your creations.

1. Launch Windows Movie Maker. The program can be downloaded for free if you don’t already have it (see Resources).
2. Step 2

   Import any files that you plan to use for your DVD. Click on the “Import Media” button and browse for your material.

3. Step 3

   
   

   Move all of the files for the DVD to the “Storyboard” section. Click on the file, then select “Add to Storyboard” from the “Clip” menu.

4. Step 4

   
   

   Click on the “File” menu and select “Publish Movie” when you are ready to create the DVD.

5. Step 5

   
   

   Select “DVD” from the pop-up window asking where you want to publish your material, then click “Next.”

6. Step 6

   
   

   Click the “OK” button on the pop-up window, indicating that Windows DVD Maker will open.

7. Step 7

   
   

   Choose a title under which to save your material, then click the “Save” button. Windows DVD Maker will launch.

8. Step 8

   
   

   Determine that all of the material you want for your DVD is present in Windows DVD Maker, then click the “Next” button.

9. Step 9

   
   

   Change the text of your DVD menu by clicking the “Menu Text” button. From here you can change the appearance and any text for your DVD menu.

10. Step 10

    Make any changes in the actual appearance of your DVD menu by clicking the “Customize Menu” button. You can add creative touches to your DVD menu, such as pictures or video. Import video or pictures by clicking the “Browse” button to access your files. Add sound with the “Menu Audio” feature.

11. Step 11

    Click the “Change Style” button to save your changes. Click the “Don’t Change” button to abort any changes and keep the existing menu layout.

12. Step 12

    Click the “Burn” button to burn your material to a DVD.

DVD creation software allows you to encode videos from your computer or other sources into a DVD just like what you might find in a store. This means that you can create a DVD menu and decide which options it will have, including how long the menu will appear for, and what sorts of music it will play in the background.

1. Visit a website that has DVD creation software available. The Super DVD Creator product is available at alldj.com or cnet.com.
2. Step 2

   Download the program by clicking on the download button if available. Once the download finishes, install the program by opening the installation file. It should be in your downloads folder.

3. Step 3

   Begin the program when ready. It should begin automatically after you finish installation.

4. Step 4

   Click on “DVD compiler.” This will bring you to where you can edit your DVD menu.

5. Step 5

   Click on the button with the icon of the plus symbol and the musical note on it. This will let you add a song from your computer to be played on the menu.

Adobe Encore makes DVD and Blu-ray creation easy with all the tools you need to author, encode and burn compliant discs. DVDs and Blu-ray each have specific video sizes which must be adhered to. An NTSC DVD must have a resolution of 720×480, while an HD Blu-ray can be either 1920×1080, 1440×1080 or 1280×720. If your source video is smaller than the resolutions listed, you will need to increase the video frame size.

1. Open Adobe Encore and click the “New Project” button. When asked, enter a name for your project.
2. Step 2

   Choose a location to save, and look over the project settings. There is a choice between an authoring mode of DVD or Blu-ray. If your video is closer to 720×480, choose DVD. If the video resolution is closer to 1280×720 or above, choose Blu-ray.

3. Step 3

   Select the television standard. The United States uses NTSC. Then select the codec. If you have chosen DVD mode, Mpeg2 will automatically be selected. If you have chosen Blu-ray mode, you will have the option of either Mpeg2 or H.264. Select appropriate dimensions and frame rate, then click the “OK” button.

4. Step 4

   Import your video by right-clicking in the “Project” window and selecting “Import as Asset.”

5. Step 5

   Click the video in the “Project” window to bring up the “Asset” information in the “Properties” window.

6. Step 6

   Select transcode settings for the authoring mode you are in, either DVD or Blu-ray. If you have a video at 720×480, for example, and would like to increase the size to 1280×720 in Blu-ray authoring mode, you would select “1280×720″ from the “Blu-ray Transcode” menu in the “Properties” window. This will increase the frame size of your video.