An Encore Workflow for Bullet-proof DVD's

[Bill Hunt]

Yes Cheryl,

Once can choose Export>Move and make their selections for most things there. I choose DV-AVI, Video Only (letting Encore do the Transcoding and fitting), but one could choose MPEG (muxed, or not) and then Transcode per the requirements of the Project on DVD.

There is also Adobe Media Encoder (AME) from the Export Menu. I then use this to Export my AC3 (I always use DD 5.1 SS now) Audio Only file.

To simplify, I always Export AV's (non-muxed) to Finished AVI's folder within my Project folder hierarchy. My Audio files go into Finished AC3's, also in that same hierarchy.

In Encore, I navigate to my Finished AVI's folder and Import As Timeline. Then navigate to Finished AC3's and Import as Assets. I match them up, but also breakout my Timelines and my AVIs and place them in separate Bins in Encore: Timelines and Videos. The AC3's have been Imported into my Audio Bin.

There is a good deal of cross-over between Export>Movie and Export>AME. However each has a few extras that can be useful. With all of the variations and duplication, I often have to just open each up and study the drop-downs, if I'm not doing my normal Export for DVD authoring in Encore.

Now, I use my method for two reasons: it works on 100% of my Projects and so that I can always do things the same way. The latter removes a lot of extra thinking on my part. In a very few Projects, I have done the Transcoding in Premiere, but these were special cases with some totally dissimilar Assets, that I wanted Transcoded differently and still needed to make sure that everything fit my DVD-5.

I hope that this has addressed the questions. If not, please don't hesitate to ask again.

Hunt

[JRjr]

Thanks Hunt, for your reply. I think you've more than adequately answered my questions, in particular the issue of why one method might be better than the other, or not. I agree that using the same method again and again is the best way to go. I usually work in that fashion myself. Sometimes I just think having too many options is a hindrance!

I'm just starting with Encore at this time, and so far it mostly makes sense, but I am getting a End action error in my test/play timeline which a) I can't seem to correct, and which b) doesn't seem to be affecting anything either. I've still got enough to learn though that I'm not going to worry too much about this error for now.

Again, thanks.

Jim

[Bill Hunt]

Jim,

The "message" that you are seeing is an info message and likely not really an error.

It most often happens when one has End Actions on their Playlist, or Chapter Playlist and also one on their last Chapter, or similar. This message is then usually along the lines of "End Action... will not play, because of previous End Action," or similar.

Another time it comes up is if you have a Timeline accessed by a Playlist/Chapter Playlist, that does not have an End Action set. So long as it is not accessed from elsewhere (only from that Playlist), all is OK, but you'll get the warning.

I'll often have a The End Timeline. It appears at the end of a Playlist for each of my other Timelines, and also in my Play All Playlist. I do not need for it to have an End Action, because every instance of it will be called from one of the Playlists. Each will have an End Action to return to the appropriate Menu that that Playlist was called from. Now, Check Project will throw a message that The End has no End Action. However, if I add one, it will give me the message that the End Action from the Playlist will supercede The End's End Action. Either way, I get a message.

Always check any message, error or just information, with a lot of Previewing. I also highly recommend spending some time reading in:
http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx/.3bbe2499/ Almost everything that can be done in, or with, Encore has been covered there. Be especially aware of Jeff Bellune's, Neil Wilkes" and Ruud Baleuw's comments. Jeff authored "Focal Easy Guide to EncoreDVD 2," and really knows his stuff. Ruud has been using this program for many years at a very high level. Neil is the resident Audio guru. If you have any question about Audio, you want him to chime in. The Encore forum is also catagorized so you can read just the material on what you want to do. I still have not finished Subtitles, and have yet to even start with Mac Error Messages. Everything else has been read at least once.

Everything I have learned about this program has come from the manual, "CiaB Encore," and these three gentlemen - plus some other contributors.

Don't hesitate to post any questions that come up. Someone will be ready to help you out.

Good luck,

Hunt

[JRjr]

Hunt - Thanks a million. That was exactly the "error" meesage I was getting. I played around trying to decipher its meaning (I hoped that if I stared at it long enough I'd get it, maybe! ), and even though I never did, I learned a lot of other things along the way.

Thanks too for the links and reading suggestions. I've printed out your work flow and am analyzing it, along with the many useful tips I'm discovering around here. My needs are quite simple actually, but just knowing about other possibilites expands how I might approach things differently or from varying angles.

Again, thanks.

Jim

[Bill Hunt]

Jim,

I'm glad that you found some of this useful. My method is by no means the only way to author a DVD from one's NLE. Particularly with most Adobe programs, there are many ways to get to the same end. The trick is learning a couple of these, so one can tailor their own workflow. That workflow might also change, should the Assets change - someone hands you material in a different format, you buy a new video camera or you need to Export to something other than a DVD for set-top TV viewing.

I'm fairly ridgid in how I structure both my NLE editing sessions and my DVD authoring sessions. I try to be totally flexible, with my aesthetic decisions though. I prepare all Assets outside of my NLE with whatever tools are needed and available. I Import these the same way and structure my Project with the same Bins, often using custom "template" Projects that are empty. I just have to remember to immediately do a Save_As when using these. Same for Encore, as close to the same for every Project to start. Once the housekeeping is done, I try to throw that rigidity out of the window and let my mind run wild.

I also feel that one is best to know all of the "rules," so they can then go about breaking them. If one starts with the "breaking" first, they usually end up horribly frustrated and begin cursing their tools.

I'm trying to put together a bibliography of material on working in Encore. I'll publish this later, when my research is done. Many of the suggestions above will appear, plus others. These will help everyone learn those rules first, myself included.

Good luck,

Hunt

[JRjr]

I'm trying to put together a bibliography of material on working in Encore. I'll publish this later, when my research is done. Many of the suggestions above will appear, plus others. These will help everyone learn those rules first, myself included."

I'll look forward to seeing this. I did find the answer to my problem message about end action etc... found it on the Encore Adobe Forum, followed the instructions, and voilá. It's only a test project, but I learned something, which is the entire point for now.

I hadn't thought about an Encore forum for some reason, even though I've used others there. It's just that I always come to Muvipix first for all my video needs.

Jim

[Chuck Engels]

It's just that I always come to Muvipix first for all my video needs.

Thanks Jim
It's nice to have a one stop shop for just about everything. There is more knowledge here than on many forums that's for sure.
And people like you and Hunt, and many others, are the reason for that

[Bill Hunt]

Jim,

I'm glad you found the Encore forum. I believe that Neil Wilkes is the MOD now, but has been a major contributor over the years. He runs a fairly tight ship. Because the forum is limited to one fairly small program that basically does one thing, it is a bit easier to read. It is also divided into sub-forums (sometimes I think that is good, and sometimes bad, but another story all together), so general subjects can be a bit easier to find, so long as posters follow the sub-forum guidelines. Last, I find far less "sniping," than in some other Adobe forums. About the only "flaming" that goes on will be when someone posts a major rant. First few replies will be attempts to help, and also point out that no one from Adobe will likely be in the forums - take up the dissatisfaction with Adobe Customer Service and not the users in the group. If someone persists in ranting, then some of the following posts might not be so nice, but it takes a lot to get those people fired up. Muvipix is great about only wanting to help. Wish that a few of the Adobe forums were more like that. Here, it is more about the "community," as the new name for the forums reflects. Subscribers open their arms to even the most basic questions here, in an attempt to help. No so in many of the Adobe forums. Reading the manual is a great first step, and I highly advocate it. Still, here folk will pitch in with answers than Read The Manual.

Now that Encore is ONLY available in a bundle with P-Pro, it will be interesting to see how the Encore forum fares. The CS3 forums are getting more and more Encore questions. Usually, the poster will be directed to the Encore forum, but many do not bother. One great asset of the Encore forum is Neil Wilkes. As he does mostly commercial music DVDs, he's seldom in the P-Pro forums. Do not even know if he does any NLE work. Any Encore Audio questions will benefit from his input. Jeff Bellune frequents both sets of forums, so his expertise does get used in all of them.

Hope that you enjoy Encore. I find it a great program and am sad that it is no longer a stand-alone. In many years, I've only found a handful of things it could not do. For those, there are other programs, but none so easy to use and as inexpensive as Encore used to be.

One good resource is the Premiere-pedia. It is maintained by Eddie Lotter (often in the various Premiere forums). Other than a clunky search function (being re-vamped all the time and getting better), there is a great wealth of info on all sorts of Adobe editing and authoring programs there:
http://premierepro.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Lots of great links to tutorials, as well.

As Eddie says, "Happy Editing®™"

Hunt

[momoffduty]

Bill, I stumbled upon the wikia link just last week. Saw a referral on the Adobe forum. Lots of good info.

[Bill Hunt]

Unfortunately, probably the best way to put it to the best use, is to follow the exact link that Eddie will post in reply. Someday, the search feature will actually work well. Until then, I search the Adobe forums, until I find one of Eddie's links and copy/paste that. He's done a ton of work, but I still get very lost, unless I have one of his links. It will change, I'm sure.

Hunt

[JRjr]

I'm glad you found the Encore forum. I believe that Neil Wilkes is the MOD now...

Hunt, again thanks. Now all I need is enough time to digest everything that is available...

Jim