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DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

A new addition to Muvipix, with support and discussion of Sony's DVD Architect Studio.

DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bill Hunt » Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:30 pm

Hello all,

On the Adobe Encore forum, one poster said that DVD Architect would not work with .PSD files, as Menus. Is this true? Somehow, I find it hard to believe, but then have worked with DVD Architect, so my knowledge is very limited. If not, then what format does it use for Menus?

Just curious, thanks,

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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bobby » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:03 pm

I think the answer to your question Hunt is that it uses its own format. You build the menu by specifying buttons, actions, backgrounds, etc. and it saves the resultant work in a .dar file. The program doesn't work by bringing a pre-designed menu sheet. You can import a background, but you have to specify the click areas and actions again.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Steve Grisetti » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:21 pm

But you can indeed use a PSD file for a menu page background, if that's what you're asking, Hunt.

You can't access the individual layers of the file, if there are any. But you can load it as a flat menu background.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bob » Mon Aug 24, 2009 4:48 pm

Encore DVD menus are defined by layers in a PSD file. There is a layer structure and naming convention that you follow and build your menu template entirely within Photoshop.

DVD Architect does not build menus that way. You can't take an Encore DVD template and import it into DVD Architect and expect it to use the embedded menu structure. You can certainly use PSD files in your project as backgrounds, buttons, etc., it's just that DVD Architect doesn't take the structure of the menu from the contents of the PSD file. You basically build the menu heirarchy the way you want it. The program comes with a good selection of backgrounds, buttons, and themes (templates) or you can create your own.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bill Hunt » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:20 pm

Gentlemen,

Thanks for that info. It does confirm what the poster was saying, even though it surprises me greatly. I would have assumed that it would bring in fully DVD-compliant .PSD's as Menus. Shows how little I know about DVD Architect.

Just so glad that I have Encore - "I wish that everybody did... " Wasn't that line from an old Dial Soap ad, with slight paraphrase?

Your info and input is greatly appreciated,

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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bob » Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:49 pm

Menu templates are not part of the DVD spec. The menus that are created on the DVD by the DVD authoring program are what must be DVD compliant.

How the DVD authoring software chooses to handle such things as menu templates is up to the respective vendors. There is no requirement to import layered PSD files as menus; whether a software vendor wants to do that is up to them. As far as I know, only Adobe products recognize and use the layer naming protocols though.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bobby » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:01 pm

I agree with Bob. There is really no connection between Adobe's menu layered programming model as input to PRE (or Encore, or whatever) and what a DVD authoring program produces (i.e. the format of the actual files in the VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD).

That is why I got DVDSA - screwing around with the layers in PS was too much work and I still had some issues with font anti-aliasing looking terrible when using my modified DVD templates. DVDSA is not the ultimate answer, but it was inexpensive and did most of what I needed.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bill Hunt » Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:59 pm

What is DVD-compliant, is the way that the Sonic Authorcore in Encore handles the .PSD files and their Layers. As it is a perfect scenario, I am surprised that other authoring programs do not utilize it. All is easily changed in several image editors, and to limit one to only the Library content is, well hedging bets that one will not wish to be creative with the possiblities of creating Menus from more than a stack of building blocks.

That Sony chose to not go with the potential of .PSD Menus probably involved a lot of thought, and also some marketing, asking themselves if they wished to accommodate an Adobe product, PS. They chose not to, obviously.

For me, this would be a real "deal-breaker," as I would not be interested in a program that limited my creativity to just a stock set of "pieces," gathered onto a Menu, that I could only change the background.

That is why I am so glad that I have Encore. Giving up my compete control would never work - once you taste from the golden cup, you can never go back to pottery again. At least I now know that that poster was correct about DVD Architect, and I see why he was adamant on staying with Encore, even though his Vegas output was causing issues.

I can't say thank you enough for the info. I had assumed that DVD Architect was much more similar to Encore. Now, I know what I consider limitations, and can recommend accordingly.

Greatly appreciated,

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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bob » Tue Aug 25, 2009 1:17 am

I would not be interested in a program that limited my creativity to just a stock set of "pieces," gathered onto a Menu, that I could only change the background.


I think you got the wrong idea about DVD Architect. You aren't limited in that way at all.

Yes, you can start from scratch and manually build your entire menu from stock pieces -- if you want to. But, you don't have to. DVD Architect has a template capability. They call it "Themes". Apply a theme to a menu and you essentially get what you get with the PSD menu. But, regardless of how you create your menu, nothing is fixed in stone. You can change pretty much everything. And, you aren't limited to just what's included. You can use any media you have or can create. And, any menu you create or customize can be used to create a new theme instantly. It's really much more easily customized than the PSD template method and you don't have go outside the program to do it.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Steve Grisetti » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:45 am

I'm with Bob.

DVD Architect Studio includes the ability to add video before the main menu and transitional video clips between the menu pages. It can create sub-menus with links to scenes in a larger menu. You have a virtually unlimited number of menu pages and menu levels. You can use their stock buttons or your own thumbnails or motion menu buttons -- or you can add custom created button graphics and button frames. There's a heck of a lot here for $39! Particularly considering how stably and efficiently it operates.

It's pro version (which costs considerably less than Encore) includes support for optional subtitles and multiple languages.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bobby » Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:52 am

Steve Grisetti wrote:I'm with Bob.


I'm with Steve, who's with Bob. Great program, esp. for the price.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby cbrillow » Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:30 pm

Hello all,
First-time poster here... :meet:

Yes, this is a somewhat stale thread, but it was a Google search that brought me here...

And I'm cautiously putting my toe in the water to aver that I think some of what I'm reading here with respect to DVD Architect's capabilities, is not quite accurate. (at least, with respect to the Pro version 5 -- I have no experience with DVD-A Studio...) I don't mean to come off as argumentative or 'know-it-all', because I certainly don't... I just have some observations that differ with what's been offered in the thread thus far.

I'm a relatively longtime user of DVD-A who has just begun investigating and fiddling around with using .psd files in menu creation. While I won't claim that it uses .psd files in exactly the same format and manner that the other programs mentioned do, it will do more than just bring in a 'flat' menu background, as it does permit access to individual named layers.

The naming convention for the layers is in the manual. My limited experimentation thus far indicates that following this convention results in the proper assignment of menu elements when the file is read in. I've only experimented with layers named background-01, button-01-thumbnail and button-02-thumbnail, but these are interpreted automatically by DVD-A as the appropriate menu elements.

As I mentioned, I'm just starting out, but once I can sort out the frames, masks and other bits, it appears that this will do exactly what the O.P. was talking about -- create a menu from a .psd file. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will be able to use .psd menu files created for other DVD authoring program, but it appears that DVD-A is far more capable than it's being given credit for here.

In the meantime, I'm interested in looking at .psd menus that are used for some of the other programs, for comparison with DVD-A's format. Are there any available for download and examination here on the site?
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Chuck Engels » Tue Dec 01, 2009 10:39 pm

Hi cbrillow, thanks for the great insight and info... And Welcome to Muvipix :meet:
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Bob » Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:34 pm

Welcome to Muvipix!

I'm a relatively longtime user of DVD-A [PRO] who has just begun investigating and fiddling around with using .psd files in menu creation. While I won't claim that it uses .psd files in exactly the same format and manner that the other programs mentioned do, it will do more than just bring in a 'flat' menu background, as it does permit access to individual named layers.

The naming convention for the layers is in the manual. My limited experimentation thus far indicates that following this convention results in the proper assignment of menu elements when the file is read in. I've only experimented with layers named background-01, button-01-thumbnail and button-02-thumbnail, but these are interpreted automatically by DVD-A as the appropriate menu elements.


That's a nice feature, but I suspect it is a feature of DVDA Pro version 5 rather than DVDA Studio version 4.5. The Studio manual does not contain the layers naming convention that you mentioned. Or, any information about using a layered PSD as a menu. Perhaps it's undocumented? Themes appear to be Studio's preferred way to distribute menu templates.

I'm interested in looking at .psd menus that are used for some of the other programs, for comparison with DVD-A's format. Are there any available for download and examination here on the site?


There are free menu templates in the complementary products section http://www.muvipix.com/products.php?subcat_id=37 and many more in the subscriber area.
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Re: DVD Architect & .PSD Files Question

Postby Steve Grisetti » Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:35 am

And, of course, if you're looking to get up to speed with DVD Architect, we offer both a complimentary 3-part tutorial and my in-depth book on the program -- which should answer virtually any question you might have!
http://www.muvipix.com/products.php?sea ... =0&btn.y=0
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