Best DVD Menu maker?

UFP wrote on 1/28/2005, 8:13 AM
Im using DVDA now for a while and it works fine, although I want to make more complicated interactive menu's now. Im looking for a more flash-like approach to DVD menu design.

For example: I recently saw 'Mindhunters' and I was impressed about the menu from the DVD.
Or: The menu's of LOTR are great.

No way you can make someting like that in DVDA so the question is: what is the best DVD menu maker software? What do the professionals use?

Thanks, Tom

Comments

bStro wrote on 1/28/2005, 9:13 AM
For example: I recently saw 'Mindhunters' and I was impressed about the menu from the DVD.

Could you be a little more specific? Never heard of Mindhunters, and I can't think off the top of my head what was in the LOTR menus...though I don't remember anything particularly complicated. What was on these menus that impressed you so much?

Rob
ScottW wrote on 1/28/2005, 9:18 AM
Hollywood pros typically use Scenarist for the authoring - not sure what they'd use for graphics, probably FCP and Photoshop.

I use Vegas & Photoshop for my menus. You can build some pretty nice stuff with a little time & creativity.

I've done some playing with DVD Menu Studio from Mediachance, but not enough that I can say I really know how to use it.

Keep in mind that DVDA 2.0 is pretty limited in what you can do with fancy menus. Lack of "on navigation" and "delayed menu buttons" are a big limiter.

--Scott
UFP wrote on 1/28/2005, 10:18 AM
== Could you be a little more specific? ==

For example:

- when you click a menu, the background animates into the next background
- text that fall above or behind moving background objects, depending whether they are selected or not
UFP wrote on 1/28/2005, 10:19 AM
== I use Vegas & Photoshop for my menus. You can build some pretty nice stuff with a little time & creativity. ==

Vegas for menu's? Please explain how to make a menu with Vegas!
bStro wrote on 1/28/2005, 10:42 AM
when you click a menu, the background animates into the next background

Take a screenshot of your first menu and a screenshot of your next menu. Then bring those two pictures into Vegas and add whatever transition and effects you want. Render this out to a new video file. Back in DVDA, add a link to this new video to your first menu, and set the video's end action to link to your second menu. This is the basic method that many people here have been using.

text that fall above or behind moving background objects, depending whether they are selected or not

Also involves Vegas. Specifics depend a lot on where you get your "moving background objects" from, and what the general look of the backgorund itself is. In general though, I would reccomend creating the background, including the text links, in Vegas. Then take a screengrab of that and use it to make a custom highlight mask. Go into DVDA, add the motion background you created in Vegas, insert and size an empty button over the area where the text is, and add your highlight mask. I haven't tried this out, but it sounds like it should work.

If the terms / processes I mention above sound unfamiliar, I'd highly recommend reading the manuals for DVDA and Vegas, as well as the DVDA New Features document (PDF file).

Personally, I think it's more a matter of being creative (and I'm not even that creative) than it is finding a better package. There are better packages out there, for sure, but I think their advantages have more to do with playlists, cell manipulation, and output formats than basic menu design. The "professionals" don't just rely on one package for everything that goes into their menus -- they use video editors, effects editors, image editors, etc. And, of course, they spend a boatload of money.

Rob
ScottW wrote on 1/28/2005, 2:43 PM
Use the search function to pull up posts that I've made to this forum.