Other than Sony's page (as noted by our esteemed DVD Theme Editor developer), which hasn't been updated in over a year [edit: my mistake, there was one added in December ;-), I've yet to see such a site. I've been meaning to start one for several weeks now and put some themes on it, but I've been having writer's block. I find it difficult to create general purpose themes...ones that would be useful for anything other than specific projects. I'll keep trying, though. If I ever get the site off the ground, I'd take themes by e-mail and post them on the site (I'm not really web-handy enough to have an upload function. )

Rob

Rob,

There are a ton of us out here that would really appreciate it...

I'm looking for themes that are non linear, in the sense that you don't have one item and then another symetrically beside it (make sense??)

Hopefully, this post will encourage you to get it off the ground.

I think this once again shows Sony's depth of commitment to this product.

Frankly, I think the need for the changes made between DVDA 1 and DVD 2 far outweighed the need for Sony-designed themes. I'd much rather have them working on features (possible for DVDA 3: scripting, support for layered PSD, this DLT everyone keeps moaning about) than playing with PhotoShop. ;-)

Edit: Or do you mean just that Sony hasn't added any user-submitted themes to their page?

Rob

Rob,
I'd certainly like a place to find DVD-A themes. While I enjoy creating everything on the DVD from scratch, there are time when I just want to throw something together quickly. Themes can add a bit of polish to that sort of compilation when the time just isn't there to mess with it.

I would guess these themes would be royalty-free, created for users by users, right? Or are you thinking of something else?

-Jayson

Frankly, I think the need for the changes made between DVDA 1 and DVD 2 far outweighed the need for Sony-designed themes ... Edit: Or do you mean just that Sony hasn't added any user-submitted themes to their page?

I don't think the two things are in any way mutually exclusive. Themes are almost certainly NOT designed by Sony engineers, but instead are normally done by third parties. Sony should have contracted to have another dozen done for inclusion in the last release, and in return included a coupon for a discount on the external companies other themes, that can be purchased directly from that third party (somewhat like what was done with Boris). The problem comes back to the complaint that I have voiced many times in this space, namely that Sony doesn't seem to understand the importance of fostering the third-party development community. There ought to be half a dozen sources for DVDA template designs.

I would guess these themes would be royalty-free, created for users by users, right?

Yes. It would be completely communist. ;-)

Rob

There ought to be half a dozen sources for DVDA template designs.

Do other DVD authoring apps have "half a dozen sources" for their templates / themes?

Just curious. :)

Rob

Hi,

on www.multimediacollection.com you find several products which might help you developing new custom themes. You can get a downloadable collection of 100 license free still images as backgrounds (mainly abstract) for dvda projects or collections of animated seamlessly looping video backgrounds. Demo versions are available as well.

First I wanted to develop whole themes for dvda , too , but there are still too many problems, see my recent postings. Some xml tags don´t seem to work properly. And I will not start to offer themes as long as these problems still exist. I think this might be a reason why there aren´t any third party themes available yet. Just my opinion.

Bye,
Marco.

There's just one way to create themes for DVDA. Easy and Fast. Get Photoshop. Open Photoshop.....follow these simple directions:

Computer images and video images both consist of pixels but they aren't quite the same. Computer pixels are square whereas video pixels are rectangular. A standard frame of video, in North America, consists of 720 x 480 rectangular pixels, but because the pixels in a Photoshop document are square, if you created artwork at 720 x 480 pixels, it won't look the same when it plays on a video monitor - it'll look slightly squashed.
To get around this problem, work with Photoshop documents that are 720 x 540 pixels with a resolution of 72 dpi. (All video graphics are 72 dpi.) This will give you a work-in-progress document that looks the same way it'll look on a video monitor (see figure 2). When you're done using Photoshop and ready to move your still graphics into a DVD authoring application, you can resize the artwork to 720 x 480. (FULL STOP)
;)

If anyone's interested, you can read the above quoted instructions in context at CreativePro.com. ;)

Two things worth mentioning:

1. If the part you quote was all it took to make themes for DVDA, there would be hundreds of them in circulation. Themes need backgrounds, buttons, masks, and the proper settings to make it all look like presentable. Then those settings need to be included in the theme's XML file. Backgrounds are relatively easy -- I think it's the buttons / masks / settings and the XML file that's got people stumped.

2. PhotoShop certainly isn't a requirement. All imaging programs will let you make a 720x540 picture, and some (Paint Shop Pro) even do a lot of the things mentioned in the article you quote -- for a lot less money.

Rob

I use JASC's PSP and find it a great program. (beta 9 is out for testing BTW)

Creativity.....
lack of carbs is probably the reason, I always worked better after a
heaping plate of lasagna!

bStro:
When I wrote: - There's just one way to create themes for DVDA.... I meant, one of the best ways....
Thanks for the info, though.
;)