"Should be a snap if you're using the alignment tools."

I agree - IT SHOULD BE, but it isn't. Around each text button is a bounding box. I prefer that box be as small as possible for the font size I choose. For some reason, there is way too much space at the front of each button for them to align correctly even if I have set Justify Left on them all. The text just doesn't align correctly no matter what I do.

The alignment seems to doing it for the bounding box. Not aligning on the actual text.

I totally agree. There is no use for 'auto' text sizing. I have certain text sizes that I prefer for different reasons. Once I set a size, I don't want it messed with and the bounding boxes should be able to fit fairly close.

Would be nice to have some pull-out vertical/horizontal lines similar to page layout applications that are there only for aligning objects visually. Not by the bounding boxes mathematically.

DVDA uses bounding boxes that set the *hot* area for the button. Unfortunately the best I've found that I can do is set the font size, then carefully reduce the size of the box until text just starts to resize, then back off, enlarging the box just very slightly. Then I turn off snapping and just visually align, half the time enlarging the preview enough that the window itself can be used as a guide.

Ideally though I use Vegas, where the quality of text compositing and number of controls is so much greater. Since your text is on a separate track in Vegas, not only can you add fades and motion, but by turning off the other tracks you can make a png snapshot that works for the highlight masks. Then in DVDA all you have to do set the bounding boxes of empty buttons, and precision is almost irrelevant - if it's big enough & doesn't overlap, you're cool.