How do I create hotspots in DVD Architect?

trock wrote on 3/18/2009, 6:40 AM

Hi,

How do I create a hotspot on a menu image that can act as a linkable button in DVD Architect? In DVD-Lab all you do is select the part of the image that you want to act as a button and it creates the linkable hotspot.

Clients frequently give me menu images with the buttons already on the image and I need to make them clickable.

I've scoured the help files but can't find it. If it's done by doing something like creating an invisible button, can some one explain how this is done?

Thanks!

Tony

Comments

blink3times wrote on 3/18/2009, 6:51 AM

To the best of my knowledge you can't.

But what you could try is placing a button where you want it, and then fade it out of (visible) view by using the alpha setting in "crop and adjust"

Tom Pauncz wrote on 3/18/2009, 6:56 AM

You can import layered Photoshop files and as long as the layers are named correctly, you should not have to do much. The DVDA help files are very good in explaining how to do that.
Tom

farss wrote on 3/18/2009, 7:06 AM

I've done it by just putting a button where you want the hotspot. Select media type as Image Only and delet the media.
Thing is you need a mask there otherwise the highlight when the hotspot is selected will just be a rectangle i.e. look pretty ugly.

As Tom says, read the manual and play around, you'll soon fathom it out and learn a bit in the process.

It all gets a lot easier of you get a layered PS file to work from.

Bob.

rs170a wrote on 3/18/2009, 7:08 AM

I knew I'd seen this feature mentioned somewhere but it took one of Edward Troxel's newsletters (thanks Edward!!) to point me in the right direction.
After you load your video into DVDA (you need at least version 4.0), double-click it to see it on the timeline.
Go to the first button location and drop a marker at that point.
Right-click on the marker and select Set Marker Type - Buttons on Video.
Go to the menu on the right side and set the Action as desired.
Interesting feature :-)

edit: since you already have buttons, you may need to make an invisible mask so that the original button doesn't get covered up.

Mike

trock wrote on 3/18/2009, 9:35 AM

Thanks very much, guys!

I'll try these various suggestions. I wish indeed that they would give me layered PSD files.

All I need is a "Play" hotspot to start the movie and a "Chapters" one to go to a chapters submenu.

Guess I'm going to have to confront learning masking :)

Tony