How Do I Use Vegas Markers To Create Menu Items?

surfdude wrote on 10/13/2008, 11:54 AM
I'm new to this software, so please forgive me if I'm asking the obvious.

Object: Create a menu in DVD Architech that uses scene/markers created in Vegas Movie Studio 9.

1) I've created a movie and rendered it as a *wmv in Vegas Movie Studio 9 and saved the markers with the file.

2) When I import the movie into DVD Architect, the "Load Markers" button is ghosted out ( DVD Architect is using "Menu" movie option)

The manual says "Markers don't apply to video/audio compilations".

Does this mean I have to render each movie scene (marked portion) individually in Vegas and load them individually into DVD Arch or can it be done all at once?

Thanx

Comments

bStro wrote on 10/13/2008, 2:23 PM
In order to Load Markers, you must be viewing the video for which you created them. Meaning, you need to add that video to your project and navigate into it so that you see that video on the timeline.

If you see the menu itself in the workspace and its background media on the timeline, you're trying to Load Markers for the menu's video -- which won't work. Not only because you probably haven't created any, but because menus can't have markers (other than In, Out, and Loop).

After you add your video to the project, navigate into it by double-clicking its button on the menu or its name in the Project Overview window. Then you will see the video on the timeline and can click the Load Markers button. In fact, if you saved your markers correctly, you'll probably already see them loaded.

If you want a scene selection menu, then right-click the video's name (or its button on the menu) and choose Insert Scene Selection Menu.

Bonus tip: There's really no point in rendering to WMV if you're going to be making a DVD with that video. DVDs use MPEG2 video, so DVD Architect is just going to have to re-encode it. For best results, you should either render / encode to MPEG2 straight out of Vegas Movie Studio or render to DV AVI so that DVD Architect at least has a less compressed video to work with.

Rob
surfdude wrote on 10/13/2008, 11:57 PM
I figured it out and everything works fine now.

I didn't see the combo box above the monitor screen that lets you switch back and forth between the main menu screen and the timeline of the imported movie(s). Once I got that open I could see the markers were all there. I used cntrl-c to copy the menu buttons and the Main Properties Panel to change their targets and boom, everything works.

Thanx for the help! I'm sure I'll have more questions tomorrow. I have to say, I'm really impressed with Sony's package and the stability of the software. I've been using Sound Forge and CD Architect for a while now and never had a hiccup.

Thanx again!
surfdude wrote on 10/14/2008, 12:14 AM
Yeah, I was wondering what was the best file type and screen resolution to save things at coming out of Vegas. Your advice makes complete sense and I really appreciate it.

Think I need a faster processor...
bStro wrote on 10/14/2008, 8:39 AM
Generally speaking, the file type should be MPEG2 if you don't want DVD Architect to have to encode the file. The main exceptions are when either a) you want to use DVD Architect's Fit to Disc feature and let it decide on the bitrate to use or b) when the video will be used for a menu background and you will be adding content (including text, graphics, button thumbnails and/or frames ) to that menu within DVD Architect. In those cases, it's better to give it a less compressed format like DV AVI.

Whatever you choose, Vegas Pro has templates for the most common output settings, including a set of templates (when you choose MPEG2 as the type of file) made specifically for use with DVD Architect. I believe that the more recent versions of Vegas Movie Studio include such templates as well. In most cases, you would use the appropriate DVD Architect Video Stream template (taking into account whether the video is widescreen or not and whether it will be played in a NTSC region (North America, parts of South America) or PAL region (almost everywhere else).

Also, Vegas Movie Studio has a Make Movie feature, which I believe will guide you through outputting a file.

Rob