Yes, I checked out other PSD's too, and noticed that they are created with variations for whatever specific programs they are used for.

Since I'm not exactly familiar enough to make whatever changes are required for DVDA, I guess I'll have to rely on others to create DVDA specific PSD files.

Since it's a new feature in DVDA, you're just as "familiar" as anyone else. ;-)

Did you even read the manual regarding this feature? It's probably little more than renaming your layers.

Rob

There is a little more to it than renaming the layers; What you really need to understand is how the layers are constructed for say, Encore (or name your authoring software) and then translate that into DVDA - renaming is part of it but not all of it. It wasn't entirely obvious to me in the Encore PSD I looked at, why certain things were done the way they were done and as a result, I couldn't translate that cleanly into what DVDA wanted in the 5 minues I spent playing with it - maybe if I'd spent a few hours I'd have a different story to tell.

I think the other thing to keep in mind is that there's likely a large class of DVDA users that could care less about creating their own PSD's for menus - they have existing PSD's (like PowerBlox) that they purchased, and they want to use those, because the task at hand is to deliver a finished product to the customer, not to learn how to design PSD's so they can be used in a menu.

Then there's another class who are quite happy with designing menus from scratch (or converting existing PSD's), and layered PSD's in DVDA are simply another tool to accomplish the job.

Just my 2 bits.
--Scott

I was interested in this feature because I want to create DVD menu buttons that do more than just simple highlights. I have Adobe Encore and am familiar with the naming conventions of the layers and how they correspond to highlights and color mapping. For instance layer +1 corresponds to color map color 1, +2 is color map color 2, and so on. Encore expects the resulting PSD to have the layers linked to the button in a specific way.

DVDA uses a totally different naming convention (based on what is documented in the manual) and it isn't clear how it expects the layers to be linked. While you can use PSD files in DVDA, the vast number of menu templates created for Encore probably won't work without modification for DVDA.

So, it looks like you can use Photoshop to create your PSDs and, for the most part, it is easier to create themes for DVDA but the menus and layers don't seem to be compatible with Encore menus.

From the DVDA 3.0 help menu:

DVD Architect software will determine which layers will be used for each part of a menu based on the layer name in your .psd file using the following format: Type-ID-Subtype-Name

Type
Indicates the contents of the layer:

background
Used for menu background images and menu highlight masks.

button
Used for button images and masks.


ID
A numeric identifier that is used to represent related items. For example, the layers used to create button 1 in your menu would be named as follows:

button-01-thumbnail

The button ID also determines a menu's button order: button-01 will be the first button, button-02 will be the second button, and so on.

Subtype
Indicates the type of image contained in the layer.

thumbnail
A layer containing a thumbnail image for a menu or button. Can be abbreviated tmb.

thumbnailmask
A layer containing a button's thumbnail mask. Can be abbreviated tmbmsk.

highlight
A layer containing a highlight mask for a menu background or button. Can be abbreviated hlt.

By default, a highlight layer uses color channel mapping to determine transparency. If you want to specify the mapping mode, use the following subtypes: highlightrgb, highlightintensity (can be abbreviated highlightint), or highlighttransparency (can be abbreviated highlighttrans or hlttrans).

frame
A layer containing a button frame. Can be abbreviated frm.

framemask
Can be abbreviated frmmsk.


Name
An optional label for an object. Use Up, Back, Prev, and Next to identify layers that are used to create navigation buttons.

For example, a layer named button-04-highlightintensity-back would be used to define the highlight mask for the fourth button on a menu. Transparency is determined using intensity mapping, and the button will be imported as the Back button.
====================

The help menu then goes on to give a three page example of how to create the psd file, including sample names for each layer.

I have been using Encore more than Architect because my I like the link between Encore and Photoshop.. It's easy to take modify existing menu's in photoshop to get the look and color combinations you want. You can take some of their included buttons and change them without being full blow photoshop guru.

It would be wonderful to figure out a way to automate the renaming of layers to work with either DVD architect or Encore.

ie....
1. take a Architect photoshop file and convert it for use with encore
2. take a Photoshop file from encore and convert it for use in Rrchitect.

Does any one know if you can automate layer names in photoshop? Am I wishing for something that might be too time consuming or impossible?

There is a little more to it than renaming the layers;

Isn't that what what I said? "Little more..."

think the other thing to keep in mind is that there's likely a large class of DVDA users that could care less about creating their own PSD's for menus - they have existing PSD's (like PowerBlox) that they purchased

Well, that "class" is SOL unless they're willing to fiddle with the PSD first.

Rob