Menu Button Fade-Up

StevieS wrote on 2/10/2011, 12:54 PM
Hi guys, could somebody please help.
I am using dvd architect studio 4.5.

I have created a basic dvd menu and I have used a short 10 second video clip for the background. At the end of the 10 seconds I want to fade-in a number of menu buttons, and then I want the menu to loop just on the buttons until one is selected, at which point the selected clip will start to play.

The exact length of my menu video is 12 seconds, the first 10 seconds is used to play initially, the last 2 seconds is just a still of the last frame which I stretched for 2 seconds using Sony Vegas 9.

I would ideally like my buttons to fade-in from transparrent to full between the 10th and 11th seconds, and then the menu could loop between 11 and 12 until the user selects a menu option.

I have successfully done everything except that I don't know how to make the menu buttons fade-in, I can make them "pop in" but not fade in.

Any help or suggestions would be very welcome at this point if anybody has any ideas.

Comments

Steve Grisetti wrote on 2/10/2011, 2:27 PM
Unfortunately, you can't fade in elements with DVD Architect Studio. However, you can set your Loop Point (the green vertical line on your Timeline) to set the point at which your buttons and titles appear over your menu page background.

My newest book will show you how to do this, step by step, if you're interested. Even though it's for version 5, the process is exactly the same. (I also have a book for version 4.5 -- but the version 5 book is much better.)

You can find it on Amazon.com or read more about it at http://muvipix.com/dvdas5.php
StevieS wrote on 2/10/2011, 3:06 PM
Hi

Thanks for the reply, I wondered if that was the case. I already got the menu buttons "popping in" by placing them after the loop point, I was hoping there was a way of fading them, but as you have confirmed, there isn't.

Shame really, I really like Architect Studio, but I guess I'll live with the limitations.

I will check out the book on Amazon though, thanks for the pointer.
TOG62 wrote on 2/11/2011, 12:04 AM
There is a workaround whereby you take a screenshot of your menu page, without and with buttons and use Vegas to fade from one to the other. You then render this and use it as you background video. At the loop point the 'real' buttons appear over the ones in the background.
StevieS wrote on 2/11/2011, 12:21 PM
Thanks for the idea, I did consider doing this but I decided against it in the end.

I was going to use Vegas to add a one-second "fade-up" clip of the menu screen to the end of the 10 second segment, and then add a one second still-frame clip of the full menu onto the end and loop it with the real buttons.

It all seemed a bit over-designed so I settled for pop-ins instead. It is a good tip though, thanks for suggesting it, it may be of use to anybody else reading this thread.
lookin4grip wrote on 2/11/2011, 12:22 PM
Very slick insight. ;-)
lookin4grip wrote on 2/11/2011, 3:40 PM
I just got a chance to try this workup, I guess I cannot find where the snapshot button is located or how to achieve taking snapshots of the background...
TOG62 wrote on 2/11/2011, 9:55 PM
Go to preview and click the button at top right corner and set quality to Best, then click the button to the left of the quality one (copy to clipboard).

You'll need to paste into a photo editor, such as Irfanview (free) to save the image.
lookin4grip wrote on 2/13/2011, 9:54 AM
Thanks TOG62 for the great tips, I just used your workup with great success. I do have a little noticable snap when the real menu buttons come in, otherwise it looks great.
Electromen wrote on 3/6/2011, 4:25 PM
If your snapshot is taken at the exact time the loop ends or transitions, it should eliminate your "snap"