Sold on Photoshopping menus

Comments

TLF wrote on 2/27/2007, 6:33 AM
Corel Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop Elements. Both support layers and will export to .PSD format.

My first attempts at menus were done in Paint Shop Pro 10 and after finally getting my head around menu production, it worked a treat.

Worley
johnmeyer wrote on 2/27/2007, 7:29 AM
Given Photoshop is the first choice is there an alternative second choice? :)

Ulead PhotoImpact. It's up to version 12, but version 10 has all you need (V12 has gotten more bloated and slower -- V10 is still pretty nimble, especially compared to the stupid Adobe products). You can get version 10 on eBay for next to nothing.
ECB wrote on 2/27/2007, 8:45 AM
Many thanks for the suggestions. I have PhotoImpact XL which may too old.

Ed
TLF wrote on 2/27/2007, 12:19 PM
Download Serif Photo Plus 6 for free from www.freeserifsoftware.com. It's the full version, not a trial. It supports layers, and MAY be able to export to PSD format, in which case you have a real bargain,

Worley
johnmeyer wrote on 2/27/2007, 5:53 PM
Many thanks for the suggestions. I have PhotoImpact XL which may too old.

I had XL as well, and when I upgraded to PhotoImpact 10, it was the biggest jump I've experienced in any application in the past ten years. Everything was better, and the number of advancements was HUGE. Versions 11 and 12 have added very little. Go to eBay and buy PI 10. You'll be happy you did. Guaranteed.
ECB wrote on 3/16/2007, 1:13 PM
Could someone please post or point me to a link to a zip file with a dar using a single psd file with layers assigned to background... I am having no luck getting the layers to auto load. Thanks in advance.

Ed B
johnmeyer wrote on 3/16/2007, 1:42 PM
Here's a sample PSD file. Nothing too magic here. The key to getting DVDA to recognize the names (besides entering the names correctly) is to remember that you have to use the DVDA "Insert Submenu from File" option. (Right-click on a menu and this option will appear as one of the choices). You can then move this menu around, if you don't want it to be a sub-menu.

Here's the link (good for one week):

DVDA Example.psd

If you really want a DAR file, I can send that too, but I have to create it, and I'm in a hurry.
ECB wrote on 3/16/2007, 2:12 PM
"The key to getting DVDA to recognize the names (besides entering the names correctly) is to remember that you have to use the DVDA "Insert Submenu from File" option."

That was the key! :) Once I hit "Insert Submenu from File " my PSD file loaded perfectly. Many thanks John!

ECB
johnmeyer wrote on 3/16/2007, 3:35 PM
That was the key! :)

Yeah, I knew you were smart enough to have figured the rest of it out, but that little "secret" eludes most people: Quite a few of us have stumbled over this "gotcha." You'd think that if you simply used the "Replace" function to change the menu background to the PSD file that it would import the buttons, but it doesn't.

BTW, if you have DVDA version 4, you don't have to bother with all the naming conventions. Instead, you can just load the PSD file (using the replace function). Then, for each button, insert a button using DVDA's Insert->Empty Button menu action. Finally, click on the image portion of the button and change the thumbnail, frame, and/or highlight to the PSD file, and then change the layer to match the name of the item in the PSD file that you want to assign to the button. To get the size correct, right-click on the button and select "Make Graphic Actual Size."

I found this easier for most of my projects, because it took too long to get all the layer names to match what DVDA insisted on using. Either way, you have to do some work, but this seemed easier. Also, once the whole concept starts to sink in, you will find all sorts of neat "tricks" that make it extremely simple to assign buttons and highlights.
DavidMcKnight wrote on 3/26/2007, 10:49 PM
I keep missing these. johnmeyer, any chance you could repost one of your examples?
TeetimeNC wrote on 4/5/2007, 8:11 AM
I too keep missing these - johnmeyer, I would like to learn from your experience. Perhaps a post to VASST?

Jerry
GeorgeW wrote on 4/5/2007, 2:30 PM
Here's an example of that "Inverted Selection" trick

~10mb - active for 7 days
http://tinyurl.com/28475a


NOTE: this is only the prepared DVD Folders (not the source or project files)
TeetimeNC wrote on 4/6/2007, 4:44 AM
Hi George. I was looking for the DAR and PSD examples to help me figure out how to set up button/menu masks in Photoshop, and then use them in DVDA. I find the manual very confusing and incomplete in this area.

EDIT: For others who may be looking for examples - George's download is a zip of the Prepared files (VOBs), not the source files.

Jerry
GeorgeW wrote on 4/6/2007, 5:51 AM
Sorry about that Jerry, I added a NOTE to the download post to indicate it is only the prepared DVD Folder (not source or project files)