text attributes

dougs wrote on 7/19/2011, 6:10 PM
hi
i am new to dvd architect from adobe encore. I use sony vegas so architect is a better match.
Is it possible to change text attibutes on individual words within a text block. (i could do this easily in encore.)
Or if not, is it possible to group text blocks into a single object?
At the moment i have text objects formatted individually the way i want them, but if i want to move them all as a block i have to shift click all to select them and move, very cumbersome when regularly making adjustments.

The menu page i am building has presentations to select to play, i want each presentation title to have the title in bold and then on the line below the name of the presenter in italics

Thanks for any assistance.

Dougal.




Comments

Steve Mann wrote on 7/19/2011, 8:48 PM
I don't think that DVDA will allow this. I do all my menus in Photoshop which gives me much more versatility.
dougs wrote on 7/20/2011, 1:20 AM
Ok thanks for the response. having made a menu in photoshop and used it as a menu in DVD architect, i assume you then add the buttons in architect, as the imported menu graphic sits on the bottom layer, so as to not move or select that layer, is there any way to lock that layer while adjusting buttons?

thanks

dougal
Steve Mann wrote on 7/20/2011, 6:15 AM
I do everything in Photoshop, including the buttons.
Here's a tutorial I am working on describing my process:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1421565/How%20I%20make%20a%20DVD.doc
Former user wrote on 7/20/2011, 8:06 AM
Steve,

Thank you so much. YOu finally showed me how to use the layers from Photoshop for a DVDA menu. How did you discover the naming conventions? I could not find that anywhere and as a result have been making buttons as individual files.

Do you need that whole name for the button, or is is the button set that makes it work?

I could do this in Encore, but could not find out how to do it in DVDA.

You don't know how happy I am to see this work this way.
Dave T2
Steve Mann wrote on 7/20/2011, 4:05 PM
"How did you discover the naming conventions?"

It's in the manual.

There is an abbreviation for the button names, but I prefer the long names for clarity. Vegas ignores sets in Photoshop. At the least, you need a Background-01. Keep in mind that no two layers can have the same name - you will get an error when you try to import the menu PSD file. (If you get an error upon importing, click on "Details" and you will probably figure it out.

I just finished a set of menus for one DVD that has four menu pages and 52 buttons. (Speaking of buttons, there's a limit of 18-buttons in the DVD specs.) That would have taken a while in DVDA only, but I was completely finished in just a couple of hours in Photoshop.

Steve
Former user wrote on 7/20/2011, 4:36 PM
What a concept, read the manual.

I actually think I read it on Version 4, but haven't looked at it since. Thanks for taking the time to make the tutorial and answering my question here.

Dave T2
dougs wrote on 7/20/2011, 5:21 PM
Great resource.Tthanks Steve for your efforts and making it available.

dougal
GaryDZ wrote on 7/21/2011, 9:28 AM
Great tutorial Steve! Thanks
NOKNOT wrote on 7/22/2011, 1:03 PM
Just wondering Steve, I dont have Photoshop, can this be done in Corel PaintShop Pro. I would love to learn how to make your own menus because those in Architect are not that great. Thanks.
Steve Mann wrote on 7/22/2011, 9:16 PM
If it makes Photoshop compatible layered PSD files, sure. Layers just makes it easier, but you can also use individual PNG or JPG images to create a menu - it just takes a bit more work.
dougs wrote on 7/25/2011, 12:15 AM
i have been playing around with menus in photoshop. I used a shape layer to build a simple hollow circle using a stroked elipse to become a highlight in DVD architect.Had a background labelled background-01 and the shape layer was Labelled button-01-highlight. The highlight didn't come out in architect as i would expect. When going back to photoshop and making changes to the shape layer and making it a rasterized layer it worked as expected. Is this normal?

thanks

dougal
Steve Mann wrote on 7/25/2011, 4:17 PM
How did it not come out in DVDA as expected?
dougs wrote on 7/26/2011, 5:05 PM
I expected the ring as a highlight but got a solid elipse. I am trying to make a round button on a background, with a hollow ring around it as a highlight. I can do this by making the ring in a paint layer in photoshop, that works fine, but when i use a shape layer, when i make the ring as a stroked elipse and the centre shows as hollow ie.. checkerboard in photoshop, is seems to show as a solid elipse highlight in DVDA. So just curious as to whether it is just me, or whether this is normal, and i am doing something wrong.

thanks

Dougal
Steve Mann wrote on 7/26/2011, 8:30 PM
I've never used shapes in Photoshop. Educate me, why would I want to learn the Shapes Layer?
dougs wrote on 7/26/2011, 10:24 PM
actually I am far from knowledgeable about photoshop, and to be honest just happened to come across the shape layer when wanting to draw an outlined circle to use as a highlight. So i can't give a could reason as to why one might use a shape layer. I was just curious as to why a layer in photoshop which appeared to have the correct transparency, and requirements for DVDA didn't seem to produce the results i expected.

I have built the menu in photoshop and it works and looks the way i want in DVDA, so thanks for your assistance in directing me to use photoshop and how to go about it.

dougal