thumbnail icon

BPhipps wrote on 4/26/2004, 8:33 AM
In DVDA1, when working with a scene selection, I would double click on a chapter thumbnail and it would open the timeline. From here, I could scrub the timeline to find what frame to use as the thumbnail graphic, then press T. It appears this is no longer possible?
In DVDA2, I can set chapter markers here, but no thumbnail marker. It would be nice to have the marker again, or at least a shortcut button to set the graphic from here. What I liked about setting the graphic from here, was that I could see the chapter markers and know I was choosing a graphic within it's chapter markers.

In DVDA2, it appears the only way to set the thumbnail graphic is in the Properties tab (Button Properties\Graphics\Thumbnail\Start Time)?
I do like the scrollbar and seeing the realtime graphic change in the thumbnail, but there is no visual clue that I have moved beyond the chapter marks.
Also, it appears the slider can be moved with the mouse or the keyboard. When using the mouse, I can press CTRL to get more granular slider control. But when I press CTRL and use the keyboard left and right arrow keys, there is no granular control. Is this a bug, non-feature, or am I using the wrong keys?

Comments

johnmeyer wrote on 4/26/2004, 8:54 AM
I too can't find the ability to set a thumbnail directly. I hope we are overlooking something. This is an unfortunate step backwards, if it has really been deleted.

The only workaround I can see is to scrub on the DVDA 2.0 timeline until you get the frame you want; double-click on the big timeline timecode counter; press Ctrl-C to copy; go back to the menu and click on the button to which you want to assign this image; click on Start Time and press Ctrl-V.

Man, this is really ugly compared to just pressing "T."

Sony, tell me it ain't so!!
rontvs wrote on 4/26/2004, 10:49 AM
I was trying to figure this out all day yesterday. Manually setting the thumbnail is not acceptable. Is there really no way to do it?
SonySDB wrote on 4/26/2004, 11:01 AM
Sorry, I can't tell you it ain't so because it is so. The method that 'johnmeyer' described is the best approach for setting thumbnails in DVDA2. In short, the advent of custom button actions in DVDA2 (and the possiblity of having multiple buttons linking to the same video) made it necessary to change this behavior.
johnmeyer wrote on 4/26/2004, 11:34 AM
At the next staff meeting, ask everyone if there is another way. While this isn't a "deal breaker," it sure is "ugly."
MRe wrote on 5/5/2004, 2:42 AM
Count me in also! This is a minor annoyance, since you just have only so many thumbnails in any given DVD (picture compilations aside) but nevertheless it's an annoyance.

If there only was scripting in DVDA then someone could make a script for this.

SonySDB: is it so that DVDA loses focus to the thumbnail immediately you are in timeline? Otherwise it (IMHO) would be very easy to assign a command which just updates correct Start Time event property with the current time. Or if we'd have scipting then someone could provide us with a script that could read the current cursor position in timeline and transfer that info automatically to selected property (i.e. automatic copy-paste).
PeterWright wrote on 5/5/2004, 4:15 AM
As you said, the properties for any button contain a Graphics > Start Time line which when clicked produces a slider which can be moved to change the thumbnail from the default first frame. It can be set to still or animated, or a browser allows you to substitute any other graphic as the thumbnail.

If the only problem is not seeing the end of a chapter, then the Start time read out tells you seconds and frames, and the real time thumbnail update shows you where you are, so it's fairly easy to navigate.
johnmeyer wrote on 5/5/2004, 9:31 AM
a slider which can be moved to change the thumbnail from the default first frame

The problem is that there is no longer the ability to use the Alt-arrow key combination to navigate to the exact frame you want to use for the button. If you have rapid scene changes (e.g., a music video), the coarse slider control doesn't get you anywhere close. Also, using the main timeline (like in DVDA 1.0), you get a nice big preview display that makes it easy to see what is going on. I suppose you could temporarily increase the size of the button you are trying to "thumbnail" (if that can be a verb), but then you have to size it back down to exactly match the other buttons. As far as I know, there is still no way in DVDA to force all buttons to be exactly the same size, unless you do a copy/paste operation.
SonySDB wrote on 5/5/2004, 10:33 AM
To make a button the same size as another button:
1. Edit | Editing Tool | Selection Tool
2. In the workspace, click on the button you want to resize
3. Hold Ctrl key and click on the button you want to size to
4. In the Editing toolbar (i.e. toolbar left of the workspace), click the "Make same width" toolbar button
5. Click the "Make same height" toolbar button

You can resize multiple buttons this way. Just make sure you click on the button you want to size to last.
johnmeyer wrote on 5/5/2004, 12:07 PM
Thanks, SonySDB.
PeterWright wrote on 5/5/2004, 6:27 PM
The content of this message was deleted by the owner
(already covered)
PAW wrote on 5/6/2004, 8:53 AM

Ouch, just came across this one myself.

Even with cntrl scroll the granularity is there there to accurately pick thumbnails.

Definately one for 2.0b I think

Paul
johnmeyer wrote on 5/6/2004, 9:39 AM
My "workaround" that I posted in my first Post above does let you do exactly what you did in DVDA 1.0, and also what you would do in Vegas, namely scrub on the DVDA timeline, using Alt arrow combinations to go one frame at a time. The one difference from DVDA 1.0 is that you cannot simply press a single key and have the job done. Instead, you have double-click on the big time display in the upper left corner of the timeline and press Ctrl-C to copy the time. Then, you have to double-click on the menu item (in the project pane) that contains the button, then click on the button, and finally click on the Start Time for the thumbnail for that button and press Ctrl-V to paste the time you just copied. It is thirty seconds of work instead of one second, but at least you get to scrub one frame at a time, with a display big enough to see what is going on, and you also get the exact frame you want.
johnmeyer wrote on 5/6/2004, 11:16 AM
Your directions for making all icons the same size do work, although what I'd really like to see is a "Paste Attributes" command similar to what Vegas has.

In particular, I have three separate scene selection menus, and I would like to make them all look the same. The way I am doing this now is to copy an icon from the first menu (after I get everything just right) and then paste it temporarily on the next menu. I them use the method you outlined in your last post above to make the icons identical size, and then remove the icon I pasted from the other menu. Seems like too many steps to me.

Another possibility would be the ability to create a "local theme" that would let me quickly take all the layout attributes from one menu and apply them to another menu. Such a theme would only apply to the current project.