dvd studio 4 question at DVinfo.net

Charles Perkins · September 15th, 2007, 09:18 AM

Hi,

i'm in the process of making a dvd menu for someone and they want the transitions to be an animation of a book with the pages turning.

so the first thing you will see when you put the dvd in is the cover of the book, then is will zoom out to reveal the whole book on a black back ground and then the cover will open and on the first page will be the main menu. then it zooms back in again so you can see just the page with the menu items on it.

is this possible, and if so, could you explain it to me , or point me to some guides.

i've searched through google but not much came up.

thanks for your help.

Eric Darling · September 15th, 2007, 10:51 AM

Sounds like a job for After Effects to me. DVD Studio Pro isn't an animation program, so you won't be able to create complex and unique motion graphics like that using it.

Charles Perkins · September 15th, 2007, 01:35 PM

ok, so i'll creat them in AE or motion, but then can i use them as transitions from menu to menu?

Eric Darling · September 15th, 2007, 01:42 PM

You can make them simple tracks, with end jumps set to a menu that shares the same (final) frame of the track, only with buttons over top. You could probably also just make them motion menus.

Chris Hocking · September 16th, 2007, 08:11 AM

Just quickly...

Create the opening animation (the book opening to the first page) and any other transitions (page turns, etc.) in the program of your choice (After Effects, Final Cut, Flash, Photoshop, etc.). When finished, use Compressor to export them (i.e. export out of FCP as a Quicktime Movie, then turn it into an MPEG using Compressor).

Create the menus in Photoshop. If the menu is wide-screen resize the image to 720 (don't constrain proportions), and then save as a PSD.

So basically - create all your DVD assets in whatever program you like, and then bring them into DVD Studio Pro after you have compressed them.

Bring all your assets into DVD Studio Pro. Create a "menu", and use the opening animation movie as the background. When the movie finishes (set the timeout), it should go to another menu which will have the PSD overlay. The trick is to not use tracks, but use menus for any Menu Assets (including transitions). This will help keep the time between the menu and the transition small (and hopefully you won't see the DVD "thinking").

Hopefully this is of some help...

Chris!

September 15th, 2007, 09:18 AM	#1
Charles Perkins Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: paris, fr Posts: 102	dvd studio 4 question Hi, i'm in the process of making a dvd menu for someone and they want the transitions to be an animation of a book with the pages turning. so the first thing you will see when you put the dvd in is the cover of the book, then is will zoom out to reveal the whole book on a black back ground and then the cover will open and on the first page will be the main menu. then it zooms back in again so you can see just the page with the menu items on it. is this possible, and if so, could you explain it to me , or point me to some guides. i've searched through google but not much came up. thanks for your help.

September 15th, 2007, 10:51 AM	#2
Eric Darling Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 463	Sounds like a job for After Effects to me. DVD Studio Pro isn't an animation program, so you won't be able to create complex and unique motion graphics like that using it.

September 15th, 2007, 01:35 PM	#3
Charles Perkins Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: paris, fr Posts: 102	ok, so i'll creat them in AE or motion, but then can i use them as transitions from menu to menu?

September 15th, 2007, 01:42 PM	#4
Eric Darling Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Savannah, GA Posts: 463	You can make them simple tracks, with end jumps set to a menu that shares the same (final) frame of the track, only with buttons over top. You could probably also just make them motion menus.

September 16th, 2007, 08:11 AM	#5
Chris Hocking Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 595	Just quickly... Create the opening animation (the book opening to the first page) and any other transitions (page turns, etc.) in the program of your choice (After Effects, Final Cut, Flash, Photoshop, etc.). When finished, use Compressor to export them (i.e. export out of FCP as a Quicktime Movie, then turn it into an MPEG using Compressor). Create the menus in Photoshop. If the menu is wide-screen resize the image to 720 (don't constrain proportions), and then save as a PSD. So basically - create all your DVD assets in whatever program you like, and then bring them into DVD Studio Pro after you have compressed them. Bring all your assets into DVD Studio Pro. Create a "menu", and use the opening animation movie as the background. When the movie finishes (set the timeout), it should go to another menu which will have the PSD overlay. The trick is to not use tracks, but use menus for any Menu Assets (including transitions). This will help keep the time between the menu and the transition small (and hopefully you won't see the DVD "thinking"). Hopefully this is of some help... Chris!