DVD Chapters, can I batch process? at DVinfo.net

Sean Seah · July 31st, 2006, 05:49 PM

I used to make a DVD menu with individual chapters by rendering 8 seperate clips which take 30min each! I would have 8 selections which with mini moving previews of each chapter. I have made 8 veg files now.

Now, I would like to open a new veg file, and put this 8 veggies in there (nested), then render into a hugh DVDA3 mpeg2 (to save my agony of waiting 8 times!). Put this into DVDA3.

But how can I have the same moving preview chapters this way? If yes casn u guys give some details here? (i have no idea at all!!) I have read that I can put chapter markers and have them transfered to DVDA3 right? Previously I attempted putting those markers in DVDA3 but I find them not so accurate compared to doing it in Vegas6.. thks!!

Kevin Richard · July 31st, 2006, 06:19 PM

Not sure I completely follow you but here is what I do

I just put markers for chapters on my timeline in vegas (the whole movie)... then I render out to DVDa template and then render the AC3 file with the same name. Import the media in DVDa and it brings the markers in (given you set that option on render) and brings in the audio too. Now just find that option to make a chapter page in DVDa (I always have to hunt it down or look in the help file as I don't do it often enough). That's it... all the chapters are there and DVDa doesn't have to render anything really as you did it all coming out of Vegas.

Hope that helps.. probably didn't as I can never remember that step... If you need I will look it up when I get home.

Sean Seah · August 1st, 2006, 05:30 AM

Ah yes you are right. The problem I have is I will get only ONE file in the middle. I didnt know that there is a function in DVDA3 to spilt that into chapters.. I will try it. Thanks!

Kevin Richard · August 1st, 2006, 11:57 AM

Yeah, the only downside and I may be wrong on this... is that once playing chapter one it will play till the end of the movie.. where as with smaller clips you could stop them... again I might be wrong, I never checked that out.

Seth Bloombaum · August 1st, 2006, 06:19 PM

Right. That is the primary difference between chapters based on individual clips vs. chapters based on a single long file. With a long file, chapter 2 will always follow the end of chapter one, with individual clips you can specify various end actions (including proceed to next chapter).

Sean, if setting up individual renders is making you unhappy, but you need the individual clips in DVDA, you should check out the batch render script that is supplied by Sony with Vegas. Mark a few regions, make sure you have saved the render preset you like, and leave it to render multiple clips overnight.

Kevin Richard · August 1st, 2006, 06:27 PM

Agreed... just depends what you need for your final results. Batch rendering is a simple solution for multiple clips. I got a project that is about to be many different clips across 2 dvd's... you can bet I'll be batch rendering nested projects once it's all finalized.

Sean Seah · August 2nd, 2006, 07:05 AM

Ah Regions.. I heard of those but I have not used them before. Could you elaborate a little? As I was saying, I have 8 clips on 8 different veg files. So how do I use this for batch rendering? The help file says regions are for indicating sections of projects such as credits or scenes. LEt me check out the batch render..

Seth Bloombaum · August 2nd, 2006, 10:23 AM

Once you try regions I think the mysteries will quickly disappear.

Think of a region as a beginning marker and an end marker. Region marks look just like regular markers, only green.

1) Select any period of time on the timeline.
2) Press the "R" key on your keyboard, name your region.
3) do it a few more times and save the file - you've got regions!

4) Make sure that you have a render setting that is *exactly* what you want. If you usually tweak the custom settings, do it and save the preset. (This is pretty important, as one small mistake here affects all your renders, which could be several hours or even days of rendering...)

5) Open Tools | Scripting | Batch Render.
6) Spec a base file name. Renders will be named "basefilename_region1" and so on. (if memory serves...) Click the browse button and specify a location for your renders.
7) Open the list of render templates and presets, yours should be in there.
8) Don't forget to click the "Render Regions" radio button.

Jason Robinson · August 3rd, 2006, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Seah

I used to make a DVD menu with individual chapters by rendering 8 seperate clips which take 30min each! I would have 8 selections which with mini moving previews of each chapter. I have made 8 veg files now.

Now, I would like to open a new veg file, and put this 8 veggies in there (nested), then render into a hugh DVDA3 mpeg2 (to save my agony of waiting 8 times!). Put this into DVDA3.

But how can I have the same moving preview chapters this way? If yes casn u guys give some details here? (i have no idea at all!!) I have read that I can put chapter markers and have them transfered to DVDA3 right? Previously I attempted putting those markers in DVDA3 but I find them not so accurate compared to doing it in Vegas6.. thks!!

Here is how you can get the "moving preview" for the chapter menu selections based on any input file type...

*Import all your Vegs into one project and render the output as a single DVDA MPEG2 & associated AC3 audio track.

*Create your DVDA project as a menu driven project.

*right click in the top left white space where the disc directory tree is stored (you should only see "Untitled -> Menu1"

*Choose the Insert Media and brows to your MPEG render file.

*Drag the newly item onto your preview screen on the right that says "Menu 1". Now you have a link on your DVD menu to that movie file.

*Go back to the menu directory section on the left and right click on that newly imported media file. Choose the "Insert Scene Selection Menu" option.

*Drag the newly created scene selection Menu onto your DVD preview screen on the right.

*Double left click on the new scene selection menu on the left pane. Now your screen should show the scene selection preview on the right.

*Single Left click on the preview still of your movie file.

*Notice that the Button Properties window on the far right has changed. Choose the Media "tab"

*You now can control all the features of how the media is displayed on the scene selection screen.

*Go down to the Thumbnail properties and select the "Style" option.

*Changes it from Still to Animated.

*Now your Scene Selection Menu on the DVD will play an animated preview clip from that movie file.

*Choose when to start the preview by selecting the start time just above the style.

*Now your Menu will have a small movie playing on that screen. Add a sound track to that menu screen and the menu will loop to the length of the audio track.

Hopefully this is the kind of information you are looking for.

jason

Sean Seah · August 4th, 2006, 04:15 AM

Thank u so much. U two have provided the exact info I was looking for..!! Now I just have to figure out why Vegas hangs on me after the 3rd clip of 9 during a batch render! =( ...

July 31st, 2006, 05:49 PM	#1
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	DVD Chapters, can I batch process? I used to make a DVD menu with individual chapters by rendering 8 seperate clips which take 30min each! I would have 8 selections which with mini moving previews of each chapter. I have made 8 veg files now. Now, I would like to open a new veg file, and put this 8 veggies in there (nested), then render into a hugh DVDA3 mpeg2 (to save my agony of waiting 8 times!). Put this into DVDA3. But how can I have the same moving preview chapters this way? If yes casn u guys give some details here? (i have no idea at all!!) I have read that I can put chapter markers and have them transfered to DVDA3 right? Previously I attempted putting those markers in DVDA3 but I find them not so accurate compared to doing it in Vegas6.. thks!!

July 31st, 2006, 06:19 PM	#2
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Not sure I completely follow you but here is what I do I just put markers for chapters on my timeline in vegas (the whole movie)... then I render out to DVDa template and then render the AC3 file with the same name. Import the media in DVDa and it brings the markers in (given you set that option on render) and brings in the audio too. Now just find that option to make a chapter page in DVDa (I always have to hunt it down or look in the help file as I don't do it often enough). That's it... all the chapters are there and DVDa doesn't have to render anything really as you did it all coming out of Vegas. Hope that helps.. probably didn't as I can never remember that step... If you need I will look it up when I get home.

August 1st, 2006, 05:30 AM	#3
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Ah yes you are right. The problem I have is I will get only ONE file in the middle. I didnt know that there is a function in DVDA3 to spilt that into chapters.. I will try it. Thanks!

August 1st, 2006, 11:57 AM	#4
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Yeah, the only downside and I may be wrong on this... is that once playing chapter one it will play till the end of the movie.. where as with smaller clips you could stop them... again I might be wrong, I never checked that out.

August 1st, 2006, 06:19 PM	#5
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Right. That is the primary difference between chapters based on individual clips vs. chapters based on a single long file. With a long file, chapter 2 will always follow the end of chapter one, with individual clips you can specify various end actions (including proceed to next chapter). Sean, if setting up individual renders is making you unhappy, but you need the individual clips in DVDA, you should check out the batch render script that is supplied by Sony with Vegas. Mark a few regions, make sure you have saved the render preset you like, and leave it to render multiple clips overnight.

August 1st, 2006, 06:27 PM	#6
Kevin Richard Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lafayette, LA Posts: 270	Agreed... just depends what you need for your final results. Batch rendering is a simple solution for multiple clips. I got a project that is about to be many different clips across 2 dvd's... you can bet I'll be batch rendering nested projects once it's all finalized.

August 2nd, 2006, 07:05 AM	#7
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Ah Regions.. I heard of those but I have not used them before. Could you elaborate a little? As I was saying, I have 8 clips on 8 different veg files. So how do I use this for batch rendering? The help file says regions are for indicating sections of projects such as credits or scenes. LEt me check out the batch render..

August 2nd, 2006, 10:23 AM	#8
Seth Bloombaum Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 3,420	Once you try regions I think the mysteries will quickly disappear. Think of a region as a beginning marker and an end marker. Region marks look just like regular markers, only green. 1) Select any period of time on the timeline. 2) Press the "R" key on your keyboard, name your region. 3) do it a few more times and save the file - you've got regions! 4) Make sure that you have a render setting that is exactly what you want. If you usually tweak the custom settings, do it and save the preset. (This is pretty important, as one small mistake here affects all your renders, which could be several hours or even days of rendering...) 5) Open Tools \| Scripting \| Batch Render. 6) Spec a base file name. Renders will be named "basefilename_region1" and so on. (if memory serves...) Click the browse button and specify a location for your renders. 7) Open the list of render templates and presets, yours should be in there. 8) Don't forget to click the "Render Regions" radio button.

August 4th, 2006, 04:15 AM	#10
Sean Seah Trustee Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,498	Thank u so much. U two have provided the exact info I was looking for..!! Now I just have to figure out why Vegas hangs on me after the 3rd clip of 9 during a batch render! =( ...