5 Replies Latest reply: Jun 9, 2009 2:54 PM by Bill Hunt RSS

    Transition to Photoshop buttons

    macergodt Community Member

      Hey

      I have made some buttoms in photoshop.
      But can I put a transition to the buttom in encore ?

      Another quistions
      When the buttom is highlightet , can I chance the colour of that ?

        • 1. Re: Transition to Photoshop buttons
          Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

          You can create a transition to the Menu with the Buttons, and you can create Button Transitions to go to the Linked Asset.

           

          For the former, you could do this seveal ways, using PrPro, or AfterEffects. There will be differences in both how one builds these, and how they perform. Let us know a bit more about what you want to have happen. The more detail the better.

           

          For the latter, you would create these Button Transitions in PrPro and then Import As Asset into Encore. In the Menu Editing Panel, you would Select the appropriate Button, and then in Properties Link to the appropriate Asset.

           

          For the Button's Sub-picture Highlight color, this is done with the (=1) aspect of the Highlight Layer. You can choose 1, 2 or 3. These will use one of those colors from the Menu's Color Set. If you need to choose another color, beyond what you already have in the Color Set, back in Encore, you can create a Custom Color Set for the color that you want. This is a multi-step operation. Jeff Bellune covers it beautifully in his book, A Focal Easy Guide to Adobe EncoreDVD 2.0, Focal Press. Though it lists Encore 2 in the title, I can tell you that everything that you would want to know about Encore will be in that book. The only thing that is not covered in depth is the Adobe Dynamic Linking between PrPro & Encore, starting with CS3 and enhanced in CS4. I highly recommend this book for anyone working with any version of Encore. The Help files (F1) and the manual do touch on the Menu Color Set, but Jeff breaks the operation out into simple, easy to follow steps.

           

          Good luck,

           

          Hunt

          • 2. Re: Transition to Photoshop buttons
            macergodt Community Member

            Thanks. The thing about highlight I have found, and it works.

             

            About a transition to a button made in photoshop.

            I would like to have a Cross Dissolve transition to the button, so that I can get

            it to look nice from one menu to another, or from  a menu to the movie.

             

            I would to make it in PrPro, because I no that program best.

            • 3. Re: Transition to Photoshop buttons
              Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

              Without boring you to death with detail, you will basically create a Play First Video in PrPro. I'd keep it just a tad short, as you do not want the audience to be bored with it, before they can get at the real menu.

               

              First thing to do is a bit of "note-taking." You want to look at this Menu in the exact state that your user will first encounter it. By that, I mean with the exact Button Highlight, that they'll see in this Menu, after your lead-in piece. Write this down, as you will need it later.

               

              In Encore, Dbl-click on your Menu (the "target" one), and open it in the Menu Editor Panel. Rt-click on it, and choose Edit in Photoshop. This will launch Photoshop and then open your .PSD. Note: this file is really a temp copy of your actual Menu, and it's linked back to Encore. This allows one to edit it, and then upon Save, update the real Menu in Encore. For our operation, we do NOT want to do this. First thing to do is Save_As (giving the Menu a name like Still_Menu.psd, or something of your choice). Locate this in a folder within your PrPro Project folder hierarchy, as you will later Import it into PrPro. Now, decide what you want to happen with your Buttons. Remeber the notes that you took? Now's the time to put them into action, at the end of this editing process in PrPro. I'd go ahead and set the Menu up in PS, exactly like it will be when you get to the "real" menu. Turn on whichever Button Sub-picture Highlight will be on (usually Button #1, depending on the Button Routing in your Project). Do a Save_As_a_Copy (changing this file's name to something like, "Real_Menu_01"). You now have two Menu PSD's in your PrPro sub-folder. Since you did Save_As_a_Copy, your still working with the first one. Turn all Button Sub-picture Highlights OFF. Hit Save, just to make sure you have the version with NO Sub-picture Highlights. Since your Buttons, and their necessary Layer Sets, are in Layers, you will Import_As_Sequence, into PrPro. This will bring in your Menu as a Timeline with each Layer separate on a different Video Track. Once you have this Sequence's Timeline open in PrPro (hint: Dbl-click the Timeline in the Project Panel, if you do not see it), hit Ctrl-a (Select All) and then move everything down the Timeline, to give you as much room as you'll need for this transition. In Project Panel, choose New (icon) and Black Video. Dbl-click that Asset to get it into the Source Monitor. Set the Out-Point to 02 secs. Drag to the beginning of your Timeline. Now, choose what you want to have, before your Menu begins to transition in - could be anything - you get to choose. Import that, or create that, and place it on the Timeline AFTER the 02 sec. of Black Video, and BEFORE your Menu's Layers. Move all of the Menu's Layers to butt up to this lead-in piece. (Hint: the Lasso will allow you to Select all of these.) Now, determine how long you want your Menu to transition for. Select ONLY the Background Layer for your Menu, not the Layers above it. Stretch its Duration to what you need, but do not make it too long. Now, Select all of the Layers, and move them to the very end of this new Duration.

               

              OK, it's time to get creative. You have set the Duration of what will be the transition to the real Menu. You can now animate your Buttons via Keyframing to do anything that you want. They can fly in, they can fade-up in place, they can fade-up from totally out of focus - anything that you want. You can also go into these Layers and remove all of the Sub-picture Highlight Layers, except the one that my made note of. To make all of this more simple, I'd Rename my Layers to reflect their usage, such as "Button #2," etc.

               

              Next to the last action will be to Import your Save_As_a_Copy Menu still from PS. If you didn't Flatten this, you can Import as Footage, and let PrPro Flatten it for you. Remember, you default Button's Sub-picture Highlight will be visible, so you will have wanted to animate it in the previous work. Keep the Duration of this image to only about 5 frames. The user will see the Buttons now, but they will NOT work yet. You don't want them clicking all over the Menu, or trying to navigate to what looks like a Button, but is really just a graphic in your AV Play First file.

               

              Last, add any necessary Transitions to this Sequence, and any Audio that you want. (Hint: start any Audio at the end of your 02 secs. of Black Video). Export as elemental streams: DV-AVI Type II Video-only (no multiplexing) and PCM/WAV (or AC3) Audio-only. Import the AVI as a Timeline and the Audio as an Asset. From the Project Panel, drag the Audio to the Timeline, and it'll snap into place. This is your Play First Timeline. It's End Action should be set to your real Menu. Note: in Preview, you will likely get a black flash, as the image of your animated Menu (from your Play First AV file) goes to the "real Menu." Test with a DVD RW in a set-top player. You should not see this black flash. Things should seamlessly flow.

               

              Also, see this ARTICLE for some more details.

               

              Good luck,

               

              Hunt

              • 4. Re: Transition to Photoshop buttons
                macergodt Community Member

                Dear Hunt.

                I am afraid, there had been some misunderstanding, I am working in Apple DVD Studio Pro; but need to burn blu-ray disc to my customer, to support that I work in Adobe encore (CS4).

                DVD Studio Pro do not burn Blu-Ray format.

                In Adobe encore I got a picture as background-menu, on that menu I have laid a button, designed in Photoshop,

                When the button is highlighted and I press it, there must be a transition to swop to next menu.

                Are there a better way to make a transition?

                 

                Michael.

                • 5. Re: Transition to Photoshop buttons
                  Bill Hunt CommunityMVP

                  I hope that I gave you enough info in this other THREAD to help. As I do not know DVD Studio, I cannot help with any info on that program.

                   

                  Good luck, and let us know if you need more info in that other thread.

                   

                  Hunt