DVD Arch. menu text highlighting

[Stephen Mann]

It might help if we could see a screen shot of your problem. Also, just what style of DVD menu are you trying to achieve?

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Dave James]

Thanks. I’ve attached a screen shot of the highlight menu. You can see what I’m trying to do. I’ve been able to reduce the problem from the default settings of blended colors by adjusting the specific color itself and transparency for the outline and anti-alias colors. I guess the real issue is that the underlying menu item isn’t hidden – but even if you change the background color to white in the highlight – it still doesn’t have good anti-aliasing itself – completely unlike the anti-aliasing used for the text of menu item.

[Stephen Mann]

I don’t think you can attach an image to this forum. You need to post it somewhere else and put the link here.

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Dave James]

When I saw the upload icon – and it worked, I just assumed that, well, it worked. Here’s a link:

https://www.4shared.com/photo/w7lfwVyT/DVD_menu_-_revised.html

[Mike Kujbida]

[Stephen Mann]

It’s never worked for me. What’s the secret?

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Mike Kujbida]

Steve, if you mean uploading images, here are the steps I use.

1. Click the icon.
2. Browse to the image and click “Open”.
3. Click “upload image”.
4. Click the image name in the top right corner.
5. Click and copy the information in the “Embed” box on the left.
6. Click the “x” next to the image name (I’m not sure this step is necessary but I do it anyway).
7. Close the window.
8. Paste the link into your message.
9. Post the image.

[Stephen Mann]

I never use the anti-alias color in the color sets. As you have discovered, the resolution is too low to get good results.

Here’s how I would do this:

In Photoshop, you will create two files. One is the menu image with strategically located menu labels. Highlight them, shadow them, make them glow, whatever…. The second file is your button mask. This will be the pointer that you move from menu label to label. (You can have as many masks as you have labels, or they can all be the same). The size is irrelevant since DVDA will scale the image to match the image frame. (This will be clear later).

Making the mask:
B&W Image, save as PNG file. The black areas of the mask will be the color in Color Set 2.

In DVDA, insert a new menu, or select the top menu.
Replace the background media with your menu image that you created in Photoshop.

Insert your media or sub-menu in this menu. You will now have one or more buttons on your menu each pointing to a media, sub-menu or navigation.

Select the Menu Page Properties.
General Tab:
Selected Buttons: Color Set 1
Activated Buttons: Color Set 2
Inactive Buttons: Transparent or Color Set 3

One at a time, double-click on the button to select that item.
In the Properties Window:
Media
Button Style:
Image Only
No Thumbnail
No Mask
No Frame Media
No Frame Mask

Highlight:
Style: Custom
Mask: Replace with the mask you created in Photoshop.
Mask Mapping: Transparency

Hint:
You can right-click on a “finished” button and copy button attributes, then right-click on another button to paste the attributes.

Using this process, I can pretty much replicate most Hollywood-style DVD menus.

Steve Mann

Steve Mann
MannMade Digital Video
http://www.mmdv.com

[Dave James]

Great. Very clear. Thanks so much.