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Help With Animating Buttons
Hey,
I’ve just starting using Adobe Encore 2.0 and must admit i’m struggling with the ends i havn’t explored.
After 5 very frustrating hours of trial and error last saturday i have managed to import and process an animated background i have created.
Now what i want to do is import my animated buttons (as buttons) and then do the usual animate in, loop until selected, then once selected animate out (in this case fade out). I have been using adobe workflow to transfer my After Effects compositions into Encore but i cant get the animation to overlay the background or to register as buttons. At the moment i am dropping and dragging my future buttons onto the looping menu background but it just comes up with a very tiny video box, not registering the animation as buttons and seperate layers, the background is also solid black blocking out the looping background animation from view…
can anyone help me out? all i want is 4 animated buttons that animate in and out with a transparent background so i can see the looping animation behind it.
i understand my problem is poorly explained but as i mentioned i am very new to this program and to any terminology that the experts use.
if anyone can point me in the direction of any tutorial websites so i can grasp this program better i’d appreciate that as i feel it has a lot to offer.
Thanks for your time
Ollie
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10 Replies
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You’re going about the task incorrectly.
Using only Encore, a button that has a video thumbnail layer can be animated by checking the Menu “Animate Buttons” property in the Motion sub-tab. Animation begins at the poster frame of the linked chapter, and runs the duration of the motion menu.
If you want to make your thumbnail animation in After Effects, then use the same comp as the video background you created, and create your animated thumbnails there. Then render it out and import the video file, then make it the video background for your menu.
Animating out (creating a button transition when the button is clicked) is done creating another video file that has your menu and whatever transition you want added to it. You then select this as a button transition in Button properties.
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If you want to make your thumbnail animation in After Effects, then use the same comp as the video background you created, and create your animated thumbnails there. Then render it out and import the video file, then make it the video background for your menu.
i have done this but how do i make the program recognize there are buttons on a rendered video? this is the main problem i am having.
cheers for the help
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You don’t do that part in AE. Do that in Encore or Photoshop.
For instance, in Encore, Import the Blank menu from the Library, and then alt-drag your video file in it to set the video background. Then add a button from the Library to menu, or add a shape you want as a button highlight, and convert it to a button.
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this is a very painful experience.
i’ve got my video as the background and thats animating but i cant get the buttons to show up when the video text has animated in, i.e. 5 seconds after the first play making them selectable. also when i import the photoshop file it inserts a black background covering up the video behind which is not my desired look.
all i want is the buttons to replace the text animation at 5 seconds then loop until someone has selected the chapter then disappear to be replaced by the background animation fading out the text and moving image, que start of film.
what do i need to import it the buttons as, timeline, asset, menu, slideshow and how do i stop the background from going black. at the moment when i drag and drop the photoshop file i have converted into a timeline onto the menu is just creates 1 preset button instead of the 4 buttons i have created and they appear at first play instead of appearing at 5 seconds.
i’m not just posting to have an easy ride, i’ve literally spent hours on the computer since the weekend trying to figure this out, watching tutorials and reading articles. i can’t believe there is nothing on animating text in and out, it seems it should be a simple and frequently used task!
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Ollie,
Check out the tutorial called Simple Motion Menu near the bottom of the list (the second site Dave Garrett gave you above).
I think this explains some of what you want.I’m not sure why you are “converting a photoshop file into a timeline”.
John
JOHNR
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Ollie, try this:
1. Import your PSD as a menu in Encored
2. Alt-drag your AE-produced video into the opened menuThis should result in the first frame of video becoming the poster frame of the menu background
3. Go to Menu properties (in the Properties panel), switch to the Motion sub-panel, then set the Loop Point field to 5 seconds (5:00).
You should notice the menu background poster frame update to the video frame at 5 seconds.
Let me know if you’re able to get this far, then we’ll continue.
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cheers for all you help and advice mate, i’ve finally sorted my self out and have done it.
thanks for everything
ollie
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Would you like to tell the rest of us so we can know the secret answer as well? Thanks.
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hi Ollie,
i have been having the same problem and still can not do it!! I understand the frustration!
How did you make it work?
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