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Using GIMP with Encore?
I have encore 1.0 and would like to create a button (with highlight) using the GIMP, does anyone know if this is possible?
I want to create a menu screen where the buttons will fly off the page when one is selected. I can create that effect in AE, but since I don’t have Photoshop I can’t figure out a way to make the buttons highlight so you know what you are selecting..
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5 Replies
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Encore doesn’t support GIMP for menu creation (to be more specific, the highlights). I would reccomend looking into Photoshop Elements at least. Download a free trial from Adobe’s website.
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Thanks for the info, I will definetly check out elements. But is Photoshop the ONLY way to create highlights? Nothiing you can do with AE?
Oh well…thats how they getcha! LOL
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You can create highlights with AE, too. In fact, AE 6.5 (and 7.0) have an Encore specific feature, I think it’s under the Layer menu. What it does is simply pre-comp you layer and name the comp according to the Encore naming convention (there are different options for the different layer functions in Encore). Then you simply save your comp out as a Photoshop file- Comp > Export Frame > Photoshop Layers (I think; I don’t have AE open right now).
Just remember that a button highlight is a simple bitmap image. You can define whatever shape you want using Photoshop, AE, GIMP, or whatever program that can save a PSD. But when you assign that layer as a button highlight by naming it with the (=1) prefix (or =2 or =3; highlights can have up to three colors), Encore will only represent one color in the DVD menu.
Some other notes- remember that Encore can also create a highlight layer for you. If you right-click on a button you can choose Create Subpicture Highlight. (In Encore 1.0, it’s under the Object menu.) It creates the shape based on the object you clicked on. You can also change the highlight color sets in Encore.
Lastly- Aanarav is right that you can use Photoshop Elements, but only to a limited degree. PSE doesn’t allow you to create layer sets, and you can only manipulate them to a limited degree in existing PSD files. You can create your buttons as separate PSD’s and then import them into Encore’s library as buttons, but that’s about it.
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I have tried what you said, but I am using AE 6.0…should it be able to work w/ 6.0 too?
Thanks a million for the create subpicture info! (I am pretty new to Encore)
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No, unfortunately. The Encore-specific options were new to 6.5. AE 6.0 does have the Save Frame As option, but it doesn’t change pre-comped layers into layer sets like 6.5/7.0, it just flattens them.
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