User manual ULEAD PHOTOIMPACT MENU PLUG-IN

Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 1 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in is a plug-in that allows you to export PhotoImpact-designed DVD menu templates to Ulead's DVD authoring software. Create your menu templates using PhotoImpact tools then use the plug-in to make the menu template elements interactive when the selection menu is viewed on DVD players. Note: The Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in is only compatible with PhotoImpact 8 and later versions. Creating a menu template Create your menu template using the variety of tools available in PhotoImpact. Each menu template must contain certain elements (objects) for it to be recognized as a menu template by Ulead DVD authoring software. The necessary elements for a menu template are listed below. The following conditons must be followed for the template to be valid: · The canvas size must be 768x576. · All template objects must fall within the boundaries of the canvas. · There must be at least one object in the template. · All objects created using the Outline Drawing Tool or the Line and Arrow Tool must be converted to an image object first before saving the template. · The template must be saved in the UFO file format. 2 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide Component Background Image Template Thumbnail* Scene Button Quantity 1 1 1-32 Object Type Image Image Image Required Yes Yes Yes Optional Optional Optional Yes Yes Optional Optional Yes Optional Optional Scene Highlight Image Same as Scene Button Image/Path/ Text Scene Frame Scene Text Scene Number Navigation Buttons Navigation Highlight Image Title Page Number Decoration Menu Overlay Same as Scene Button Image/Path Same as Scene Button Text Same as Scene Button Text 4 Same as Navigation Button 1 1 No limit No limit Image/Path/ Text Image/Path/ Text Text Text Image/Path/ Text Image/Path *The template thumbnail (120x90 pixels) is a visual representation of the template. It must be set as a hidden object in PhotoImpact. It is recommended that you do not create your own template thumbnail. If you want a custom template, have the DVD Menu Plug-in create the template thumbnail first (Preview and Export tab) before customizing it. When you finish creating the menu template, save the template first as as a UFO file then select Effect: DVD Menu - DVD Menu Plug-in to open the DVD Menu Plug-in. When DVD Menu Plug-in opens, you will see three tabs. These 3 tabs are the steps that you need to take to customize and then export the menu template to Ulead DVD authoring software. The 3 tabs are: Set Up Template Properties, Assign Object Name and Preview and Export. Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 3 Step 1: Setting up template properties Select which Ulead DVD authoring software you want to export the menu template to. Select also the type and style of your template. · Create template for Select the Ulead DVD software where you want to export the template to. · Template type Select the type of template you want to create. · Template style Select the style for the template type you selected. The available styles depend on the template type selected. Thumbnail menu A template style that contains both thumbnail placeholders and text. This style is ideal when you have several videos on your disc or you are creating chapter menus for your video. 4 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide Text menu A template style that only contains text. This style is ideal when you are creating a template for subtitle or language options for your DVD videos. · Preview window Displays the menu template you are currently working on. · Template information Displays template properties like which DVD authoring software the template was designed for and what template style the template is using. Step 2: Assigning object names An Object name identifies whether a menu object is a background image, button, decoration, or other. Assign an Object name to your menu objects using the Assign Object Name tab. Basically, the purpose of assigning Object names is to make menu objects interactive when the DVD menu is viewed on the DVD player. To assign an Object name to a menu object: 1. Select a menu object from the Preview Window. Tip: You can also select the object in the Objects list. 2. From the Object class list, choose how the object will be used in the menu template. (For instance, for a DVD Workshop menu template, you can customize an object to be used for navigation, or for use as a background image or scene.) 3. Choose an Item that you want to customize, then specify the desired properties. To customize all of the items under the selected Object class, choose each item one at a time and customize its properties. Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 5 4. Click Assign to apply the specified properties to the object. · Preview window Displays a preview of the menu template. Click an object to assign an Object name to it. · Object list Visual list of all objects in the menu template. It also displays the original and assigned object names of your objects in the template. Click an Object list heading to sort the list according to that particular heading. Object Displays an image of the object. Click to arrange the objects according to their Zorder. The Z-order determines which objects lie on top of other objects. Displays whether the object is a path, text or image object. Displays the associated media file linked, if any, to the object. Name of the object when it was created in PhotoImpact or after you have clicked Apply in the Preview and Export tab. Designated Object name for the object. Click Assign to designate the specified properties to the object. Type Media files used Original object name Assigned object name 6 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide · Current object Displays a preview of the selected object. · Object name and properties Displays the Object name as well as the settings assigned to the selected object. · Display object properties Select to display the current settings of the selected object. · Object class Select how you want the selected object to be used in the template. (For instance, in a DVD Workshop menu template, an object can be used as a navigation, background image, or scene.) · Item Specify the template element type of the selected object. (For instance, if the Object class is Navigation, you can specify the selected object as a Navigation button or Navigation highlight image.) · Assign Designates the specified properties to the selected object. · Clear Removes the selected object's Object name. · Clear All Removes all Object names from the template. · Reset All Reverts all assigned object names back to the names under the Original object name column in the Object list. Object class and items Object class: Background Items: · Background image Indicates that the selected object is used as a background image for the menu template. This is also where you specify the 3 color pairs (color mapping) for the menu template. Color mapping indicates that a button in the menu is either selected or activated. Click a color box to open Ulead Color Picker and specify a color. You can also adjust each color's transparency by entering a value beside the color box. Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 7 Also, a menu template can use a video file as its background with background music. To use a video file, select Background video and/or Background audio then browse for the file to use. Note: Make sure that the background object does not contain any masks. DVD Menu Plug-in disregards any mask applied on the image. Also the background image size must be the same as the canvas size. · Global settings Specifies the template's name and the default color mapping settings for the navigation buttons, scene selection buttons, text buttons, numbers, and frames. Note: Color mapping settings of template objects can still be changed in their respective object properties. · Menu overlay Indicates that the selected object will be used as a frame for the menu template. Object class: Scene Items: · Scene button Indicates that the selected object will be used as a scene placeholder. You can specify the scene button's button number as well as the default color mapping settings. If you have a placeholder that is rotated to a certain degree, use Rotation angle to correct the orientation of the video or image link to make it conform to the angle of the placeholder. Rotation angle does not rotate the placeholder. 8 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide · Scene highlight image Indicates that the selected object will be used instead of color mapping to show that an object is selected. Instead of color mapping, the shape of the designated image appears when a button is selected. This is only available when creating a thumbnail menu. (See "Thumbnail menu" on page 3). · Scene frame Indicates that the selected object will be used as a frame for a scene button. · Scene text When creating a thumbnail menu, this indicates that the selected object will be used as a caption for a scene button. When creating a text menu, a scene text is used as a selection button. (See "Text menu" on page 4). Note: A scene text can be edited when creating a menu using Ulead DVD authoring products. · Scene number Indicates the order of the scenes in the menu. Note: The Button number of a scene frame, scene text, scene number, or scene highlight image must be the same as the scene button it is associated with. For example, if the scene button button number is 1 and you want a particular highlight image to be used when the scene button is selected, you must also set the highlight image button number to 1. Object class: Navigation Items: · Navigation button Indicates that the selected object will be used as the menu's navigation buttons. In Object name, specify the button's action when activated such as go to main menu, next menu, or previous menu. Tip: Select Use animation to use an animated GIF file as a navigation button. · Navigation highlight image Indicates that the selected object will be used as a navigation button's highlight image. Instead of the usual color mappings, a designated image appears when a button is selected. Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 9 Object class: Others Items: · Title Indicates that the selected object will be used as the title for the menu template. Tip: A title can be edited when creating a menu using Ulead DVD authoring products. · Page number Indicates the selected object will be used as a page counter. Note: When creating a page number object, it is recommended that you use this format: 99/99 (current page/total page). · Decoration Indicates that the selected object will be used as a decoration. These objects have no assigned links and no particular function in the menu. You can use an animated GIF file as a decoration by selecting Use animation. Step 3: Previewing and exporting the menu template After assigning all Object names and customizing properties for your menu template, click the Preview and Export tab to simulate the behavior of the menu template. This tab also checks if all template objects' properties are properly defined and all objects necessary in a template are present. If you see an object that is not properly defined in Template details check, click the Assign Object Name tab and set up the missing template objects. When the template objects are all properly defined, you can then export the template to the contents folder of the Ulead DVD authoring software you specified in the Set Up Template Properties tab. 10 Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide To export a menu template: 1. Click Export in the Preview and Export tab. 2. In the Export dialog box, specify where the menu template will be saved in Destination folder. Tip: Select Copy associated media files to export all media files used, such as video, audio, and animated images, to the destination folder. 3. Click OK to export the menu template. Ulead DVD Menu Plug-in User Guide 11 Note: If you do not have an object in your template set as a template thumbnail and you click Apply or Export, DVD Menu Plug-in automatically creates a template thumbnail. This template thumbnail is a visual representation of your template. The thumbnail will appear in the Ulead DVD authoring software that the template is created for. · Preview window Displays the menu template that you are currently working on. · Template details check Displays a report stating if the template is ready to be exported or if there are template objects that are not properly defined. · Template structure Displays the structure of the menu template. This allows you to view the current Object classes and Items that are assigned to the various objects in the menu template. · Media files used Displays names of media files that are linked to the menu such as video, audio, and animated images. · Template thumbnail Displays the thumbnail image to use to represent the template. · Update thumbnail Select to use the current image in the Preview window as the template thumbnail for your template. Tip: If you already have a template thumbnail object that you want to use in the template, it is recommended that you clear this option. Note: When you select this option and click Apply or Export, you cannot revert back to the template thumbnail before this option was selected. · Export Opens a dialog box for exporting your menu template to the content folder of your Ulead DVD authoring software. · Apply Saves all settings and Object names. · Close Exits the program and returns to PhotoImpact. If there are changes applied, a message will prompt you if you want to save the changes first before closing the program.