Adobe ENCORE DVD User Manual

Classroom in a Book

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

®

www.adobepress.com

© 2004 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Adobe® Encore DVD™ Classroom in a Book®

This book, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the
terms of such license. The content of this book is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and
should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility
or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this book.

Except as permitted by such license, no part of this documentation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted,
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Adobe
Systems Incorporated.

Please remember that existing artwork, movies, sounds, or images that you may want to include in your project may be protected
under copyright law. The unauthorized incorporation of such material into your new work could be a violation of the rights of the
copyright owner. Please be sure to obtain any permission required from the copyright owner.

Any references to company names or individual names in sample templates and other project files are for demonstration purposes
only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization or person.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, the Adobe Press logo, After Effects, Acrobat, Acrobat Reader, Audition, Classroom in a Book, Adobe Encore,
GoLive, Illustrator, Minion, Photoshop, PostScript, and Adobe Premiere are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe
Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft
Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Apple, Mac OS, and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.,
registered in the United States and other countries. Pentium is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. MPEG Layer 3 audio
compression technology is licensed by Fraunhofer IIS and Thompson. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.

Contains an implementation of the LZW algorithm licensed under U.S. Patent 4,558,302.

Music in lessons 1 and 9 courtesy of Jason A. Levine.

Books & Beans video assets in lessons 6 and 8 courtesy of Max Freedman, ASCI Advertising and Publishing, Mountain View, CA.

Lessons developed by Paul Carew and documented by Brie Gyncild.

Wr itten and designed at Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, U.S.A.

www.adobepress.com

Adobe Press books are published by Peachpit Press, Berkeley, California 94710.

To report errors, please send a note to [e-mail].

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ISBN 0-321-20547-2

Printed in the U.S.A.

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Contents

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

iii

Getting Started

About Classroom in a Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Installing the Adobe Encore DVD program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Copying the Classroom in a Book files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Additional resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Adobe Certification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Lesson 01

Lesson 02

Creating a Simple DVD

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Planning your DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Importing files as assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Creating a timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Adding chapter points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Importing a layered Photoshop file as a menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Setting start and end behaviors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Setting behaviors for remote control buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Burning the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Creating Menus in Adobe Encore DVD

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

About menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Creating a new menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Adding text to a menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Adding assets to menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Adding drop shadows to text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Converting text blocks to buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Adding subpictures to buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

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CONTENTS

Linking buttons to timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Burning the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Lesson 03

Lesson 04

Designing Menus in Adobe Photoshop

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Teaming Adobe Encore DVD with Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Creating a menu background in Photoshop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Creating text in Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Applying layer styles in Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Creating buttons in Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Importing a menu into Adobe Encore DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Editing a menu in Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Linking buttons to timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Repositioning overlapping objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Using Adobe Encore DVD Templates

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Exploring the Library palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Modifying a menu template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Creating submenus from the same template. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Replacing background elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Adding items to the Library palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Linking menus to each other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104

Linking buttons to timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Creating a text layer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Checking links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109

Building a DVD image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110

Burning a DVD from a DVD image file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

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Classroom in a Book

v

Lesson 05

Lesson 06

Assembling a DVD Quickly

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Dragging items into the Library palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Importing items into the Library palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

Creating buttons instantly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Resizing and positioning buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Editing button text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Adding a title to the menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Adding data files to a disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Burning a CD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Overriding Default Actions

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

About overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136

Working with multiple menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Setting default end actions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Setting links for the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Using the pick whip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Setting overrides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .144

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .148

Making a DVD folder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

Lesson 07

Creating Motion Menus

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Assembling your assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

Creating and naming chapter points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Specifying an end action and a link for a timeline . . . . . . . . . 162

Adding video to the background of a menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164

Previewing the motion menu background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166

Transcoding an AVI file from the Project window . . . . . . . . . . 168

Creating video thumbnail buttons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

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CONTENTS

Creating animated thumbnail buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178

Burning the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180

Lesson 08

Lesson 09

Wo r king with Adobe Premiere Pro

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186

Creating markers in Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Exporting an MPEG-2 file from Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Importing an MPEG-2 file with markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

Linking chapter points to thumbnail buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .196

Exporting an AVI file from Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Using the Edit Original command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Using the ripple edit tool in Premiere Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Updating an AVI file in Adobe Encore DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Creating links and behaviors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .205

Burning the disc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Wo r king with Adobe After Effects

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212

Importing a Photoshop menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213

Modifying a Photoshop file in After Effects. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

Animating a menu file in After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218

Rendering a movie in After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

Importing an After Effects movie into Adobe Encore DVD . . 226

Activating a motion menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .229

Editing a file in After Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Creating links to assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Burning the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

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Classroom in a Book

vii

Lesson 10

Lesson 11

Creating a Slideshow from Still Images

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Assembling components for a slideshow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Laying out a slideshow menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Copying buttons to other menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246

Linking menus to each other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

Adding audio to a menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

Previewing an audio file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .251

Setting end actions for slideshow menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

About creating slideshows with timelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Organizing your assets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .254

Creating a timeline from still images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256

Setting behaviors for a slideshow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Burning the DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .260

Adding Audio Tracks and Subtitles

Getting started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .266

Including audio tracks in a project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Adding audio tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Previewing audio tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Linking buttons to audio tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

Adding a main menu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Adding a subtitle track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277

Modifying the appearance of subtitles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .280

Importing subtitles from a text script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

About subtitle scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .285

Linking buttons to subtitle tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Previewing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Burning a DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Review questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .289

Index

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Getting Started

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Adobe® Encore™ DVD gives you the tools you need to let you effortlessly create and burn
customized DVDs. You can design menus and buttons in Adobe Encore DVD, or use
menus and buttons you create in Adobe® Photoshop®. The navigational tools in Adobe
Encore DVD give you total control over the viewers’ experience of your DVD. Whether
you’re a corporate communications professional or an aspiring videographer, you’ll enjoy
the versatility, ease of use, and power of Adobe Encore DVD software.

About Classroom in a Book

1

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book®

graphics and publishing software developed with the help of experts at Adobe Systems.
The lessons are designed to let you learn at your own pace.

Although each lesson provides step-by-step instructions for creating a specific project,
there’s room for exploration and experimentation. You can follow the book from start to
finish or do only the lessons that correspond to your interests and needs.

is part of the official training series for Adobe

Prerequisites

Before beginning to use
working knowledge of your computer and the Windows operating system. Make sure that
you know how to use the mouse and standard menus and commands and that you know
how to open, save, and close files. If you need to review these techniques, see the printed
or online documentation included with your Windows operating system. It is also
helpful, but not necessary, to have experience with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe® Premiere®,
and Adobe® After Effects®.

To complete some of the projects, you will need to have Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Premiere Pro, or Adobe After Effects installed on your system.

Note: You can use either Adobe Photoshop 7.0 or Adobe Photoshop CS with Adobe Encore
DVD. Where necessary, instructions for each version of Photoshop are written separately.

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book

, you should have a

2

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Getting Started

Installing the Adobe Encore DVD program

Before you begin using
system is set up correctly and that you’ve installed the required software and hardware.
You must purchase the Adobe Encore DVD software separately. For system requirements
and complete instructions on installing the software, see the documentation included
with your Adobe Encore DVD application DVD.

You must install the application from the Adobe Encore DVD application DVD onto your
hard disk; you cannot run the program directly from the DVD-ROM. Follow the on­screen instructions. Make sure the serial number for your Adobe Encore DVD software is
accessible before installing the application; you can find the serial number on the back of
the DVD case.

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book

, make sure that your

Starting Adobe Encore DVD

You start Adobe Encore DVD just as you would any software application. In Windows,
choose Start > Programs > Adobe Encore DVD 1.0.

Installing the fonts you’ll use in Classroom in a Book projects

The fonts used in the lessons in this book are included on the Adobe Encore DVD
application DVD. Ensure that the fonts are available before you begin working with the
lessons. If the fonts are not installed on your system, install them from the Adobe Encore
DVD DVD-ROM, following the on-screen instructions.

Copying the Classroom in a Book files

The

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book

electronic files for the lessons. Each lesson has its own folder, and you must copy the
folders to your hard drive to do the lessons. To save room on your drive, you can install
only the folder for each lesson as you need it, and remove the folder when you’re done.

To install the Classroom in a Book files:

1

Insert the

2

Create a folder named Encore_CIB on your hard drive.

3

Copy the lessons you want to your hard drive:

DVD includes folders containing all the

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book

DVD into your DVD-ROM drive.

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Classroom in a Book

To copy all the lessons, drag the Lessons folder from the DVD into the Encore_CIB

•

folder.

To copy a single lesson, drag the individual lesson folder from the DVD into the

•

Encore_CIB folder.

•

If you copied all the lessons to your hard drive, double-click the unlock.bat file in the

Encore_CIB/Lessons folder.

Note: As you work through each lesson, you may overwrite the original files. To restore the
original files, recopy the corresponding lesson folder from the Classroom in a Book DVD to
the Encore_CIB folder on your hard drive.

Additional resources

3

Adobe Encore DVD Classroom in a Book

comes with the Adobe Encore DVD program. Only the commands and options used in
the lessons are explained in this book. For comprehensive information about program
features, refer to these resources:

•

The Adobe Encore DVD User Guide

software, contains a complete description of all features in the software.

Online Help, an online version of the user guide, is accessible by choosing Help >

•

Contents from the Adobe Encore DVD title bar.

The Adobe Web site (www.adobe.com) can be viewed by choosing Help > Adobe

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Online if you have a connection to the World Wide Web.

is not intended to replace documentation that

, which is included with the Adobe Encore DVD

Adobe Certification

The Adobe Training and Certification Programs are designed to help Adobe customers
improve and promote their product-proficiency skills. The Adobe Certified Expert (ACE)
program is designed to recognize the high-level skills of expert users. Adobe Certified
Tr aining Providers (ACTP) use only Adobe Certified Experts to teach Adobe software
classes. Available in either ACTP classrooms or on-site, the ACE program is the best way
to master Adobe products. For Adobe Certified Training Programs information, visit the
Partnering with Adobe Web site at http://partners.adobe.com.

1

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Creating a Simple DVD

A DVD project includes video files, audio

files, and menus. With Adobe Encore

DVD, you can easily put the pieces

together to create a simple DVD. In this

lesson, you’ll learn about the core tools in

Adobe Encore DVD as you create a

project from start to finish.

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

This lesson introduces the Adobe Encore DVD workspace and basic concepts. In it, you
will learn how to do the following:

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Getting started

Create a new project.

Import files as assets.

Import a layered Adobe Photoshop file as a menu.

Create chapter points.

Link buttons on a menu to chapter points.

Set start and end behaviors.

Set menu and title behaviors.

Preview a DVD project.

Burn a DVD.

In this lesson, you’ll create an Adobe Encore DVD project from start to finish. You’ll create
a new project, import the assets and menu for the project, create links and behaviors,
preview the DVD, and burn the DVD. Make sure you know the location of the file you
need for Lesson 1. For help, see “Copying the Classroom in a Book files” on page 2.

Viewing the finished Adobe Encore DVD project

To see what you’ll be creating, take a look at the finished project.

1

Start Adobe Encore DVD.

2

Choose File > Open Project.

3

In the Open dialog box, navigate to the Lesson 01 folder. Select

and then click Open.

Lesson_01_end.ncor,

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The Adobe Encore DVD workspace opens. By default, only some of the windows shown
below are open. The Project window contains the source files used in the finished DVD
project. Notice that there are several different types of files in the project. In Adobe Encore
DVD, you can work with many types of audio, video, and still image files.

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A

B

C

D

Adobe Encore DVD workspace (not all windows and palettes appear at all times)

A.

To olboxB. Project window with Menus tab displayedC. Timeline window

D.

Palette windowE. Menu Editor window for selected menuF. Properties palette

4

Choose File > Preview.

E

F

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

The Project Preview window opens, and a video plays for a few seconds. Then a DVD
menu appears. You can use the Project Preview window to preview a viewer’s experience
of a DVD project—including navigation, links, and other behaviors—before you burn a
disc.

A

BD E FC HG I J

Project Preview window

A.

Render Current Motion MenuB. Display Area ZoomC. Cycle Through Audio Tracks

D.

Cycle Through Subtitle TracksE. Status Area

and Enter Keys

L.

Exit HereM. Exit and Return

5

Move the cursor over the buttons next to the chapter names. As you move the cursor

I.

Execute End ActionJ. Go to Entered ChapterK. Playback Controls

F.

Remote Control Title Button

G.

Remote Control Menu ButtonH. Arrow

K

L

M

over a button, a white border appears around it.

6

Click the Part 1 button.

A video plays for approximately a minute. There are three distinct parts—or chapters—
in the video; the menu links to each of them. When the video has finished playing, the
menu reappears.

The Project Preview window has controls that represent those found on a television DVD
player’s remote control.

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Click the up and down arrows until the Part 3 button is highlighted. Then click the Part

3 button.

The third part of the video plays. When it is finished, the menu reappears.

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Close the Project Preview window and the Lesson_01_end Project window.

Planning your DVD

Now you’ll create the same DVD project you just previewed. You will import video and
audio files as assets, and a layered Photoshop file as a menu. Following the organization
shown in the diagram below, you will create links from buttons to chapter points in the
video timeline, and then set behaviors for those links.

B

A

CDE

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The Introduction timeline (A) plays when the DVD is inserted, and then the Main menu (B) opens. When the first
button is activated, the Video_1 timeline (C) plays from beginning to end, and then the Main menu reappears.
When the second button is activated, the Video_1 timeline plays from the Chapter 2 marker (D) to the end, and
then the Main menu reappears. When the third button is activated, the Video_1 timeline plays from the Chapter
3 marker (E) to the end, and then the Main menu reappears.

Yo u might find it helpful to organize your project with simple flow charts.

About flow charts

Regardless of the complexity of the project, it is helpful to work through the flow of your project and
determine how the elements should link together before you begin creating it. Some DVD authors use
flow charts, and some use spreadsheets. However you choose to plan your project, it is valuable to
draft possible navigation scenarios and anticipate problems before you start. Sketching each of the
elements and drawing the links between them can help you clarify how you want your project to be
viewed.

LESSON 1

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12

Creating a Simple DVD

Importing files as assets

You can use a variety of video, audio, and still image files in Adobe Encore DVD. You can
import files into an Adobe Encore DVD project as either assets or menus. Assets are the
files that make up the content of the DVD; menus display options to give viewers access
to that content. First, you’ll create a new Adobe Encore DVD project.

1

Choose File > New Project. Click OK to accept NTSC as the television standard.

A new Project window appears. Now you’ll import assets into the Project window.

2

Choose File > Import as Asset.

3

In the Import as Asset dialog box, navigate to the Lesson 01 folder on your hard drive.
Then hold down the Ctrl key while you select
(Holding down the Ctrl key lets you select multiple files at once.)

4 Click Open.

The files you selected appear in the Project window.

5 Resize the Project window or move the scroll bar at the bottom of the window to view
information about the files you imported. By default, the Project window displays the
name, file type, size, path, and transcode settings for each file.

Intro.m2v, Intro.wav

, and

Video_01.avi

.

6 Choose File > Save As to save the project. Name it Lesson_01.ncor.

Creating a timeline

In Adobe Encore DVD, you assemble video, audio, and subtitle assets into timelines,
where you can identify different sections of the video using chapter points. Each timeline
contains a single video track. Start the project by creating a timeline for the Intro video.

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Classroom in a Book

1 Choose Timeline > New Timeline.

An untitled Timeline window appears, and the Monitor window opens. Notice that the
untitled timeline is also listed in the Project window.

A CB

D

E
F

G

H

The Timeline window

A. Current-time indicator B. I-Frames C. Chapter point D. Timeline tabs E. Timeline F. Source
G. Tracks H. Zoom slider

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Yo u’ll need to name the timeline. The Properties palette displays the attributes for the
item currently selected. If the Properties palette isn’t open, choose Window > Properties.

2 In the Name field of the Properties palette, type Introduction. (If you see attributes for
something other than the timeline, click in the Timeline window to make the timeline
active.)

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

3 Select the Intro.m2v file in the Project window, and drag it onto the video track in the

Timeline window.

4 Select the Intro.wav file in the Project window, and drag it onto the Audio 1 track in
the Timeline window.

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Classroom in a Book

You can view the current timeline in the Monitor window. Unlike the Project Preview
window, the Monitor window displays only the video and audio tracks in the timeline; it
does not display the DVD behavior. The Monitor window opens when you create a
timeline.

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5 Click the Play button ( ) in the Monitor window.

The introductory video plays for about eight seconds, and then ends.

6 Save the project.

Adding chapter points

Chapter points identify locations in the video track to which you want to link buttons or
other navigational behaviors. You can add chapter points in the Timeline window.

In this project, you want to create links to three different chapter points in the Video_01
clip, so you need to add chapter points to the clip. First, you will create a new timeline for
the Video_01.avi clip.

1 In the Project window, select the Video_01.avi file, and then click the Create a New
Timeline button ( ) at the bottom of the Project window.

Adobe Encore DVD creates a new timeline named Video_01, and places the Video_01.avi
file in the video and audio tracks.

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

A tab appears at the upper-left side of the Timeline window for each timeline in the
project. Click a tab to view the corresponding timeline. For example, if you click the
Introduction tab, the Introduction timeline appears.

2 Click the Video_01 tab to make sure the Video_01 timeline is active. Then click the Play
button in the Monitor window to view the video. When it has finished, leave the Monitor
window open.

3 Move the current-time indicator to the left edge of the timeline. The time displayed
should be 00:00:00:00.

An initial chapter point is automatically created at the beginning of every timeline (that
is, at 00:00:00:00).

4 In the Timeline window, move the current-time indicator to the right until the time
display shows 00:00:26:00.

To position the current-time indicator quickly, move the scroll bar at the bottom of the
Timeline window until the destination time is visible. Then click on the time graph.

5 Choose Timeline > Add Chapter Point.

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Classroom in a Book

A chapter point marker with the number 2 appears on the timeline at 00:00:26:00, where
the current-time indicator is positioned. The marker is automatically numbered.

6 In the Timeline window, move the current-time indicator to the right until the time
displayed is 00:00:48:00. Then choose Timeline > Add Chapter Point again.

A marker with the number 3 appears on the timeline at 00:00:48:00.

Yo u can also add a chapter point by pressing the asterisk key. This is a great way to add

chapter points that correspond with audio cues.

7 Close the Timeline window and save the project. (The Monitor window closes
automatically when you close the Timeline window.)

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Importing a layered Photoshop file as a menu

One of the most powerful features of Adobe Encore DVD is its ability to import menus
created in Photoshop. If you use Adobe Encore DVD naming conventions for layers in a
Photoshop image, those layers remain intact when you import the file as a menu. You can
make many changes and additions to the file directly in Adobe Encore DVD.

In this lesson, you’ll import a Photoshop image that has already been created with layers
using the Adobe Encore DVD naming conventions.

1 Choose File > Import as Menu.

2 In the Import as Menu dialog box, select Main.psd, and click Open.

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

The Menu Editor window opens, displaying the Main menu you imported. The
Photoshop layers are intact. To see them in the Layers palette, choose Window > Layers.

3 Select the selection tool ( ) in the toolbox. Then select Part 1 in the Menu Editor
window.

A bounding box appears around the button and the text “Part 1.”

4 If the Properties palette is not open, choose Window > Properties to open it. The
Button Name field shows the name of the button: One.

5 Choose Video_01 > Chapter 1 from the Link pop-up menu.

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

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Classroom in a Book

When the viewer clicks the Part 1 button on the DVD, Video_01 will play, beginning with
the first chapter point, which was automatically created at the beginning of the timeline.

6 With the selection tool, select Part 2 in the Menu Editor window. In the Properties
palette, choose Video_01 > Chapter 2 from the Link pop-up menu.

7 Using the same procedure, link the Part 3 button to Video_01 > Chapter 3.

8 Save the project.

Setting start and end behaviors

You have set links that viewers can use to start playing the video at specific chapter points.
Now you need to define the sequences that aren’t controlled by the viewer. For example,
you need to determine which timeline or menu runs when the DVD is first inserted into
the player, and which timeline or menu follows it.

For this project, you want the Introduction timeline to run when the viewer inserts the
DVD. When it has finished playing, the main menu should appear.

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1 In the Project window, select the Introduction timeline.

On the icon next to the Introduction timeline is a small circle with an arrow in it ( ).
This symbol indicates that this item plays first when the DVD is inserted into the player.

Note: If the symbol doesn’t appear on the icon next to the Introduction timeline, right-click
the Introduction timeline in the Project window, and choose Set as First Play.

2 In the Properties palette, choose Main > One from the End Action pop-up menu.

LESSON 1

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

20

Creating a Simple DVD

When the Introduction timeline has finished playing, the Main menu will appear. The
Part 1 button will be selected by default.

3 In the Project window, select the Video_01 timeline.

Note: Make sure you select the Video_01 timeline, and not Video_01.avi.

4 In the Properties palette, choose Main > One from the End Action pop-up menu.

When Video_01 has finished playing, the Main menu will appear. The Part 1 button will
be selected by default.

5 Save the project.

Setting behaviors for remote control buttons

Next, you will define the behaviors for the Title and Menu buttons on a DVD player’s
remote control.

1 In the Project window, click an empty space to deselect all assets, timelines, or menus.

The Disc attributes should appear in the Properties palette.

2 In the Properties palette, choose Introduction > Chapter 1 from the Title Button pop­up menu.

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

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Classroom in a Book

If the viewer clicks the Title button on the DVD player’s remote control, the Introduction
timeline will play. This setting is for the entire disc, no matter what is showing when the
Title button is pressed.

3 Select the Introduction timeline in the Project window. In the Properties palette,
choose Main > One from the Menu Remote pop-up menu.

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If the viewer clicks the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control while the
Introduction timeline is playing, the Main menu will appear, with the Part 1 button
selected.

4 In the Project window, select the Video_01 timeline. In the Properties palette, choose
Main > One from the Menu Remote pop-up menu.

If the viewer clicks the Menu button on the DVD player’s remote control while the
Video_01 timeline is playing, the Main menu will appear, with the Part 1 button selected.

5 Save the project.

Previewing the project

Before burning your DVD project to a disc, it’s a good idea to make sure the project works
as you expect it to. When you preview the DVD, you can test its sequencing and
navigation, interacting with the DVD exactly as your audience will. The Project Preview
window behaves just as if a disc has been inserted into a DVD player.

1 Choose File > Preview.

LESSON 1

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Creating a Simple DVD

If the project is configured correctly, the Introduction timeline plays in the Project
Preview window. When it has finished playing, the Main menu appears, and the Part 1
button is highlighted.

2 Click a button in the Main menu. The video should play from the appropriate chapter
point, and then the Main menu should reappear, with the Part 1 button selected. Click
each button to ensure that the video begins playing at the appropriate chapter point.

3 While the video is playing, click the Menu button ( ) at the bottom of the Project
Preview window. The Main menu should appear.

4 While the video is playing, click the Title button ( ) at the bottom of the Project
Preview window. The Introduction timeline should play.

5 Click the Exit and Return button ( ) to close the Project Preview window and return
to your project.

If you want to go directly from the Project Preview window to the timeline or menu

currently displayed, click the Exit Here button ( ).

If the DVD project didn’t behave as described above, return to the project and correct the
behavior. Preview the DVD again to ensure that it behaves as expected before continuing.

Burning the DVD

Yo u’re ready to burn the DVD!

1 In the Project window, click the Disc tab.

ADOBE ENCORE DVD

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Classroom in a Book

The Disc tab lists the disc name, the space available on the disc, the type of media, and
other information.

2 From the pop-up menu beneath the disc name, choose the data size of the disc you’ll
be burning.

3 Click Build Project.

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4 In the Make DVD Disc dialog box, choose Current Project from the Create Using pop­up menu, and choose your DVD recorder from the Recorder pop-up menu.

If your recorder is not listed, verify that it is properly connected and installed. See the
documentation for your recorder for assistance.

5 Insert a blank disc into the recorder, and click Next.

Note: If you click Next too quickly, you may see a Device Not Ready dialog box. Click OK to
let your computer recognize the disc you inserted.

6 Review the information in the Make DVD Disc Summary dialog box. When you are
ready to proceed, click Build.

Burning the disc may take several minutes, depending on the DVD recorder, the
computer system, and the size of the media.

Review questions

1 What does the Project window show?

2 What is the difference between an imported asset and an imported menu?

3 Why would you create a chapter point?

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Creating a Simple DVD

4 How does the Monitor window differ from the Project Preview window?

Review answers

1 The Project window shows information about the assets, menus, timelines, and other
objects included in the project.

2 An imported asset is used as content on the DVD. An imported menu is used as a menu
from which viewers can navigate to content.

3 Create a chapter point to define a location in a video track to which you want to link a
menu button or attach a behavior.

4 The Monitor window displays only the selected video track. The Project Preview
window plays the entire DVD project, as if you were viewing it on a television DVD player.

2 Creating Menus in

Peachpit Press/Scott Design

Adobe Encore DVD

Menus are the key to most DVD projects.

Adobe Encore DVD provides all the tools

you need to create menus without ever

leaving the application. In this lesson,

you'll type directly onto menus, import

backgrounds, add buttons, and more.