Macromedia Encore - CS3 User Guide

ADOBE® ENCORE® CS3

USER GUIDE

Adobe® Encore® 3.0 User Guide for Windows® and Mac OS

If this guide is distributed with software that includes an end user agreement, this guide, 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. Except as permitted by any such license, no part of this guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or other wise, without the prior written permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated.Pleasenotethatthe content in this guide is protected under copyright law even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement.

Thecontentofthisguideisfurnishedforinformationaluseonly,issubjecttochangewithoutnotice,andshouldnotbeconstruedasacommitmentbyAdobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in the informational content contained in this guide.

Please remember that existing artwork 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 in sample templates are for demonstration purposes only and are not intended to refer to any actual organization.

Adobe, the Adobe logo,Adobe Premiere,After Effects, Creative Suite, Encore, Flash, Photoshop, Soundbooth, and XMP are either registered trademarks ortrademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries.

Dolby is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. Microsoft, Windows, and OpenType are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or othercountries. Mac OS is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the United Statesand other countries. All other trademarks are the property oftheir respective owners.

This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (

http://www.apache.org/)

MPEG Layer-3 audio compression technology licensed by Fraunhofer IIS and Thomson Multimedia (http://www.mp3licensing.com).

Speech compression and decompression technology licensed from Nellymoser, Inc. (

This product includes software developed by the OpenSymphony Group (

www.nellymoser.com)

http://www.on2.com

http://www.opensymphony.com/)

This product contains either BISAFE and/or TIPEM software by RSA Data Security, Inc.

Sorenson Spark™ video compression and decompression technology licensed from Sorenson Media, Inc.

Adobe Systems Incorporated, 345 Park Avenue, San Jose, California 95110, USA.

Notice toU.S. Governmentend users:The Software and Documentationare “Commercial Items,” as thatterm is definedat 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “Commer cial C omputer Software” and “Commercial Computer Software Documentation,” as such terms are used in 48 C.F.R. §12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §227.7202, as applicable. Consistent with 48 C.F.R.

§12.212 or 48 C.F.R. §§227.7202-1 through 227.7202-4, as applicable, the Commercial Computer Software and Commercial Computer Software Documentation are being licensed to U.S. Government end users (a) only as Commercial Items and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users pursuant to the terms and conditions herein. Unpublished-rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States. Adobe agrees to comply with all applicable equal opportunity laws including, if appropriate, the provisions of Executive Order 11246, as amended, Section 402 of the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974 (38 USC 4212), and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the regulations at 41 CFR Parts 60-1 through 60-60, 60-250, and 60-741. The affirmative action clause and regulations contained in the preceding sentence shall be incorporated by reference.

Chapter 1: Getting started

Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Adobe Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

New features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Workspace basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Managing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Chapter 3: Planning the project

Planning the content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Balancing file size and quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Bit budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

iii

Chapter 4: Creating projects and importing assets

Working with projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Aspect ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Adobe Dynamic Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Working in the Project panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Transcoding in Encore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Chapter 5: Menus

Menu basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Creating menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Editing menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Styling and transforming menu objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Adding text to menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

Chapter 6: Menus: Beyond the basics

Video and audio in menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Menu templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Using Photoshop to create menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Using After Effects to enhance menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Button subpictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Menu color sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Button routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Creating styles for menu elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Chapter 7: Timelines and slide shows

Timeline basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Editing assets in timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Slide show basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

Editing slide shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Chapter points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Chapter 8: Audio and subtitles

Audio clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Subtitle basics for DVD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Subtitle scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Subtitle colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Navigation for audio and subtitle tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

Closed captions basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Chapter 9: Creating and managing links

Understanding navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Setting navigation and properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

Playlists and chapter playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

Working in the Flowchart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

User operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Chapter 10: Testing and building the final product

Testing Encore projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Security and additional content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Building the finished project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

Exporting projects to Flash format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Chapter 11: Keyboard shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Chapter 1: Getting started

If you haven’t installed your new software, begin by reading some information on installation and other preliminaries. Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of Adobe® Help and of the many resources available to users. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user communities, seminars, tutorials, RSS feeds, and much more.

Installation

Requirements

❖ To review complete system requirements and recommendations for your Adobe® software, see the Read Me file

on the installation disc.

Install the software

1 Close any other Adobe applications open on your computer.

2 Insert the installation disc into the disc drive, and follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: For more information, see the Read Me file on the installation disc.

Activate the software

Ifyouhaveasingle-userretaillicenseforyourAdobesoftware,youwillbeaskedtoactivateyoursoftware;thisisa simple, anonymous process that you must complete within 30 days of starting the software.

For more informationon product activation, see the Read Me file on your installation disc, or visitthe Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/activation.

1 If the Activation dialog box isn’t already open, choose Help > Activate.

2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

Note: If you want to install the software on a different computer, you must first deactivate it on your computer. Choose Help > Deactivate.

Register

❖ To register, follow the on-screen instructions in the Registration dialog box, which appears after you install and

activate the software.

If you postpone registration, you can register at any time by choosing Help > Registration.

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User Guide

Read Me

The installation disc contains the Read Me file for your software. (This file is also copied to the application folder during product installation.) Open the file to read important information about the following topics:

• System requirements

• Installation (including uninstalling the software)

• Activation and registration

• Font installation

• Troubleshooting

• Customer support

• Legal notices

Adobe Help

Adobe Help resources

Documentation for your Adobe software is available in a variety of formats.

In-product and LiveDocs Help

In-product Help provides access to all documentation and instructional content available at the time the software ships. It is available through the Help menu in your Adobe software.

LiveDocs Help includes all the content from in-product Help, plus updates and links to additional instructional content available on the web. For some products, you can also add comments to the topics in LiveDocs Help. Find LiveDocs Help for your product in the Adobe Help Resource Center, at www.adobe.com/go/documentation.

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User Guide

Most versions of in-product and LiveDocs Help let you search across the Help systems of multiple products. Topics may also contain links to relevant content on the web or to topics in the Help of another product.

Think of Help, both in the product and on the web, as a hub for accessing additional content and communities of users. The most complete and up-to-date version of Help is always on the web.

Adobe PDF documentation

The in-product Help is also available as a PDF that is optimized for printing. Other documents, such as installation guides and white papers, may also be provided as PDFs.

All PDF documentation is available through the Adobe Help Resource Center, at www.adobe.com/go/documen-

tation.Tosee the PDF documentation included with your software, look inthe Documents folder on the installation

or content DVD.

Printed documentation

Printed editions of the in-product Help are available for purchase in the Adobe Store, at www.adobe.com/go/store. You can also find books published by Adobe publishing partners in the Adobe Store.

A printed workflow guide is included with all Adobe Creative Suite® 3 products, and stand-alone Adobe products may include a printed getting started guide.

Using Help in the product

In-productHelpisavailablethroughtheHelpmenu.AfteryoustarttheAdobeHelpViewer,clickBrowsetoseeHelp for additional Adobe products installed on your computer.

These Help features facilitate cross-product learning:

• Topics may contain links to the Help systems of other Adobe products or to additional content on the web.

• Some topics are shared across two or more products. For instance, if you see a Help topic with an Adobe

Photoshop® CS3 icon and an Adobe AfterEffects® CS3 icon, you know that the topic either describes functionality that is similar in the two products or describes cross-product workflows.

• You can search across the Help systems of multiple products.

If you search for a phrase, such as “shape tool,” enclose it in quotation marks to see only those topics that include all the words in the phrase.

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Adobe Help A. Back/Forward buttons(previously visited links) B. Expandablesubtopics C. Icons indicating sharedtopic D. Previous/Next buttons (topics in sequential order)

Accessibility features

Adobe Help content is accessible to people with disabilities—such as mobility impairments, blindness, and low vision. In-product Help supports these standard accessibility features:

• The user can change text size with standard context menu commands.

• Links are underlined for easy recognition.

• If link text doesn’t match the title of the destination, the title is referenced in the Title attribute of the Anchor tag.

For example, the Previous and Next links include the titles of the previous and next topics.

• Content supports high-contrast mode.

• Graphics without captions include alternate text.

• Each frame has a title to indicate its purpose.

• Standard HTML tags define content structure for screen reading or text-to-speech tools.

• Style sheets control formatting, so there are no embedded fonts.

Keyboard shortcuts for Help toolbar controls (Windows)

Back button Alt+Left Arrow

Forward button Alt+Right Arrow

Print Ctrl+P

About button Ctrl+I

Browse menu Alt+Down Arrow or Alt+Up Arrow to view Help for another application

Search box Ctrl+S to place the insertion point in the Search box

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Keyboard shortcuts for Help navigation (Windows)

• To move between panes, press Ctrl+Tab (forward) and Shift+Ctrl+Tab (backward).

• To move through and outline links in a pane, press Tab (forward) or Shift+Tab (backward).

• To activate an outlined link, press Enter.

• To make text bigger, press Ctrl+equal sign.

• To make text smaller, press Ctrl+hyphen.

Resources

Adobe Video Workshop

The Adobe Creative Suite 3 Video Workshop offers over 200 training videos covering a wide range of subjects for print, web, and video professionals.

YoucanusetheAdobeVideoWorkshoptolearnaboutanyCreativeSuite3product.Manyvideosshowyouhowto use Adobe applications together.

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When you start the Adobe Video Workshop, you choose the products you want to learn and the subjects you want to view. You can see details about each video to focus and direct your learning.

Community of presenters

With this release, Adobe Systems invited the community of its users to share their expertise and insights. Adobe and lynda.com present tutorials, tips, and tricks from leading designers and developers such as Joseph Lowery, Katrin Eismann, and Chris Georgenes. You can see and hear Adobe experts such as Lynn Grillo, Greg Rewis, and Russell Brown. In all, over 30 product experts share their knowledge.

Tutorials and source files

The Adobe Video Workshop includes training for novices and experienced users. You’ll also find videos on new features and key techniques. Each video covers a single subject and typically runs about 3-5 minutes. Most videos come with an illustrated tutorial and source files, so you can print detailed steps and try the tutorial on your own.

Using Adobe Video Workshop

YoucanaccessAdobeVideoWorkshopusingtheDVDincludedwithyourCreativeSuite3product.It’salsoavailable online at www.adobe.com/go/learn_videotutorials. Adobe will regularly add new videos to the online Video Workshop, so check in to see what’s new.

Encore CS3 videos

Adobe Video Workshop covers a wide range of subjects for Adobe Encore® CS3, including these:

• Animating menus

• Creating disc navigation

• Creating and modifying menus

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User Guide

Videos also show you how to use Encore with other Adobe products:

• Using Dynamic Link

• Creating DVDs using Adobe Premiere Pro® CS3 and Encore

• Working with markers and cue points

To access Adobe Creative Suite 3 video tutorials, visit Adobe Video Workshop at

www.adobe.com/go/learn_videotutorials.

Extras

You have access to a wide variety of resources that will help you make the most of your Adobe software. Some of these resources are installed on your computer during the setup process; additional helpful samples and documents are included on the installation or content disc. Unique extras are also offered online by the Adobe Exchange community, at www.adobe.com/go/exchange.

Installed resources

During software installation, anumber ofresources are placedin yourapplication folder. To view those files,navigate to the application folder on your computer.

• Windows®: [startup drive]\Program Files\Adobe\[Adobe application]

• Mac OS®: [startup drive]/Applications/[Adobe application]

The application folder may contain the following resources:

Plug-ins Plug-in modules are small software programs that extend or add features to your software. Once installed,

plug-in modules appear as options in the Import or Export menu; as file formats in the Open, Save As, and Export Original dialog boxes; or as filters in the Filter submenus. For example, a number of special effects plug-ins are automatically installed in the Plug-ins folder inside the Photoshop CS3 folder.

Presets Presets include a wide variety of useful tools, preferences, effects, and images. Product presets include

brushes, swatches, color groups, symbols, custom shapes, graphic and layer styles, patterns, textures, actions, workspaces, and more. Preset content can be found throughout the user interface. Some presets (for example, Photoshop Brush libraries) become available only when you select the corresponding tool. If you don’twant to create an effect or image from scratch, go to the preset libraries for inspiration.

Templates Template files can be opened and viewed from Adobe Bridge CS3, opened from the Welcome Screen, or

opened directly from the File menu. Depending on the product, template files range from letterheads, newsletters,

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User Guide

and websites to DVD menus and video buttons. Each template file is professionally constructed and represents a best-use example of product features. Templates can be a valuable resource when you need to jump-start a project.

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Samples Sample files include more complicated designs and are agreat way to see new features in action. These files

demonstrate the range of creative possibilities available to you.

Fonts Several OpenType® fonts and font families are included with your Creative Suite product. Fonts are copied to

your computer during installation:

• Windows: [startup drive]\Windows\Fonts

• Mac OS X: [startup drive]/Library/Fonts

For information about installing fonts, see the Read Me file on the installation DVD.

DVD content

The installation or content DVD included with your product contains additional resources for use with your software. The Goodies folder contains product-specific files such as templates,images, presets,actions, plug-ins, and effects, along with subfolders for Fonts and Stock Photography. The Documentation folder contains a PDF version of the Help, technical information, and other documents such as specimen sheets, reference guides, and specialized feature information.

Adobe Exchange

For more free content, visit www.adobe.com/go/exchange, an online community where users download and share thousands of free actions, extensions, plug-ins, and other content for use with Adobe products.

Bridge Home

Bridge Home, a new destination in Adobe Bridge CS3, provides up-to-date information on all your Adobe Creative Suite 3 software in one convenient location. Start Adobe Bridge, then click the Bridge Home icon at the top of the Favorites panel to access the latest tips, news, and resources for your Creative Suite tools.

Note: Bridge Home may not be available in all languages.

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Adobe Design Center

Adobe Design Center offers articles, inspiration, and instruction from industry experts, top designers and Adobe publishing partners. New content is added monthly.

You can find hundreds of tutorials for design products and learn tips and techniques through videos, HTML tutorials, and sample book chapters.

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New ideas are the heart of Think Tank, Dialog Box, and Gallery:

• ThinkTankarticlesconsiderhowtoday’sdesignersengagewithtechnologyandwhattheirexperiencesmeanfor

design, design tools, and society.

• In Dialog Box, experts share new ideas in motion graphics and digital design.

• The Gallery showcases how artists communicate design in motion.

Visit Adobe Design Center at www.adobe.com/designcenter.

Adobe Developer Center

Adobe Developer Center provides samples, tutorials, articles, and community resources for developers who build rich Internet applications, websites, mobile content, andother projects using Adobe products. The Developer Center also contains resources for developers who develop plug-ins for Adobe products.

In addition to sample code and tutorials, you'll find RSS feeds, online seminars, SDKs, scripting guides, and other technical resources.

Visit Adobe Developer Center at www.adobe.com/go/developer.

Customer support

VisittheAdobeSupportwebsite,atwww.adobe.com/support, to find troubleshooting information for your product and tolearn about free and paid technicalsupport options.Follow the Training link for access to Adobe Press books, a variety of training resources, Adobe software certification programs, and more.

Downloads

Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, tryouts, and other useful software. In addition, the Adobe Store (at www.adobe.com/go/store) provides access to thousands of plug-ins from third-party developers, helping you to automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

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Adobe Labs

Adobe Labs gives youthe opportunity toexperience andevaluate new and emerging technologies and products from Adobe.

At Adobe Labs, you have access to resources such as these:

• Prerelease software and technologies

• Code samples and best practices to accelerate your learning

• Early versions of product and technical documentation

• Forums, wiki-based content, and other collaborative resources to help you interact with like-minded developers

Adobe Labs fosters a collaborative software development process. In this environment, customers quickly become productive with new products and technologies. Adobe Labs is also a forum for early feedback, which the Adobe development teams use to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Visit Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs.

User communities

User communities feature forums, blogs, and other avenues for users to share technologies, tools, and information. Users can ask questions and find out how others are getting the most out of their software. User-to-user forums are available in English, French, German, and Japanese; blogs are posted in a wide range of languages.

To participate in forums or blogs, visit www.adobe.com/communities.

New features

What’s new

Blu-ray Disc output Use the same Encore interface and features to author and deliver professional titles on standard-

definition (SD) DVD and high-definition (HD) Blu-ray Disc. Or author a high-definition Blu-ray Disc project and, with one step, create a finished standard-definition DVD project.

Adobe Flash® CS3 output With one step, export complete Encore Blu-ray Disc or DVD projects as finished Flash

content ready for distribution on the web. Create interactive Flash SWF content without scripting and without mastering the Flash authoring environment. Deliver DVD-style menus, interactivity, and content to the approximately 98% of desktop computers that already have Adobe Flash® Player.

Author once, deliver to multiple media formats Author a single project in Encore and easily deliver it as standard-

definition DVD, high-definition Blu-ray Disc, and web-friendly Flash. Create more media and reach a wider audience with less effort and in less time.

Flexible media management Import video and other assets with little or no restrictions on different sizes and data

rates. You can also import both NTSC and PAL standard assets into any project.

High-definition Library content Jump-start Blu-ray Disc menu creation using high-definition menus and other HD

assets provided in the Encore Library panel.

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Adobe Encore CS3 provides a flexible workspace that you can quickly optimize for your working style.

Workflow

Workflow overview

Encore lets you create many different kinds of projects for DVDs, Blu-ray discs, or interactive Flash files. Whether the content is a feature film, a wedding, a training course, or an art collection, the basic steps for creating a project are the same.

Note: For a video tutorial about creating projects in Encore, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0239.

Although the order of the tasks can vary somewhat from project to project, authoring with Encore involves the following basic tasks:

Plan the project

Regardlessoftheproject'scomplexity,itishelpfultoplanthecontentandflowofyourproject.Whetheryousketch each of the elements, create a flowchart, or use a spreadsheet to map the path through the content, drafting a navigation scenario can help you clarify your ideas and anticipate problems before you start. For information, see “About planning” on page 25.

Simple sketch of intended navigation scheme

Import assets

Prepare your source material (assets) forthe project, andimport them into Encore. The assets include any video, still images, audio, and subtitles for your project. Before you import your content into Encore, combine video clips, add transitions, or create special effects in a video-editing or compositing software, such as Adobe Premiere® Pro CS3 or Adobe After Effects® CS3. You can compile the audio in an audio-editing software, such as Adobe Soundbooth CS3. For information, see “Import assets and menus” on page 40.

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Imported assets displayed in Project panel

Create project elements and add assets

An Encore project includes element types such as timelines and slide shows. You add assets to these elements to include the assets in the project. Depending upon an asset’s type, you can add it to timelines, slide shows, menus, playlists, andchapter playlists. For information, see “About timelines” on page 115, “About slide shows” on page 126, “Playlists” on page 159, and “Chapter playlists” on page 160.

Project panel containing audio asset (A) and video asset (B) being added to timeline element

Create menus

The menus give the viewer access to the content. You can create menus directly in Encore, customize predesigned menus included with the software, or create and edit menus in Adobe Photoshop® CS3. For information, see “About menus” on page 58.

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Library (A) with predesigned menus and Menu Viewer (B) for customizing menus

Specify navigation

Menus provide the main way for viewers to navigate through the content. In addition to menus, you also use other types of navigation settings, such as end actions and overrides, to guide the viewer. Encore gives you several methods for setting the navigation—you can drag between the elements and buttons in the Menu Viewer, use the Properties panel, or work with navigation in the Flowchart. For a typical project, you’ll set navigation with all of these methods, choosing whichever is most convenient at the time. For information, see “Project navigation and links” on page 152.

A CB

Setting links by selecting button (B) in Menu Viewer (A) and specifying links in Properties panel (C)

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Make video and audio compatible (transcoding)

If you imported video and audio files that aren’t DVD orBlu-ray Disc-compatible, Encore transcodes the files before you burn the disc. You can let Encore determine the best settings for transcoding or select the options you feel are best for your project. For information, see “About transcoding” on page 51.

Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) an asset (B) in Project panel (A) to choose Transcode Settings from the context menu.(C)

Preview the project

You should preview and check a project throughout the authoring process, especially before you burn the disc. Previewing lets you experience the project as a viewer would, using the remote control to move through it. The Check Project feature verifies technical details and informs you of any problems, such as broken links or invalid end actions. For information, see “Preview a project” on page 170, and “Check a project” on page 172.

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Controls in Project Preview window simulating remote control

Burn the disc

You can build and burn the DVD or Blu-ray disc directly from Encore. Or, if you plan to use a replication facility, you can write to a DLT drive, prepare a folder, or create a DVD or Blu-ray image to give to the replicator. For information, see “Build a DVD or Blu-ray disc” on page 175.

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Build panel with output settings

Export to Flash format

You can export your final projects to a Flash format for interactive viewing on the web. For information, see “Exporting projects to Flash format” on page 178.

Workspace basics

About workspaces

Adobe video and audio applications providea consistent,customizable workspace. Although each application has its own set of panels (such as Tools, Properties, Timeline, and soon), you move and group panels inthe same way across products.

The main window of a program is the application window. Panels are organized in this window in an arrangement called a workspace. The default workspace contains groups of panels as well as panels that stand alone.

You customize a workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. You can create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks—for example, one for editing and one for previewing.

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You can drag panels to new locations, move panels into or out of a group, place panels alongside each other, and undock a panel so that it floats in a new window above the application window. As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize automatically to fit the window.

YoucanusefloatingwindowstocreateaworkspacemorelikethoseinpreviousversionsofAdobeapplications,orto place panels on multiple monitors.

Example workspace A. Application window B. Grouped panels C. Individual panel

For a video about the Adobe workspace, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0249.

Dock, group, or float panels

You can dock panels together, move panels into or out of a group, and undock a panel so that it floats in a new window above the application window. As you draga panel, drop zones—areas onto which you can move the panel— become highlighted. The drop zone you choose determines where the panel is inserted, and whether it docks or groups with other panels.

Docking zones

Docking zones exist along the edges of a panel, group, or window. Docking a panel places it adjacent to the existing group, resizing all groups to accommodate the new panel.

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Dragging panel (A) onto docking zone (B) to dock it (C)

Grouping zones

Groupingzonesexistinthemiddleofapanelorgroup,andalongthetabareaofpanels.Groupingapanelstacksit with other panels.

Dragging panel (A) onto grouping zone (B) to group it with existing panels (C)

Dock or group panels

If the panel you want to dock or group is not visible, choose it from the Window menu.

2 Do one of the following:

•

To move an individual panel, drag the gripper area in the upper-left corner of a panel’s tab onto the desired drop zone.

Drag panel gripper to move one panel

• To move an entire group, drag the group gripper at the upper-right corner onto the desired drop zone.

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Drag group gripper to move entire group

The application docks or groups the panel, according to the type of drop zone.

Undock a panel in a floating window

When you undock a panel in a floating window, you can add panels to the window or otherwise modify it, asyou do the application window. You can use floating windows to make use of a secondary monitor, or to create a workspace like those in earlier versions of Adobe applications.

❖ Select the panel you want to undock (if it’s not visible, choose it from the Window menu), and then do one of the

following:

• Choose Undock Panel or Undock Frame from the panel menu. Undock Frame undocks the panel group.

• Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS), and dragthe panel or group from its current location. When

you release the mouse button, the panel or group appears in a new floating window.

• Drag the panel or group outside the application window. (If the application window is maximized, drag the panel

to the Windows task bar.)

Resize panel groups

When you position the pointer over dividers between panel groups, resize icons appear. When you drag these icons, all groups that share the divider are resized. For example, suppose your workspace contains three panel groups stacked vertically. If you drag the divider between the bottom two groups, they are resized, but the topmost group doesn’t change.

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To quickly maximizea panel beneath the pointer, press the tilde (~) key. (Do not press Shift.) Pressthe tilde key again to return the panel to its original size.

1 Do either of the following:

• To resize either horizontally or vertically, position the pointer between two panel groups. The pointer becomes a

double-arrow .

• To resize in both directions at once, position the pointer at the intersection between three or more panel groups.

The pointer becomes a four-way arrow .

2 Hold down the mouse button, and drag to resize the panel groups.

Dragging divider between panel groups to resize them horizontally A. Original group with resize icon B. Resized groups

Open and close panels and windows

Even if a panel is open, it may be out of sight, beneath other panels. Choosing a panel from the Window menu opens it and brings it to the front.

Whenyoucloseapanelgroupintheapplicationwindow,theothergroupsresizetomakeuseofthenewlyavailable space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.

• To open or close a panel, choose the panel from the Window menu.

• To close a panel or window, click its Close button .

Working with multiple monitors

To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple monitors, the application window appears on the main monitor, and you place floating windows on the second monitor. Monitor configurations are stored in the workspace.

See also

“Dock, group, or float panels” on page 18

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Use context, panel, and viewer menus

In addition to the menus at the top of your screen, Encore also provides context, panel, and viewer menus. Context menus contain commands relative to the active tool or selection. Panel menus contain commands relevant to the

active panel. You use the viewer menus to choose which item to display in the viewer, or to close items.

Use a context or panel menu

❖ Do one of the following:

• To use a context menu, position the pointer over the active window or selection and right-click (Windows) or

Control-click (Mac OS). Choose a menu item, or click outside the menu to close it.

• To use a panel menu, click the triangle in the upper-right corner of a panel, and then choose a menu item or click

outside the menu to close it.

Use a viewer menu

Encore provides viewers for its timelines, slide shows, menus, and chapter playlists. Viewers are panels in which you edit a type of DVD or Blu-ray element. The Slideshow Viewer, for example, lets you edit slide shows. You can set the Encore preferences to specify whether items of the same type open in a single viewer or in multiple viewers. For viewers with multiple items open, use the viewer menu to select the item you want to work with.

❖ Click the triangle in the Viewer tab and choose the element you want to work with. You can also close the current

item or all the items.

Selecting items from viewer menu

Tools panel overview

You use the Tools panel when working in the Menu Viewer and the Flowchart. It contains tools to select layers or objects in a menu, enter text, zoom in and out, and move objects in the Flowchart. It also contains shortcuts for editing a menu in Photoshop and previewing a project. (See “About text in menus” on page 78, “About subtitles in DVD projects” on page 136, and “About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 97.)

A B C D E F G H I

Tools panel

A. Selection tool B. Direct Select tool C. Move tool D. Rotate tool E. Text tool F. Vertical Text tool G. Zoom tool H. Edit Menu in Photoshop I. Preview

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Set preferences for your workspace

Encore lets you set numerous preferences for your workspace, from adjusting the brightness of the user interface to controlling the default television standard used for creating projects.

Set User Interface preferences

User Interface preferences include software-wide settings that affect your workspace.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > User Interface (Windows) or Encore > Preferences > User Interface (Mac OS).

2 Set any of the following options:

Brightness Use the slider to set the brightness of the interface. Click Default to return the brightness to the factory

default.

Separate Viewers For Specifies how new timelines, menus, slide shows, and chapter playlists are opened. In Encore,

you edit each element type in its own viewer. Timelines, for example, are edited in the Timeline Viewer. Select an option to open that element type in a new viewer; deselect an option to open all elements of that type in a single viewer.For example, toopen all menus in a single Menu Viewer,deselect Menus.When asingle viewer containsmore than one item, use its viewer menu to access the desired element. For more information, see “Use a viewer menu” on page 22.

Show Tool Tips Specifies whether tool tips (brief labels or explanations) appear as the pointer moves over tools and

other interface elements. This setting is enabled by default.

Beep On Render Completion Specifies whether Encore beeps when it finishes building a project or transcoding a

file. Select the option to enable the beep.

Set Media preferences

Media preferences include settings for clearing the Adobe media cache database file and specifying the location for the Encore Library file.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Media (Windows) or Encore > Preferences > Media (Mac OS).

2 Set any of the following options:

Library Content Specifies the location of the Library folder for functional content, such as predesigned menus and

buttons. Files in this Library folder appear in the Library panel.

Media Cache Adobe audio and video components share a media cache database. The database tracks media accel-

erator files that improve performance and speed. For example, if Adobe Premiere Pro creates a conformed audiofile, and you import media with that audiointo Encore, Encore uses the file fromAdobe Premiere Pro instead of creating a new conformed file. The media cache database informs Encore of the conformed file’s location. Click Clean Database to remove any old cached files and free up additional disc space.

Set General preferences

General preferences include default settings for the software regardless of the project you’re working on.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Encore > Preferences > General (Mac OS).

2 Set any of the following options:

Default Television Standard Specifies the default TV standard (either NTSC or PAL) for new projects. Encore deter-

mines the default setting according to the operating system’s language.

Playback Quality Specifies the playback quality for the Preview and Monitor panels, as well as thumbnails. Select the

desired setting from the menu: High to display video at full resolution; Draft to display video at one-half resolution;

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and Automatic to use draft quality for playback, which changes to high quality when the playback is paused or stopped.

Desktop Display Mode (Windows only) Sets one of three options for playback through a graphics display card:

• Compatible Displays video on the desktop in a nonaccelerated manner. This mode is appropriate for use on a

graphics card that does not support Direct3D 9.0 acceleration. This option is the lowest-performance display mode.

• Standard Uses hardware capabilities on Direct3D 9.0-capable graphics cards to accelerate video playback on the

desktop.

• Accelerated GPU Effects Uses advanced hardware features present in the newest generation of Direct3D 9.0-

capable graphics cards to accelerate video playback as well as several effects on the desktop.

Reset Warning Dialogs Enables all dialog boxes that you previously disabled by selecting Don’t Show Again.

Managing workspaces

Choose a workspace

Each Adobe video and audio application includes several predefined workspaces that optimize the layout of panels for specific tasks. When you choose one of these workspaces, or any custom workspaces you’ve saved, the current workspace is redrawn accordingly.

❖ Open the project you want to work on, choose Window > Workspace, and select the desired workspace.

Save a custom workspace

As you customize a workspace, the application tracks your changes, storing the most recent layout. To store a specific layout more permanently, save a custom workspace. Saved custom workspaces appear in the Workspace menu, where you can return to and reset them.

❖ Arrange theframes and panels as desired,then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Enter aname for

the workspace, and click OK.

Note: If a project saved with acustom workspace is opened on another system, the applicationlooks for a workspace with a matching name. If it can’t find a match (or the monitor configuration doesn’t match), it uses the current local workspace.

Restore a workspace

You can remove changes made to a workspace, restoring its original layout.

❖ With the workspace you want to restore active, choose Window > Workspace > Reset Workspace, and then click

Yes to discard the changes.

Delete a workspace

1 Choose Window > Workspace > Delete Workspace.

2 Choose the workspace you want to delete, and then click OK.

Note: You cannot delete the currently active workspace.

Chapter 3: Planning the project

You can design, author, and build media projects in Adobe Encore CS3 for high-definition Blu-ray Disc and standarddefinition DVD. Encore gives you options to burn directly to a disc or other types of output for disc replication. As an added bonus, you can export Blu-ray and DVD projects to Flash format for interactive viewing on the web.

Planning the content

About planning

Thefirsttaskofauthoringtheprojectisplanning.Thisplanningcanbeasminimalasdecidingtouseatemplateto organize your family’s vacation photos and video, or as robust as using project-management software to coordinate a production team creating an interactive kiosk.

Whatever the scope of planning, you should understand what the project will contain and how you want to present it. By the end of the planning stage, you should have a good understanding of the following parameters.

The navigation scheme

Awell-producedprojectemploysahierarchyofnavigationthatgivestheviewerclearandeasyaccesstothecontent. Think through your project. After you decide which clipsyou want to include, you need todetermine how the viewer will access those clips. Whether you use aspreadsheet or a pencil sketch, it is worth the time to draft your navigation scheme before you start.

The intended playback environment

Is the project intended for television viewing? Will it play unattended in a kiosk? Is it for use in an educational setting on computers? The playback environment affects your approach to navigation and the design of the menus as well as the content. If the project will be used only on a computer (on the desktop or in a web browser), you can include ROM content that a television DVD or Blu-ray player cannot access. For instance, you can include PDFs of exercises in an educational DVD to be used on the computer. If you’re planning to export your project to Flash format, you can embed web links that connect your project to other areas in your website.

Types and amount of content to be included

To make certain decisions—for instance, about disc size and video data rate—you need to know how much content you must fit on the disc and what type it is (such as standard-definition orhigh-definition video). Small projects that include mostly audio might fit on a single-layer DVD, whereas projects containing feature-length movies and many supplemental materials might require a dual-layer or dual-sided DVD or a Blu-ray disc.

See also

“Embed web links in your Flash project” on page 179

“Tips for creating Flash projects” on page 179

“About bit budgeting” on page 29

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Planning with the Flowchart

The Flowchart feature provides a visual interface that helps you to plan and manage the creation of the project. AlthoughyoucanusetheFlowchartatanytimeduringtheauthoringprocess,it’sespeciallyusefulduringtheinitial stages of the project, when you determine navigation and begin organizing assets.

Note: Ifyou’renewtoauthoringthesetypeofprojects,itmaybebesttoplanyourfirstnavigationschemeonpaperand postpone using the Flowchart until you are familiar with the different element types and their properties.

The Flowchart displays the content of the project graphically, in a tree structure, detailing the navigation between the different elements. This visual representation can help you to see areas where the navigation is cluttered and needs to be refined. Beyond providing a visual representation of the project, the Flowchart also lets you perform many authoring tasks, such as setting project navigation.

The Flowchart panel displays project navigation and, when used with the Properties panel, lets you complete a majority of authoring tasks.

For a video tutorial about using the Flowchart to plan your projects, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0240.

See also

“Flowchart overview” on page 162

Balancing file size and quality

File size and quality

Authoring a DVD or Blu-ray project involves striking a balance between two competing properties: file size and video quality. As quality increases, so does file size. You want to achieve the highest possible quality for your content while keeping the file sizes small enough so that all of the content will fit on the disc. This balance is achieved by manipulating the video content’s data rate—either automatically (by letting Encore set the data rate) or directly (by setting the transcoding settings or using a third-party application).

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You determine the optimal data rate through the process of bit budgeting. To understand bit budgeting, you first need to understand the variables involved: disc size, types and amounts of assets (audio, video, and motion menus), and data rates and transcoding. Once familiar with the variables involved, you’ll be able to produce a bit budget to guide you in producing high-quality projects that fit within the allotted disc space.

See also

“About transcoding” on page 51

Determining disc size

Before you can prepare a bit budget, you must determine the size of disc on which to distribute your project. Encore can create projects for 25-GB Blu-ray discs and for a variety of DVD disc sizes. The size you choose is based on the amount of video and the replication method.

Typically, a Blu-ray disc can hold 135 minutes of high-definition video using MPEG-2 plus 2 hours of standarddefinition bonus material, or it can hold a total of 10 hours of standard-definition content. Encore also supports H.264 encoding for Blu-ray projects, which provides better quality at lower bit rates than MPEG-2 and therefore more video time. Desktop DVD burners use a recordable DVD-5 disc (DVD+/-R), which has a 4.7-GB capacity and can hold approximately 2 hours of high-quality, standard-definition video.

Encore also supports DLT (digital linear tape), which requires a DLT drive connected to your computer, as well as dual-layer DVDs and dual-sidedDVDs. Check your DVD recorder’s documentation to see if it cancreate dual-sided or dual-layer discs. If your disc recorder cannot produce these discs, Encore can still create the project files forthem, but you’ll need to replicate the disc at a replication facility.

When preparing a project for dual-layer or dual-sided DVDs, keep the following information in mind:

Dual-layer disc Encore supports DVD-R DL and DVD+R DL discs; check your recorder’s documentation to see

what type of DVDs (+R or -R) it requires. To replicate dual-layer DVDs at a replication facility, you first must write your project to two separate DLTs, one tape for each layer of the disc, using the DVD Master output option. (See “Build a DVD or Blu-ray disc” on page 175 and “Specify a layer break for dual-layer DVDs” on page 177.)

Note: Beawarethat+RdiscsmaybeincompatiblewithsomeDVDplayers.Beforeduplicatingalargequantityofdiscs, it’s worthwhile to create a sample disc and test it on several different DVD players. Replication facilities, whose paramount purpose is duplicating discs, create discs with the widest possible compatibility.

Dual-sided disc For dual-sided DVDs, you must create two separate projects. If you will replicate the DVDs at an

outside facility, use the DVD Master output option to write each project to its own DLT. (See “Build a DVD or Bluray disc” on page 175 and “Replicating discs” on page 178.)

Dual-sided, dual-layer disc In this case, you need to buildtwo projects, each producing two tapes. The firsttwo tapes

represent the twolayers of the first project (Side 1).The other twotapes representthe two layersof the second project (Side 2).

Set the disc size for DVD projects

By setting the disc size for your DVD project at the beginning of the authoring process, Encore can calculate how much space is used for each asset you add to the project and how much space remains free.

1 Choose Window > Build.

2 In the Build panel, choose DVD from the Format menu, and scroll down to the Disc Info section.

3 Choose a size from the Size menu. To enter a custom disc size, choose Custom and then type a size in the text box.

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4 If you want to create a dual-sided disc, specify which side this project is for.

5 Close the Build panel and save the project.

See also

“Check the space remaining on your disc” on page 28

Check the space remaining on your disc

The Build panel displays the available space and the used space for the specified disc size during the authoring process. The display conveys size information only and has no bearing on quality. Encore calculates the free space using the transcoding data rate (whether it was set automatically or manually). It then combines this estimated bit rate with theactual bit rate of any transcoded clips and, based on thedisc size, calculatesthe space remaining on your disc.

When transcoding assets, Encore attempts tomaintain the highest quality (highest data rate) for the amount ofvideo in the project. If you continue to add video to a project, the program lowers the video data rate to squeeze in the additional content. Encore will warn youif quality dips belowa certain level once you build the project or run Check Project. For more information, see “About transcoding” on page 51.

❖ Choose Window > Build to display the Build panel, and scroll down to the Disc Info section. Encore displays the

amounts of used video space, free space, and space used for ROM content. Respectively, the “thermometer” graphic uses blue, white, and green colors to show the amounts.

Asset types and amounts

Of all the content types, the video portion occupies the most disc space. Depending on the data rate, 1 minute of standard-definition video for DVD projects can occupy up to 73.5 MB, at a rate of 9.8 megabits per second (Mbps). One minute of high-definition video for a Blu-ray project can occupy from 270 to 405 MB (using rates of 36 Mbps and 54 Mbps).One minute of compressed audio, onthe other hand, occupies only 11.5MB. Stillmenus arenegligible in terms of size. (See “Average asset size” on page 30.)

The amount of video in a project directly affects the optimal data rate. You need an accurate tally of the amount of video ina project to develop a bit budget and to choosea disc size.If theproject contains1 hourof video,for example, itcanbetranscodedattwicethedatarateasaprojectwith2hoursofvideocontent.Althoughthevideocontentin each project occupies the same amount of disc space, the quality of the hour-long video will be superior (though not necessarily by a factor of 2).

See also

“About transcoding” on page 51

Data rates

Data rates,usually expressedin Mbps(megabits persecond, or1,000,000 bits persecond), specify the amountof data contained in an asset stream and directly affect the quality of video. The data rate is used during transcoding to compress the asset. For video assets, the Encore transcode presets use data rates ranging from 15 to 40 Mbps for Bluray projects and from 4 to 9 Mbps for DVD projects. You can edit the presets’ data rates, but you cannot exceed 40 Mbps for Blu-ray projects or 9.0 Mbps for DVD projects, nor can you go below the Encore minimum data rate of

2.0 Mbps. Typical data rates for video range between 4 and 6 Mbps. If bit budgeting targets a data rate less than 6 Mbps, consider using variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. For more information about VBR, see “Calculate a bit budget” on page 29. For more information about transcoding, see “About transcoding” on page 51.

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Although data rates are a general indicator of quality, there are no hard-and-fast rules to equate data rate to quality. That is, a data rate of 4 Mbps may or may not produce a high-quality asset; quality depends on the image data and typeofcompressionusedaswellasdatarate.Forexample,videoofaseatedpersonshotagainstasolidbackground can probably be compressed to a lower data rate than a fast-paced car chase with constantly changing visuals, with no noticeable differences in quality.

Bit budgeting

About bit budgeting

Bit budgeting, or estimating the amount of space your project will occupy, is an important part of planning. Bit budgeting helps you strike a balance between the quantity and quality of content and determine the optimal video data rate. If your project includes minimal amounts of content, you can encode that content at a higher data rate (which translates to higher quality) to take advantage of all available space. Conversely, if your project contains a large amount of content, you need to use a lower data rate (which translates to lower quality) to squeeze it all onto the disc.

Encore automatically tracks bit budgeting during the authoring process. For small projects with limited content, simplycheckingtheamountofavailablespaceontheBuildpanelduringtheauthoringprocessisusuallysufficient to track your space usage. For large, complex projects, though, bit budgeting becomes much more important to the authoring process, providing a check against the actual data rates achieved.

Generally, for projects with less than 2 hours of video, you can skip bit budgeting and let Encore set the data rate automatically.

Calculate a bit budget

Bit budgeting provides a target video data rate for the project. You can either use a pencil and paper to quickly develop one, or you can create a spreadsheet to do the calculations for you.

When bit budgeting for projects to be distributed on 4.7-GB DVDs that contain a single stream of compressed audio, you can use the simplified formula of 560 / x = bit rate in Mbps, where “x” represents minutes of video.

1 Calculate the total disc space available for the entire project.

2 Calculate the disc space available for video. You achieve this by calculating the space required for audio, slide

shows, subtitles, and motionmenus (other types of content are negligible in terms of bit budgeting), and subtracting that amount from the total disc space. For more information, see “Average asset size” on page 30.

Note: IfyouincludeROMcontent,makesuretoincludeitinthespacecalculation.(See“AddROMcontenttothedisc” on page 174.)

3 Calculate the target data rate of the video. You determine this by dividing the amount of space available for video

by the amount of video in the project.

4 Determine the maximum video bit rate by subtracting the combined audio and subtitle rate from the data rate

limit. (For example, if your combined audio and subtitle rate is 3.0 Mbps, subtracting that from the 9.8 Mbps DVD data rate limit gives you a video rate of 6.8 Mbps.) Your goal is to determine the highest possible target video data rate within the disc data rate limit. If your target data rate is below 6 Mbps, consider using variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. When you use VBR encoding, you specify the maximum video data rate. (The average data rate is the target, but the maximum rate provides some flexibility when encoding.)

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Note: Keep your calculations simple by working with megabits (Mbits) and not megabytes (MB) when bit budgeting. Mbps denotes megabits per second. Also, hard-disk capacity is typically calculated as a power of 2 (1 KB = 2^10 bytes = 1024 bytes) while optical disc (DVD) capacity is labeled as a power of 10 (1 KB = 10^3 bytes = 1,000 bytes). Use the power-of-10 scheme for bit budgeting. The following conversion factors will aid in the calculations: 1 GB = 10^9 bytes = 1,000,000,000 bytes = 8,000,000,000 bits; 1,000,000 bits = 1 Mbit.

Average asset size

Use the following averages for bit budgeting:

Audio If compressed using the Dolby® Digital Stereo standard, audio is generally 192,000 bits per second

(0.192 Mbps). Use 0.192 Mbps or reference the settings for the audio encoder you plan to use.

Subpictures Insignificant in terms of bit budgeting, unless you include subtitles. If you do include subtitles, use

0.010 Mbps per subpicture stream for calculations.

Motion menus Typically have a data rate of 8 Mbps for the transcoded standard-definition video or 40 Mbps for

high definition; add this to the audio data rate. (If the video is already DVD- or Blu-ray-compliant, then it won’t be transcoded, and you should use the data rate of the video file.)

Still menus Typically insignificant in terms of bitbudgeting andcan usually be leftout of the calculation. Still menus

average 230 KB in size.

Slide shows The asset size for a slide show depends on whether you include transitions or the Random Pan Zoom

effect:

• If the slide show contains no transitions or effects, the slides are written to the disc as MPEG stills, which require

minimal space. Stills average 230 KB in size, which is typically negligible for bit budgeting. If you have a large number of images, however, you should include them in your calculation.

• If the slide show includes transitions, then Encore writes both stills and transcoded MPEG video files for the

transitions. For example, if a given image appears for 10 seconds, with a 2-second transition at the beginning and theend,thenthestilliswrittentothedisc(displayedfor 6 seconds) as well as two 2-second MPEG video files that contain the transition frames.

• If the slide show includes pan and zoom, then Encore transcodes the stills into an MPEG video file. Slide shows

with pan and zoom, in essence, become video content and require the same space allotment as video files. For example, a 5-minute slide show that uses pan and zoom throughout counts as 5 minutes of video content for bitbudgeting purposes.

Sample budget #1

Bit budgeting fora simple DVD project containing 2 hours and 13 minutes of standard-definition video, without any audio, to be distributed on a 4.7-GB disc proceeds as follows:

1 Calculate the total available disc space in bits. A 4.7 GB disc contains 4,700,000,000 bytes; each byte contains

8 bits. 4,700,000,000 x 8 = 37,600,000,000 bits.

2 Calculate the disc space available for video. Combine the size of the audio, subtitles, motion menus, and 4% of the

disccapacity(foroverhead,justtobesafe)andthensubtractthatsumfromthetotalavailablespaceyoucalculated in step 1. Since this example has no audio, subtitles, or motion menus, you subtract only the 4% for overhead (1,504,000,000 bits) to get a value of 36,096,000,000 bits.

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3 Calculate the data rate of the video. Divide the disc space available for video that you determined in step 2 by the

amount of video (in seconds) the project contains. 36,096,000,000 bits / (133 minutes x 60 seconds per minute) = 4,523,308.27 bps. Divide the bps amount by 1 million bits per Mbit to convert the video data rate to Mbps. 4,523,308.27 / 1,000,000 = 4.5 Mbps.

4 Determine the maximum video data rate. Subtract the combined audio, subtitles, and motion menu data rates,

zero in this instance, from the maximum DVD video data rate of 9.8 Mbps. 9.8 Mbps - 0 = 9.8 Mbps. Because this is very close to the maximum rate for DVD, you can lower it to 9.0 Mbps to be safe.

The video will fit on the disc using a data rate of 4.5 Mbps. 4.5 Mbps is low enough (below 6 Mbps) that you should use VBR encoding. The maximum video data rate for VBR encoding is 9.0 Mbps.

Sample budget #2

Proceed as follows for bit budgeting of a 120-minute standard-definition video with three audio tracks, two subtitle tracks, two motion menus, and a 1-minute movie preview to be burned to an 8.54-GB DVD:

1 Calculate the total available disc space in bits. An 8.54-GB disc contains 8,540,000,000 bytes; each byte contains

8 bits. 8,540,000,000 x 8 = 68,320,000,000 bits = 68,320 Mbits.

2 Calculate the disc space available for video. Combine the size of the audio, subtitles, motion menus, movie

preview, and 4%of the disc capacity (for overhead, just to be safe) and then subtract that sum from the total available space you calculated in step 1.

• Three 120-minute audio streams, two with a data rate of 0.192 Mbps and one with a rate of 0.448 Mbps: (2 x

(120 minutes x 60 seconds per minute x 0.192 Mbps) + (120 minutes x 60 seconds per minute x 0.448 Mbps) = 5,990.4 Mbits.

• Two subtitles with a data rate of 0.010 Mbps: 2x (120 minutesx 60 seconds per minute) x 0.010 Mbps =144 Mbits.

• Two 24-second motion menus with an estimated data rate of 8 Mbps: 2 x (24 seconds x 8 Mbps) = 384 Mbits.

• One-minute movie preview with a data rate of 4.5 Mbps: 60 seconds x 4.5 Mbps = 270 Mbits.

• 4% overhead: 0.04 x 68,320,000,000 bits = 2,732,800,000 bits = 2,732.8 Mbits.

• Total audio, subtitles, motion menus, preview, and overhead sizes: 5,990.4 Mbits + 144 Mbits + 384 Mbits +

270 Mbits + 2,732.8 Mbits = 9,521.2 Mbits.

• Disc space available for video: 68,320 Mbits - 9,521 Mbits = 58,799 Mbits.

3 Calculate the data rate of the video. Divide the disc space available for video that you determined in step 2 by the

amount of video (in seconds) the project contains: 58,799 Mbits / (120 minutes x 60 seconds per minute) =

8.16 Mbps.

4 Determine the maximum video data rate. Subtract the combined audio and subtitles data rates from the

maximum DVD video data rate of 9.8 Mbps: 9.8 Mbps - (0.192 + 0.192 + 0.448 + 0.010 + 0.010) = 8.95 Mbps.

The video will fit on the disc using a data rate of 8.16 Mbps, which is below the maximum video data rate of 8.95. Furthermore, because the target video data rate of 8.16 Mbps is above 6 Mbps, you do not need to use VBR.

Sample budget #3

Here is an example of a bit budget for a Blu-ray Disc project that contains 2 hours and 7 minutes of high-definition (HD) video and audio, one 30-second HD motion menu with 30 seconds of audio, and one HD pan-and-zoom slide show containing 50 slides and 8 minutes of audio (total slide show duration is 8 minutes), to be distributed on a 25GB disc:

1 Total available disc space is 24.5 GB (25-GB disc capacity minus a very conservative 2% overhead of 0.5 GB).

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2 Space required for the audio, motion menu, and slide show:

• 127-minute audio stream with a data rate of 0.192 Mbps = 127 minutes x 60 seconds x 0.192 = 1,463.04 Mbits;

divided by 8 bits = 182.88 MB rounded off to 183 MB.

• 30-second menu audio stream = 30 seconds x 0.192 Mbps = 5.76 Mbits; divided by 8 bits = 0.72 MB rounded off

to 1 MB.

• 8-minuteslideshowaudiostream=8minutesx60secondsx0.192 Mbps = 92.16 Mbits; divided by 8 bits = 11.52

MB rounded off to 12 MB.

• 30-second motion menu at 40 Mbps = 1,200 Mbits; divided by 8 bits = 150 MB.

• 8-minute slide show video (all pan and zoom) at 20 Mbps = 8 minutes x 60 seconds x 20 Mbps = 9,600 Mbits;

divided by 8 bits = 1,200 MB or 1.2 GB.

• Total disc space required = 183 MB + 1 MB + 12 MB + 150 MB + 1,200 MB = 1,546 MB or 1.546 GB.

3 Calculate amount of disc space available for video by subtracting the total disc space required in step 2 from the

total available disc space in step 1:

• 24.5 GB available space - 1.546 GB required = 22.954 GB available for video.

4 Calculate the data rate of the video by dividing the disc space available for video (in step 3) bythe amount of video

(in seconds) the project contains.

• 183,632 Mbits available (22.954 GB x 1,000 MB/GB x 8 bits per byte) divided by 7,620 seconds of video (127

minutes x 60 seconds per minute) = 24.10 Mbps.

• 127 minutes of video at 24.10 Mbps = 22.96 GB.

(127 x 24.10 x 60 seconds = 183,642 Mbits, divided by 8 = 22,955.25 MB, divided by 1,000 = 22.96 GB).

5 Determine the maximum video data rate for this project by subtracting the combined audio data rates from the

disc’s maximum video data rate of 40 Mbps.

• 40 Mbps - 0.576 Mbps (0.192 + 0.192 + 0.192) = 39.424 Mbps

So the video will fit on the disc using the video data rate of 24.10 Mbps, which is below the maximum video data rate of 39.424 Mbps.

Chapter 4: Creating projects and importing assets

After planning the navigation of your project and preparing the content, you’re ready to begin. First, you’ll create an Adobe Encore CS3 project and then import the assets.

Working with projects

About projects

Encore files are called projects. A project stores links to all the content you intend to include, as well as the menus and timelines (which combine video or stills, audio, and subtitles). Encore creates a folder for your project in the same location as the project file.

You can create projects for playing on standard-definition DVDs and for playing on high-definition Blu-ray discs. You can author a project for Blu-ray and then output a standard-definition version of the same project to DVD, or vice versa. The Project Settings dialog box lets you easily switch between authoring modes. Once authoring is complete, you can build your projects for final output onto a disc, in a folder, or as an image. In addition, you can export any project into a Flash format for interactive viewing on the web.

A project must conform to one of two TV standards, either NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) or PAL (Phase Alternating Line). TV standards are the specifications to which any video intended for broadcast in a certain country or region must conform. These specifications include specific frame rate and frame size requirements of the video. Your final output from Encore will comply with one of these standards.

TV standard Blu-ray Disc frame

rate

NTSC 23.976p

29.97i

59.94p

PAL 25i

50p

TV standard DVD frame rate DVD frame size Aspect ratio Regions

NTSC 29.97 fps 720 x 480 pixels 4:3 or 16:9 North America, Japan

PAL 25 fps 720 x 576 pixels 4:3 or 16:9 Europe

Blu-ray Disc frame size

720 x 480 pixels

1280 x 720 pixels

1440 x 1080 pixels

1920 x 1080 pixels

720 x 576 pixels

1280 x 720 pixels

1440 x 1080 pixels

1920 x 1080 pixels

Aspect ratio Regions

4:3 or 16:9 North America, Japan

4:3 or 16:9 Europe

Note: The preceding table specifies output requirements. Requirements for imported assets vary. See “Supported file formats for import” on page 38.

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Create and open projects

Before you can import your assets, you need to create or open a project. You can have only one project open ata time.

See also

“About transcoding” on page 51

“Transcode settings” on page 52

“Preset options for audio” on page 55

Create a new project

When you create a new project, Encore prompts you to select an authoring mode (DVD or Blu-ray) and a default TV standard. You can also assign automatic transcoding settings for the maximum audio/video bit rate and audio transcoding scheme. You can change these settings later by choosing File > Project Settings.

1 Choose File > New > Project.

2 In the Basic tab of the Project Settings dialog box, type a project name (Encore will automatically assign the

extension “.ncor” to the end of the filename) and specify a project location.

3 Select DVD or Blu-ray for the authoring mode, and select a television standard (NTSC or PAL).

4 For Blu-ray projects, select a frame rate, frame size, and codec.

5 (Optional) In the Advanced tab, select a Maximum Audio/Video Bitrate value (these data rate values are different

for DVD and Blu-ray projects) and an Audio Transcoding Scheme.

6 Click OK to create the new project file and folder.

Set a default TV standard preference

If you generally create projects using the same TV standard, you can set the default standard (the standard used for new projects) in the Preferences dialog box. A project can conform to only one TV standard.

❖ To set the TV standard preference for new projects, choose Edit > Preferences > General (Windows) or Encore >

Preferences > General (Mac OS). Specify your TV standard and click OK.

Open an existing project

• To open an existing project, choose File > Open Project. Navigate to the project you want to open, and click Open.

• To open a recently saved project, choose File > [filename] (Windows) or File > Open Recent Project > [filename]

(Mac OS). Encore lists the last five projects you saved in the order in which you saved them.

Move or rename projects

Each project requires a project file (with the .ncor file-name extension) that contains links to—and instructions for using—the various assets in the project. Projects also require a project folder (named to match the project and at the same folderlevel as the project file), which stores previews, transcoded assets, and other files used in the project. You canmoveaprojectfileanditsfolderaslongasyoukeeptherelativepositionsthesame.Ifyoumustrenameaproject, make sure that you match the new project filename with the new project folder name.

Move a project

❖ Tomovetheproject,dragthefolderandfiletoanewlocation,orcopyandpastetheminthenewlocation.Make

sure that their relative positions remain the same; that is, they should both be in the same parent folder.

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Note: Whenyouopenaprojectfileyou’vemoved,adialogboxmayappeariftheapplicationcan’tlocatespecificassets. You can either relink them in the dialog box, select Offline to open the project without them, or select Skip Missing Files to temporarily set the assets offline (so that the next time you open the project, Encore prompts you again to locate the assets). When working with offline assets, use the Locate Asset command to relink them before you build or preview the project.

Rename a project

❖ Torenametheproject,selectthefileandfolderinMicrosoftWindowsExplorerortheMacOSFinderandenter

matching names (make sure to leave the .ncor extension in the project filename).

Aspect ratios

Pixel and screen aspect ratios

Digital video uses two types of aspect ratios: pixel aspect ratios and screen aspect ratios (also referred to as frame aspect ratios). Although related, they describe distinct properties. The pixel aspect ratio describes the pixel dimen-

sions within the screen, while screen aspect ratio details the screen dimension relationship.

Pixel aspect ratios

Pixel aspect ratios describe the width-to-height ratio of the pixels that make up a video or still-image file. Pixels are either square or nonsquare (rectangular). Square pixels have a ratio of 1:1. In the film and video industry, however, the :1 is usually dropped and ratios are expressed as a single number. The following table lists the nonsquare pixel aspect ratios for the two TV standards for standard-definition video.

TV Standard Fullscreen pixel

aspect ratio

NTSC 0.9 1.22

PAL 1.066 1.422

A B C D

A 720 x 480 pixel image can have a screen aspect ratio of either A. 4:3, or D. 16:9, depending on whether it has a pixel aspect ratio of B. 0.9, or C. 1.22.

Widescreen pixel aspect ratio

The type of pixels in an image, combined with its dimensions, determine its screen aspect ratio. An NTSC 720 x 480 pixel video, for example, displays as widescreen if it contains nonsquare pixels with a ratio of 1.22, and as a regular 4:3 screen if it contains nonsquare pixels with a ratio of 0.9. Encore lets you specify the pixel aspect ratio of imported assets.

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High-definition video and still images have either square 1:1 pixel aspect ratios or a 1.333 anamorphic pixel aspect ratio. They come in three sizes (1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080 with square aspect ratios, and 1440 x 1080 pixels with anamorphic aspect ratios), and fit in a 16:9 screen aspect ratio.

Screen aspect ratios

Screen aspect ratios (also known as frame aspect ratios) describe the width-to-height ratio of an image or device. A standard television has a 4:3 ratio (referred to as fullscreen) and a widescreen television has a 16:9 ratio. These ratios are also noted as 1.33 for fullscreen (4 / 3 = 1.33) and 1.78 for widescreen. (Film, which comprises a majority of widescreen content, actually uses screen aspect ratios ranging from 1.66 to 1.85, or even 2.35 for scope footage—but these all work well within the format and can be considered widescreen.)

The screen aspect ratio is determined by two factors: the resolution of the image and the size of the pixels within it, or the pixel aspect ratio. As the resolution for a given asset is constant, (for example 720 x 480), Encore sets screen aspect ratios based on the asset’s pixel aspect ratio.

About still-image pixels

Most digital still cameras and graphic applications use square pixels. You should set the pixel aspect ratio of stillimage assets to square to ensure that they display correctly. An exception to this rule are files created in Adobe Photoshop CS and Adobe Photoshop CS2. Photoshop lets you work in nonsquare pixels when creating images for DVDs and video. Use the Photoshop preset that matches your project. For example, if you’re working with NTSC DV footage at 720 x 480, you’d use the NTSC DV 720 x 480 (With Guides) preset.

Specify an asset’s pixel aspect ratio

You can mix assets with different pixel aspect ratios in the same project. Encore interprets each asset’s pixel aspect ratio on import. Occasionally, an asset may contain incorrect information which, in turn, prevents Encore from identifying itcorrectly. If you need to change an asset’s pixel aspect ratio, you can usethe InterpretFootage command to specify it.

Changing the pixel aspect ratio for a video asset used in a timeline changes that timeline’s screen aspect ratio. To change the screen aspect ratio for a still timeline, see “Specify the screen aspect ratio” on page 37.

1 Select the file in the Project panel.

2 Choose File > Interpret Footage.

3 In the Interpret Footage dialog box, select Conform To, and then choose the appropriate pixel aspect ratio:

• Square Pixels (1.0) for a standard-definition or high-definition file created using square pixels.

• SD NTSC (0.9) orSD PAL (1.066) for a standard-definition file created using nonsquare pixels with an aspect ratio

of 0.9 (NTSC) or 1.0667 (PAL).

• SD NTSC Widescreen (1.2) or SD PAL Widescreen (1.422) for a standard-definition file created using nonsquare

pixels with an aspect ratio of 1.2 (NTSC) or 1.422 (PAL).

• HD Anamorphic (1.333) for a high-definition file created using nonsquare pixels with an aspect ratio of 1.333.

4 Click OK.

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Specify the screen aspect ratio

Encore determines the screen aspect ratio for you. You can, however, change it if necessary. The type of asset determines how you specify the screen aspect ratio. For menus, and timelines containing still images but no video, you specify the screen aspect ratio in the Properties panel. For timelines with video, you specify the screen aspect ratio by setting the pixel aspect ratio of the video asset. For more information about setting the ratio for video timelines, see “Specify an asset’s pixel aspect ratio” on page 36.

1 Select the menu or still timeline in the Project panel.

2 Click the desired screen aspect ratio (4:3 or 16:9) in the Properties panel.

Note: When you change the aspect ratio in the Properties panel, Encore actually changes the asset’s pixel aspect ratio, which in turn affects the screen aspect ratio.

Widescreen content on fullscreen TVs

There are several different methods used to convert widescreen content to 4:3 format for display. Some of the methods convert the widescreen format to fullscreen format and store the converted fullscreen video on the disc. The preferred methodstores the originalwidescreen video on the disc, and the player converts it as necessary during playback to a fullscreen device. Encore stores the original widescreen footage on the disc and instructs the player to letterbox it on playback to a 4:3 TV, regardless of the player’s settings.

If you’re working with widescreen footage, you typically work with and store the content in its widescreen formatand let the player convert it during playback.

DVD players use the following methods to convert widescreen video for display on a 4:3 device:

Pan and scan Cropsthewidescreenvideotofitthefullscreenframe.Panandscanlosesthevisualdataoutsideofthe

4:3 frame. Traditionally, aneditor or technician guides the pan-and-scan process during conversion from film to TV formats. DVD players use an automatic pan and scan. Automatic pan and scan (limited to horizontal tracking of the full height of the picture) crops the image that is stored on the DVD in widescreen format, and displays it on 4:3 devices.

Note: If a set-top DVD player is set to pan and scan, Encore overrides the player and displays the footage in letterbox format.

Letterbox Shrinks the image until it fits the 4:3 format horizontally and displays black bars in the blank spaces at the

top and bottom of the frame. The resolution of the image is lowered, but the image remains whole—no cropping occurs. DVD players use automatic letterbox to display footage stored as widescreen on 4:3 devices.

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A B

C D

16:9 NTSC footage A. Original B. DisplayedbyaDVDplayerusingtheoriginalwidescreenformatonawidescreenTV C. Using automatic pan and s can to c rop the image on a 4:3 TV D. Using automatic letterbox to reduce resolution and display the entire image on a 4:3 TV

Importing

Supported file formats for import

Imported files mayrequire transcoding.DVD or Blu-ray Disc-compliant assets typically do not require transcoding, while noncompliant assets do.

Supported video file formats

You can import any of the following types of video files:

• AVI (Windows)

• DV-AVI (Mac OS)

• H.264

• MPEG-2 (including MPG, MPV, and M2V)

• Apple QuickTime® (MOV; including Reference Movies)—requires QuickTime installed on Windows systems

• WMV (Windows Media File)

Video must conform to one of the following frame rates and frame sizes, depending on the TV standard you plan to use for the project.

Frame rates and sizes for standard-definition video formats are as follows.

Standard NTSC PAL

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Frame rate (frames per second) 29.97

23.976*

23.978*

24*

Frame size (pixels) 720 x 480

720 x 486

704 x 480

720 x 576

704 x 576

*Transcoded on import to convert to 29.97

Frame rates and sizes for high-definition video formats are as follows.

Standard NTSC PAL

Frame rate (frames per second) 23.976p

29.97i

59.94p

Frame size (pixels) 720 x 480

1280 x 720

1440 x 1080

1920 x 1080

25i

50p

720 x 576

1280 x 720

1440 x 1080

1920 x 1080

Supported still-image formats

You can import any of the following types of still-image files:

• Adobe Photoshop (PSD), RGB color space

• Bitmap (BMP)

• GIF

• JPEG

• PICT

• Portable Network Graphics (PNG)

• Targa (TGA)

• TIFF

Note: PSD files must be 8-bit when imported as image assets; when imported as menus they can be 8-bit or 16-bit. TIFF files cannot be imported as menus.

Supported audio file formats

You can import any of the following types of audio files:

• AC3 (Dolby® Digital)

• Audio Interchange File Format (AIF, AIFF; not AIFF-C)

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• Digital Theater Sound (DTS)

• mp3

• MPG or M2P (including MPEG-1, MPA, Layer II)

• QuickTime (MOV)

• WAV (32-bit floating-point files are transcoded; 96-kHz 16/24-bit files are not transcoded)

• WMA

Note: DTS audio files will not play during Preview in Encore, even though they will play from the burned disc.

Advantages of transcoding before or after import

A DVD or Blu-ray Disc player can play only video that conforms to certain standards. However, video does not need to be Blu-ray Disc or DVD-compliant before you import it (though it does need to have the correct frame rate and frame size). Encore includes a transcoding engine that can compress (or transcode) files for DVD or Blu-ray Disc playback. You can transcode video before you import it (in a video-editing application), on import, or when you are ready to build the final project.

Whether you transcode before or after import is up to you. Encore handles both transcoded and untranscoded files equally well.

Transcoding before import

Importing transcoded DVD or Blu-ray Disc-compliant content allows you to work with the exact assets that will appear on the disc. Also, because the content is already compliant, the time it takes to build the project will be reduced.

Note: In certain instances, Encore needs to transcode DVD or Blu-ray Disc-compliant files. For example, if the data rate of a DVD-compliantfile is too high for the amount ofcontent, the program transcodes the file to bring its data rate down.

Transcoding after import

Allowing Encore to transcode your content gives you more flexibility in placing chapter points (markers within the timeline of the video), inserting subtitles, and trimming your files. The MPEG-2 compression scheme used in transcoding divides the footage into chunks, called a Group of Pictures (GOP). Once transcoded, you can place chapter points and trim only at the header of each GOP, not at specific frames within the group. If you haven’t transcoded the file, you are not restricted by GOP headers. In addition, when Encore does transcode the file, it creates GOP headers at every chapter point you set. (See “Add chapter points” on page 132.)

Nontranscoded files also give you more flexibility at build time. In large projects, you often need to adjust the video data rate to fit all the video and audio assets on the DVD. If a file is already transcoded, you might have to transcode it again at a lower data rate, or lower the data rate of the other content to reduce file size.

See also

“Transcoding in Encore” on page 51

Import assets and menus

Assets can include any combination of the supported content types. You can use video and audio files for your program content or for motion and sound in menus. You can use still images for menu and program content. You can import files stored on your local drive or a network drive.

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You can save a step by importing content directly to a timeline, slide show, or menu. The content must be of the appropriate type to use these shortcuts. While you can import any supported file type as a timeline, you can import only still images as a slide show and only PSD files as a menu.

For a list of supported file types, see “Supported file formats for import” on page 38.

Import as an asset

Make sure that the Project panel is active, and choose File > Import As > Asset.

2 Navigate to the file or files that you want to import, select them, and click Open.

You can also drag an asset from Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder into the Project panel.

Import as a timeline

When you import an asset as a timeline, Encore places both the asset and its timeline in the Project panel. The timeline also appears in the Timeline panel. For more information, see “About timelines” on page 115.

1 Choose File > Import As > Timeline.

2 Navigate to the file you want to import, select it, and then click Open.

Import still images as a slide show

Whenyouimportimagefilesasaslideshow,EncoreplacesboththeimagesandtheslideshowintheProjectpanel. The slide show also appears in the Slideshow panel, where you do a majority of slide show authoring. For more information, see “About slide shows” on page 126.

1 Choose File > Import As > Slideshow.

2 Navigate to the image files you want to import, select them, and then click Open. You can select multiple, discon-

tiguous files by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac OS) and clicking them.

Import a PSD file as a menu

Menus are an essential element in your project content because they provide the viewer with access to the content contained on the disc.You cancustomize the templates included with Encore, build menus within the program using your imported assets, or assemble your menus in Photoshop and import them into Encore.

Encore interacts closely with Photoshop. If you follow a specific layer-naming convention for the menus you create in Photoshop, Encore recognizes thoselayers asspecific menu elements, such as buttons and subpictures. (See “Layer name prefixes for menus” on page 98.) Also, because Encore creates all menus as PSD (Photoshop) files, you update your menus in Photoshop, directly from Encore. Photoshop files imported as menus appear both in the Project panel and in the Menus panel and, upon import, automatically open in the Menu Editor.

1 Choose File > Import As > Menu.

2 Navigate to the PSD file or files you want to import, select them, and click Open.

When dragging the file from Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder to the Project tab, Encore imports a PSD file as a menu. However, when holding down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you drag the file, a PSD file is

imported as a still image, and not as a menu.

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Importing from Adobe Premiere Pro

You can import movie files exported from Adobe Premiere Pro into Encore. In Adobe Premiere Pro, export the file you want to use in one of the following formats:

• MPEG-2 files, which include a project link by default

• H.264 files

• AVI files using the export movie command. When you export, make sure that you choose Project from the

Embedding Options menu.

• DV-AVI files (Mac OS)

• QuickTime files (Mac OS)

If you follow a few rules when exporting from Adobe Premiere Pro, you can use the Edit Original command within Encore to open and edit the original file. For more information, see “Edit clips in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects” on page 124.

Encore chapter markers in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 (formerly called DVD markers) are used to create corresponding chapter points in Encore. If there is no text in the Name fields for the markers, Encore will autogenerate names for the chapter points, such as “Chapter 1,” “Chapter 2,” and so on.

Note: Although DVD markers are not recognized by Encore in files exported from previous versions of Adobe Premiere Pro, files containing numbered markers with text in the Chapter fields are recognized as Encore chapter markers. (Using numbered markers instead of Encore chapter markers in Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 is not recommended.)

For an introductory video tutorial about creating DVDs using your Adobe Premiere Pro video files, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0257.

For a video tutorial about using Dynamic Link between Encore and Adobe Premiere Pro, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0250.

Importing from Adobe After Effects

You can import a file from Adobe After Effects, either as a discrete movie file, or as an Adobe Dynamic Link. The Adobe Dynamic Link option provides the most workflow-friendly import. It lets you import an After Effects compositionwithoutrenderingit.UsingAdobeDynamicLink,youcanswitchbetweenEncoreandAfterEffectsasneeded to update either file until you build the project.

Note: Adobe Dynamic Link is available only if Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium is installed.

If you need to import a discrete movie from After Effects, export an AVI, MPEG, H.264, or MOV file using the Composition > Make Movie command. When the Render Queue panel opens, click the text next to the Output Module heading and select Project Link from the Embed menu. See After Effects Help for more information on exporting movie files.

Note: When importing files, Encore can create chapter points from layer-time markers. To import the markers, Encore requires that they contain text in the Chapter field. It names each chapter point using this text. For information on layertime markers, see About markers in After Effects Help.

For a video tutorial about using Dynamic Link between After Effects and Encore, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0250.

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Add items or sets to the Library

The Library panel contains predesignedtemplates for menus and other designelements, suchas buttons, images, and shapes. If you have still images, logos, buttons, and menus that you use frequently, you can store them in the Library, where you can quickly access them from any project. To keep them organized, you can group them into sets. The Library imports layered Photoshop files, as well as BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF images.

The Library categorizes items you add based on their content. Menus and buttons require special layer-name prefixes. (See “About menus” on page 58.)

Category File type File must contain

Menu PSD, EM At least one button layer set—layer

Button PSD A single layer set with the (+) prefix

Image PSD, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF Image file, or a PSD file notimported

Replacement Layers PSD A single-layer PSD filewith a (!) inthe

Background PSD Background layer only.

Layer set PSD A single layer set without the button-

Text PSD A single text layer. (No background

sets with names that begin with the (+) prefix—and at least one additional layer that serves as the background of the menu.

Also, any PSD file containing the keyword “menu” in its metadata is categorized as a menu.

before its layer name. The layer set may contain subpicture layers and video thumbnail layers. (No background layer.)

as a menu or button.

name; or a file with a single layer set, with a layer named (!), without the button flag.

layer-name prefix. (No background layer.)

layer.)

Vector Shape PSD A single vector-shapelayer.(No back-

ground layer.)

Add an item to the library

Add items and sets to the Library in any of the following ways:

• IntheMenuViewerortheProjectpanel,selectthebutton,layer,orlayersetyouwanttoadd,andthendragitto

the list of items in the Library.

• In the Project panel, select a still image or menu and then drag it to the list of items in the Library.

• From Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder, drag the item to the Library.

• In the Library, click the New Item button , navigate to the file you want to add, and click OK.

Encore uses the letters “HD” in the filenames of predesigned high-definition assets, so they’re easier to locate for Bluray projects.

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Create a new Library set

❖ Choose New Set from the Library panel menu. Type a name for the new set, and click OK.

Adobe Dynamic Link

About Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

In the past, sharing media assets among post-production applications has required you to render your work in one application before importing it into another—an inefficient and time-consuming workflow. If you wanted to make changes in the original application, you had to rerender the asset. Multiple rendered versions of an asset consume disk space and can lead to file-management challenges.

Adobe Dynamic Link, a feature of Adobe Creative SuiteProduction Premium, offers an alternative to this workflow: the ability to create dynamic links, without rendering, between new or existing compositions in Adobe After Effects and either Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Encore. Creating a dynamic link is as simple as importing any other type of asset, and dynamically linked compositions appear with unique icons and label colors to help you identify them. Dynamic links are saved as part of the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project.

Changes you make to a dynamically linked composition in After Effects appear immediately in the linked files in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore; you don’t have to render the composition or even save changes first.

When you link to an After Effects composition, it appears in the target component’s Project panel. You can use the linked composition as you would any other asset. When you insert a linked composition into the target component’s timeline, a linked clip, which is simply a reference to the linked composition in the Project panel, appears in the Timeline panel. After Effects renders the linked composition on a frame-by-frame basis during playback in the target application.

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, you can preview the linked composition in the Source Monitor, set In and Out points, add

it to a sequence, and use any of the Adobe Premiere Pro tools to edit it. When you add a linked composition that contains both footage and audio layers to a sequence, Adobe Premiere Pro inserts linked video and audio clips in the timeline. (You can unlink these to edit them separately; search for “Unlink video and audio” in Adobe Premiere Pro Help.)

• In Encore, you can use the linked composition to create a motion menu or insert it into a timeline, and use any of

the Adobe Encore tools to edit it. When you add a linked composition that contains both video and audio layers to an Encore timeline, Encore inserts separate video and audio clips in the timeline.

Other ways to share content among Production Premium components include copying and pasting between After

EffectsandAdobePremierePro,exportingAfterEffectsprojectstoAdobePremierePro,usingtheCaptureInAdobe Premiere Pro command in After Effects, creating After Effects compositions from Encore menus, or importing Adobe Premiere Pro projects into After Effects. For more information, see the relevant component’s Help.

For a tutorial on Adobe Dynamic Link, see www.adobe.com/go/learn_dv_tutorial_dynlink.

Saving and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

YoumustsaveyourAfterEffectsprojectatleastoncebeforeyoucancreateadynamiclinkfromAdobePremierePro or Encore to a composition within it. However, you don’t have to subsequently save changes to an After Effects project to see changes to a linked composition in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore.

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If you use the Save As command to copy an After Effects project that contains compositions referenced by Adobe Dynamic Link, Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore uses the original composition—not the new copy—as its source for the linked composition. You can relink a composition to the new copy at any time.

Managing performance and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

Because a linked composition may reference a complex source composition, actions you perform ona linked composition may require additional processing time as After Effects applies the actions and makes the final data available to Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore. In some cases, the additional processing time may delay preview or playback.

If you’re working with complex source compositions and experiencing playback delays, you can take the composition offline or disable a linked clip to temporarily stop referencinga dynamically linked composition, or render the composition and replace the dynamically linked composition with the rendered file. If you commonly work with complex source compositions, try adding RAM or using a faster processor.

Color and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

Adobe After Effects works in the RGB (red, green, blue) color space. Adobe Premiere Pro, however, works in the YUV color space. When you work with a dynamically linked composition, Adobe Premiere Pro either converts it to YUV or retains the RGB color space, depending on the output format.

Dynamically linked compositions are rendered in the color depth of the After Effects project (8-, 16-, or 32-bpc, depending on project settings). Set the After Effects project color depth to 32-bpc if you’re working with HDR (high dynamic range) assets.

In Adobe Premiere Pro, choose Project > Project Settings > Video Rendering, and select Maximum Bit Depth to have

Adobe Premiere Pro process at the highest possible quality. This option may slow processing.

Link to a new composition with Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

When you link to a new composition from Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, After Effects starts and creates a new project and composition with the dimensions, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, and audio sample rate of your Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project. (If After Effects is already running, it creates a new composition in the current project.) The new composition name is based on the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project name, followed by “Linked Comp [x].”

1 InAdobePremiereProorAdobeEncore,chooseFile>AdobeDynamicLink>NewAfterEffectsComposition.

2 IftheAfterEffectsSaveAsdialogboxappears,enteranameandlocationfortheAfterEffectsproject,andclickSave.

When you link to a new After Effects composition, the composition duration is set to 30 seconds. To change the

duration, select the composition in After Effects and choose Composition > Composition Settings. Click the Basic tab, and specify a new value for Duration.

Link to an existing composition with Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

For best results, composition settings (such as dimensions, pixel aspect ratio, frame rate, and audio sample rate) should match those used in the Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe Encore project.

❖ Do one of the following:

• In Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, choose File > Adobe Dynamic Link > Import After Effects Composition.

Choose an After Effects project file (.aep), and then choose one or more compositions.

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• Drag one or more compositions from the After Effects Project panel to the Adobe Premiere Pro or the Encore

Project panel.

• InAdobePremierePro,chooseFile>Import.ChooseanAfterEffectsprojectfileandclickOpen,andthenchoose

a composition in the Import Composition dialog box and click OK.

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, drag an After Effects project file into the Project panel. If the After Effects project file

contains multiple compositions, Adobe Premiere Pro displays the Import Composition dialog box.

Note: You can link to a single After Effects composition multiple times in a single Adobe Premiere Pro project. In an Adobe Encore project, however, you can link to an After Effects composition only once.

Encore and After Effects: If you are linking to Dynamic Link compositions that were created using Create After Effects Composition from Encore, turn off subpicture highlight layers in After Effects so that you can control their display in Encore. For more information, search for “subpicture” in Adobe Encore DVD Help or Adobe After Effects Help.

Dynamically linked After Effects compositions

Delete a dynamically linked composition or clip (Production Premium only)

You can delete a linked composition from an Encore project if the composition isn’t used in the project. You can delete a linked composition from an Adobe Premiere Pro project at any time, even if the composition is used in a project.

You can delete linked clips, which are simply references to the linked composition in the Project panel, from the timeline of an Adobe Premiere Pro sequence or from an Encore menu or timeline at any time.

❖ In Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore, select the linked composition or clip and press the Delete key.

Edit a dynamically linked composition in After Effects (Production Premium only)

Use the Edit Original command in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to edit a linked After Effects composition. Once After Effects is open, you can make edits without having to use the Edit Original command again.

1 Select the After Effects composition in the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore Project panel, or choose a linked clip

in the Timeline, and choose Edit > Edit Original.

2 Make edits in After Effects, and then switch back to Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to view your changes.

ThechangesmadeinAfterEffectswillappearinAdobePremierePro,butanypreviewfilesAdobePremierePromay have rendered for the clip prior to the changes will be invalidated.

Note: If you change the name of the composition in After Effects after you’ve created a dynamic link to it from Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t update the linked composition name in the Project panel, but retains the dynamic link.

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Offline compositions and Dynamic Link (Production Premium only)

Adobe Premiere Pro and Encore display dynamically linked compositions as offline in any of the following circumstances:

• You’ve renamed, moved, or deleted the After Effects project that contains the composition.

• You’ve purposely taken the composition offline.

• You’ve opened the project that contains the composition on asystem on which Production Premium isn’t installed.

• You’re working with a project trimmed by the Adobe Premiere Pro Project Manager. Project Manager does not

move the After Effects source compositions to the trimmed project folder. You must do this manually.

Offline compositions appear with an Offline icon in the Adobe Premiere Pro Project panel. In Encore, the thumbnail preview displays the Offline icon when an offline asset is selected in the Project panel. If you’re working with anoffline composition, you can relink it to the original After Effects composition. You can also choose to relink a linked composition to a different source composition.

Take a dynamically linked composition offline (Production Premium only)

You can take a dynamically linked composition offline if system resources are low, preventing you from smoothly playing back or previewing, or if you want to share your project without having to open it on a system with Production Premium installed. When you take a composition offline, you sever the dynamic link with After Effects, and the linked composition is replaced in the Project panel with an offline composition.

You can temporarily suppress a linked clip in Adobe Premiere Pro by selecting the clip and choosing Clip > Enable.

To relink the clip, choose Clip > Enable again (a check mark next to the command indicates that the clip is enabled). For more information about disabling clips, see Adobe Premiere Pro Help.

1 In Adobe Premiere Pro, select the composition in the Project panel.

2 Choose Project > Make Offline.

Relink a dynamically linked composition (Production Premium only)

❖ Do one of the following:

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, select the composition and choose Project > Link Media. In the Import Composition

dialog box, choose an After Effects project, and then choose a composition.

• In Encore, right-click the composition and choose Locate Asset. In the Locate Asset dialog box, locate the compo-

sition you want to link to and then click Select (Windows) or Open (Mac OS).

Working in the Project panel

About the Project panel

The Project panel contains all the audio, video, and still-image assets you can use for a project. It also lists the timelines, menus, slide shows, playlists, and chapterplaylists created for the project. Each asset you bring into Encore is identified by a representative icon in the asset list. The list can be customized to group assets into various categories, and to group them into folders you create.

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Project panel A. Preview B. Audio C. Menu D. Timeline E. Still image F. Vid eo G. Toggle display of different itemtypes H. Create a new item (If nothing is selected in the Project panel, Encore uses the default assets from the Library panel.)

When you select an asset, a thumbnail preview appears in the upper-left corner of the Project panel. If the asset contains video or audio, a play controller appears below it so that you can preview the asset. Next to the thumbnail is information about the displayed asset. If you select more than one asset, the text next to the thumbnail indicates the number of assets selected.

Note: You import subtitle script files directly into the timeline in which they belong, not the Project panel. (See “About subtitles in DVD projects” on page 136.)

Project panel columns

The Project panel contains the following columns, which provide information about the assets you’ve imported. To show or hide any ofthese columns,right-click (Windows) orControl-click (Mac OS) on a column header and choose a column name from the context menu.

Name Displays the name of the asset or element. You can rename any element.

Type Displays the asset type or element type.

Duration Displays the duration of the asset or element, where applicable, in the format hours; minutes; seconds;

frames.

Dimensions Displays the dimensions of the image, in pixels. This field is useful for identifying still-image assets that

are not the correct size for the broadcast standard for the project.

DVD Transcode Status Displays the DVD transcoded state of the asset: transcoded or untranscoded.

DVD Transcode Settings This column displays the DVD setting used to encode the asset. (See “About transcoding”

on page 51.)

Blu-ray Transcode Status Displays the Blu-ray transcoded state of the asset: transcoded or untranscoded.

Blu-ray Transcode Settings This column displays the Blu-ray setting used to encode the asset. (See “About

transcoding” on page 51.)

Size Displays the file size of the asset.

Bitrate Displays the bit rate of the selected asset. (For untranscoded assets, the bit rate is an estimate.)

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Media Category Displays the asset type. This category is useful for sorting your assets according to their status as

audio or video files, or both.

Description Displays any comments you add to this row. You may type up to 254 characters in the Properties panel.

Last Modified Displays date and time of the last modification to the file.

File Path Displays the system location of the asset. This column is blank if Encore can’t find the asset. (See “Locate

a missing asset” on page 51.)

Customize the Project panel

You can customize the Project panel columns to best suit your working style and needs.

Sort items

❖ Clickthecolumnnamerepresentingthecategorybywhichyouwanttosorttheitems.Successiveclickssortthem

alternately in ascending or descending order.

Hide or show a column

❖ Right-click (Windows) orControl-click (Mac OS) anywhere in a column header, and choose the columnyou want

to hide or show. Alternatively, right-click or Control-click the name of a column, and choose Hide This.

Note: A check mark next to the column name indicates that the column is shown.

Hide or show types of items

❖ Choose the item type from the Toggle Display Of Different Item Types menu at the bottom of the Project

panel.

Resize columns

❖ Position the cursor over the right edge of the column you want to resize, and when the cursor becomes a resize

cursor , drag the edge. You can also double-click on the right edge of the column you want to resize. The panel resizes to the length of the longest line of text in that column.

Rearrange columns

❖ Drag the column name to a different location along the column header.

Organize items in the Project panel

To help organize the numerous elements of a project listed in the Project panel, you can group your assets, menus, and timelines into folders. You can nest folders within other folders as well.

Create a folder

• TocreateafolderattherootlevelintheProjectpanel,makesurenothingisselectedandthenchooseFile>New>

New Folder.

• To create a folder at a specific level of the hierarchy, select an item currently at that level and then choose File >

New > New Folder.

• YoucanalsocreateanewfolderbyclickingtheCreateANewItembuttonatthebottomoftheProjectpaneland

choosing Folder from its menu. Type a name for the folder and click OK.

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Rename a folder

Select a folder in the Project panel and then choose Edit > Rename.

2 Type a new name, and click OK.

Show or hide the contents of a folder

❖ Click the triangle to the left of the folder icon.

Preview assets in the Project panel

You can preview any asset from the Asset Preview thumbnail at the upper-left corner of the Project panel. Text next to thethumbnail displays the filename andfile format of the selected asset. It also displays,if applicable, the duration, image dimensions, and frame rate of the selected asset. If you are previewing video footage, you can either view a particular frame or set the footage to play from any point in its progression.

Asset Preview thumbnail A. Play/Pause B. Current-time indicator

Note: If a still image (such as a TIFF file) doesn’t match the project aspect ratio, Encore crops or mattes it to fit the project’s frame size. Using the Still Clip Properties panel, you can control how the image is placed in a timeline, such as whether it is scaled and cropped or matted with black. (See “Scale and crop still images” on page 125.)

Preview a video or audio asset

To preview a video or audio asset, select the asset you want to view.

2 Do any of the following:

• To begin playing the asset, click the Play button .

• To pause playback, click the Pause button .

• To play from a specific location, whether the asset is currently playing or paused, drag the current-time indicator

until you reach the location you want to play from. If the preview was paused when you began dragging, click the Play button, and if the preview was playing when you began dragging, stop dragging for playback to resume.

Preview a still asset

❖ Select the asset you want to view.

Show or hide the preview thumbnail

❖ Click the triangle in the upper-left corner of the Project panel.

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Locate a missing asset

If Encore cannot find an asset when you open a project, the Locate Asset dialog box appears. You can then choose to selectthe missingasset, skip the file, or workoffline. Missing or offline assets names appearitalicized in the Project panel.

1 Click the Project panel, and select the missing asset.

2 Choose File > Locate Asset.

3 Navigate to the location of the missing asset, select it, and then click Select.

Replace an asset

You can work with offline assets in the Project panel. You can use a placeholder for the offline asset and, when you are ready to work with the actual offline asset, you replace the placeholder with the asset.

1 In the Project panel, select the placeholder asset.

2 Choose File > Replace Asset.

3 Navigate to the location of the asset you want to use as a replacement, select it, and then click Open.

View or edit XMP metadata

Metadata is descriptive file information a computer can search and process. The Adobe Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) lets you embed metadata into a file to provide information about the contents of a document.Applications that support XMP can read, edit, and share this information across databases, file formats, and platforms. Encore lets you create, view, and edit metadata.

IntheProjectpanel,selectthefileforwhichyouwanttovieworeditthemetadata,andthenchooseFile>FileInfo.

2 Select the appropriate category from the left pane of the dialog box, and enter information in the desired fields in

the right pane. Click OK when finished. (For information on the category options, see Add metadata using the File Info dialog box in Adobe Bridge Help.)

Transcoding in Encore

About transcoding

Tra ns co din g is the process by which Encore converts your original, non-DVD-compliant or non-Blu-ray Disccompliantvideo and audio asset files to the compliant elements that will be burned to the disc. (Files that arealready compliant do not require transcoding.) The transcoding feature of Encore is flexible enough for a variety of users. New users unfamiliar with transcoding can let the application manage the process entirely, while those with more experience can control it precisely. If you choose to manage transcoding yourself, Encore provides DVD-compliant and Blu-ray Disc-compliant transcode presets customizedfor severaldifferent quality and storage requirements. You can also create your own custom transcode presets.

You can work with your original, untranscoded files throughout the production process; Encore performs any required transcoding when you build the final project. If you want more control over transcoding, however, you can choose to transcode at any time on a per-item basis. If a transcoded version of a file is available, Encore uses that version for authoring, previewing, and building; if no transcoded version is available, the application uses the original file for authoring and previewing, and transcodes the files as necessary when building.

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See also

“Transcode assets from the Project panel” on page 52

Transcode settings

You can specify an item’s transcode settings (by using a preset) from the DVD Transcode Settings or Blu-ray Transcode Settings columns in the Project panel. (Separate columns, DVD Transcode Status and Blu-ray Transcode Status, display either Transcoded or Untranscoded to show the item’s current state.) When you specify a preset, that preset’s data rate is used, not the data rate you calculated in bit budgeting.

Assets are designated as follows in the DVD Transcode Settings and Blu-ray Transcode Settings columns:

Automatic Displayed for all non-DVD-compliant or non-Blu-ray Disc-compliant assets by default.

For assets with the Automatic designation, Encore determines the optimal settings for transcoding. Encore bases these settings on the number, length, and size of the assets and the available disc space. (See “About bit budgeting” on page 29.) You can override the Automatic data rate setting by specifying the Maximum Audio/Video Bitrate on the Advanced tab of the Project Settings dialog box. (See “Transcode assets from the Project panel” on page 52.) Alternatively, you can specify a transcode preset for any of these assets.

[A transcode preset name] Displayed for all non-DVD-compliant or non-Blu-ray Disc-compliant assets for which

you have specified a Project Transcode Preset.

Don’t Transcode Displayed for those assets that are already DVD-compliant or Blu-ray Disc-compliant. You can

override this setting and specify Automatic or a transcode preset, if desired.

Note: DVD/Blu-ray Disc-compliant, audio-only files that don’t match the audio encoding preference are the exception; Encore assigns these audio files a designation of Automatic. You can override this setting and specify either Don’t Transcode or a transcode preset. (Dolby® Digital 5.1 AC3 files retain the Don’t Transcode designation for quality purposes; this designation can also be overridden to transcode to Dolby® Stereo format.)

N/A Displayed for those items, such as menus and timelines, that don’t require transcoding.

Transcode assets from the Project panel

You canassign transcode settings and transcode individual assets directly from the Project panel. Upon transcoding a file, Encore updates the project link so that it points to the transcoded file. Consequently, unless you delete the original file, you can revert transcoded assets to their original version. Encore transcodes in the background, so you can continue to work while transcoding.

Note: If Encore is transcoding an asset in the background, you cannot delete timelines associated with the asset or assign a different preset.

The data rate calculated for the Automatic transcode setting, determined by Encore, appears in the Bitrate column in theProject panel.You canspecify the maximum automatic data rateusing the Advanced tabin the Project Settings dialog box.

Assign a transcode setting to an asset

In the Project panel, right-click (Windows) orControl-click (Mac OS) theasset youwant totranscode, and choose

Transcode Settings.

2 In the Transcode Settings dialog box, choose a transcode preset from one of the Quality Preset menus for DVD

Transcoding or Blu-ray Transcoding, and then click OK. (For information on editing the presets, see “About project transcode presets” on page 53.)

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Override the Automatic data rate setting

❖ To specify the maximum audio/video transcoding bit rate that Encore uses automatically, choose File > Project

Settings, click the Advanced tab, choose the data rate limit from the Maximum Audio/Video Bitrate menu, and then click OK.

Transcode an asset

In the Project panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the asset you want to transcode.

2 Choose Transcode Now. The asset is transcoded, and the Transcode Status column displays Transcoded. The

transcoded asset is now used for authoring, previewing, and building.

Revert a transcoded asset to the original asset

In the Project panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the asset you want to replace.

2 Choose Revert To Original.

About project transcode presets

You work with presets in the Project Transcode Presets dialog box. (To open it, choose File > Edit Quality Presets.) The left portion of the dialog box displays either the source or the output, while the right portion lists the various settingsavailable.UsetheSourcetabtoseetheoriginal,andusetheOutputtabtopreviewtheeffectsofyourselections.

The default parameters in the Project Transcode Presets dialog box are designed to achieve optimal quality for various project types. You can save, import, export, and delete presets.

If you are experienced with MPEG-2 or H.264 encoding, you can further fine-tune your projects for specific playback situations by creating custom presets. You create a custom preset by adjusting the video and audio parameters of any of the existing presets. Once you save this custom preset, you can use it in later projects or share it with other users.

Note: All available transcode presets are based on the project settings. For example, if you choose PAL project settings, then only PAL-compatible presets are available.

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Project Transcode Presets dialog box A. Source or output image B. Preset settings

See also

“About transcoding” on page 51

Preset options for video

Depending on the preset you’ve selected, the Video tab of the Project Transcode Presets dialog box contains some or all of the following options:

Quality Specifies the encoding quality. Quality values range from 1 to 5, with higher values increasing quality and

render time.

Note: H.264 does not have settings for Quality, M frames, or N frames.

Field Order Specifies the output field order, Upper or Lower. Only appears if you select Interlaced as the Program

Sequence option.

Bitrate Encoding Specifies the compression technique used. ConstantBit Rate(CBR) compresses datato a fixed rate.

CBR keepsthe rate constant by varying the amount of compression (and thereby quality) as required by the specified

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data rate. Variable bit rate (VBR) compresses data to fit between a fixed minimum and fixed maximum rate. VBR allows the compression to vary, which can result in better quality than CBR.

Bitrate Specifies thenumber ofMbps youwant the encoded file tohave. Onlyappears ifyou select CBR asthe Bitrate

Encoding option.

The following options appear only if you select VBR as the Bitrate Encoding option:

Encoding Passes Specifies the number of times the encoder will analyze the clip before encoding. Enabled for VBR

only.

Target Bitrate Specifies the number of Mbps you want the encoded file to have. For VBR, the target provides an

average bit rate. (See “Calculate a bit budget” on page 29.)

Maximum Bitrate Used with VBR only. Specifies the maximum number of Mbps you want the encoder to allow. The

maximum allowable rate is 40.0 Mbps for Blu-ray Disc assets and 9.0 Mbps for DVD assets, providing a safety margin.

Minimum Bitrate Used with VBR only. Specifies the minimum number of Mbps you want the encoder to allow. The

minimum bit rate must be at least 0.192 Mbps for Blu-ray Disc assets and 1.5 Mbps for DVD assets.

M frames Specifies the number of B frames between consecutive I and P frames.

N frames Specifies the number of frames between I frames. This value must be a multiple of the M frames value.

Preset options for audio

The Audio tab of the Project Transcode Presets dialog box contains the following options, depending on the codec chosen:

Audio format Specifies the codec the encoder uses to compress the audio:

Note: NTSC discs must contain either PCM Audio or Dolby® Digital; they cannot contain only MPEG audio. This restriction does not apply to PAL discs.

• Dolby® Digital is a high-quality encoding format developedfor multi-channel digitalsound andthe most common

encoder for DVD-video. Encore encodes Dolby® Digital 2.0 (stereo) audio files.

• MainConcept MPEG Audio uses MPEG-1 Layer II audio in stereo.

• PCM (Pulse-Code Modulation) Audio is a lossless audio format sampled at 48 kHz in Encore. Files of this format

tend to be large, occupying more disc space than the other encoder formats.

Note: MPEG Audio is not available for Blu-ray MPEG-2 or H.264.

Bitrate Specifies the output bit rate of the audio. This option is only available for Dolby® Digital and MainConcept

MPEG Audio codecs.

View a preset’s parameters

1 Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 In the Export Settings section, choose a preset from the Preset menu and view its properties listed under

Summary. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Note: The estimated file size per second is displayed at the bottom of the dialog box. If you change a preset’s parameter that affects file size, such as target bit rate, the estimate updates to reflect your change.

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Create a custom preset

1 Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 In the Export Settings section, choose MPEG2 Blu-ray, MPEG2 DVD, or H.264 Blu-ray from the Format menu,

and choose the preset you want to edit from the Preset menu.

3 If applicable, type a comment in the Comment box.

4 Click either the Audio orVideo tab and adjustan option asdesired. (See “Preset options forvideo”on page 54 and

“Preset options for audio” on page 55.)

5 When you finish adjusting the options, click the Save Preset button .

6 Type a name for your preset, and click OK.

Your new preset appears in the Presets menu in the Export Settings sectionof the Project Transcode Presets dialog box.

7 Click OK to close the Project Transcode Presets dialog box.

Export and import presets

After you fine-tune a preset for a project, you can export it for use in other projects.

Export a preset

Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 In the Export Settings section, choose the preset you want to export from the Presets menu.

3 Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) the Save Preset button to display the Export Preset dialog box.

4 Choose the location to save the preset, name it, and then click Save.

Import a preset

Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 In the Export Settings section, click the Import Preset button to open the Import Preset dialog box.

3 Navigate to the location of the preset, select it, and then click Open.

4 Enter a name for the imported preset, and then click OK.

Delete custom presets

1 Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 In the Export Settings section, do one of the following:

• To delete a single preset, choose the preset you want to delete from the Preset menu, and then click the Delete

Preset button . Click OK to confirm the deletion.

• To delete all custom presets, Ctrl-Alt-click (Windows) or Command-Option-click (Mac OS) the Delete Preset

button. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

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User Guide

Specify a pre- or post-encoding task

Included with the transcode presets arepre- and post-encoding tasks. Youcan use these tasks to make changes to the asseteitherbeforeorafterit’stranscoded.Youcanapplyafiltertoreducenoiseinthefilesbeforethey’retranscoded, or you can specify that a text log of errors, warnings, and settings be saved with the transcoded file. When you add encoding tasks to a preset, you generate a custom preset.

1 Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

2 Select the transcode preset you want to add a task to.

3 Add tasks as follows:

• To add the pre-encoding task of applying a noise reduction filter, click the Filters tab and select the Video Noise

Reduction checkbox. Set the slider to the level of reduction you want.

• Toaddthepost-encodingtaskoflogging,clicktheOtherstabandselecttheLogFileDetailscheckbox.Thenselect

the details you want logged.

4 Click OK.

5 IntheChooseNamedialogbox,enteranameforthecustompreset,selectSaveFilterSettingsand/orSaveOther

Tasks, and click OK.

Chapter 5: Menus

Menus contain navigation buttons that give viewers access to the contents. Menu buttons can play a movie or individual chapter, jump to other menus, set active audio and subtitle tracks, or play back special features. Menus can range from a single button on a plain background to a flashy screen with moving images and buttons that change as you select them.

Menu basics

About menus

The main menu in an Adobe Encore CS3 project is usually the first screen the viewer sees. Depending upon the complexity of the contents, your project may contain a single menu or multiple menus. Many projects require that buttons on the main menu link to additional menus, called submenus. For example, a main menu may have a button that lets you play the entire movie, another button that links to a submenu that lets viewers choose which chapter they want to view, and a third button that links to a submenu with audio and subtitle options.

Main menus and submenus give viewers access to contents.

Your project need not open immediately to the main menu. It can display other types of menus (or video, for that matter) before leading tothe main menu. For example,the startup screen can bea single-buttonmenu that welcomes the viewer or a multi-button menu that allows the viewer to choose the appropriate language.

Parts of a menu

A menu consists of a background, buttons, and button subpictures. Button subpictures change the appearance of buttons when the viewer selects or activates the button with the remote control or mouse. (See “Button subpicture states” on page 59.)

A B C

Menu A. Buttons lead to content B. Subpicture highlights button when selected or activated C. Background

Types of menus

A menu can include text, still images, motion footage, and audio. Depending on its composition, a menu is considered either a still menu or a motion menu:

Still menu A menu composed of static images. It contains no moving footage or audio.

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Motion menu A menu that includes moving footage or audio. A video can play in the background of the menu.

Menu buttons can include thumbnail versions of the movies to which they’re linked. You can even include audio, such as music or narration, while the menu is displayed.

Buttons display thumbnail versions of linked video.

Button subpicture states

Button subpictures let you change the look of buttons in response to the remote control or mouse. Each button has three possible states:

Normal Displayed when the button is not selected by the remote control or mouse.

Selected Triggered when theviewer navigates to the button with the remotecontrol ormouse. When a menu opens,

one button is always preselected.

Activated Triggered when the viewer presses Enter on the remote control after navigating to the button or when the

viewer clicks the button with the mouse. Depending upon the player that the viewer is using, the display time of the activated state can be very short, so designers often make the selected and activated state the same.

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The Adobe predesigned menus and buttons include subpictures. You can let Encore create subpictures for you by using the Create Subpicture command or the Convert To Button command. You can design your own subpictures in Adobe Photoshop. (See “About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 97.)

See also

“About button subpictures” on page 102

Menu Viewer overview

TheMenuViewerprovidesacanvasforcreatingandmodifyingamenu.Youcanplace,move,resize,flip,rotate,or delete buttons, and you can add text. When creating and editing a menu in the Menu Viewer, you frequently use other panels. For example, you can use the Project panel to drag and drop video clips, audio clips, and images onto a menu. You can use the Library panel to add content, including predesigned templates and buttons, to your menu. YouusetheLayerspaneltoview,navigate,andeditthelayerstructureofamenu.UsethePropertiespaneltochange motion and navigation options for either menus or menu buttons.

You can display the Menu Viewer on an attached DV device (IEEE 1394). In the Audio/Video Out panel of the

Preferences dialog box, select the Show Menu Editor On DV Hardware option.

A CB

Menu Viewer A. Selected object B. Show Safe Area C. Subpicture display buttons

The Menu Viewer contains the following controls:

Zoom Level Controlsthe magnification of the menu. Choose apreset zoom level, or type a value from 25% to 1600%

and press Enter. You can also choose Fit to view the entire menu, even if you resize the Menu Viewer.

Note: You can also press the + (plus) key to zoom in and the - (minus) key to zoom out. For more keyboard shortcuts, see“Using keyboard shortcuts” on page 181 .

Correct Menu Pixels For TV Display Toggles between displaying the menu as it will appear on a television monitor

(default setting) and displaying the menu’s true dimensions and uncorrected pixel aspect ratio (if different from the project frame size).

Show Safe Area Displays guides that mark the action safe areas and title safe areas. Television monitors reduce

the visible area of footage and menus. You should keep important visual elements within the outer guide, and keep text and buttons within the inner guide. (The actual amount that is clipped varies from monitor to monitor.)

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Show Button Routing Displays remote control routing and button numbers of all buttons in the menu. You can

customize the routing onlyif the Automatically Route Buttons menuproperty is turned off. (See “Change the routing order” on page 112.)

Show Guides Displays any guides you added to the menu for aligning buttons and objects.

New Guide DisplaystheNewGuidedialogbox,whereyoucanspecifythetypeofguide(horizontalorvertical)

you want to add and its position in pixels coordinates within the menu. Guides are saved with the menu and can be viewed in Photoshop.

Show Normal Subpicture Highlight Displays the normal (unselected) state of all buttons.

Show Selected Subpicture Highlight Displays the selected (highlighted) state of all buttons.

Show Activated Subpicture Highlight Displays the activated state of all buttons.

To improve performance, turn off the display of subpictures when they’re not needed.

In addition, Encore has added a special feature in the Menu Viewer to highlight any buttons that overlap each other with a bright red outline, making it easier to avoid potential linking problems.

Library panel overview

The Library panel includes predesigned menus that represent a wide spectrum of visual styles and themes, such as Education, Corporate, orWedding. You can create menus based onthese predesigned templates or customize menus using other design elements, such as buttons, images, and shapes. You can create menu templates and add your own design elements to the Library panel so that menus and designs that you use frequently are right at hand.

Manymenus have a companionsubmenu that reflects the samestyle and contains adifferent number of buttons. The menus include buttons with subpictures (for highlighting when the button is selected) and fully styled placeholders for text. The buttons on some menus provide a thumbnail layer for video.

Library panel A. Name of currently displayed set B. Preview of selected item C. Panel menu with additional options D. Buttons to display different types of items E. Predesigned items F. Buttons to place, replace, add, and remove items

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The Library panel contains the following controls:

Set Displays the currently selected set. Items in the Library panel are organized into thematic sets, such as

Education, Corporate, or Wedding. You can create your own sets or add to the existing sets.

Panel menu Contains commands to add or delete items or sets and to rename existing sets. It also includes

commands for undocking and closing the panel or the frame containing the panel.

Category buttons Display predesigned items of a specific type: Menus , Buttons , Images ,

Backgrounds , Layer Sets , Text , Shapes , and Replacement Layers . Shift-click to view additional categories. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) to view all categories together.

User Guide

Place

Placestheselectediteminthecurrentlydisplayedmenu.Buttonsareaddedontheleftedgeofthetitlesafeguide

without overlapping previously placed buttons. Images, shapes, and layer sets are centered in the middle of the menu.

Replace Replaces the objects selected inthe menuwith the item selected in the Library panel. The Replace button

resizes the Library panel item to fit the dimensions of the object in the menu. You can also use the Replace button to replace a menu with another menu while preserving links and text. (See “Replace a menu with another menu” on page 74.)

Set Background Replaces the background layer of the currently active menu. This option is enabled only if a

background is selected in the Library panel.

New Menu Creates a new menu using the selected menu or background.

New Item Opensadialogboxtoletyouselectafile.Onceselected,addstheitemtotheLibrarypanelandcopies

the item to the Library set folder.

Delete Item Removes the selected item from the panel. You can delete only items you’ve created.

See also

“About menu templates” on page 92

Creating menus

Methods for creating menus

You can create menus using any of the following methods:

Predesigned menus You can customize the numerous predesigned menus included in the Library panel and on the

application DVD. These menus give your project a professional look quickly and easily.

Predesigned buttons and backgrounds You can start with apredesigned menu backgroundand use the predesigned

buttons included in the Library panel to create menus right in Encore.

Assets from projects You can compose a menu using any visual asset that you import into your project. You can use

both still and moving images for either the background or buttons.

Photoshop You can design menus in Photoshop and import them as menu assets into your project.

When you create a new menu, Encore automatically assigns a menu name based on the asset’s filename. You can change this name and add a description in the Properties panel. (See ““Name menus and buttons” on page 67.”)

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See also

“Create menus using predesigned assets” on page 63

“Add objects to a menu” on page 64

“About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 97

Create menus using predesigned assets

An easy way to begin a project is to base your menu on the predesigned menus, buttons, images, and shapes found in the Library panel.

In addition to standard definition, Encore provides an assortment of high-definition menu templates and other assets, and distinguishes them with an “HD” in their names. These can be used for any type of project (DVD, Bluray, or Flash) and Encore will automatically scale them to the desired menu size when you build the project.

Note: You can use standard-definition menu templates in Blu-ray projects, but rather than scaling up, Encore will create a standard-definition menu on the Blu-ray disc.

See also

“Add objects to a menu” on page 64

“About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 97

Create a menu based on a predesigned menu

You can create a menu quickly using predefined menus from the Library panel. You can use a menus as is, just changingthetext,oryoucanswapoutimagesthatbetterreflectthelookandfeelofyourproject.Thebuttonsonthe Library panel let you view the elements of the current set by type: menus, buttons, images, backgrounds, layer sets, text, shapes, and replacement layers.

When you select an item, its preview appears at the top of the panel. Many menus have a companion submenu that reflects the same style and contains a different number of buttons. The menus include buttons with subpictures (for highlighting when the button is selected) and fully styled placeholders for text. The buttons on some menus provide a thumbnail layer for video.

Note: Menus in the Library panel can be saved as regular menus (PSD) or as menu templates (EM). Regular menus include a background and buttons, but no settings or links are stored. Menu templates include additional information such as menu settings and background video and audio clips. (See “About menu templates” on page 92.)

1 In the Library panel, select the set you want to view from the Set menu, and then click the Toggle Display Of

Menus button to display the predesigned menus.

2 Selectthemenuthatyouwanttouse,andclicktheNewMenubutton atthebottomoftheLibrarypanel.(Press

the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to browse through the templates.)

The new menu appears in the Menu Viewer, and the menu is added to the Project panel.

3 Edit the menu to suit the needs of your project:

• Editthetext.IntheToolspanel,clicktheappropriatetexttool.Then,clickinthemenutocreateanewtextobject,

or click an existing text layer and edit the text as desired.

• Delete or duplicate buttons as desired. (See “Cut, copy, or duplicate a menu object” on page 73.)

• Set links from the buttons to other submenus or to items in the Project panel. (See “Buttons and navigation” on

page 156.)

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User Guide

Create a menu based on a background and other assets

Instead of using a predesigned menu template to create a menu, you can piece together a menu starting with a predesigned background and then add buttons, images, shapes, and replacement layers included with Encore. These objects are located in the Library panel.

Sample buttons and design items from Library panel

Each button includes subpictures that define how the button looks when selected (highlighted) or activated. The buttons are in layer sets together with the subpictures, so you can adjust individual elements or the entire button easily using the Layers panel.

1 In the Library panel, select the set that you want to view from the Set menu, and then click the Toggle Display Of

Backgrounds button .

2 Select the background you want to use, and click the New Menu button at the bottom of the panel.

A new menu appears in the Menu Viewer, and the menu is added to the Project panel.

3 Add buttons and other design elements as desired.

For example, to add a predesigned button,click the Toggle Display OfButtons icon in the Library panel, and then drag a button from the list into the Menu Viewer.

4 Edit the menu items as needed.

Add objects to a menu

You can add still images, buttons, or other assets to a menu. The technique you use depends on the source of the object. To automatically create buttons and build the links to those assets, simply drag the assets (such as video, menus, or timelines) to a menu.

Buttons,in orderto function as individual navigation links,cannot overlap each other. As you add buttonsto a menu, Encore highlights any that overlap with a bright red outline.

Predesigned high-definition assets in the Library panel are marked with an “HD” in their names. You can use them

for any type of project (DVD, Blu-ray, or Flash).

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See also

“About replacement layers” on page 93

“Library panel overview” on page 61

“Move objects in a menu” on page 71

Add objects from the Library panel to a menu

Open the menu to which you want to add a Library panel element.

2 In the Library panel, select the set you want to view from the Set menu, and then click any of the icons to display

the items for that type.

For example, click the Toggle Display Of Buttons icon to display only buttons.

Shift-clickany of the icons to view multiple categories. Alt-click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) any of the icons

to view all categories.

3 Select the desired item in the Library panel, and either click the Place button or drag the item from the panel

to the Menu Viewer. Repeat until you have placed all the items you need.

If you click the Place button repeatedly, Encore aligns buttons in a grid, starting along the left edge of the title-safe guide. You can then select them and move them as a group.

4 Position and resize the items as needed.

Add assets from the Project panel to a menu

Create or open a menu.

2 Drag the asset (such as a video file, timeline, or menu) from the Project panel to the menu in the Menu Viewer.

If you drag a timeline or slide show to a blank area in the menu, Encore creates a button that is set as the default button for the set selected in the Library panel, and links it to the destination. If you drag a video file, a timeline is also created. If you drag such an asset to an existing button, its contents and link are replaced.

Add still images to the menu background

You can include still images in a menu as part of the background.

1 Open an existing menu or create a new one.

2 In the Project panel, drag the desired image to the Menu Viewer.

3 Using the Direct Select tool , position and size the image as necessary.

(If you want to use the still image as a button, select the image and choose Object > Convert to Button.)

Note: You can also drag an image from Adobe Bridge CS3 directly to the menu.

Use guides to position menu items

Guides help you position items in menus. You can add, move, remove, or lock guides, and turn them on or off. Guides are visible only in the Menu Viewer. You do not see them when previewing or in the final product. Guides have an optional setting that makes objects you drag snap to them. The selection boundary and the center point of objects, as well as the baseline of type, snap to the guides.

You place guides at pixel locations in the menu, the zero point being the upper-left corner of the menu.

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User Guide

Menu with guides displayed A. Zero point of menu B. Horizontal guide C. Ver t i c al g uide

The guides you create are specific to that menu. They are saved in the menu and transfer with a menu between Encore and Photoshop. Any changes you make to the guides in either program transfer with the menu.

Note: When setting guides to align objects in several menus, it is important to remember that you place guides at the pixellocationofthemenu,notthescreen.Therefore,ifyouhavemenuscreatedusingsquarepixelsinthesameproject as menus using rectangular pixels, guides placed at the same pixel location in each menu can resultin different locations on the screen. For example, horizontal guides placedat 75 pixels do not line up between a 720 x 534-pixels menu (square pixels) and a 720 x 480-pixels menu (rectangular pixels).

Add a guide

Open the menu to which you want to add guides.

2 Choose View > New Guide or click the New Guide Button at the bottom of the Menu Viewer.

3 Select Horizontal or Vertical orientation, enter a position, and click OK.

Move a guide

❖ Using a selection tool, position the pointer over the guide. When the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow,

move the guide.

Remove guides

• To delete a single guide, using a selection tool, drag the guide completely outside the Menu Viewer.

• To remove all guides, choose View > Clear Guides.

Set snap-to or lock guides

❖ Do one of the following:

• To set snap to guides on or off, choose View > Snap To Guides.

• To lock guides, choose View > Lock Guides.

Show or hide guides

❖ Do one of the following:

• Choose View > Show Guides.

• Click the Show Guides button at the bottom of the Menu Viewer.

Name menus and buttons

To make menus and buttons easier to identify, you can change their default names in the Properties panel.

Properties panel for selected menu (left) and selected button (right)

See also

“Renumber buttons” on page 111

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Name and describe menus

Names and descriptions of menus can help keep your project organized. In addition, you can use the Description field to add special notes or to embed web links in a Flash project. (See “Embed web links in your Flash project” on page 179.)

1 Select the menu in the Project panel or Menus panel.

2 In the Properties panel, select the current name and type a new name.

3 In the Description box, type any notes about the menu.

To rename a menu or button, you can also right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) it and choose Rename.

Type the new name in the dialog box, and click OK.

Name a menu button

By default, button names match the text on the buttons. If you change one, the other updates automatically. You can unlinkthebuttonnamefromthebuttontextandnamethebuttonindependently.Youcanalsosetabuttonnameto match the name of the element that the button is linked to.

1 In the Menu Viewer, select the button.

2 On the Basic tab of the Properties panel, do one of the following:

• To give the button a new name without affecting the button’s text in the menu, deselect Sync Button Text And

Name and type a name for the button in the Name box.

• Toensurethatthebuttonnamematchesthenameoftheelementthatthebuttonislinkedto,deselectSyncButton

Text And Name, and select Set Name From Link.

• To ensure that the button name and button text always match, select Sync Button Text And Name and deselect Set

Name From Link.

Sync Button Text And Name is selected by default and affects only the topmost text layer in the button layer set. Set Name From Link is deselected by default.

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Choose Edit > Preferences > Menus (Windows) or Encore > Preferences > Menus (Mac OS) to change the default

settings of the Set Name From Link and Sync Button Text And Name options.

Specify the default button for a menu

Each timea menuappears, one button appears highlighted (selected) for the viewer. By default, this isbutton number

1. When a link leads to a menu, it may designate that a different button appear highlighted. That link setting replaces the default button only for that viewing of the menu.

Note: Default menu button settings are ignored in Flash projects.

1 Select the menu in the Project panel or Menus panel.

2 In the Properties panel, from the Default Button menu, select the number of the button that you want to be the

highlighted button by default. (For information on assigning different numbers to the buttons in the menu, see “Renumber buttons” on page 111.)

Formenusthatlettheviewerselectaudioandsubtitletracks,youcanchoosetohighlighttheactivetrack’sbutton,as

a point of reference for the viewer. Choose Active Audio Track or Active Subtitle Track from the Default Button menu.

See also

“Indicate the active audio or subtitle track” on page 151

Set Library panel default menus and buttons

Each thematic set in the Library panel has a defaultmenu, background, andbutton that Encore useswhen you create a new menu or button. You can specify the defaults for each set. You can also add your own menu or button to the panel (using the panel’s New Item button) and set it as a default. A star in the icon adjacent to a button, background, or menu name identifies it as the default for the set.

Encore uses these defaults of the currently selected set to create a new menu or button whenever you choose the Menu > New Menu command, click the Create A New Item button in the Project panel and choose Menu, or drag an asset from the Project panel directly to a menu in the Menu Viewer.

Set a default menu in the Library panel

❖ In the Library panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the menu templateor background that you

want to be the default menu, and choose Set As Default Menu.

Set a default button in the Library panel

❖ In the Library panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the button that you want to be the default,

and choose Set As Default Button.

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User Guide

Editing menus

Select objects

To edit objects on a menu, you need to select them first using one of the selection tools. The Tools panel contains two selection tools for editing objects:

Selection tool Selects an entire button set (a button, its text, and subpictures together) so that it can be manipu-

lated as a unit.

Direct Select tool Selects individual layers so that they can be manipulated on their own.

Note: The Move tool does not select objects. The Move tool is used for moving objects after you select them. (See “Move menu objects or layer sets” on page 71.)

Selecting objects A. Selected button B. Selected layer

When selecting objects, remember that each object is on a separate layer and that the layers are stacked one on top of another. Using the selection tools, you can select objects on lower layers as long as you click at a point where no other object overlaps. Using the Layers panel, you can easily select objects individually, even when several elements overlap.

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 Do one of the following:

• Click anobject directly inthe Menu Viewer using either theSelection tool to select a button orthe DirectSelect

tool to select a layer. Shift-click each additional object that you want to select.

• Using the Selection tool, drag a box (or marquee) around one or more objects in the Menu Viewer.

• In the Layers panel, click the object’s layer or the layer set. Shift-click each additional layer or layer set that you

want to select.

Selection handles appear on all the selected items in the Menu Viewer. When you select a button, a heavy outline appears. This outline encompasses all elements within the button.

Layers panel overview

Encore uses the Photoshop file structure for creating menus. The Layers panel in Encore displays the contents of the Photoshopfilethatisusedasthebasisforthemenu.Therefore,youcaneditmenusineitherprogramwithoutlosing the layer organization. The Layers panel is especially useful when working on multilayered menus, such as menu templates.

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User Guide

Each object you add to a menu appears on a separate layer in the Layers panel. Selecting objects in the Menu Viewer is sometimes easier when you use the Layers panel. Regardless of where an object is in the stacking order, you can quickly select it by selecting its layer inthe Layers panel. When you select a layer orlayer set, selection handles appear on the element in the Menu Viewer. You can isolate elements to change them together or individually, view only specific layerswhile hiding others,and lock layers or layer sets so that their elements cannot be modified. The Layers panel is especially useful when working on menus with a lot of layers, such as menu templates.

You can design entire menu templates in Photoshop, import them into your Encore projects, and save them in the

Library panel for reuse.

A B C

Layers panel A. Display/Hide column. B. Lock/Unlock column. C. Button/Object column D. Layer set E. Button layer set F. Text layer G. Subpicture layers H. Open/Close layer set

The three columns adjacent to the layers let you selectively hide, display, or lock the contents of layers and layer sets, as well as convert objects to buttons and convert button sets to individual elements. Clicking the column next to a layer turns the option on or off.

Display/Hide column HidesordisplaysthelayerintheMenuViewer.TheEyeicon nexttoalayerindicatesthat

it is visible. Hiding layers lets you work on a layer in isolation and makesit easier to adjust a layer that is behind other objects.

Note: You cannot hide button layer sets, only the elements within them. You also cannot use the Display/Hide column on subpicture layers—layers with names that begin with (=1), (=2), or (=3). To hide or display subpicture layers, you use the Show Normal Subpicture Highlight button , Show Selected Subpicture Highlight button , and Show Activated Subpicture Highlight button in the Menu Viewer. (See “Button subpicture states” on page 59.)

Lock/Unlock column Locks or unlocks a layer in the Menu Viewer so that it can’t be selected, moved, or modified.

Locking layers or layer sets protects the elements from accidental changes. The Lock icon indicates that it is locked.

Button/Object column Converts the layer to a button or back to an object. The Button icon indicates that the

layer is a button. Converting an object to a button creates a new button layer set with a plus-sign prefix (+) added to its name. Converting a button set to an object removes the prefix from the layer set name, but leaves the button elements grouped in a layer set.

Rename a layer or layer set

In the Layers panel, double-click the layer name you want to change.

2 In the Rename Layer dialog box, type the new name and click OK.

Note: In Encore, you can’t change the layer name prefixes of a button layer set (+); subpicture layers (=1), (=2), or (=3); replacement layers (!); or thumbnail layers (%). You can edit the prefixes in Photoshop.

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User Guide

Move objects in a menu

When a menu contains multiple objects, it’s often difficult to select just the object you want to move. The Layers panel or context menu can help you isolate an object before moving it.

Move menu objects or layer sets

Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, use a selection tool to select the object or layer set you want to move. (See

“Select objects” on page 69.)

3 In the Menu Viewer, do one of the following:

• Drag the button set or object in the menu using the appropriate selection tool. Shift-drag to constrain the

movement horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. To create a copy and move the copy to a new location, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag it.

• To prevent a different object from being selected, click the Move tool in the Tools panel, and then drag

anywhere in the Menu Viewer to move the selected object.

• Pressanarrowkeytonudgeanobjectonepixelatatime.PressShift+arrowkeytomoveanobject10pixelsatatime.

Move an object within a stack

Insomecases,youmaynotbeabletoclickdirectlyonalayertoselectitbecausethelayerisobscuredbyoverlapping layers. Using the context menu lets you select a layer within a stack in the Menu Viewer. To prevent another layer from being selected accidentally when you try to move the layer within a stack, you use the Move tool.

1 Using a selection tool, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the stacked objects in the Menu Viewer.

2 Choose Select from the context menu, and then choose a named object in the list.

3 Click the Move tool , and then drag the object to the desired location. To view a menu of the object’s layers,

Ctrl+right-click (Windows) or Command+Control-click (Mac OS).

Another way to select an object within a stack is by using the Layers panel.

Align menu objects

Using the Align command, you can easily align buttons and subpictures with each other or with other design elements in amenu. Encore gives you several options foraligning objects. You can alignthe left, center, or right edges on the verticalaxis; or you can align the top, middle, or bottom on the horizontal axis. You can either align the objects relative to each other or align them to the title safe area. Alignment always occurs within a rectangle, either to the title safe area or the bounding box that encompasses all the objects. The Align Center option, for example, centers the objects within this rectangle.

A B C

Comparison of the Align Center command with and without Relative To Safe Areas Selected A. Original position B. Align Center with Relative To Safe Areas off C. Align Center with Relative To Safe Areas on

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

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2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the objects you want to align.

3 Choose Object > Align > Relative To SafeAreas if you want the objects aligned tothe title safearea and the option

is not already selected.

Note: A check mark next to the Relative To Safe Areas indicates it is turned on. To turn the option off, choose it again (Object > Align > Relative To Safe Areas).

4 Choose Object > Align and one of the following options:

Left Aligns the left sides of the selected objects to either the left side of the title safe area or the leftmost object.

Center Aligns on a vertical axis the center of the selected objects to either the center of the title safe area or to the

center of a bounding box that encompasses all the objects.

Right Aligns the right side of the selected objects to either the right side of the title safe area or the rightmost object.

To p Aligns the top of the selected objects to either the top of the title safe area or the topmost object.

Middle Aligns on a horizontal axis the middle of the selected objects to either the center of the title safe area or the

center of a bounding box that encompasses all the objects.

Bottom Aligns the bottom of the selected objects to either the bottom of the title safe area or the lowest object.

Distribute menu objects

If you want a series of buttons or objects to be evenly spaced, you don’t need to calculate the appropriate distance between them. The distribute options can place them evenly apart for you, either horizontally or vertically. You can choose to distribute them between the two outermost objects or between the borders of the title safe area.

A B C

Distributed objects A. Originalposition B. Distribute Vertically with Relative To SafeAreas turned off C. Distribute Vertically with Relative To Safe Areas turned on

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the objects you want to distribute.

3 Choose Object > Distribute > Relative To Safe Areas if you want the objects distributed relative to the title safe

area and the option is not already selected.

Note: A check mark next to the Relative To Safe Areas indicates it is turned on. To turn the option off, choose it again.

4 Choose Object > Distribute, and then choose one of the following from the list that appears:

Vertically Distributes the objects evenly between the top and bottom boundaries of the title-safe area (if Relative To

Safe Areas is turned on) or between the topmost and bottommost objects (if Relative To Safe Areas is turned off).

Horizontally Distributestheobjectsevenlybetweentheleftandrightboundariesofthetitle-safearea(ifRelativeTo

Safe Areas is turned on) or between the leftmost and rightmost objects (if Relative To Safe Areas is turned off).

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User Guide

Change the stacking order of menu objects

As inPhotoshop, the stackingorder in the Layers paneldetermines whether the content ofa layer or layer set appears in front of or behind other elements in the menu. When you create or import a menu, the background is always the bottommost layer. A menu can have only one background, and it must remain the bottom layer.

Comparison of object in front (left) and sent backward with Arrange command (right)

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer, select the object you want to move in the stacking order.

3 Choose Object > Arrange, and then choose one of the following:

• Bring To Front to move the selected item to the front.

• Bring Forward to move the selected item one level forward.

• Send Backward to move the selected item one level backward.

• Send To Back to move the selected item to the back.

See also

“Move an object within a stack” on page 71

Cut, copy, or duplicate a menu object

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the object.

3 Do one of the following:

• To remove the object, choose Edit > Clear, or press the Delete key.

• To duplicate the object, choose Edit > Duplicate. Encore duplicates the object, offsetting it from the original. If the

object was in a layer set, it copies the object to the top layer of the same layer set.

• To copy the object and move it to a new location, hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) and drag the

object.

• To copy the object and paste it into the same menu, choose Edit > Copy. Then choose Edit > Paste.

• To copy the object and paste into a different menu, choose Edit > Copy. Then open the other menu in the Menu

Viewer, and without selecting anything, choose Edit > Paste. The object is pasted in the same position as in the original menu.

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Move or copy a menu object into another layer set

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the object.

For multilayered menus, it is easier to use the Layers panel to select the object.

3 Choose Edit > Cut to move the object or Edit > Copy to copy it.

4 In the Layers panel, open the layer set into which you want to add the object, and select any object in the layer set.

5 Choose Edit > Paste.

Encoreaddstheobjecttothetoplayerofthelayerset.YoucanalsousetheObject>Arrangecommandstochange the order of objects.

Replace a menu with another menu

Ifyouwanttochangethemenudesignafteryoucreateamenu,youcanusetheReplaceMenucommand.Whenyou replace a menu, Encore preserves menu settings, including button links, button order, and loop count.

1 Open the menu in the Menu Viewer.

2 Specify the replacement menu by doing one of the following:

• Select a menu template in the Library panel, and click the Replace button .

• Choose Menu > Replace Menu, navigate to the desired menu, and click Open.

The appearance and layout of the menu are replaced by those of the new menu. If the new replacement menu contains more buttons than exist in the original menu, the extra buttons link to no destination. If the replacement menu contains fewer buttons, the buttons from the original menu are preserved, but in the style of the default button in the replacement menu. Both the original menu and its replacement must have at least one button.

Convert an object to a button

When you convert an object to a button, Encore creates a layer set with the prefix denoting a button set (+) attached to the name. It places the object into the layer set and creates a subpicture for the button. If you convert an object’s layer set into a button, Encore creates a subpicture layer only if one doesn’t already exist.

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the object you want to convert to a button. Select multiple objects to

convert them all to buttons at the same time or select a layer set to convert the entire set into a button.

3 Choose Object > Convert To Button, or click the Button column next to the image layer in the Layers panel.

Note: Buttons cannot overlap other buttons in order to function as individual links. Encore highlights overlapping buttons in red to use as a guide and a reminder.

Convert a button or replacement layer to an object

Whenyouconvertabuttontoanobject,youremovelinkingandnavigationcapabilitiesfromthebutton.Whenyou convert a replacement layer to an object, you remove the ability to replace the layer’s contents by dragging and dropping.

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 IntheMenuViewerorLayerspanel,selectoneormorebuttonsorreplacementlayersthatyouwanttoconvertto

objects.

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3 Choose Object > Convert To Object.

See also

“Convert an object to a button” on page 74

Styling and transforming menu objects

About predefined styles

Styles let you quickly change the appearance of a layer or object in a menu. Styles are predesigned Photoshop layer effects, such as shadows, glows, bevels, overlays, and strokes, that you can apply to most layers in a menu. Once applied, the effects are linked to the object. When you move or edit the object, the effects change with the object.

A B

EFG

Styles panel A. Name of currently displayed set B. Preview of selected style C. Panel menu with additional options D. Buttons to display different types of styles: Image, Text, and Shape E. Apply Style F. New Item G. Delete Item

TheStylespaneldividesstylesintothreecategories:Image,Text,andShape.Youcanapplyanystyletoanindividual layer, except subpicture highlight layers—layers with the (=1), (=2), or (=3) prefix. When styles are applied to layer sets or buttons, they affect the layers within the set according to their style category. The layers they affect depend upon the category:

Image Applies the style to all layers in a layer set (except highlight layers).

Tex t Applies the style to the first text layer in a layer set that is not a highlight layer.

Shapes Applies the style to the first shape layer in a layer set that is not a highlight layer.

Styles generally fully replace any existing effects applied to a layer. The Styles panel includes a few styles that add to the existing effects in a layer rather than completely restyle it. Additive styles have a plus sign (+) at the beginning of their names. You can create your own styles and add them to the Styles panel, or group styles into sets. (See “About creating styles” on page 113.)

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Apply a style to a button or layer set

1 Select the button in the Menu Viewer or in the Layers panel.

2 In the Styles panel, select the style, and click the Apply Style button .

If your menu contains a styled layer that you like, you can quickly create a new style by dragging the layer directly

to the Styles panel. The new style contains any effects applied to the layer. (See “About creating styles” on page 113.)

Add a drop shadow

Drop shadows add depth to a menu. You can apply the drop shadow effect to any object in the menu, be it text, buttons, or other graphic element.

Original (left) and drop shadow applied to text and button image (right)

User Guide

Encore gives you extensive controlover thelook of the shadow, letting you specify itscolor,opacity,angle, offset, size, and spread. You apply drop shadows to individual elements or to layer sets. Because the effect is applied to the element, when you move or resize the element, or edit the text, the drop shadow moves, resizes, or changes shape accordingly. If you apply a drop shadow to a button or layer set, Encore applies it to the bottommost layer.

The Styles panel contains many predesigned Photoshop layer effects, including drop shadows, that let you quickly

change the look of a button or other element. See “About predefined styles” on page 75.

1 Open the menu containing the buttons you want to modify.

2 In the Layers panel, click the layer of the element to which you want to add a drop shadow. If the element is in a

layer set, you may need to open the layer set first.

3 Choose Object > Drop Shadow, and select Drop Shadow in the Drop Shadow dialog box.

4 To change the color, click the color swatch.

5 IntheColorPickerdialogbox,adjustthecolorusingoneofthefollowingmethods(thecoloryouselectappears

in the top half of the color swatch; the original color remains in the bottom half):

• Locatethecolorrangeyouwantbydraggingthetriangleslidersonthecolorspectrumbar,andthenclickacolor

in the color field.

• Click the buttons for Hue, Saturation, and Brightness, or Red, Green, and Blue (the color field changes for each

button you click) and then click in the color field to select a new color.

• Change the number values by either clicking each one and typing a new value, or by dragging the double-arrow

pointer left or right over the number to decrease or increase the value.

• Type a new hexadecimal color value in the # text box.

6 Click OK to close the Color Picker.

The new color replaces the original color in the Drop Shadow dialog box.

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User Guide

7 To change the other properties of the drop shadow, drag the double-arrow pointer left or right over a value to

decrease orincrease it. You can click the Preview option off and onto see the beforeand after effects of eachproperty.

Opacity Sets the opacity of the shadow.

Angle Specifies the lighting angle of the shadow.

Distance Specifies how far the shadow should be offset from the object.

Size Sets the size of the shadow.

Spread Expands the boundaries of the shadow.

8 To apply the drop shadow, click OK.

Drop shadows applied using Object > Drop Shadow may be replaced or removed when you apply a predefined style.

You can edit the drop shadow in Photoshop when you’re editing the menu.

Rotate menu objects

1 In the Menu Viewer, select one or more objects.

2 Do one of the following:

• To rotate in 90˚ increments, choose Object > Rotate > 180˚, 90˚ CW (clockwise), or 90˚ CCW (counter-

clockwise).

• To rotate in any increment, click the Rotate tool in the Tools panel, and drag from outside one of the object’s

eightselectionhandles(thepointerbecomesacurved,two-sidedarrow).Draglefttorotatecounter-clockwiseor right to rotate clockwise. Holding down the Shift key constrains rotation to 45˚ increments. Items rotate around their center points.

Resize (scale) menu objects

As you fine-tune your menu, you often need to adjust the size of the elements. You scale objects on a menu manually with the mouse. You can scale multiple objects or layer sets together as a group.

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the objects you want to scale.

3 Do one of the following:

• Drag a handle.

• To proportionally scale the object, Shift-drag a handle.

• To scale from the object’s center point, hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac OS) and drag a

handle. (The center point maintains its position on the page.)

• To scale proportionally from the object’s center point, hold down Shift-Alt (Windows) or Shift-Option (Mac OS)

and drag a handle. (The center point maintains its position on the page.)

Note: If multiple items are selected, dragging the handle of one object scales all the objects at the same time.

Flip menu objects

You can flip an object in a menu either horizontally or vertically.

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A B C

Comparison of flipping object horizontally and vertically A. Object as originally placed B. Flipped horizontally C. Flipped vertically

1 Open the menu containing the object you want to flip.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the object (or objects) you want to flip.

3 Choose either Object > Flip Horizontal or Object > Flip Vertical.

Adding text to menus

About text in menus

Encore lets you type text directly onto a menu. You can type text either horizontally or vertically, and either freely or constrained to a bounding box. In addition to providing standard control over the appearance of the type, Encore also lets you transform a text block as if it were an object. You can edit the text you add to a menu in either Encore or Photoshop. Any changes you make to the text in Photoshop appear in the Encore menu.

The Tools panel contains two different text tools: the Horizontal Text tool and the Vertical Text tool . Using either tool, you can enter text either freely or within a bounding box.

To enter text freely, you simply click where you want the text to begin. You control how the text wraps by using the Enter key. The text is not constrained. Typing text freely is convenient for quickly entering single words, such as on buttons.

To entertext within a bounding box,you first drag the pointer to define the text block. When you type, thetext wraps when it reaches the edge of the box. While you can continue to enter text when the type hits the bottom (or edge for vertical type), Encore displays only the text that fits in the box. The bounding box can be useful when trying to arrange type in a specific area of the menu. You can resize the bounding box, which causes the text to reflow, changing the line endings and possibly how many lines of text display.

Comparison of entering text freely (left) or within bounding box (right)

Note: Encore supports Text On A Path created in Photoshop, even though it does not provide the layout tools to create it from scratch.

To exit text mode and commit the text changes, you can press the Esc key. (For more keyboard shortcuts, see “Using keyboard shortcuts” on page 181.)

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Character panel overview

Encore gives you advanced typographic control over your text. Using the Character panel, you can kern, track, shift the baseline, and scale text. You can set type attributes before you enter characters, or you can restyle and reformat existing text. The Character panel also provides various formatting options for Asian text. Most ofthe options in the panel let you either type a value or select from a menu of preset values. (To apply formatting options, see “Format text” on page 85.)

Character panel with Asian text options displayed A. Fonts and font attributes B. Font Style buttons C. Alignment options D. Asian Text options E. Character panel menu F. Text Anti-alias Mode options

Fonts and font attributes

The Character panel gives you precise control over individual characters including font, size, color, leading, kerning, tracking, and baseline shift. You can also stretch or shrink the type using horizontal or vertical scaling and apply color. (To apply font attributes, see “Format text” on page 85.)

Fonts and font attributes in the Character panel A. Font B. Font Style C. Font Size D. Kerning E. Vertical Scale F. Baseline Shift G. Leading H. Trac ki ng I. Horizontal Scale J. Color

Font Specifies the font for the text.

Font Style Determinesthefontstyle,suchasMedium,Oblique,Bold,orBoldOblique.(Theoptionsdependupon

the selected font.)

Sets the point size of the font.

Kerns the letters on either side of the insertion point. Kerning sets the space between specific letter pairs. To give the appearance of more even spacing, some letter pairs look better if pushed closer together, such as “VA” or “Te.” A

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positive value loosens thespace between letter pairs; a negative value tightens the space. Most fonts come with preset kerning values for specific letter pairs. Metric uses the font’s original kerning values.

Note: You cannot apply kerning across a range of selected characters. Kerning works only when an insertion point is placed between a pair of characters.

Stretches or shrinks the text vertically, relative to the baseline.

Shifts type from its baseline. A positive value raises the type; a negative value lowers it.

Sets the leading (the amount of space between lines of type measured baseline to baseline). Auto sets the leading at 120% of the font size ofthe text. If characters on a line have different settings, Encore uses the largest leading value for the entire line.

Applies tracking values to insert or remove space evenly through the selected text. Positive tracking values move

the characters apart; negative tracking values move characters closer together.

Stretches or shrinks the text horizontally.

Color Applies color to the text. Click the color to display the Color Picker dialog box.

Font style buttons

ThestylebuttonsontheCharacterpanelletyouapplymultipletypestylestotext.(Toapplyfontstyles,see“Format text” on page 85.)

A B C D E F G H

Font style buttons in the Character panel A. Faux Bold B. Faux Italic C. All Caps D. Small Caps E. Superscript F. Subscript G. Underline H. Strikethrough

Applies a simulated or faux bold style to the selected text. (To apply the actual bold style included with the font,

if any, choose it from the Font Style pop-up menu on the Character panel.)

Applies a simulated or faux italic style to the selected type. (To apply the actual italic style included with the font, if any, choose it from the Font Style pop-up menu on the Character panel.)

Capitalizes all the letters in the selected text.

Replaces all the lowercase letters in the selected text with small capitals.

Converts the selected text to a superscript. Superscript characters are reduced in size and shifted above the type

baseline.

Converts the selected text to a subscript. Subscript characters are reduced in size and shifted below the type

baseline.

Underlines the selected text.

Changes the selected text to strikethrough characters.

Alignment options

The alignment options on the Character panel set the alignment for an entire paragraph. In vertical text blocks, the alignment options change to match the orientation of the text. Align Left and Align Right become Align Top and Alight Bottom, while Center Align and Justify Last Left adjust text between the top and bottom of the text block. (To apply alignment options, see “Format text” on page 85.)

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A B C D E F G H

Alignment options in the Character panel A. Align Left B. Align Center C. Align Right D. Justify Last Left E. Align Top F. Align Center G. Align Bottom H. Justify Last Top

Text anti-alias options

Anti-aliasing smooths the jagged edges of text by softening the color transition between the edge pixels of the characters and the background pixels. Anti-aliasing applies to all the characters in the text block. (To apply antialiasing, see “Format text” on page 85.)

Anti-aliasing options in Character panel

The Text Anti-alias Mode option in the Character panel has five possible settings:

None Turns off anti-aliasing for all characters in the text block.

User Guide

Sharp Slightly reduces the jagged edges of the characters, applying the minimal amount of anti-aliasing.

Crisp Sharpens the edges of the characters.

Strong Makes the characters appear heavier.

Smooth Makes the characters appear smoother by softening the transition between the edge pixels and the

background.

Asian text options

The Character panel includes several options for formatting Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) characters (also known as double-byte or multibyte characters). You can toggle the display of these options within the panel by choosingShow Asian Text Options from the Character panel menu. (The Character panelmenu contains additional options for Asian text. To apply the Asian text options, see “Format text” on page 85.)

Asian text options in Character panel

Tsume Reduces the space around a character by the specified percentage. Encore reduces the spacing around both

sides of the character equally. The greater the percentage, the tighter the compression between characters. At 100% (the maximum value), there is no space between the character’s bounding box and its em box.

Kinsoku Shori

Determines line breaks in Japanese type. Characters that cannot begin a line or end a line are known as kinsoku characters. Encoreincludes weak and maximum kinsoku sets. The Noneoption turns off the use of kinsoku shori. The options JIS Weak or JIS Maximum prevent the following characters from beginning or ending a line.

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User Guide

JIS Weak set JIS Maximum set

Characters that can’t begin a line Characters that can’t begin a line

Characters that can’t end a line Characters that can’t end a line

Mojikumi Determines spacing between punctuation, symbols, numbers, and other character classes in Japanese

type. Encore includes several predefined mojikumi sets.

• None turns off the use of mojikumi.

• Mojikumi Set 1 uses half-width spacing for punctuation.

• Mojikumi Set 2 uses full-width spacing for all characters except the last character in the line.

• Mojikumi Set 3uses half-width spacing for punctuation and full-width spacing for other characters, including the

last character in the line.

• Mojikumi Set 4 uses full-width spacing for all characters.

Push In First Prioritizes moving characters up to the previous line to prevent prohibited kinsoku characters from

ending or beginning a line.

Push Out First Prioritizes moving characters down a line to prevent prohibited kinsoku characters from ending or

beginning a line.

Push Out Only Always moves characters down a line to prevent prohibited kinsoku characters from ending or

beginning a line.

Burasagari Allows single-byte periods, double-byte periods, single-byte commas, and double-byte commas to fall

outside the paragraph bounding box.

Bottom-To-Bottom Leading Measures the space between lines of type from baseline to baseline. (The bottom of

most characters rests on the baseline.)

Top-To-Top Leading Measures the spacing between lines of type from the top of one line to the top of the next line.

Vertical text options

The Character panel menu contains several options that apply to vertical text. You can rotate characters, control line breaks, and set the method used to calculate leading. (To apply character options, see “Format text” on page 85.)

Rotate Character Changes the orientation of the selected characters from vertical to horizontal. Each character

rotates 90º on its own axis within the line of type, resulting in one character placed above the next. You cannot rotate horizontal text or double-byte characters. (Full-width characters are only available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts.) Therefore, any double-byte characters in the selected range will not be rotated.

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User Guide

Original text (left) and text with rotation applied (right)

Tate-chuu-yoko (Also called kumimoji and renmoji) Changes the orientation of the characters from vertical to

horizontal. The characters rotate 90º as a group. You can select, edit, and format the rotated text just as you do the vertically-orientedcharacters.ThesefeaturesareoftenusedtocombineAsianandRomancharactersandcannotbe applied to horizontal text.

Original text (left) and text with tate-chuu-yoko applied (right)

Add text to a menu

1 Open the menu to which you want to add text.

2 Select either the Vertical Text or Horizontal Text tool from the Tools panel. The pointer changes to an I-beam

within a dotted box. The small horizontal line near the bottom of the I-beam marks the baseline on which the text rests.

3 Do one of the following:

• Position the baseline of the I-beam pointer where you want the text to be located, and click to set the entry point

for the text. The insertion point appears.

• DragtheI-beampointertodefinetheboundingboxforthetext.Whenyoureleasethemousebutton,theinsertion

point appears. Its location is determined by the alignment option set in the Character panel.

4 In the Character panel, select the attributes you want for the text. (See “Character panel overview” on page 79.)

You can change the orientation of vertical text by using the Rotate Character command in theCharacter panel menu.

5 Type the desired text.

To exit text mode and commit the text changes, you can press the Esc key. (For more keyboard shortcuts, see “Using keyboard shortcuts” on page 181.)

Resize the text bounding box

1 Open the menu containing the text block.

2 Select either the Vertical Text or Horizontal Text tool from the Tools panel.

3 Click an insertion point in the text.

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User Guide

The text bounding box appears.

Note: If you don’t see a bounding box, you entered the text freely and must manually change the line breaks.

4 Position the pointer over a selection handle. When it changes to a double-headed arrow, drag the handle to resize

the bounding box. The text reflows within the box.

Resizing a text bounding box with overflowed text

Important: Be sure to use a text tool when resizing the text block. If you drag a bounding box handle using a selection tool, it scales the text as if it were an object and the text does not reflow.

Select text

Before you can format or changetype, youmust select it. To change a range of characters, a word,or paragraph within atextblock,youselectthetextusingtheTexttool.YouusetheDirectSelecttoolorthetextlayerintheLayerspanel to select the entire block of text.

You can drag, scale, rotate, align, and distribute a text block as you would to transform any other object in the menu.

See also

“Character panel overview” on page 79

Select individual characters, words, or paragraphs

Open the menu that you want to edit.

2 Select a text tool from the Tools panel, and do one of the following:

• Drag-select the type. (Shift-click to extend or reduce an existing selection.)

• Double-click a word to select it.

• To select one word to the right, click an insertion point and press Shift+Ctrl+Right Arrow (Windows) or

Shift+Command+Right Arrow (Mac OS).

• To select one word to the left, click an insertion point and press Shift+Ctrl+Left Arrow (Windows) or

Shift+Command+Left Arrow (Mac OS).

• To select just the line, triple-click a line within a paragraph.

• To select the entire paragraph, quadruple-click within a paragraph.

• Toselect the previous paragraph,click aninsertion pointat the beginning of a paragraph, and press Shift+Ctrl+Up

Arrow (Windows) or Shift+Command+Up Arrow (Mac OS).

• To select the next paragraph, click an insertion point at the end of a paragraph, and press Shift+Ctrl+Down Arrow

(Windows) twice or Shift+Command+Down Arrow (Mac OS) twice.

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User Guide

For more keyboard shortcutson selecting text, such as entire blocks of text, see “Keysfor working with text in menus and subtitles” on page 183.

Transform a text block

Open the menu that you want to edit.

2 Select the text block by using one of the following techniques:

• Click the text directly in the Menu Viewer using the Direct Select tool .

• In the Layers panel, click the text layer.

3 Transform the text block as you would any other object. (See “Styling and transforming menu objects” on

page 75.)

Format text

You use the Character panel to change the font and other text attributes.

Change the attributes of characters, words, or paragraphs

Open the menu that you want to edit.

2 Select the characters, words, or paragraphs you want to change.

3 In the Character panel, select the type attributes you want for the text. (See “Character panel overview” on

page 79.)

Change the attributes of all the text in a text block

Open the menu that you want to edit.

2 Do one of the following actions:

• Click an insertion point within the text block using the appropriate text tool, and choose Edit > Select All.

• Using the Direct Select tool , click the text block or button containing the text block.

• In the Layers panel, click the text’s layer or the layer set containing the text.

3 In the Character panel, select the type attributes you want for the text. (See “Character panel overview” on

page 79.)

Chapter 6: Menus: Beyond the basics

For you more adventurous designers, Adobe Encore CS3 lets you create motion menus, video thumbnail buttons, three-color button highlighting,and auto-activating buttons. You canalso customize buttonrouting andnumbering, as well as create your own styles for menu elements.

Video and audio in menus

About motion menus

A menu can include sound and motion. You can replace the entire background of a menu with a video file, as well as link it to an audio file. A video can serve as a moving backdrop to a menu or provide all the visual elements of the menu except for the buttonhighlighting. The video can include, for example,a movingbackground, scrolling credits, and even the button images. The menu itself needs only to include a placeholder background and the button subpictures (in button layer sets) that align with the button images in the video.

How long the video background or audio plays and whether it loops depends on the duration and loop settings of the menu. (See “About menu display time and looping” on page 90.)

If you want a smaller image, consider resizing or masking the video in a video-editing application, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, or masking a portion of the video with a layer in the menu.

The Library panel contains menu template (EM) files that include video backgrounds.

See also

“Create video thumbnail buttons” on page 87

“About menu templates” on page 92

Add a video background to a menu

❖ Do one of the following:

• SelectthemenuintheProjectpanel.Then,inthePropertiespanel,clicktheMotiontabanddragtheVideopick

whip to the video file in the Project panel.

• Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key (Mac OS) and drag the video file from the Project panel to the

menu in the Menu Viewer.

Note: You select a video asset, not a timeline, in the Project panel to replace the menu background with video.

The first bright (nonblack) frame of the video replaces the menu background. This frame serves as a placeholder in themenuPSDfileandisdisplayedduringpreviewingaswell,unlessyouchoosetorenderthemotionmenusinthe Preview panel. (See “About previews” on page 169.) When you build the project, Encore renders the video starting from the first frame.

You can also set the menu background to the frame at the specified Loop Point timecode. This is especially useful when you want to align button subpicture layers with button images in the video background. (See “About menu display time and looping” on page 90.)

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See also

“Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 90

Add audio to a menu

❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the menu in the Project panel. Then, in the Properties panel, click the Motion panel and drag the Audio

pick whip to the audio file in the Project panel.

• Drag the audio file from the Project panel to the menu in the Menu Viewer.

Note: You link directly to the audio assets, not a timeline.

Create video thumbnail buttons

A button can contain a thumbnail image of the video to which it is linked. The image can be still or playing (animated). The Library panel includes predesigned video thumbnail buttons as well as menus with these buttons already in place.

See also

“Add a video background to a menu” on page 86

“Specify a link” on page 154

“About menu display time and looping” on page 90

“Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 90

Video thumbnail button restrictions

You need to understand the following concepts and restrictions when creating a video thumbnail:

Placeholder determines size You use a single layer in a button layer set to serve as a placeholder for the video. The

size of the placeholder image determines the size of the videodisplayedinthemenu.Iftheimageisnotrectangular, Encore calculates the smallest rectangle in which the image could fit.

Always rectangular, unless masked The video remains rectangular regardless of the shape of the image layer.

However, you can overlay it with a layer (bitmap) or vector mask in Photoshop. A mask can hide portions of the image, forming a window through which the video plays.

Layer name prefix (%) The placeholder layer must have the layer name prefix (%). The prefix includes the paren-

theses, for example, (%)Rigging.

Destination timeline displayed A video thumbnail can display only the timeline to which it is linked, that is, its

destination. You cannot play one timeline in the thumbnail and have the button lead to a different timeline. Also, until you link the button to the video, you see only the placeholder image.

Still or moving The thumbnail video can be still or moving. Animatingvideothumbnailsisamenusetting.Allthe

thumbnailsonaparticularmenumustbeeitherstillormoving.Yousettheanimationbyusingthemenuproperty called Animate Buttons. (See “Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 90.)

Looping or clipped A video thumbnail plays within the boundaries of the menuduration setting. For example, if the

menu duration setting exceeds the length of the video thumbnail, the thumbnail loops, starting at the destination chapter (or poster frame if specified). You set the menudisplay time and looping of the entire menu in the Properties panel. (See “About menu display time and looping” on page 90.)

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Poster frame Using the chapter property called Poster, you can designate a specific start point or frame to display.

Otherwise, the thumbnail begins at the first frame of the destination chapter or displays the first bright (nonblack) frame of the chapter if Animate Buttons is turned off for the menu.

Video thumbnail button and corresponding button layers in Layers panel

Customize predesigned video thumbnail buttons

The easiest way to create a video thumbnail button is to drag a button from the Library panel into your menu and then edit the button. (Many menus in the Library panel already include video thumbnail buttons.) These predesigned buttons are sized appropriately, contain a placeholder image with the appropriate layer name prefix (%), and include predesigned button subpictures, which change the appearance of the button when selected and activated by the viewer.

1 Open the menu to which you want to add video thumbnail buttons.

2 In the Library panel, click the Toggle Display Of Buttons icon to display the predesigned buttons. Video

thumbnail buttons have the word “video” in their names.

3 DragthedesiredvideothumbnailbuttonfromtheLibrarypaneltotheMenuViewer.Repeatuntilyouhaveplaced

all the buttons you need.

4 To resize the video thumbnail buttons, select the button layer sets in the Layers panel (Shift-select to select more

than one). Then, using the Selection tool , Shift-drag a corner selection handle of one of the buttons until they are the desired size. (Using the Shift key while dragging resizes the buttons proportionally so that they maintain their aspect ratio.)

5 Linkeachbuttontotheappropriateitem,suchasatimelineorslideshow.Torenamethebuttonswiththenames

of the linked items but leave the text in the buttons alone, deselect Sync Button Text And Name in the Properties panel and select Set Name From Link. You can also use the Text tool to select and edit button text.

Create video thumbnail buttons in Photoshop

You can add a video thumbnail button to a menu in Photoshop and then bring the menu back into your project. The key is to size the placeholder appropriately for the video and to add the prefix (%) to the placeholder layer name.

1 Select the menu that you want to edit in the Project panel.

2 Choose Edit > Edit Menu In Photoshop, or click the Edit Menu In Photoshop tool in the Tools panel.

Photoshop starts, displaying the selected menu.

3 Create a layer set (also called a layer group) and add (+) to the beginning of its name. Include the parentheses.

4 Create a placeholder for the video thumbnail within this layer set. You can draw the placeholder or place a still

image.

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Ifyouuseashapetool,suchastheRectangletool,todrawtheplaceholder,theshapeofthelayerbecomesthemask for the video thumbnail. You can also create a layer, draw a selection with the Rectangular Marquee tool, fill the selection with a color, and then click the Add Layer Mask button in the Layers panel. The layer mask becomes the mask for the video thumbnail.

You can constrain the rectangular marquee to the screen aspect ratio by using the Style option Fixed Aspect. Set the value for Width to 4 and for Height to 3 (or to 16 and 9 for widescreen video).

5 In the Layers panel, double-click the layer name of the placeholder image, and add (%) to the beginning of its

name—for example, (%) Rigging Thumbnail.

6 Put any additional elements that you want in the button, such as text, within this layer set.

You can also add layer effects, such as drop shadows, glows, and transparency, to thumbnail layers in Photoshop.

7 Repeat steps 3 through 6 for any additional thumbnail buttons you want to create.

8 In Photoshop, choose File > Save, and then choose File > Close.

Photoshop saves the changes and updates the menu in Encore.

Set or change poster frames

Video thumbnails play the video of the timeline to which they are linked. If the thumbnails in the menu are still (the menu property Animate Buttons is deselected), they display the first bright (nonblack) frame of the destination link. You can change the start point or the still image displayed by a thumbnail by designating a poster frame. A poster frame is not limited to a chapter; you can place it on any frame in the timeline. If the button loops, it loops back to the poster frame rather than the destination chapter. (See “About menu display time and looping” on page 90.) The Poster option is a chapter property.

Set a poster frame

Open the timeline that is the destination for the video thumbnail button.

2 If the Monitor panel is hidden, choose Window > Monitor.

3 In the timeline, select the chapter marker that is closest to the destination for the video thumbnail button.

4 Move the current-time indicator to locate the exact frame you want displayed in the thumbnail.

5 Choose Timeline > Set Poster Frame.

A poster frame marker with its associated chapter number appears in the timeline, and the timecode for the frame is added to the chapter properties in the Properties panel.

To create a moving video thumbnail, specify the poster frame and then animate the button. (See “Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 90.)

You can also create a poster frame by Ctrl + Alt-dragging (Windows) or Command + Option-dragging (Mac OS) from the chapter marker in the timeline to the desired frame.

Change a poster frame

Open the timeline containing the poster frame.

2 Drag the poster frame marker in the timeline. The Monitor panel displays the current location of the poster frame

as you drag. When you release it, the Monitor panel again displays the location of the current-time indicator.

Delete a poster frame

Open the timeline containing the poster frame.

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2 Drag the poster frame marker onto its corresponding chapter in the timeline.

Animate video thumbnail buttons

You can set video thumbnail buttons to be either still or moving using the menu property Animate Buttons. When you select the menu property, you convert all the video thumbnail buttons on the menu to motion buttons. Thus, each time the viewer displays the menu, the video links play in the thumbnails. When Animate Buttons is deselected, the thumbnails display a still frame of the video.

1 In the Project panel, select the menu containing the video thumbnail buttons.

2 In the Properties panel, click the Motion tab and select Animate Buttons.

The Animate Button property controls the state of all the video thumbnail buttons on the menu. You cannot set them individually. Encore composites the video into the button during the build process.

To preview the animated buttons, you need to render the menu first. See “Preview motion menus” on page 171 for information.

See also

“About menu display time and looping” on page 90

About menu display time and looping

The default display setting for a still menu is Hold Forever, which displays the menu indefinitely. You can limit how long a menu waits for the viewer to activate a button, and you can designate what should display next if the viewer makes no selection. Controlling the display time of a menu is usually necessary in videos left running to be viewed by many people, such as in information kiosks, museum displays, or educational settings. When one viewer leaves, it is important that the video returns to the main menu so that it is ready for the next viewer.

Three settings control the display time and looping of a motion menu: Duration, Loop #, and Loop Point.

Menu display time and looping options in Properties panel

About Loop # and Duration

You can set the display time of a menu to a specific amount (called Duration). For motion menus, the Duration setting determines how long the menu plays before either repeating itself (defined by Loop #) or triggering the end action. The video or audio content of the menu plays within the confines of the Duration. The menu duration is set automatically to match the length of the video background or audio that you add to the menu. If the run time of the video or audio content exceeds the menu duration, the content is clipped. If the run time of the video background or audio is less than the duration, the content ends. (The background displays the last frame until the menu loops or ends.) For animated thumbnail buttons, if the run time of a video thumbnail button is less than the duration, it repeats until the menu loops or ends.

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In this menu, duration exceeds length of video and audio content. Video background freezes on the last frame before the menu loops. Audio finishes and starts again only when menu loops. Thumbnails repeat until menu loops. A. Menu duration B. Vide o thumbnails C. Video back ground D. Last frame E. Audio

About Loop Point

You can set motion menus to loop either a specific number of times or until the viewer activates a button (forever). When looping, all content begins again once the menu duration is reached. The only exception to this is when you specify a loop point.

The loop point is used to initially disable the buttons. Until the loop point is reached, the viewer cannot select or activate a button. The menu returns to this point on each repetition, so the buttons are disabled only when the menu is first displayed. For any subsequent repetitions, the Duration is shorter and the start point of all video content in the menu is offset.

Buttons are inactive until background video reaches loop point. If the menu loops, it returns to the loop point, making the menu duration shorter. A. Menu duration B. Background video C. Loop point

A loop point is often used when a menu has been animated in Adobe After Effects CS3. For example, you can create a video in After Effects in which the button images fly in from different points and settle into position after 15 seconds. In this case, the background video, not the menu, includes the button images. Except for those first 15 seconds, the button images would remain static for the remainder of the video (other elements could continue to move). The actual menu that uses this animation as its background could be quite simple. It would need just a placeholder background layer (to be replaced by the video) and button layer sets that contain only the button subpicture layers used for the selected and activated button states. (See “About creating menus in After Effects” on page 100.)

For the first 15 seconds that the menu is displayed, the buttons perform their animation. If you set the loop point to 15 seconds, you then disable the buttons during the animation. Only when the menu reaches the loop point do the buttons become active. If set to loop, it loops back to the loop point, not the beginning of the animation.

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Set menu display time and looping

The Properties panel contains several options that control the display time and looping of a menu. The options you choose depend upon whether you created a still or motion menu, or in other words, whether or not video, audio, or thumbnail buttons play while the menu displays.

1 In the Project panel, select the desired motion menu.

2 In the Properties panel, click the Motion tab, and then do one or more of the following:

• To set the menu display time to a fixed amount, enter a value for Duration.

• To have the menu loop a set number of times, select or type a value for Loop #.

• To have a menu loop until the viewer activates a button, select Forever from the Loop # menu.

• To disable the menu buttons for a set amount of time, type a timecode value for Loop Point.

3 If you set the menu to display for a set amount of time or to loop a limited number of times, click the Basic tab

and specify a destination for End Action so that it has a destination once it times out.

Menu templates

About menu templates

The Library panel can include either standard menus or menu templates. A menu is a Photoshop (PSD) file that includes a background and buttons. A menu template is an EM file that includes a Photoshop file and additional information, such as the menu name and description, duration and loop settings, and references to background audio and video clips.

You can add menus and menu templates to the Library panel for easy reuse.

For video tutorials about using Photoshop and After Effects to create and animate menu assets, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0241 and www.adobe.com/go/vid0258.

Create menu templates

Custom menu templates provide an easy way to create menus that you can use over and over again in your Encore projects. Menu templates are particularly useful for creating motion menus because any assets, such as video and audio files, used to create the menu are saved as references within the menu template file. When you open a menu template in Encore, any referenced assets are also loaded into your project. Regular menus have a .psd file-name extension, while menu templates have an .em file-name extension.

1 Open an existing menu, or use Photoshop to create a menu, and then import the Photoshop file as a menu.

2 Include any video or audio in the menu background that you want to use in the menu template.

3 Choose Menu > Save Menu As Template.

4 To make it easy to transfer the menu template to a different computer, select Self-Contained. (See “Using menu

templates on multiple computers” on page 93.)

5 Specify the file name and location of the menu template, and then click Save.

When you save a menu as a template, two files are created: the template (EM) file and a Photoshop (PSD) file that contains the menu layer information. In addition, video and audio assets are created if the menu includes a motion background. The menu template (EM) file automatically appears in the Library panel the next time you start Encore.

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Note: Thefilenameyouspecifyforthetemplatedoesnotaffecttheoriginalfilenameofthemenu,sowheneveryoureuse the template, the menu’s original name appears in the Project panel (not the template’s file name).

Using menu templates on multiple computers

When creating a menu template, you can select theSelf-Contained option,which determines how the menu template is saved in the folder structure on disk. If you select this option, Encore creates a folder in the same location as the menu template (EM) file with the same name as the EM file. This folder includes the Photoshop (PSD) file and any assets used in the menu background, making the menu template easy to transfer to a different computer.

If you don’t select Self-Contained, Encore saves the PSD file in the same folder as the EM file, but the assets are not included. You can move a regular menu template to a different location on the same computer, but moving it to another computer doesn’t work well if the linked assets aren’t also on the target computer in the same location.

Add custom menus to the Library panel

1 Open an existing menu, or use Photoshop to create a menu and then import the Photoshop file as a menu.

2 Drag the menu from the Project panel to the Library panel.

3 Selectwhetheryouwanttoaddthemenuasastandardmenuorasamenutemplate.Ifyouspecifymenutemplate,

select Self-Contained if you want to easily transfer the menu template to a different computer.

Standard menus appear in the Library panel as PSD files, and menu templates appear as EM files.

See also

“Library panel overview” on page 61

“Add items or sets to the Library” on page 43

Save a menu as a PSD file

1 Open the menu, or select it in the Project panel.

2 Choose Menu > Save Menu As File. Specify the file name and location, and then click Save.

The menu is saved as a Photoshop (PSD) file.

See also

“Create an After Effects composition from a menu” on page 101

About replacement layers

A replacement layer is a special placeholder layer that lets you drag an image onto an area of your menu while maintaining masks and layer effects. Replacement layers are especially useful in menu templates to easily swap in your own images while maintaining the overall design of the menu. For example, if you make wedding DVDs, you can create a menu template that includes a placeholder layer for the picture of the bride and groom. When creating a menu for a specific bride and groom, you simply drag the image from the Project panel to the replacement layer.

When you drop an image onto a replacement layer, the image replaces the fill of the replacement layer. The new image is scaled to the replacement layer’s size, and the aspect ratio of the new image is preserved. Any masking or layer effects, such as drop shadows, glows, and transparencies, that you applied to the replacement layer are preserved.

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Dragging an image to a replacement layer replaces the contents of the layer and scales the imported image to fit within the drop zone.

You can add replacement layers to the Library panel, where they’re sorted in their own category. (See “Add items or sets to the Library” on page 43.)

Create replacement layers

You can convert an object in a menu to a replacement layer or add a replacement layer to a menu in Photoshop and then bring the menu back into your project. The key to creating a replacement layer is to size the placeholder appropriately for the image or video.

See also

“Convert a button or replacement layer to an object” on page 74

Convert an object to a replacement layer

In the Menu Viewer, open the menu to which you want to add the replacement layer.

2 Using the Direct Select tool, select the object that you want to use as the replacement layer.

3 Choose Object > Convert To Replacement Layer.

Encore creates a layer set with the (!) prefix, which indicates a replacement layer.

4 Do any of the following:

• If you’re using the replacement layer as a design element, drag a still image from the Project panel or Library panel

to the replacement layer. When the replacement layer is highlighted with a border, release the mouse button.

• If you’re using the replacement layer as a placeholder in a menu template, save the menu template. (See “Create

menu templates” on page 92.)

If too much of the image is cropped, edit the replacement layer or image in Photoshop.

Create a replacement layer in Photoshop

Select the menu that you want to edit in the Project panel.

2 Choose Edit > Edit Menu In Photoshop, or click the Edit Menu In Photoshop tool in the Tools panel.

Photoshop starts, displaying the selected menu.

3 Create a layer for the image. You can use a shape tool or import an image. (Adding a white or colored fill to the

layer helps you see the replacement layer once you import it into Encore.)

4 (Optional) Add a mask or apply other layer effects.

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Masks or layer effects in replacement layers are preserved when an image is dragged onto the layer in the Menu Viewe r.

5 In the Layers panel, double-click the layername of the placeholder image, and add (!) to the beginning of its name.

6 In Photoshop, choose File > Save, and then choose File > Close.

The changes are saved, and the menu is updated in Encore.

Chapter indexes

About chapter indexes

A chapter index is a series of linked submenus that contain buttons that link to all the chapters in a timeline or slide show. Many DVDs contain an option for selecting from a list of chapters or scenes. If your video includes more chapters than can fit in a single menu, it can be time-consuming to link all the submenus together. When you use the Create Chapter Index command, you can generate the chapter submenus automatically.

For example, if your timeline has 18 chapter points, you can create a menu with six chapter buttons. When you choose Create Chapter Index, Encore generates three submenus, each containing six chapter buttons that link to the appropriate chapter points. Other navigation buttons, such as Next and Previous, are also updated automatically.

Automatically generated submenus

For a tutorial on creating a chapter index, visit Resource Center on the Adobe website.

Create a chapter index menu

Achapterindexmenucontainschapterbuttonsaswellasnavigationbuttonstotaketheviewerthroughthemenus that comprise the chapter index. The key to creating a chapter index menu is assigning the appropriate button types to the buttons. The button types identify the buttons so Encore can link them correctly when generating the index. For example, Encore links chapter buttons to chapter points, but leaves normal buttons unchanged.

1 Create or open the menu to use as the chapter index menu.

2 Add the necessary navigation buttons, such as Main Menu, Next, and Previous, to the menu.

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The Next and Previous buttons are linked automatically when the index chapters are generated. The Next and Previous buttons are hidden on the last and first submenus, respectively. If you do not include Next and Previous buttonsonamenuthatresultsinmultiplesubmenus,NextandPreviousbuttonsarecreatedautomatically.Youcan later change the appearance of these buttons.

3 Select a button, then in the Properties panel, choose the appropriate button setting from the Type menu. Repeat

for each button in the menu. Encore assigns a special layer name prefix for each type of button. For example, Chapter buttons have (+#) at the beginning of their layer names. (For more information, see “Layer name prefixes for menus” on page 98.)

Menu button types A. Main B. Chapter C. Previous D. Next

Chapter Links to a chapter point on the timeline.

Next Lets viewers jump to the next submenu.

Previous Lets viewers jump to the previous submenu.

Main Links to the main menu. Before you create the index, add a link from the Main button to the main menu in

your project.

Normal (default) Use for any other button.

4 Make sure that your chapter buttons are in the proper order. If ne cess ar y, s elect a bu tto n an d re ord er it us ing t he

Number menu in the Properties panel.

5 Add links for any other button (such as a Settings button) so that any additional submenus that are generated

include those links.

Create a chapter index

1 Open the chapter index menu.

2 Make sure that at least one of the chapter buttons is linked to the timeline containing the chapter points.

3 Choose Menu > Create Chapter Index.

The chapter buttons are linked to the chapter points. If there are more chapter points than buttons, additional submenus are created.

4 Open each submenu in the Menu Viewer, and check the links and button names. Edit the button text and button

properties as necessary.

Macromedia Encore - CS3 User Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Getting started

Installation

Requirements

Install the software

Activate the software

Register

Read Me

Adobe Help

Adobe Help resources

Using Help in the product

Resources

Adobe Video Workshop

Encore CS3 videos

Extras

Bridge Home

Adobe Design Center

Adobe Developer Center

Customer support

Downloads

Adobe Labs

User communities

New features

What’s new

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Workflow

Workflow overview

Workspace basics

About workspaces

Dock, group, or float panels

Resize panel groups

Open and close panels and windows

Working with multiple monitors

Use context, panel, and viewer menus

Use a context or panel menu

Use a viewer menu

Tools panel overview

Set preferences for your workspace

Managing workspaces

Choose a workspace

Save a custom workspace

Restore a workspace

Delete a workspace

Chapter 3: Planning the project

Planning the content

About planning

Planning with the Flowchart

Balancing file size and quality

File size and quality

Determining disc size

Set the disc size for DVD projects

Check the space remaining on your disc

Asset types and amounts

Data rates

Bit budgeting

About bit budgeting

Calculate a bit budget

Average asset size

Sample budget #1

Sample budget #2

Sample budget #3

Chapter 4: Creating projects and importing assets

Working with projects

About projects

Create and open projects

Move or rename projects

Aspect ratios

Pixel and screen aspect ratios

About still-image pixels

Specify an asset’s pixel aspect ratio

Specify the screen aspect ratio

Widescreen content on fullscreen TVs

Importing

Supported file formats for import

Advantages of transcoding before or after import

Import assets and menus