Macromedia Encore - CS4 User Guide

Using

ADOBE® ENCORE® CS4

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 otherwise, without the prior written permission of Adobe Systems Incorporated. Please note that the content in this guide is protected under copyright law even if it is not distributed with software that includes an end user license agreement.

The content of this guide is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe Systems Incorporated assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in 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 Bridge, Adobe Media Player, Adobe OnLocation, Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Creative Suite, Encore, Flash, Photoshop, Soundbooth, and XMP are either registered trademarks or trademarks 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 other countries. Apple and Mac OS are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their 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. (www.nellymoser.com)

This product includes software developed by the OpenSymphony Group (http://www.opensymphony.com/)

This product contains either BESAFE 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 to U.S. Government end users: The Software and Documentation are “Commercial Items,” as that term is defined at 48 C.F.R. §2.101, consisting of “Commercial Computer 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

Activation and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Help and support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

What’s new in Adobe Encore CS4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Workflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Workspace basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Managing workspaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Chapter 3: Planning the project

Planning the content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Balancing file size and quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Bit budgeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

iii

Chapter 4: Creating projects and importing assets

Working with projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Aspect ratios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Importing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Adobe Dynamic Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Working in the Project panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Manage the Project panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Viewing and editing XMP metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Transcript metadata in Flash output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Transcoding in Encore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Transcoding presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Chapter 5: Menus

Menu basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Creating menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Using Photoshop to create menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Edit menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

Styling and transforming menu objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Apply styles and transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Adding text to menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Add and format text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Button subpictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Menu color sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Button routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Creating styles for menu elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Video and audio in menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Menu timing and looping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Menu templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Contents

Chapter indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Using After Effects to enhance menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Chapter 6: Timelines and slide shows

Timeline basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Create and manage timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Editing assets in timelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Slide show basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Editing slide shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

Chapter points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Chapter 7: Audio and subtitles

Audio clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Subtitle basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Subtitle scripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Subtitle colors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

Navigation for audio and subtitle tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

Closed captions basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Chapter 8: Creating and managing links

Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145

Setting navigation and properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Playlists and chapter playlists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

Working in the Flowchart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

User operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

Chapter 9: Testing and building the final product

Testing Encore projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Security and additional content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

Building the finished project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169

Exporting projects to Flash format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

Workflow for publishing Flash output to Adobe Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

Viewing published Flash output on Adobe Media Player . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

Chapter 10: Keyboard shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Index ...............................................................................................................185

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, 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.

Activation and registration

Help with installation

For help with installation issues, see the Installation Support Center at www.adobe.com/go/cs4install.

License activation

During the installation process, your Adobe software contacts Adobe to complete the license activation process. No personal data is transmitted. For more information on product activation, visit the Adobe website at

www.adobe.com/go/activation.

A single-user retail license activation supports two computers. For example, you can install the product on a desktop computer at work and on a laptop computer at home. If you want to install the software on a third computer, first deactivate it on one of the other two computers. Choose Help

> Deactivate.

Register

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

software.

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

Adobe Product Improvement Program

After you use your Adobe software a certain number of times, a dialog box may appear asking whether you want to participate in the Adobe Product Improvement Program.

If you choose to participate, data about your use of Adobe software is sent to Adobe. No personal information is recorded or sent. The Adobe Product Improvement Program only collects information about which features and tools you use and how often you use them.

You can opt in to or out of the program at any time:

• To participate, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click Yes, Participate.

• To stop participating, choose Help > Adobe Product Improvement Program and click No, Thank You.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Getting started

ReadMe

A ReadMe file for your software is available online and on the installation disc. Open the file to read important information about topics such as the following:

• System requirements

• Installation (including uninstalling the software)

• Activation and registration

• Font installation

• Troubleshooting

• Customer support

• Legal notices

Help and support

Community Help

Community Help is an integrated environment on adobe.com that gives you access to community-generated content moderated by Adobe and industry experts. Comments from users help guide you to an answer.

Community Help draws on a number of resources, including:

• Videos, tutorials, tips and techniques, blogs, articles, and examples for designers and developers.

• Complete online product Help, which is updated regularly by the Adobe documentation team.

• All other content on Adobe.com, including knowledgebase articles, downloads and updates, Developer

Connection, and more.

Use the help search field in your product’s user interface to access Community Help directly, or Press F1 from within the product to access the product Help and Support page, a portal to all of the Community Help content for your product.

The sites searched by the default Community Help search engine are hand-selected and reviewed for quality by Adobe and Adobe Community Experts. Adobe experts also work to ensure that the top search results include a mixture of different kinds of content, including results from online product Help.

For a video overview of Community Help, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4117_xp.

Product Help

Adobe provides a comprehensive user guide for each product in several formats, including online product Help, PDF, and printed book. Results from online product Help are included in your results whenever you search Community Help.

If you’re connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens the product Help and Support page by default. This page is a portal to all of the Community Help content for the product. If you want to consult or search online product Help only, you can access it by clicking the product Help link in the upper-right corner of the Help and Support page. Be sure to select the This Help System Only option before you do your search.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Getting started

If you’re not connected to the Internet, the Help menu within the product opens local Help, a subset of the content available in online product Help. Because local Help is not as complete or up-to-date as online product Help, Adobe recommends that you use the PDF version of product Help if you want to stay off-line. A downloadable PDF of complete product Help is available from two places:

• The product’s Help and Support page (upper-right corner of the page)

• Local and web Help (upper-right corner of the Help interface)

If you are working in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, Fireworks, or Dreamweaver, and you want to turn off Community Help so that local Help opens by default, do the following:

1 Open the Connections panel (Window > Extensions > Connections).

2 From the Connections panel menu , select Offline Options.

3 Select Keep Me Offline and click OK.

Printed resources

Printed versions of the complete online product Help are available for the cost of shipping and handling at

www.adobe.com/go/store.

Support resources

Visit the Adobe Support website at www.adobe.com/support to learn about free and paid technical support options.

Resources

Adobe creative online services

Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 includes new online features that bring the power of the web to your desktop. Use these features to connect with the community, collaborate, and get more from your Adobe tools. Powerful creative online services let you complete tasks ranging from color matching to data conferencing. The services seamlessly integrate with desktop applications so you can quickly enhance existing workflows. Some services offer full or partial functionality when you’re offline too.

Visit Adobe.com to learn more about available services. Some Creative Suite 4 applications include these initial offerings:

Kuler™ panel Quickly create, share, and explore color themes online.

Adobe® ConnectNow Collaborate with dispersed working teams over the web, sharing voice, data, and multimedia.

Resource Central Instantly access tutorials, sample files, and extensions for Adobe digital video applications.

For information on managing your services, see the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/go/learn_creativeservices_en.

Adobe Exchange

Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/exchange to download samples as well as thousands of plug-ins and extensions from Adobe and third-party developers. The plug-ins and extensions can help you automate tasks, customize workflows, create specialized professional effects, and more.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Getting started

Adobe downloads

Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, tryouts, and other useful software.

Adobe Labs

Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/labs gives you the opportunity to experience and evaluate 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 users.

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. The Adobe development teams use this feedback to create software that meets the needs and expectations of the community.

Adobe TV

Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com to view instructional and inspirational videos.

Extras

The installation disc contains a variety of extras to help you make the most of your Adobe software. Some extras are installed on your computer during the setup process; others are located on the disc.

To view the extras installed during the setup process, navigate to the application folder on your computer.

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

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

To view the extras on the disc, navigate to the Goodies folder in your language folder on the disc. Example:

• /English/Goodies/

What’s new in Adobe Encore CS4

No-render import from Adobe Premiere® Pro With Adobe Dynamic Link, import Adobe Premiere Pro sequences

directly into Encore® and author discs—no prior rendering required. Get the changes made in the Premiere Pro sequence dynamically reflected in your Encore project assets. With the improved Adobe Dynamic Link, you render only once—when you build the project.

Blu-ray pop-up menus Create “button over video” menus on your HD Blu-ray videos. Import any regular menu on to

your Blu-ray project and have these controls appear transparently over the playing video clip.

Set menu loop back for motion menus Control how your viewers watch the looping in motion menus. Set the starting

and ending points of motion menus that are separated by a long interval by setting a loop point in a motion menu, rather than at the beginning.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Getting started

Increased control on Adobe Flash®output Gain more control on your content delivery over the web with FLV or F4V

files. Encore CS4 supports Flash media streaming—allowing you to provide a richer user experience with players like Adobe® Media Player. With support for the new F4V format, you get crisper rich media file with smaller file size that you can deliver from a streaming server. In addition, design your own HTML template to host the Flash output, and provide web links that open web pages you want your viewers to see.

Resource Central Connect to a single location for accessing resources such as fresh, new content and news, tutorials,

and training materials, without leaving your workflow.

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Adobe® Encore® CS4 provides a flexible workspace that you can quickly optimize for your working style.

Workflow

Workflow and workspace basics

Encore lets you create many different kinds of projects for DVDs, Blu-ray discs, or interactive Adobe 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. For an overview of Encore CS4, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4226_enc.

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

Plan the project

Regardless of the project's complexity, it is helpful to plan the content and flow of your project. Whether you sketch 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 15.

Simple sketch of intended navigation scheme

Import assets

Prepare your source material (assets) for the project, and import them into Encore. The assets include any video, still images, audio, and subtitles for your project. You can import Adobe Premiere® Pro sequences without rendering them through the Adobe Dynamic Link. For information, see

“Import assets and menus” on page 31.

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, and chapter playlists. For information, see

“About timelines” on page 108, “About slide shows” on page 119,

“Playlists” on page 152, and “Chapter playlists” on page 153.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

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®. For information, see

menus” on page 51.

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 Menu Viewer, use the Properties panel, or work with navigation in 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

Make video and audio compatible (transcoding)

If you imported video and audio files that aren’t DVD or Blu-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

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 163, and “Check a project” on page 166.

“About transcoding” on page 45.

“Project navigation and links” on page 145.

“About

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,

“Build a DVD or Blu-ray disc” on page 169.

see

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 172.

See also

Create Encore projects video

Workspace basics

About workspaces

Adobe video and audio applications provide a consistent, customizable workspace. Although each application has its own set of panels (such as Project, Metadata, and Timeline), you move and group panels in the 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.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

You customize a workspace by arranging panels in the layout that best suits your working style. As you rearrange panels, the other panels resize automatically to fit the window. You can create and save several custom workspaces for different tasks—for example, one for editing and one for previewing.

You can use floating windows to create a workspace more like those in previous versions of Adobe applications, or to place panels on multiple monitors.

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

Dock, group, or float panels

You can dock panels together, move them into or out of groups, and undock them so they float above the application window. As you drag a 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.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

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

Grouping zones

Grouping zones exist in the middle of a panel or group, and along the tab area of panels. Grouping a panel stacks it with other panels.

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

Dock or group panels

1 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.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

Drag panel gripper to move one panel

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

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 and modify it similarly to the application window. You can use floating windows to make use of a secondary monitor, or to create workspaces 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 drag the 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 taskbar.)

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.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

To quickly maximize a panel beneath the pointer, press the tilde (~) key. (Do not press Shift.) Press the 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, close, and scroll to panels

Even if a panel is open, it may be out of sight, beneath other panels. Choosing a panel from the Window menu brings it to the front. Likewise, if a panel group is very narrow, a scroll bar above the group reveals all the panel tabs.

When you close a panel group in the application window, the other groups resize to make use of the newly available space. When you close a floating window, the panels within it close, too.

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

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

• To see all the panel tabs in a narrow panel group, drag the horizontal scroll bar.

Drag horizontal scroll bar to see all panels in narrow group

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

Working with multiple monitors

To increase the available screen space, use multiple monitors. When you work with multiple monitors, the application window appears on one 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 8

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. 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.

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

projects” on page 129, and “About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 63.)

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

“About text in menus” on page 74, “About subtitles in DVD

Set preferences for workspace

You can set numerous preferences for your workspace. These include adjusting the brightness of the user interface and controlling the default television standard used for creating projects.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

Set workspace appearance preferences

Appearance preferences include software-wide settings that affect your workspace.

1 Choose Edit > Preferences > Appearance (Windows) or Encore > Preferences > Appearance (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, to open all menus in a single Menu Viewer, deselect Menus. When a single viewer contains more than one item, use its viewer menu to access the desired element. For more information, see

menu” on page 12.

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.

“Use a viewer

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.

Clean Database Frees up additional disc space by removing old files in the media cache database shared by Adobe

audio and video applications. The database tracks media accelerator files that improve performance and speed. For example, if Adobe Premiere Pro creates a conformed audio file, and you import media with that audio into Encore, Encore uses the file from Adobe Premiere Pro instead of creating a new conformed file. The media cache database informs Encore of the conformed file’s location.

Write XMP IDs to Files On Import Automatically inserts a unique document ID into each imported file. These IDs

ensure that all Adobe Production Premium applications access the same cached previews and conformed audio files, preventing additional rendering and conforming. This is a global setting—a change in one Production Premium application affects all the others. This setting also results in new file modification dates when IDs are initially inserted.

To save rendering time when transferring a project to another machine, move both cached and original files.

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

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

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Workflow and workspace

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; 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, reset, or delete workspaces

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 the frames and panels as desired, and then choose Window > Workspace > New Workspace. Type a name

for the workspace, and click

Note: If a project saved with a custom workspace is opened on another system, the application looks 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.

Reset a workspace

Reset the current workspace to return to its original, saved layout of panels.

❖ Choose Window > Workspace > Reset workspace name.

OK.

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® 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

The first task of authoring the project is planning. This planning can be as minimal as deciding to use a template to 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

A well-produced project employs a hierarchy of navigation that gives the viewer clear and easy access to the content. Think through your project. After you decide which clips you want to include, you need to determine how the viewer will access those clips. Whether you use a spreadsheet 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 or high-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 174

“Tips for creating Flash projects” on page 174

“About bit budgeting” on page 19

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Planning the project

Planning with the Flowchart

The Flowchart feature provides a visual interface that helps you to plan and manage the creation of the project. Use the Flowchart from the initial stages of the project, when you determine navigation and begin organizing assets.

Note: If you’re new to authoring these types of projects, plan your navigation scheme on paper and start using the Flowchart after 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 you want to refine. Beyond providing a visual representation of the project, the Flowchart also lets you perform many authoring tasks, such as setting project navigation.

If your project contains multiple hierarchical objects, use the zoom controls on the flowchart panel to view the relevant parts of the flowchart. In addition, the tool tips show asset names when you hover the mouse over them.

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

See also

“Flowchart overview” on page 154

Flowchart planning video

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).

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 45

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.

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Planning the project

Encore also supports DLT (digital linear tape), which requires a DLT drive connected to your computer, as well as dual-layer DVDs and dual-sided DVDs. Check your DVD recorder’s documentation to see if it can create dual-sided or dual-layer discs. If your disc recorder cannot produce these discs, Encore can still create the project files for them, 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 169 and “Specify a layer break for dual-layer DVDs” on page 171.)

Note: Be aware that +R discs may be incompatible with some DVD players. Before duplicating a large quantity of discs, 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 Blu-ray

disc” on page 169 and “Replicating discs” on page 171.)

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

represent the two layers of the first project (Side 1). The other two tapes represent the two layers of 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.

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 17

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 the actual bit rate of any transcoded clips and, based on the disc size, calculates the space remaining on your disc.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Planning the project

When transcoding assets, Encore attempts to maintain the highest quality (highest data rate) for the amount of video 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 you if quality dips below a certain level once you build the project or run Check Project. For more information, see

❖ 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.

“About transcoding” on page 45.

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, on the other hand, occupies only 11.5 MB. Still menus are negligible in terms of size. (See

The amount of video in a project directly affects the optimal data rate. You need an accurate tally of the amount of video in a project to develop a bit budget and to choose a disc size. If the project contains 1 hour of video, for example, it can be transcoded at twice the data rate as a project with 2 hours of video content. Although the video content in 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).

“Average asset size” on page 20.)

See also

“About transcoding” on page 45

Data rates

Data rates, usually expressed in Mbps (megabits per second, or 1,000,000 bits per second), specify the amount of 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 Blu-ray projects and from 4 to 9 40 Mbps for Blu-ray projects or 9.0 Mbps. Typical data rates for video range between 4 and 6 Mbps. If bit budgeting targets a data rate less than 6 Mbps,

2.0 consider using variable bit rate (VBR) encoding. For more information about VBR, see page 19. For more information about transcoding, see “About transcoding” on page 45.

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 of compression used as well as data rate. For example, video of a seated person shot against a solid background 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.

Mbps may or may not produce a high-quality asset; quality depends on the image data and type

Mbps for DVD projects. You can edit the presets’ data rates, but you cannot exceed

Mbps for DVD projects, nor can you go below the Encore minimum data rate of

“Calculate a bit budget” on

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Planning the project

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, simply checking the amount of available space on the Build panel during the authoring process is usually sufficient 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 motion menus (other types of content are negligible in terms of bit budgeting), and subtracting that amount from the total disc space. For more information, see

Note: If you include ROM content, make sure to include it in the space calculation. (See “Add ROM content to the

disc” on page 168.)

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 rate limit gives you a video rate of 6.8 within the disc data rate limit. If your target data rate is below 6 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.)

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 = 1024 bytes), while optical disc (DVD) capacity is labeled as a power of 10 (1 power-of-10 scheme for bit budgeting. The following conversion factors will aid in the calculations: 1 = 1,000,000,000 bytes = 8,000,000,000

bits; 1,000,000 bits = 1 Mbit.

Mbps.) Your goal is to determine the highest possible target video data rate

“Average asset size” on page 20.

Mbps, subtracting that from the 9.8 Mbps DVD data

Mbps, consider using variable bit rate (VBR)

KB = 2^10 bytes

KB = 10^3 bytes = 1,000 bytes). Use the

GB = 10^9 bytes

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Planning the project

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

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

(0.192

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

Mbps per subpicture stream for calculations.

0.010

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 bit budgeting and can usually be left out of the calculation. Still menus

KB in size.

average 230

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 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 the end, then the still is written to the disc (displayed for 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 bit-budgeting purposes.

KB in size, which is typically negligible for bit budgeting. If you have a large

Sample budget #1

Bit budgeting for a 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.

bits.

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

2 Calculate the disc space available for video. Combine the size of the audio, subtitles, motion menus, 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. Since this example has no audio, subtitles, or motion menus, you subtract only the 4% for overhead bits) to get a value of 36,096,000,000 bits.

(1,504,000,000

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 bps. Divide the bps amount by 1 million bits per Mbit to convert the video data rate to Mbps.

4,523,308.27 Mbps.

4,523,308.27 / 1,000,000 = 4.5

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 close to the maximum rate for DVD, you can lower it to 9.0

The video will fit on the disc using a data rate of 4.5 Mbps. This data rate (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

bits / (133 minutes x 60 seconds per minute) =

Mbps. 9.8 Mbps - 0 = 9.8 Mbps. Because this is very

Mbps to be safe.

Mbps.

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Planning the project

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

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

• 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

minutes x 60 seconds per minute x 0.192 Mbps) + (120 minutes x 60 seconds per minute x 0.448 Mbps) =

(120 Mbits.

5,990.4

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

Mbits.

144

• 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 +

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

270

• 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 Mbps.

8.16

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

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

Mbits / (120 minutes x 60 seconds per minute) =

Mbps: 9.8 Mbps - (0.192 + 0.192 + 0.448 + 0.010 + 0.010) = 8.95 Mbps.

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 25-GB disc:

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

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-minute slide show audio stream = 8 minutes x 60 seconds x 0.192 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.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Planning the project

• 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) by the 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® 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. For a video tutorial on authoring for Blu-ray discs, see

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4079_enc.

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 Blu-ray Disc frame size Aspect ratio Regions

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

Note: The preceding table specifies output requirements. Requirements for imported assets vary. See “Supported file

formats for import” on page 29.

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

4:3 or 16:9 North America, Japan

4:3 or 16:9 Europe

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Working with Resource Central

The Resource Central panel connects you to the latest, dynamically updated content on the Adobe website. With Resource Central, you can access product-related news and tutorials using the Resource Central panel in Adobe Encore® CS4. You can browse through a vast library of templates and other assets that you can download right into your project. Resource Central also helps you get updated information about events and product updates.

Search in Resource Central

1 Select Windows > Resource Central Viewer to display the Resource Central panel.

2 Type in your search text and press Enter.

3 Navigate through the search results and click to select the pages that you want to view.

Download assets from Resource Central

You can browse through different categories of assets that are dynamically updated in the Resource Central and download the ones you require. You can download assets such as menus in high definition and standard definition.

1 Select Window > Resource Central Viewer to display the Resource Central panel.

2 To search for the assets, do one of the following:

• Type the asset type that you want to search in the search box and press Enter.

• Select the asset type from the Resource Central panel.

3 Browse through the assets to select the asset you want to download.

4 Click the down arrow button to download the asset into your project.

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 at a time. For a video tutorial on creating a project in Encore, see

See also

“About transcoding” on page 45

“Transcode settings” on page 45

“Preset options for audio” on page 48

Create a new project

When you create a 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

1 Choose File > New > Project.

2 In the Basic tab of the New Project dialog box, type a project name (Encore assigns 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, dimensions, and codec.

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4227_enc.

> Project Settings.

Creating projects and importing assets

5 Optionally, in the Advanced tab, do the following:

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

• Select a Maximum Audio/Video Bitrate value (these data rate values are different for DVD and Blu-ray projects)

and an Audio Transcoding Scheme.

• If you have installed third-party cards for video capture and playback, select the player. You can change this

setting later. See

6 Click OK to create the project file and folder.

“Using third-party hardware and player” on page 162

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]

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

(Mac 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 folder level as the project file), which stores previews, transcoded assets, and other files used in the project. You can move a project file and its folder as long as you keep the relative positions the same. If you must rename a project, make sure that you match the new project filename with the new project folder name.

Move a project

❖ To move the project, drag the folder and file to a new location, or copy and paste them in the new location. Make

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

Note: When you open a project file you’ve moved, a dialog box may appear if the application can’t locate specific assets. You can either relink them in the dialog box, select Offline to open the project without them, or select Skip or Skip All 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

❖ To rename the project, select the file and folder in Microsoft® Windows® Explorer or the Mac OS Finder and enter

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

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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 dimensions 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 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 Widescreen 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.

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. This video displays 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.

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 includes a majority of widescreen content, actually uses screen aspect ratios ranging from 1.66 to 1.85, or even 2.35 for scope footage. However, 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.

Creating projects and importing assets

Note: Assets in a DVD project that share a timeline must have the same aspect ratio. This restriction does not apply to your Blu-ray projects.

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About still-image pixels

Most digital still cameras and graphic applications use square pixels. You should set the pixel aspect ratio of still-image assets to square to ensure that they display correctly. An exception to this rule are files created in

Photoshop® CS3 and Adobe Photoshop CS2. Photoshop lets you work in nonsquare pixels when creating

Adobe 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 it correctly. If you need to change an asset’s pixel aspect ratio, you can use the Interpret Footage 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 27.

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 (0.9091) or SD PAL (1.0940) for a standard-definition file created using nonsquare pixels with an

aspect ratio of 0.9091 (NTSC) or 1.0940 (PAL).

• SD NTSC Widescreen (1.2121) or SD PAL Widescreen (1.4587) for a standard-definition file created using

nonsquare pixels with an aspect ratio of 1.2121 (NTSC) or 1.4587 (PAL).

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

4 Click OK.

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. However, in a DVD project, you must keep the same aspect ratio for the assets that share a timeline. For more information about setting the ratio for video timelines, see

pixel aspect ratio” on page 27.

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.

“Specify an asset’s

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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 method stores the original widescreen 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 format and 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 Crops the widescreen video to fit the fullscreen frame. Pan and scan loses the visual data outside of the

4:3 frame. Traditionally, an editor 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.

A B

C D

16:9 NTSC footage A. Original B. Displayed by a DVD player using the original widescreen format on a widescreen TV C. Using automatic pan and scan to crop the image on a 4:3 TV D. Using automatic letterbox to reduce resolution and display the entire image on a 4:3 TV

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Importing

Supported file formats for import

Imported files may require 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

Frame rate (frames per second) 29.97

23.976*

23.978*

24*

Frame size (pixels) 720 x 480

720 x 486

704 x 480

*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

720 x 576

704 x 576

25i

50p

720 x 576

1280 x 720

1440 x 1080

1920 x 1080

Note: If the high-definition video assets that you import are H.264 encoded, transcode them to 23.976 fps if assets have 24 fps frame rate. Encore cannot burn a Blu-ray project with H.264 assets set to 24 fps.

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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)

• 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-compliant file is too high for the amount of content, the program transcodes the file to bring its data rate down.

Creating projects and importing assets

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

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.

“Add chapter points” on page 125.)

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

See also

“Transcoding in Encore” on page 45

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.

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 29.

Import as an asset

1 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 Microsoft 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

1 Choose File > Import As > Timeline.

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

“About timelines” on page 108.

Import still images as a slide show

When you import image files as a slide show, Encore places both the images and the slide show in the Project panel. 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 119.

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,

discontiguous files by holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac

OS) and clicking them.

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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 can customize 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 those layers as specific menu elements, such as buttons and subpictures. (See

name prefixes for menus” on page 64.) 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.

“Layer

Import a PSD file as a pop-up menu

You can import a PSD file to set it as a Blu-ray pop-up menu. For a pop-up menu, the image background of the PSD file is ignored. See

“Blu-ray pop-up menus” on page 93

1 On Windows, choose File > Import As > Pop-up Menu. On Mac OS, right-click the Project panel, and select Import

> Pop-up Menu.

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

Importing from Adobe Premiere Pro

You can import movie files from Adobe Premiere® Pro into Encore through the Adobe Dynamic Link without rendering. When you export from Adobe original file in Encore. Even though you can import an empty sequence from Adobe timelines based on these empty sequences. Thus, you cannot link the imported sequence as the motion background for menus that you create. For more information, see page 117.

Encore chapter markers in Adobe Premiere Pro (formerly called DVD markers) are used to create corresponding chapter points in Encore. If the Name fields for the markers do not contain any text, Encore autogenerates 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

Premiere Pro, files containing numbered markers with text in the Chapter fields are recognized as Encore chapter

Adobe markers. (Using numbered markers instead of Encore chapter markers in Adobe

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 Adobe Dynamic Link between Encore and Adobe Premiere Pro, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0250.

Premiere Pro using the Adobe Dynamic Link, you can open and edit the

Premiere Pro, you cannot create

“Edit clips in Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects” on

Premiere Pro is not recommended.)

See also

Video on creating DVDs with Adobe Premiere Pro files

Dynamic Link video

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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

Dynamic Link option provides the most workflow-friendly import. It lets you import an After Effects

Adobe composition without rendering it. Using Adobe needed to update either file until you build the project.

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

If you want 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 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 Markers in Adobe After Effects Help.

For a video tutorial about using Adobe Dynamic Link between Adobe After Effects and Encore, see

www.adobe.com/go/vid0250.

See also

Adobe Dynamic Link video

Dynamic Link, you can switch between Encore and After Effects as

Effects Help for more information on exporting

Add items or sets to the Library

The Library panel contains predesigned templates for menus and other design elements, such as 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.

“About menus” on page 51.)

(See

Category File type File must contain

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

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

Image PSD, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF Image file, or a PSD file not imported as a

Replacement Layers PSD A single-layer PSD file with a (!) in the name;

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.

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

menu or button.

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

Background PSD Background layer only.

Creating projects and importing assets

Category File type File must contain

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Layer set PSD A single layer set without the button layer-

Text PSD A single text layer. (No background layer.)

Vector Shape PSD A single vector-shape layer. (No

name prefix. (No background layer.)

background layer.)

Add an item to the library

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

• In the Menu Viewer or the Project panel, select the button, layer, or layer set you want to add, and then drag it to

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 Open.

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

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 or Master Collection 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 re render 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 Suite® Production Premium and Master Collection, offers an alternative to this workflow: the ability to create dynamic links between After and Soundbooth®. Creating a dynamic link is as simple as importing any other type of asset, and dynamically linked assets appear with unique icons and label colors to help you identify them. Dynamic links are saved in project, composition, and document files generated by these applications.

Changes you make in After Effects to a dynamically linked composition appear immediately in the linked clips in

Premiere Pro, Encore, or Soundbooth. Changes you make to dynamically linked sequences in

Adobe

Premiere Pro appear immediately in After Effects, Encore, and Soundbooth. You don’t have to render or save

Adobe changes first.

For a video tutorial on Adobe Dynamic Link, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4108_xp.

Linking to and from Adobe Premiere Pro

You can send selected clips from Adobe Premiere Pro into After Effects as a composition or nested composition, replacing the clips in Adobe in After Effects are reflected immediately in Adobe

Premiere Pro with a dynamically linked composition. Changes made to the composition

Premiere Pro.

Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore®,

Creating projects and importing assets

With Adobe Dynamic Link, you can also send sequences from Adobe Premiere Pro into Encore for authoring to DVD, Blu-ray Disc, or SWF files. Changes made in Adobe immediately in Encore.

Other ways to share content among Production Premium applications include copying and pasting between After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro, exporting After Effects projects to Adobe Premiere Pro, using the Capture In

Premiere Pro command in After Effects, and importing Adobe Premiere Pro projects into After Effects. You

Adobe cannot, however, import an Adobe

Effects composition. For more information, see the relevant sections of each application’s Help documents.

After

Linking to and from After Effects

When you dynamically link to an After Effects composition from Adobe Premiere Pro, Encore, or Soundbooth, it appears in the host application’s Project panel. You can use the dynamically linked composition as you would any other asset. When you insert a linked composition into the host application 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 host application.

In Adobe Premiere Pro, you can preview a dynamically linked After Effects composition in the Source Monitor, set In and Out points, add it to a sequence, and use Adobe Premiere Pro tools to edit it. When you add a linked composition that contains both video and audio to a sequence, Adobe Premiere Pro inserts linked video and audio clips in the timeline. You can unlink the video from the audio to edit the clips separately.

Premiere Pro project into After Effects if the project contains a dynamic link to an

Premiere Pro to dynamically linked sequences appear

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

In Encore, you can use a dynamically linked After Effects composition to create a motion menu, or you can insert it into a timeline and use Adobe Encore tools to edit it. When you add a linked After Effects composition that contains both video and audio to an Encore timeline, Encore inserts separate video and audio clips in the timeline.

Outside of Adobe Dynamic Link, you can create After Effects compositions from Encore menus.

Linking to Soundbooth

In Soundbooth, you can dynamically link to After Effects compositions and Adobe Premiere Pro sequences. The resulting video previews provide helpful visual references for audio edits. Changes made in After

Premiere Pro are reflected immediately in Soundbooth.

Adobe

Effects and

See also

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4108_xp

www.adobe.com/go/learn_dv_tutorial_dynlink_en

Saving and Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

You must save your After Effects project at least once before you can create a dynamic link from Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to a composition within it. However, you don’t have to subsequently save changes to an After to see changes to a linked composition in Adobe

Premiere Pro or Encore.

Effects project

If you use the Save As command to copy an After Effects project that contains compositions referenced by

Dynamic Link, Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore uses the original composition—not the new copy—as its source

Adobe for the linked composition. You can relink a composition to the new copy at any time.

Creating projects and importing assets

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Managing performance and Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

Because a linked composition may reference a complex source composition, actions you perform on a linked composition may require additional processing time as After available to Adobe 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 referencing a 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.

Premiere Pro or Encore. In some cases, the additional processing time may delay preview or

Effects applies the actions and makes the final data

Color and Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection 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 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 dynamic range) assets.

Effects project color depth to 32 bpc if you’re working with HDR (high

Premiere Pro either converts it to YUV

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. However, this option may slow processing.

Link to a new composition with Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection 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

Premiere Pro or Encore project. (If After Effects is already running, it creates a new composition in the current

Adobe project.) The new composition name is based on the Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore project name, followed by “Linked Comp [x].”

Note: After Effects will not create a new composition by Dynamic Link if a composition is already open. Before creating a Dynamic Link to a new composition from Adobe

Effects itself open, however.

After

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

If the After Effects Save As dialog box appears, enter a name and location for the After Effects project, and click Save.

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, choose Composition > Composition Settings. Click the Basic tab, and

specify a new value for Duration.

Premiere Pro, close all After Effects compositions. You can leave

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Link to an existing composition with Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection only)

For best results, composition settings (such as dimensions, pixel aspect ratio, and frame rate) should match those used in the Adobe

❖ 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.

• In Adobe Premiere Pro, choose File > Import. Choose an After Effects project file and click Open, and then choose

a composition in the Import Composition dialog box and click

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

the Encore Project panel.

• Drag an After Effects project file into the Adobe Premiere Pro Project panel. If the After Effects project file contains

multiple compositions, Adobe

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 Adobe Dynamic Link compositions that were created using Create

Effects Composition from Encore, turn off subpicture highlight layers in After Effects so that you can control

After their display in Encore.

Premiere Pro or Adobe Encore project.

OK.

Premiere Pro displays the Import Composition dialog box.

Dynamically linked After Effects compositions

Delete a dynamically linked composition or clip (Production Premium or Master Collection 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

You can delete linked clips, which are simply references to the linked composition in the Project panel, from the timeline of an Adobe

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

Premiere Pro sequence or from an Encore menu or timeline at any time.

Premiere Pro project at any time, even if the composition is used in a project.

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

Use the Edit Original command in Adobe Premiere Pro or Encore to edit a linked After Effects composition. Once

Effects is open, you can make edits without having to use the Edit Original command again.

After

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

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

The changes made in After Effects will appear in Adobe Premiere Pro, but any preview files Adobe Premiere Pro may have rendered for the clip prior to the changes will be invalidated.

> Edit Original.

Creating projects and importing assets

Note: If you change the name of the composition in After Effects after you’ve created a dynamic link to it from

Premiere Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro doesn’t update the linked composition name in the Project panel, but retains

Adobe the dynamic link.

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

Offline compositions and Adobe Dynamic Link (Production Premium or Master Collection 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 a system on which Production Premium or Master

Collection 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 an offline 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

You can take a dynamically linked composition offline if low system resources are 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 or Master Collection installed. When you take a composition offline, you sever the dynamic link with

Effects, and the linked composition is replaced in the Project panel with an offline composition.

After

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

❖ 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

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

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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 chapter playlists 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.

H I

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

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 129.)

Project panel columns

The Project panel contains the following columns, which provide information about the assets you’ve imported. To show or hide any of these columns, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac 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.

OS) on a column header and choose

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

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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

page 45.)

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 45.)

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.)

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 42.)

Manage the Project panel

Customize the Project panel

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

Sort items

❖ Click the column name representing the category by which you want to sort the items. Successive clicks sort them

alternately in ascending or descending order.

Hide or show a column

❖ Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) anywhere in a column header, and choose the column you 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

, drag the edge. You can also double-click on the right edge of the column you want to resize. The panel

cursor 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.

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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

• To create a folder at the root level in the Project panel, make sure that nothing is selected, and then choose File >

> Folder.

New

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

> Folder.

New

• You can also create a folder by clicking the Create A New Item button at the bottom of the Project panel and

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

Rename a folder

1 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 in the upper-left corner of the Project panel. Text next to the thumbnail displays the filename and file 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.

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

Preview a video or audio asset

1 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.

“Scale and crop still images” on page 118.)

Show or hide the preview thumbnail

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

Creating projects and importing assets

USING ADOBE ENCORE CS4

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 select the missing asset, skip the file, or work offline. Missing or offline assets names appear italicized 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.

Viewing and editing XMP metadata

About the Metadata panel and XMP

To streamline your workflow and organize your files, use metadata. Metadata is a set of descriptive information about a file. Video and audio files automatically include basic metadata properties, such as date, duration, and file type. You can add details with properties such as location, director, copyright, and much more.

With the Metadata panel, you can share this information about assets throughout Adobe video and audio applications. Unlike conventional clip properties, which are limited to only one application’s Project or Files panel, metadata properties are embedded in source files, so the data automatically appears in other applications. This sharing of metadata lets you quickly track and manage video assets as they move through your production workflow.

Note: Properties in the Metadata panel also appear in Adobe Bridge, providing additional details that help you quickly browse assets.

For a video about the Metadata panel, see www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4104_xp

Understanding schemas and properties

A metadata schema is a collection of properties specific to a given workflow. The Dynamic Media schema, for example, includes properties like Scene and Shot Location that are ideal for digital video projects. EXIF schemas, by contrast, include properties tailored to digital photography, like Exposure Time and Aperture Value. More general properties, like Date and Title, appear in the Dublin Core schema. To display different properties, see on page 43.

For information about a specific schema and property, hover the pointer over it in the Metadata panel. For most items, a tool tip appears with details.

“Show or hide metadata”

Creating projects and importing assets

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About the XMP standard

Adobe applications store metadata using the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP). XMP is built on XML, which facilitates the exchange of metadata across a variety of applications and publishing workflows. Metadata in most other formats (such as EXIF, GPS, and TIFF) automatically transfers to XMP so you can more easily view and manage it.

In most cases, XMP metadata is stored directly in source files. If a particular file format doesn’t support XMP, however, metadata is stored in a separate sidecar file.

Project assets without corresponding files don’t support XMP. Examples from Adobe Premiere Pro include Bars and Tone, Universal Counting Leader, Color Matte, Titles, Black Video, and Transparent Video.

To customize the creation and exchange of metadata, use the XMP Software Development Kit. For more information, visit the Adobe website.

Show or hide metadata

To optimize the Metadata panel for your workflow, show or hide entire schemas or individual properties, displaying only those that you need.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 To show or hide schemas or properties, select or deselect them from the list.

Save, switch, or delete metadata sets

If you use multiple workflows, each requiring different sets of displayed metadata, you can save sets and switch between them.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 Do any of the following:

• To save a customized set of displayed metadata, click Save Settings. Then enter a name, and click OK.

• To display a previously saved set of metadata, select it from the pop-up menu.

• To delete a previously saved set of metadata, select it from the pop-up menu, and click Delete Settings.

Create schemas and properties

If you have a unique, customized workflow that the default metadata options don’t address, create your own schemas and properties.

1 From the options menu for the Metadata panel, select Metadata Display.

2 Click New Schema, and enter a name. (Skip this step if you’re adding properties to the standard schema, Premiere

Project Metadata.)

3 In the list, click Add Property to the right of the schema name.

4 Enter a property name, and select one of the following for Type:

Integer Displays whole numbers that you drag across or double-click to replace.

Real Displays fractional numbers that you drag across or double-click to replace.

Text Displays a text box (for properties similar to Location).

Boolean Displays a check box (for On or Off properties).

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Edit metadata

In Adobe video applications, similarly named properties are linked in the Metadata and Project panels. However, the Metadata panel provides more extensive properties and lets you edit them for multiple files simultaneously.

Note: Instead of a Project panel, Adobe OnLocation uses the Shot List and Soundbooth uses the Files panel.

1 In the workspace, select the desired files or clips. (To apply similar metadata to multiple related files, Shift- or Ctrl-

click them.)

2 In the Metadata panel, edit text or adjust values as needed.

If you selected multiple items, the panel displays properties as follows:

• If a property matches for all items, the matching entry appears.

• If a property differs, <Multiple Values> appears. To apply matching values, click the text box, and type.

Search metadata

1 In the workspace, select the files or clips you want to search.

2 In the search box at the top of the Metadata panel, enter the text you want to find.

The list of metadata collapses to reveal only properties that contain your search string.

3 (Adobe Premiere Pro only) To navigate through the search results, click the Previous and Next buttons to

the right of the search box, or press Tab.

To exit the search mode and return to the full list of metadata, click the close button to the right of the search box.

A B

Metadata panel A. Before search, all properties appear B. After search, only properties with search string appear. In Adobe Premiere Pro, Previous and Next buttons navigate through search results.

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Transcript metadata in Flash output

Adobe Premiere Pro and Soundbooth let you convert spoken words into text transcripts, which you edit and search just like other metadata properties. This powerful technology lets you navigate to time locations at which specific words are spoken, helping you better align edits, advertising, and subtitles.

When you import assets from Premiere Pro, metadata including the speech transcripts that you created for these assets is imported. The transcript metadata is embedded chapter-wise in your Flash output when you export the project to Flash. You can search the Flash files for specific words and locate the scene in which the speech occurs.

In addition, you can use Adobe® Bridge® CS4 to search for and access your project files, preview and apply settings, run batch processes, and tag assets with XMP metadata panel in Encore.

Because the videos that you upload to websites contain searchable metadata, search engines such as Google can locate and present the videos that contain the specified search term.

Transcoding in Encore

About transcoding

Transcoding is the process by which Encore converts your original, non-DVD-compliant or non-Blu-ray Disccompliant video and audio asset files to the compliant elements that are burned to the disc. (Files that are already 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 customized for several different 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.

See also

“Transcode assets from the Project panel” on page 46

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 page 19.) You can override the Automatic data rate setting by specifying the Maximum Audio/Video Bitrate on the

“About bit budgeting” on

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Advanced tab of the Project Settings dialog box. (See “Transcode assets from the Project panel” on page 46.) Alternatively, you can specify a transcode preset for any of these assets.

Important: Set the encoding profile as Main for your H.264 video assets in your Blu-ray projects. You cannot burn a Bluray Disc if you set the encoding profile as High. See

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

“Preset options for video” on page 48

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 can assign 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 the Project panel. You can specify the maximum automatic data rate using the Advanced tab in the Project Settings dialog box.

Assign a transcode setting to an asset

1 In the Project panel, right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac OS) the asset you want to transcode, 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 47.)

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

1 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

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

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2 Choose Revert To Original.

Transcoding presets

About project transcode presets

You work with presets in the Export Settings 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 settings available. Use the Source tab to see the original, and use the Output tab to preview the effects of your selections.

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.

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

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See also

“About transcoding” on page 45

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:

Codec Displays the codec based on the export format you specified.

Frame Dimensions [Pixels] Specifies the frame dimension of the video.

Frame Rate [fps] Specifies the frame rate in frames per second.

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 which field of a frame occurs first. Use the same settings as the source. Only appears if you select

Interlaced as the Program Sequence option.

Pixel Aspect Ratio Specifies the pixel aspect ratio. See “Specify an asset’s pixel aspect ratio” on page 27.

Profile Specifies the encoding profile for generating the video stream. Applicable for H.264 encoding only.

Note: For Blu-ray projects, the encoding profile must be Main when you select H.264 as the encoding format. You cannot burn a Blu-ray disc when the encoding profile for a H.264 video asset is set to High.

Bitrate Encoding Specifies the compression technique used. Constant Bit Rate (CBR) compresses data to a fixed rate.

CBR keeps the rate constant by varying the amount of compression (and thereby quality) as required by the specified 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 [Mbps] Specifies the number of Mbps you want the encoded file to have. Only appears if you select CBR as the

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 analyzes the clip before encoding. Enabled for VBR only.

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

an average bit rate. (See

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

“Calculate a bit budget” on page 19.)

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 [Mbps] 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 Export Settings dialog box contains the following options, depending on the codec chosen:

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

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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 developed for multichannel digital sound and the 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.

Codec Specifies the codec for encoding the clip’s audio.

Audio Layer Specifies the audio layer used for encoding.

Frequency Specifies the audio sample rate in kHz.

Bitrate [Kbps] 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.

OK to close the dialog box.

Click

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.

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 or Video tab and adjust an option as desired. (See “Preset options for video” on page 48 and

“Preset options for audio” on page 48.)

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 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

1 Choose File > Edit Quality Presets.

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

Creating projects and importing assets

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.

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Import a preset

1 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 Open.

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

• 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.

. Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Specify a pre- or post-encoding task

Included with the transcode presets are pre- and post-encoding tasks. You can use these tasks to make changes to the asset either before or after it’s transcoded. 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 To add the post-encoding task of logging, click the Others tab and select the Log File Details checkbox. Then select

the details you want logged.

4 Click OK.

5 In the Choose Name dialog box, enter a name for the custom preset, select Save Filter Settings and/or Save Other

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.

Encore provides you multiple options to create and edit menus. You can create simple, basic menus with predesigned assets in Adobe® Encore® or edit them in Adobe advanced animations using Adobe

Encore uses the Photoshop file format for menus, providing you complete control in creating and enhancing your menus in Encore, Photoshop, or After asset from Encore and edit it Photoshop to fine-tune the designs. You can then take it to After animations of your choice, and then import into Encore as the final menu. In the entire workflow, Encore treats the menu that you are creating as a PSD file. For a video tutorial about working with menus, see

www.adobe.com/go/lrvid4228_enc.

After Effects®.

Effects. For example, you can start with a basic menu based on a predefined

Photoshop®. Further, you can add audio and video to your menus and

Effects to add

Menu basics

About menus

The main menu in an Adobe® Encore® project is usually the first screen the viewer sees. Depending upon the complexity of the contents, your project can 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 can have buttons to play the entire movie, select chapters, and set audio and subtitle options.

Main menus and submenus give viewers access to contents.

You can have your project display other types of menus (or video, for that matter) before leading to the main menu. For example, the startup screen can have a single-button welcome menu or a multi-button menu 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

states” on page 52.)

“Button subpicture

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Menus

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.

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.

Blu-ray pop-up menu A “button over video” menu that is available only for the Blu-ray Disc. Blu-ray pop-up menus

can be associated with one or more timelines. See

“Blu-ray pop-up menus” on page 93.

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 the viewer navigates to the button with the remote control or mouse. When a menu opens,

one button is always preselected.

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

Menus

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.

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 63.)

See also

“About button subpictures” on page 81

Menu Viewer overview

The Menu Viewer provides a canvas for creating and modifying a menu. You can place, 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. You use the Layers panel to view, navigate, and edit the layer structure of a menu. Use the Properties panel to change 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 Controls the magnification of the menu. Choose a preset 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 179.

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).

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

Menus

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.)

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

customize the routing only if the Automatically Route Buttons menu property is turned off. (See

“Change the routing

order” on page 90.)

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

New Guide Displays the New Guide dialog box, where you can specify the type of guide (horizontal or vertical) 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, or Wedding. You can create menus based on these 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.

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.

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Menus

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

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

Place

Places the selected item in the currently displayed menu. Buttons are added on the left edge of the title safe guide

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

Replace Replaces the objects selected in the menu with 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 70.)

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 Opens a dialog box to let you select a file. Once selected, adds the item to the Library panel and copies

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 99

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Menus

Set Library panel default menus and buttons

Each thematic set in the Library panel has a default menu, background, and button that Encore uses when 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

> New Menu command, click the Create A New Item button in the Project panel and choose Menu, or drag an

Menu 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 template or 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.

Layers panel overview

Encore uses the Photoshop® file structure for creating menus. The Layers panel in Encore displays the contents of the Photoshop file that is used as the basis for the menu. Therefore, you can edit menus in either program without losing the layer organization. The Layers panel is especially useful when working on multilayered menus, such as menu templates.

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 in the Layers panel. When you select a layer or layer set, selection handles appear on the element in the Menu Viewer. You can isolate elements to change them together or individually, view only specific layers while 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

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Menus

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 Hides or displays the layer in the Menu Viewer. The Eye icon next to a layer indicates that it

is visible. Hiding layers lets you work on a layer in isolation and makes it 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 52.)

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

Button/Object column Converts the layer to a button or back to an object. The Button icon indicates that the layer

indicates that it is locked.

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.

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.

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 pixel location of the menu, not the screen. Therefore, if you have menus created using square pixels in the same project as menus using rectangular pixels, guides placed at the same pixel location in each menu can result in different locations on the screen. For example, horizontal guides placed at 75 pixel do not line up between a 720 x 534-pixel menu (square pixels) and a 720 x 480-pixel menu (rectangular pixels).

Add a guide

1 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 Guide or Vertical Guide 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.

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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.

Menus

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

See also

“Renumber buttons” on page 89

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 page 174.)

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.

“Embed web links in your Flash project” on

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Name a menu button

By default, button names match the text on the buttons. If you change one, the other updates automatically. You can unlink the button name from the button text and name the button independently. You can also set a button name to 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 rename the button without affecting the text on the button in the menu, deselect Sync Button Text And

Name and type a name in the Name box.

• To match the button name with the name of the element linked to, deselect Sync Button Text And Name, and

select Set Name From Link.

• To match the button name and button text, 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.

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.

• To add a web link to the Flash output, select Enable Weblink For Flash, and then enter the URL for the link.

Specify the default button for a menu

Each time a menu appears, one button appears highlighted (selected) for the viewer. By default, this is button 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 89.)

For menus that let the viewer select audio and subtitle tracks, you can choose to highlight the active track’s button, 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 143

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.

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Predesigned buttons and backgrounds You can start with a predesigned menu background and use the predesigned

Menus

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 58.)

See also

“Create menus using predesigned assets” on page 60

“Add objects to a menu” on page 61

“About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 63

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, Blu-ray, 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 61

“About creating menus in Photoshop” on page 63

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 changing the text, or you can swap out images that better reflect the look and feel of your project. The buttons on the 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 99.)

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

to display the predesigned menus.

button

2 Select the menu that you want to use, and click the New Menu button at the bottom of the Library panel. (Press

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

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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:

• Edit the text. In the Tools panel, click the appropriate text tool. Then, click in the menu to create a new text

object, 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 69.)

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

page 149.)

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 Of Buttons 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.

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Buttons, in order to function as individual navigation links, cannot overlap each other. As you add buttons to 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).

See also

“About replacement layers” on page 101

“Library panel overview” on page 54

“Move objects in a menu” on page 66

Add objects from the Library panel to a menu

1 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-click any 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

1 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 directly to the menu.

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Using Photoshop to create menus

About creating menus in Photoshop

Encore is designed to work directly with Adobe Photoshop to build and edit menus and buttons. You can create entire menus or elements for menus (such as buttons and backgrounds) in Photoshop and import them directly into Encore. You can also edit Encore menus at any time in Photoshop, and have the changes updated immediately.

Menus, including the menus created in Encore, use the Photoshop PSD file format. All layers and layer sets you create in Photoshop remain intact when you import them into a project. If you follow the layer-naming convention, Encore automatically recognizes button sets, button subpictures, replacement layers, and video thumbnails. After importing, you can edit or modify the menu, or return to Photoshop to fine-tune it using the extensive design tools in Photoshop.

Visit Resource Center on the Adobe website to view a tutorial about editing menus in Photoshop.

When creating menus in Photoshop, consider the following:

Menu size Set the size and pixel aspect ratio of your background images and menus to match the frame dimensions

and pixel aspect ratio of your TV standard. Photoshop includes preset image sizes for digital video projects.

Format Frame dimensions

(in pixels)

NTSC fullscreen (standard definition) 720 x 480 0.9 720 x 534

NTSC widescreen (standard definition) 720 x 480 1.2 854 x 480

PAL fullscreen (standard definition) 720 x 576 1.07 768 x 576

PAL widescreen (standard definition) 720 x 576 1.42 1024 x 576

High-definition formats 1280 x 720 1.0 1280 x 720

1440 x 1080 1.33 1920 x 1080

1920 x 1080 1.0 1920 x 1080

Button size Create buttons at least 70 x 60 pixels in size to guarantee their visibility on a television.

Number of buttons Include no more than 36 buttons for a fullscreen (4:3 aspect ratio) menu or 18 buttons for a

Pixel aspect ratio Equivalent frame dimensions in

square pixels

widescreen (16:9) aspect ratio.

Graphic elements Use vector shapes and masks, rather than bitmaps, where possible, because scaling these elements

does not affect their quality. If creating pixelated content, such as buttons and logos, make sure that you create them at the largest size needed for the disc. If you want to resize some elements, it is better to scale a pixelated object down, rather than up. (Scaling images up can cause quality loss; scaling images down does not.)

RGB color Create your images using RGB color. Convert any CMYK images to RGB before importing them into

Encore.

NTSC colors Use only NTSC-safe colors if you want to play your project on an NTSC television display. You can create

colors in your graphics application that are beyond the color range that NTSC televisions can display. These colors can cause an unwanted halo effect. Use RGB values from 0 through 255.

Horizontal lines Set lines at three pixels or greater. Horizontal lines thinner than three pixels flicker when displayed

on a television screen.

Font size Use a font size of 20 points or greater to ensure that the viewer can comfortably read titles and button text.

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For a video tutorial on creating menus in Photoshop, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0241.

See also

Video about creating menus in Photoshop

Layer name prefixes for menus

For Encore to recognize the components of a menu from Photoshop, add predefined prefixes to the layer names. The prefixes identify the layers as button sets, video thumbnails, replacement layers, and button subpictures. This lets you import a finished menu that is ready to use in the project. You can also manipulate and change elements from within Encore.

Instead of creating menus from scratch in Photoshop and adding all the prefixes manually, you may want to open a menu template that’s similar to the one you want to create, save it as a Photoshop file, and then edit the exported file

in Photoshop.

Layers panel in Photoshop (left) compared to the same layers in Layers panel in Encore (right)

The following layer-name prefixes identify the components of your menu.

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Menu item Photoshop component Layer-name prefix Example

Button Name Layer set that contains button components (+) (+)Daisy button 1

Menus

Chapter Button Layer set that links to the chapter in a timeline or slide

Next Button Layer set that links to the next submenu when chapter

Previous Button Layer set that links to the previous submenu when

Main Button Layer set that links to the main menu when chapter

Button Text Text layers within the button layer set Daisy button

Button Image Image layers within the button layer set Daisy image

Button Subpictures (optional) Single-color image layers. Each layer represents one

Video Thumbnail (optional) Image layer within the layer set that serves as a

Replacement Layer Layer that acts as a drop zone for images

Other design elements or text (such as logo or menu title)

show when chapter indexes are created

See “About chapter indexes” on page 102

indexes are created

chapter indexes are created

indexes are created

color of the three-color button subpictures

See “Create subpictures in Photoshop” on page 83

placeholder for video

See “Create video thumbnail buttons” on page 94

See “About replacement layers” on page 101

Individual layer None required Summer Flowers

(+#) (+#)Chapter 1

(+>) (+>)Next

(+<) (+<)Previous

(+^) (+^)Main Menu

(=1)

(=2)

(=3)

(%) (%)Daisy thumbnail

(!) (!)Daisy image

(=1)Text highlight

(=2)Daisy outline

(=3)Check mark

Edit a menu in Photoshop

As your project evolves, you may want to change elements in a menu. Encore is designed to work directly with Photoshop. Without closing the project, you can jump to Photoshop to refine any menu, even menus created in Encore. Once you save the changes in Photoshop, the changes automatically appear in Encore.

1 Select the menu that you want to edit in either the Project or Menus panel.

2 Choose Edit > Edit Menu In Photoshop, or click the Edit Menu In Photoshop button in the Tools panel.

Photoshop starts, displaying the selected menu.

3 Make changes as necessary.

4 In Photoshop, choose File > Save, and then File > Close.

Photoshop saves the file to the project folder. It does not overwrite the original file that you imported into your project.

Note: When you import a menu into Encore, it creates a copy of the menu. The Edit Menu In Photoshop command opens this copy, not the original file. Photoshop saves any changes to the copy. If you want to update the original as well, be sure to first save the copy so that your project contains the revised menu. Once the copy is saved, you can also save changes to the original file by choosing File

> Save As In Photoshop or Menu > Save Menu As File In Encore.

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Edit 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 manipulated

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 66.)

A B

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 an object directly in the Menu Viewer using either the Selection tool to select a button or the Direct

Select 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.

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

1 Open the menu that you want to modify.

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2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, use a selection tool to select the object or layer set you want to move. (See

Menus

“Select objects” on page 66.)

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.

• Press an arrow key to nudge an object one pixel at a time. Press Shift+arrow key to move an object 10 pixels at

a time.

Move an object within a stack

In some cases, you may not be able to click directly on a layer to select it because the layer is obscured by overlapping 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 a menu. Encore gives you several options for aligning objects. You can align the left, center, or right edges on the vertical axis; 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.

2 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select the objects you want to align.

3 Choose Object > Align > Relative To Safe Areas if you want the objects aligned 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

> Align > Relative To Safe Areas).

(Object

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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.

Top 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. Original position B. Distribute Vertically with Relative To Safe Areas 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 Distributes the objects evenly between the left and right boundaries of the title-safe area (if Relative

To Safe Areas is turned on) or between the leftmost and rightmost objects (if Relative To Safe Areas is turned off).

Change the stacking order of menu objects

As in Photoshop, the stacking order in the Layers panel determines whether the content of a 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.

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See also

“Move an object within a stack” on page 67

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 original menu.

> Paste. The object is pasted in the same position as in the

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.

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Menus

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.

Encore adds the object to the top layer of the layer set. You can also use the Object > Arrange commands to change the order of objects.

Replace a menu with another menu

If you want to change the menu design after you create a menu, you can use the Replace Menu command. When you 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

When you convert a button to an object, you remove linking and navigation capabilities from the button. When you 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 In the Menu Viewer or Layers panel, select one or more buttons or replacement layers that you want to convert to

objects.

3 Choose Object > Convert To Object.

See also

“Convert an object to a button” on page 70

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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.

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

The Styles panel divides styles into three categories: Image, Text, and Shape. You can apply any style to an individual 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).

Text 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 91.)

Apply styles and transformations

Apply a style to a button or layer set

1 Select the button in the Menu Viewer or in the Layers panel.

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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 91.)

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.

Encore gives you extensive control over the look of the shadow, letting you specify its color, 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 71.

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 In the Color Picker dialog box, adjust the color using one of the following methods (the color you select appears in

the top half of the color swatch; the original color remains in the bottom half):

• Locate the color range you want by dragging the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar, and then click a color

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.

7 To change the other properties of the drop shadow, drag the double-arrow pointer left or right over a value to

decrease or increase it. You can click the Preview option off and on to see the before and after effects of each property.

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.

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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

eight selection handles (the pointer becomes a curved, two-sided arrow). Drag left to rotate counterclockwise or 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

OS) and drag a handle. (The center point maintains its position on the page.)

(Mac

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.

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.

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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 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 enter text within a bounding box, you first drag the pointer to define the text block. When you type, the text 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 179.)

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 of the options in the panel let you either type a value or select from a menu of preset values. (To apply formatting options, see on page 81.)

“Format text”

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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 81.)

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. Tracking I. Horizontal Scale J. Color

Font Specifies the font for the text.

Font Style Determines the font style, such as Medium, Oblique, Bold, or Bold Oblique. (The options depend upon the

selected font.)

Font Size Sets the point size of the font.

Kerning 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 positive value loosens the space 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.

Vertically Scale Stretches or shrinks the text vertically, relative to the baseline.

Baseline Shift Shifts type from its baseline. A positive value raises the type; a negative value lowers it.

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Leading 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 of the text. If characters on a line have different settings, Encore uses the largest leading value for the entire line.

Tracking 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.

Horizontally Scale 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

The style buttons on the Character panel let you apply multiple type styles to text. (To apply font styles, see “Format

text” on page 81.)

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. Strike through

Faux Bold 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.)

Faux Italic 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.)

All Caps Capitalizes all the letters in the selected text.

Small Caps Replaces all the lowercase letters in the selected text with small capitals.

Superscript Converts the selected text to a superscript. Superscript characters are reduced in size and shifted above

the type baseline.

Subscript Converts the selected text to a subscript. Subscript characters are reduced in size and shifted below the

type baseline.

Underline Underlines the selected text.

Strike Through Changes the selected text to strike through 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 Align Bottom, while Center Align and Justify Last Left adjust text between the top and bottom of the text block. (To apply alignment options, see

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

“Format text” on page 81.)

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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

Anti-aliasing options in Character panel

The Text Antialias Mode option in the Character panel has five possible settings:

None Turns off anti-aliasing for all characters in the text block.

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.

“Format text” on page 81.)

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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 choosing Show Asian Text Options from the Character panel menu. (The Character panel menu contains additional options for Asian text. To apply the Asian text options, see

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. Encore includes weak and maximum kinsoku sets. The None option turns off the use of kinsoku shori. The options JIS Weak or JIS Maximum prevent the following characters from beginning or ending a line.

“Format text” on page 81.)

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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 3 uses 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

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.

“Format text” on page 81.)

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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 oriented characters. These features are often used to combine Asian and Roman characters and cannot be applied to horizontal text.

Original text (left) and text with tate-chuu-yoko applied (right)

Add and format text

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.

• Drag the I-beam pointer to define the bounding box for the text. When you release the mouse button, the

insertion 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 74.)

You can change the orientation of vertical text by using the Rotate Character command in the Character 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 179.)

Resize the text bounding box

1 Open the menu containing the text block.

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2 Select either the Vertical Text or Horizontal Text tool from the Tools panel.

3 Click an insertion point in the text.

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 change type, you must select it. To change a range of characters, a word, or paragraph within a text block, you select the text using the Text tool. You use the Direct Select tool or the text layer in the Layers panel 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 74

Select individual characters, words, or paragraphs

1 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

• To select one word to the left, click an insertion point and press Shift+Ctrl+Left Arrow (Windows) or

Shift+Command+Left Arrow (Mac

• To select just the line, triple-click a line within a paragraph.

• To select the entire paragraph, quadruple-click within a paragraph.

• To select the previous paragraph, click an insertion point at the beginning of a paragraph, and press

Shift+Ctrl+Up Arrow (Windows) or Shift+Command+Up Arrow (Mac

OS).

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• 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

For more keyboard shortcuts on selecting text, such as entire blocks of text, see “Keys for working with text in menus

and subtitles” on page 181.

OS) twice.

Transform a text block

1 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 71.)

Format text

You use the Character panel to change the font and other text attributes.

Change the attributes of characters, words, or paragraphs

1 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 74.)

Change the attributes of all the text in a text block

1 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 74.)

Button subpictures

About button subpictures

A DVD or Blu-ray Disc player uses button subpictures to highlight buttons. A button subpicture defines the appearance of a button when it’s selected, activated, or in its normal (unselected) state. All the predesigned buttons included with Encore come with button subpictures. Encore can create subpictures for a button and update the text in the button subpictures automatically any time you change the text on the button. For full control over the design of button subpictures, you can create them in Photoshop. (See

You can create button subpictures from predesigned buttons in the Library panel, the Object > Create Subpicture command, or by designing new in Photoshop. Regardless of how you create your button subpictures, you set the colors used for button subpictures in the Color Set dialog box. (See

“Create subpictures in Photoshop” on page 83.)

“About color sets for menus” on page 85.)

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Create automatic button subpictures

The easiest way to create a button subpicture is to use the Object > Create Subpicture command. This command creates a single-color image of the button. It bases the shape of the created subpicture on the text and image layers that are set as visible within the button layer set. Before you use the command, you can hide layers in the button set using the Layers panel. You can then control which elements Encore uses to create the button subpictures.

The colors displayed for each button state come from the color definitions in the color set, not from the button itself. By default, Encore uses the Automatic color set, which is based on the colors of the subpicture layers of the button. You can design more complex, three-color button subpictures in Photoshop. (See on page 83.)

Note: The predefined menus and buttons in the Library panel include button subpictures.

1 Open the menu. In the Menu Viewer, select a button.

2 If you want to create button subpictures based only on certain layers, use the Layers panel to hide the button layers

you don’t want used.

3 Choose Object > Create Subpicture.

4 In the Properties panel, select a color group from the Highlight pop-up menu.

Encore assigns the selected Color Group to the button. (See “About color sets for menus” on page 85.)

“Create subpictures in Photoshop”

Note: If the Highlight pop-up menu is dimmed, the menu is using the Automatic color set. (See “Base a new color set on

the Automatic color set” on page 88.)

Paste an image as a subpicture

The Paste As Subpicture command lets you quickly create a single-color subpicture from a layer in the menu.

You can create invisible buttons by using the Paste As Subpicture command in a layer without any buttons selected.

1 Open the menu.

2 In the Layers panel, select the layer you want to use as a subpicture, and choose Edit > Copy.

3 Select the button layer set into which you want to paste the new subpicture.

4 Choose Edit > Paste As Subpicture.

The image is pasted into the button layer set and is given the subpicture prefix (=1).

5 In the Properties panel, select the desired color group from the Highlight pop-up menu.

Encore assigns the selected Color Group to the button. (See “About color sets for menus” on page 85.)

Note: If the Highlight option is dimmed in the Properties panel, the menu is using the Automatic color set. (See “Base a

new color set on the Automatic color set” on page 88.)

Update subpicture text automatically

The button property Create Text Subpicture can automatically generate a subpicture for button text. Any time you change the text, it regenerates the subpicture for you—you don’t have to manually update the subpicture layers. This option is very useful as you develop the menus in a project or if you create menus to be customized by others.

1 In the Menus panel, select the menu containing the buttons with subpicture text.

2 In the lower section of the panel, select all the buttons that you want updated automatically.

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3 In the Properties panel, select Create Text Subpicture.

Create subpictures in Photoshop

Subpictures can be difficult to understand, especially if you are accustomed to creating rollovers for web pages. Although on the surface subpictures and web-page rollovers appear alike—they both indicate button status—the DVD requirements make subpictures very different.

The first concepts you need to understand are as follows:

• The subpicture is like a transparent overlay that sits on top of the menu.

• The DVD or Blu-ray Disc player uses the same overlay for all three button states. (Even the normal state uses the

same subpicture.)

• The color set, not the colors in your original image, ultimately control the colors displayed in the subpicture.

(Technically, the subpicture overlay is a two-bit indexed image.)

• The subpicture is limited to three colors (each represented by a layer in the button set), but you can change those

three colors and their visibility for each state in the color set. (DVD regulations allow only a limited bandwidth for button subpictures and subtitles.)

Think of the subpicture as a paint-by-number image, with areas designated for colors 1, 2, or 3. The color set is the color key that determines what colors (if any) are used for colors 1, 2, and 3. In addition, all three colors can have different definitions and opacity settings in each button state. By varying the color definitions for each state, you can change the colors of each area; by varying the opacity of the colors in each state, you control whether or not that area is even visible in a particular state.

You build the image used for the subpicture by creating separate layers for each color. The layer names must include the following prefixes: (=1) for areas using color 1, (=2) for areas using color 2, and (=3) for areas using color 3.

(=1)

(=2)

(=3)

A B C D

Relationship between subpicture layers in button set and color set definitions A. Separate layers for each color (1, 2, and 3) B. All three layers combine to create overlay C. Colors and opacity specified in Encore menu color set D. Same overlay used, but highlight definitions change in each state: Normal (top), Selected (middle), Activated (bottom)

Guidelines for creating subpictures

Keep in mind the following guidelines as you create the subpicture layers:

Same overlay used for all states The same image or overlay is used for all three states of a button (normal, selected,

and activated).

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Layers flattened into single overlay The subpicture layers you create are flattened into a single image in the build

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process.

Top layer wins If subpicture layers in a button layer set overlap, the top layer takes precedence when the layers are

flattened into the final overlay.

Layers part of button layer set The subpicture layers for a button must be contained within that button’s layer set.

Solid colors only Elements on these layers must use solid colors and sharp edges. Use one solid color per layer. Do not

use gradients, feathering, or anti-aliasing on the subpicture layers. Color gradations are not possible in subpictures.

Color definitions control look in button states Although you create layers for each color, the color numbers (1, 2, or

3), not the color values you used, are stored in the overlay. The color set is the color key or index, and contains the color values. (As mentioned below, Encore will automatically generate a color set based on the color in each layer.)

Layer visibility controlled in color set You use the opacity setting in the color set to control the visibility of elements in

each state. You do not use the Eye icon

Different color definitions for each state Colors are defined in the Encore Menu Color Set dialog box. For each color,

in the Layers panel in Photoshop.

you can specify a different color and opacity setting. By varying the colors and their opacity in each state, the highlighting can look quite different, even though it uses the same overlay. For example, color 1 might be transparent for the normal state (opacity set to zero), red for the selected state, and blue for the activated state. So all elements on layers with the (=1) prefix would not appear in the normal state, would be red in the selected state, and blue in the activated state.

Automatic color set generated from layers While the colors you use in the layers do not become part of the actual

subpicture overlay, Encore does create a color set based on those values. By applying the colors you want for the selected state of the button to the three layers, you are able to design the highlight color in Photoshop and save time editing the color set in Encore. (For more information, see

Layers represent areas of color, not states It is important to understand that the subpicture layers represent color

“About color sets for menus” on page 85.)

areas that correspond to the color set. They do not represent the activation states of the button.

Therefore, while the same subpicture overlay is used for each state, you can vary which elements in the subpicture are visible by changing the opacity and color definitions in each state.

Create a subpicture in Photoshop

1 In either the Project or Menus panel, select the menu containing buttons that need subpictures.

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 In the Photoshop Layers panel, select the button layer set for which you want to create a subpicture.

4 Create a new layer and add the prefix (=1) to the beginning of the name.

On this layer, create the subpicture elements that you want displayed using color 1. Elements should consist of a single, solid color, without gradients, feathering, or anti-aliasing. Remember that you can control the visibility of these elements in each state in the color set. If necessary, you can create more that one layer for this color (for example, if you want text and a button outline in this color). Each layer for this color should have the same prefix.

Set the color and opacity of all elements on the layer as you want the layer to appear in the selected state. (All items should use the same values.) When you import the menu, Encore automatically generates a color set using this

color definition and opacity value for the selected and activated state. (See

“Automatic color set” on page 87.)

5 If you want a multicolored subpicture, repeat steps 3 and 4 for colors 2 and 3, using the layer-name prefixes (=2)

for color 2 and (=3) for color 3.

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6 If you want to create subpictures for another button, repeat steps 3 through 5.

7 In Photoshop, choose File > Save, and then File > Close.

Photoshop saves the file to the project folder. It does not overwrite the original file that you imported into your project.

Note: When you import a menu into Encore, it creates a copy of the menu. The Edit In Photoshop command opens this copy, not the original file. Photoshop saves any changes to the copy. If you want to update the original as well, it is important to first save the copy so that your project contains the revised menu. Once saved, you can also save the changes to the original file using the File command in Encore.

8 Define the colors and opacity values used in each button state, and assign a highlight group to each button as

desired. See

groups” on page 88.

You can let Encore automatically generate a subpicture for the text of a button. The advantage of using this button property is that it regenerates the subpicture for you if you edit the text. See “Update subpicture text automatically”

on page 82.

“Base a new color set on the Automatic color set” on page 88 and “Assign color sets and highlight

> Save As command in Photoshop or the Menu > Save Menu As File

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View subpictures

You can view the subpictures in the Menu Viewer in each of the button states. These views show the subpictures of all the buttons at the same time using the menu’s assigned color set and each button’s Highlight group. To preview the subpictures with the mouse or a simulated remote control, see

“Preview a project” on page 163.

1 Open the menu that you want to preview.

2 At the bottom of the Menu Viewer, click one of the following buttons to see the subpictures of all the buttons for a

particular state:

Shows the button subpictures using the Normal color settings from the color set.

Shows the button subpictures using the Selected color settings from the color set.

Shows the button subpictures using the Activated color settings from the color set.

To improve menu display performance, turn off Show Button Subpictures when you’re finished viewing subpictures.

Menu color sets

About color sets for menus

Color sets specify the colors used in subpictures. Each menu can reference only one color set. However, a project can contain any number of sets. To maintain a consistent look throughout a project, a common approach is to use the same color set for all menus in a project. Using a limited number of color sets makes it easy to change the highlighting colors for the entire project at once.

Encore includes a predefined color set and generates an automatic color set when you import a menu. (See “Automatic

color set” on page 87.) You can modify the default set or create your own sets. Once defined, you can save color sets

and use them in other projects.

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A color set consists of a maximum of 15 colors, each with its own opacity setting. The colors are divided among one color group for the normal state and two highlight groups. Each highlight group contains up to six colors: three for the selected state and three for the activated states. Any button can reference either of the highlight groups. You can use the highlight groups to distinguish between different types of buttons on the same menu. For example, you could assign Highlight Group 1 to the main navigation buttons in the menu (such as Play Movie), while using Highlight Group 2 for the common navigation buttons (such as Next and Previous).

Menu Color Set dialog box A. New color set B. Active menu C. Currently applied color set (and Color Set menu) D. Normal group E. Highlight group 1 and 2 F. Preview state buttons

The Menu Color Set dialog box contains the following options:

New Color Set Creates a color set based on the current color definitions, and adds its name to the Color Set pop-up

menu.

Color Set menu Lets you choose a color set to display and apply to the currently active menu.

Delete Color Set Deletes the currently displayed color set.

Export To Color Set File Saves the current color set in a file so that it can be used in other projects. (A color set file has

the .cs extension added to its name.)

Import From Color Set File Imports the color set you specify.

Normal Group Sets the colors and opacity values for the subpictures in the normal, unselected state.

Highlight Group 1 and 2 Sets the colors and opacity values for the subpictures in the selected and activated states. A

button can reference one of these two groups.

Define a menu color set

When you define a color set, the colors are applied to the currently active menu.

1 Open the menu for which you want to create the color set, and then choose Menu > Edit Menu Color Set.

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2 Click the New Color Set button .

3 Type the name of the new color set, and click OK.

4 Click Preview to preview the colors in the menu as you create them. Click the Normal button , the Selected

button , or the Activated button (below the Preview option) to see the colors for each state.

5 Click the color swatch of any color you want to change. The Color Picker dialog box appears.

6 If you want to limit your color selection to NTSC-safe colors, choose RGB colors from 0 through 255.

7 Adjust the color using one of the following methods (the color you select appears in the top half of the color swatch.

The original color remains in the bottom half.):

• Locate the color range you want using the triangle sliders on the color spectrum bar, and then click the desired

color in the color field.

• Change the numeric values for H (hue), S (saturation), B (brightness), R (red), G (green), or B (blue).

8 Click OK. The new color replaces the original color in the Menu Color Set dialog box.

9 Choose the desired opacity level from the Opacity pop-up menu adjacent to the color swatch.

10 To set the Activated State colors to the same values as the Selected State colors, select Use Selected Colors For

Activated Colors.

11 Repeat steps 5 through 10 for any color you want to change.

12 Click OK when you have defined all the colors to your satisfaction.

Encore applies the new color set to the currently open menu.

Automatic color set

When you import a menu into your project, Encore looks at the colors and opacity settings in the subpicture layers and automatically generates a color set based on those values. The Automatic color set is different from other color sets. You cannot edit the automatic color set directly. However, the automatic color set is updated when you edit the menu in Photoshop using the Edit Menu In Photoshop command.

Note: Designing your subpictures in Photoshop and using the Automatic color set in Encore is a much simpler approach than creating them in Encore.

To generate the Automatic color set, Encore reads the color and opacity settings in each subpicture layer in the menu, starting at the bottommost button (the button listed closest to the Background in the Layers panel), moving up:

• Highlight Group 1 is assigned the values from the bottommost button. Specifically, the layer with the prefix (=1)

sets the values for color 1. Layers with prefixes (=2) and (=3) set the values for color 2 and color 3. The Selected and Activated states are set to the same values.

• Highlight Group 2 is assigned the color values from the first button containing subpicture color values that are

different from the bottommost button. The Selected and Activated states are set to the same values.

• Normal group is set to 0% opacity (fully transparent), but uses the color values of the default color set.

Upon import, Encore not only generates the automatic color set, it also applies the appropriate highlight group to each button. If the subpicture colors in a button do not match either of the two highlight groups, Encore assigns Highlight Group 1 to them.

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Base a new color set on the Automatic color set

The Automatic color set of each menu is automatically generated from the subpicture layers of the menus. To create an independent copy of an Automatic color set, create a color set based on the Automatic color set of the menu. This new set behaves like the regular color set, and can be assigned to other menus.

1 Select the menu containing the Automatic color set you want to copy in the Project or Menus panel.

2 Choose Menu > Edit Menu Color Set.

3 Click the New Color Set button , type a new name, and click OK.

4 Adjust the colors and opacity settings as needed. (See “About color sets for menus” on page 85.)

5 Click OK when you have defined all the colors to your satisfaction. Encore applies the new colors to the menu.

To dynamically update the color set to reflect changes you make in Photoshop, switch back to the Automatic color set.

Assign color sets and highlight groups

To each menu, you can apply one color set. To each button within the menu, you can apply one highlight group. Use the Properties panel to change the color set of a menu or the highlight group assigned to its buttons. Select multiple menus or buttons to change the color set of several menus at once or the highlight group of the buttons.

Change the color set of menus

1 In the Menus panel, select the menu that you want to change. (Shift-click or Ctrl+Command-click to select

additional menus.)

2 In the Properties panel, select the desired color set from the Color Set pop-up menu at the bottom of the panel.

Encore assigns the selected color set to the menu, changing the colors used for the subpictures of its buttons.

Note: If you choose the Automatic color set, Encore generates a unique color set based on the colors used in the subpicture layers of each individual menu. (See

“Automatic color set” on page 87.)

Change the color group of buttons

1 In the Menus panel, select the appropriate menu. To select additional menus, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-

click (Mac

2 Select the button you want to change. To select additional buttons, Ctrl-click (Windows) or Command-click

(Mac

3 In the Properties panel, select the desired color group from the Highlight pop-up menu. Encore assigns the selected

Color Group to the subpicture of the button or buttons.

OS).

Share color sets between projects

You can share color sets between projects. You can export a customized color set from one project, and import the color set into another project.

Export a color set

1 Open a menu that uses the color set you want to export.

2 Choose Menu > Edit Menu Color Set.

3 Select the color set from the Color Set menu.

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4 Click the Export To Color Set Files button .

5 Type a new name for the color set, browse for the appropriate folder in which to save it, and click Save.

Encore saves the color set, adding the extension .cs to the filename.

6 Click OK.

Import a color set

1 Open a menu to which you want to apply the imported color set.

2 Choose Menu > Edit Menu Color Set.

3 Click the Import Color Set From File button , locate and select the file, and click Open.

4 Click OK.

Encore applies the color set to the active menu.

Button routing

Renumber buttons

Encore assigns each button a number. Viewers can select buttons by using the remote control. You can renumber buttons within a menu. Button numbers must start at 1 and be sequential (no gaps between numbers).

1 Open the menu and select the button in the Menu Viewer.

2 Choose a new number from the Number pop-up menu in the Button Properties panel.

Encore renumbers the other buttons as necessary.

Specify an offset for the button numbers

To increase the button numbers so that they can match, for example, a scene or chapter number, you can specify an offset for the menu. The offset changes the effective starting point of the numbers.

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

2 In the Properties panel, type a number for Offset.

Change the routing preferences

Routing is the button-to-button path the cursor follows when moved by the arrow buttons of a remote control. For most projects, Encore can determine the standard routing pattern for you. If your project has special requirements or an unusual arrangement of buttons, you can customize the routing.

Encore provides four preset routing patterns. The default routing is a circular movement through the buttons on the same row or column. Right or left arrows move across the row in the appropriate direction, returning to the beginning of the same row. Up and down arrows follow the same rules and move up or down until the end of the column, returning to the top or bottom of the column in a circular fashion.

Using a preferences setting, you can change the routing so that when an arrow button reaches the end of a row or column, it moves to the beginning of the next row or column. You can also change the routing to be only horizontal or vertical, limiting movement, for example, across a row and not up or down.

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

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2 Click the routing preferences to select or deselect them.

3 Choose the desired wrap options from the appropriate pop-up menu.

4 Click OK.

A B

C D

Comparison of the preset routing options for remote control buttons A. Wrap around left/right, wrap within the same row (default) B. Wrap around left/right, wrap to the next row C. Wrap around up/down, wrap within same column D. Wrap around up/down, wrap to next column

Change the routing order

When you turn off automatic routing, you can manually set the path for the remote control through the menu buttons. You display the routing icons in the Menu Viewer.

Routing icon A. Button number B. Button selected by remote control arrow C. Arrow on remote control

The Routing icon shows you the number of the button. An arrow points from the center of the icon and contains a button number. The arrow represents the navigation button on the remote control. The button number represents the button to which that arrow on the remote control leads. To set a navigation arrow to a specific button, you simply drag it to the button.

1 Open the menu containing the buttons whose routing order you want to change.

2 Click the Show Button Routing button at the bottom of the Menu Viewer.

Encore displays a routing icon in each button.

3 In the Properties panel, click Automatically Route Buttons to deselect it.

4 Place the Selection tool over the routing arrow you want to modify. The Selection tool changes from a pointer to a

hand. Drag it to the button you want to be next in the routing order. Repeat this step until you have modified the routing of all the buttons you want to change.

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Set a button to activate automatically

Normally, a button is activated when a viewer navigates to it with the remote control, and then presses Enter. You can set a button to activate automatically when the viewer simply navigates to it. The Auto Activate option is often used for arrow buttons and for creating hidden navigation (called Easter eggs).

An advanced authoring technique uses multiple versions of a menu that change when the viewer selects certain buttons. Instead of using subpictures to highlight a button, the buttons auto activate when selected and link to another version of the menu. The advantage to this approach is that you can use different images to simulate button selection. The drawback is that any video or audio playing in the background is interrupted.

1 In the Menus panel, select the desired menu or double-click the menu to open it in the Menu Viewer.

2 Select the button you want to auto activate. (In the Menu Viewer, use the Selection tool , not the Direct Select

tool, so that you select the entire button set.)

3 In the Properties panel, select Auto Activate to turn on the option for the selected button.

Creating styles for menu elements

About creating styles

Styles let you quickly change the appearance of an element in a menu. You can create your own styles and add them to style sets in the Encore Styles panel.

You create a style from a Photoshop file containing a single layer with layer styles (effects) applied to it. The layer type—image, text, or shape—determines its category in the Styles panel.

A style can either replace all the effects in a layer or add to the existing effects. Except for simple styles, you generally want a style to replace existing effects so that you get the same results each time you use it. You can control how a style changes a layer by the effects you include in the layer. You can also show or hide these layers in the Photoshop Layers panel. When creating a style, you can use either of the following methods:

• To entirely replace existing effects, you simply include the desired effects in the layer in the Photoshop file.

• To add to existing layer effects, you first apply all possible effects to the layer in the Photoshop file. You then hide

the effects that are not part of the style definition by using the Eye icon in the Layers panel. Hidden effects indicate to Encore that those effects remain unchanged in the layer being styled. The predefined styles included with Encore that add effects, rather than completely restyle a layer, have names that begin with a plus sign (+).

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A B

Comparison of two styles in Photoshop Layers panel A. Replaces existing styles when applied in Encore B. Replaces only Gradient Overlay and Satin effects; hidden effects remain unchanged

Create a style in Photoshop

1 Open Photoshop and create an image. Set the image size to around 150 x 150 pixels, and delete the background

layer to make the image transparent.

2 Type a character or draw a filled pixel shape or a shape layer.

3 Style the layer as desired by using the Layer Style dialog box (choose Layer > Layer Style and select a style from the

list). To make the style add to existing effects rather than replace them, select every effect in the dialog box.

4 In the Layers panel, make sure that the effects you want applied are visible. Hide the effects you want left unchanged

(so that the visible effects are added to the layers but don’t replace all the effects).

5 Choose File > Save. Name the file using the name you want to appear in the Encore Styles panel. If you created a

style that adds to existing effects, place a plus sign (+) at the beginning of the name so it matches the existing additive styles.

Add a new style to the Styles panel

1 In the Encore Styles panel, select the set to which you want to add the style.

2 Click the New Item button .

3 Locate the PSD file containing the style you want to add, and click Open.

The style is added to the Styles panel. Its name matches the name of the file.

See also

“Apply a style to a button or layer set” on page 71

Create a set in the Styles panel

1 In the Styles panel, choose New Set from the Styles panel menu.

2 Type a name for the new set, and click OK.

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Delete or rename a style set

1 In the Styles panel, select the custom set from the Set menu.

2 Choose Delete Set or Rename Set from the Styles panel menu.

3 Click OK or Yes.

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 button highlighting. The video can include, for example, a moving background, 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 97.)

To have a smaller image, resize or mask the video in Adobe Premiere® Pro or mask 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 94

“About menu templates” on page 99

Blu-ray pop-up menus

For Blu-ray projects, you can create pop-up menus that can be attached to timelines that viewers can start, usually with their remote control. Pop-up menus appear transparently above the currently playing clip on a Blu-ray video. Blu-ray pop-up menus don’t have the DVD video features such as end actions and motion menu items. These features include video and audio backgrounds, duration, loop point, and button transitions.

When you set a menu as a Blu-ray pop-up menu, you can set only the properties that apply to Blu-ray pop-up menus. These properties include background transparency or opacity and size.

Create a Blu-ray pop-up menu

1 Select Menu > New Menu, and select the new menu from the Project panel.

2 Select the Pop-up tab from the Properties panel, and select Set As Blu-ray Pop-up Menu.

3 Select the timeline that you want to associate with the pop-up menu.

4 On the Properties panel, select the menu you created from the Set Popup Menu list.

5 On the Project tab, select the menu you created.

6 On the Properties panel of the selected menu, select the timeline from the Background Timeline pop-up menu.

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Add a video background to a menu

❖ Do one of the following:

• Select the menu in the Project panel. Then, in the Properties panel, click the Motion tab and drag the Video pick

whip to the video file in the Project panel.

• Alt-drag (Windows) or Option-drag (Mac OS) 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 the menu PSD file and is displayed in preview, unless you render the motion menus in the Preview panel. (See

previews” on page 162.) 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 useful when you want to align button subpicture layers with button images in the video background. (See

looping” on page 97.)

“About menu display time and

See also

“Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 97

“About

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 94

“Specify a link” on page 147

“About menu display time and looping” on page 97

“Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 97

Video thumbnail button restrictions

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 video displayed in the menu. If the image is not rectangular, Encore calculates the smallest rectangle in which the image could fit.

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Always rectangular, unless masked The video remains rectangular regardless of the shape of the image layer.

Menus

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 parentheses,

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. Animating video thumbnails is a menu setting. All the

thumbnails on a particular menu must be either still or moving. You set the animation by using the menu property called Animate Buttons. (See

Looping or clipped A video thumbnail plays within the boundaries of the menu duration setting. If the menu duration

“Animate video thumbnail buttons” on page 97.)

exceeds the length of the video thumbnail, the thumbnail loops, starting at the destination chapter (or poster frame if specified). You set the menu display time and looping of the entire menu in the Properties panel. (See

“About menu

display time and looping” on page 97.)

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 and contain a placeholder image with the appropriate layer name prefix (%). These buttons also include predesigned button subpictures.

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 Drag the desired video thumbnail button from the Library panel to the Menu Viewer. Repeat until you have placed

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 are the desired size. (Using the Shift key while dragging resizes the buttons proportionally so that they maintain their aspect ratio.)

, Shift-drag a corner selection handle of one of the buttons until they

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5 Link each button to the appropriate item, such as a timeline or slide show. To rename the buttons without changing

the text on the buttons, 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. Do one of the following:

• Use a shape tool, such as the Rectangle tool, to create a mask for the video thumbnail. The shape of the layer

becomes the mask.

• 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 Place 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 option is a chapter property.

Set a poster frame

1 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.

“About menu display time and looping” on page 97.) The Poster

Macromedia Encore - CS4 User Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Contents

Chapter 1: Getting started

Activation and registration

Help with installation

License activation

Register

Adobe Product Improvement Program

ReadMe

Help and support

Community Help

Product Help

Printed resources

Support resources

Resources

Adobe creative online services

Adobe Exchange

Adobe downloads

Adobe Labs

Adobe TV

Extras

What’s new in Adobe Encore CS4

Chapter 2: Workflow and workspace

Workflow

Workflow and workspace basics

Workspace basics

About workspaces

Dock, group, or float panels

Resize panel groups

Open, close, and scroll to panels

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 workspace

Set workspace appearance preferences

Set Media preferences

Set General preferences

Managing workspaces

Choose a workspace

Save, reset, or delete workspaces

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

Working with Resource Central

Search in Resource Central

Download assets from Resource Central

Create and open projects

Create a new project

Set a default TV standard preference

Open an existing project

Move or rename projects

Move a project

Rename a project

Aspect ratios

Pixel and screen aspect ratios

About still-image pixels

Specify an asset’s pixel aspect ratio