7 replies to this topic

[ayjayar]

After I 'mastered' DVD Builder 7.0 (DVD- I discovered I could get a much smoother and reliable 'production' with VideoWave 7 (VW). Didn't even pay attention to VW until I started reading this forum a few days ago.

The interfaces and conceptual organization for DVD-B and VW seem similar, but when I started to 'transfer' my skills from DVD-B, I ran into problems. The two things actually don't work the same way.

I am not a big time 'producer' and don't want to be. Right now I am working on a short (2 mins) mpeg taken during our Anniversary Waltz and a slide show of our 25th Anniversary Celebration evening at a local dinner & dance club, surrounded by friends. In the future I would like to 'transfer' dozens of different format movies (starting with analog 8 mm) to DVDs. I will get the best amateur capture equipment I can, when the time comes.

I can integrate the movie clip and slide show into one V-DVD, with a nice title page and two Menu items, in DVD-b. Unfortunately, when you play it on a set-top DVD player, things are not quite smooth. The timing is OK and the durations are matched to the background music nicely. Transitions are pretty and I love all the choices we have, but the whole thing is NOT smooth. Slides and transitions become somewhat jerky and the whole thing (while lovely) is not as 'professional' looking as I think it can be.

Followed the instructions here (eventually found that I had to have DirectX 9c - couldn't load DVD-b with '9b') and created VW movies with both the movie clip and the slide show. They look GREAT, although I prefer the title page I came up with in DVD-b, but I have not found a way to create a production with both of them on it. What I want to end up with is a DVD that I can distribute to all the participants and our parents, one they can play on their DVD player attached to their TV, not having to worry about compatibility and such things. When I save the project, it creates TWO *.dmsm files: one for the slide show and one for the movie clip. IS there an equivalent in VW to DVD-B's "edit" mode?

I have EMC 7.1. Before I invest in EMC 8.0 Deluxe, I have some questions:

1. What's the best resource for learning how to use EMC Deluxe (7 or 8)?
2. Is it worth upgrading to 8.0? I seem to have read a review that said 8.0 wasn't as great an improvement as 7 was over 6.
3. Should I just bite the bullet and get 9.0 and hope that 'newer is better?'
4. Can somebody tell me or point me to where I can specifically learn to put two dmsm 'projects' (a movie clip and a slide-show on a single VW “production?

Your help will be certainly appreciated.

Andrew

Edited by ayjayar, 17 September 2006 - 11:50 AM.

[ml]

1. The help center and tutorials are the best way to learn. (And this board, of course. ) I learned mostly by just trying things in the program.

2. If it were me, I'd learn this program before you upgrade. There is an update to 7.1. The computer system requirements are also greater than v.7, so if you do decide to upgrade, make certain your computer exceeds the mimimum requirements. (Obviously, I don't work for Roxio.)

3. I'm not certain that I understand that question. If you're referring to how the DVD plays on your DVD player.......How does the DVD play on your computer? Your problem might be your DVD player. I had a friend describe this problem to me and it turned out to be the DVD player.
Try burning to an 'image file' (.iso) first and then burn the DVD using that file and Disk Copier. It has the advantage that you can easily burn multiple copies of the production.

4. In DVD Builder, choose Add New Title (on the left) to add another production to the menu. You can also click on the title on the menu and select 'Add to title' if you want to ADD the second production to the end of the first production.

If that wasn't clear, please ask.

Edited by mlpasley, 17 September 2006 - 03:11 PM.

[ayjayar]

mlpasley, on Sep 17 2006, 03:11 PM, said:

4. In DVD Builder, choose Add New Title (on the left) to add another production to the menu. You can also click on the title on the menu and select 'Add to title' if you want to ADD the second production to the end of the first production.

Thank you for the cogent reply. I'll study whatever material is evailable with the program and hold back on updating. The "rough" play with the DVD Builder production is also on the PC and 2 different DVD players.

I am not having problems with DVD Builder. It's VideoWave that's giving me fits. I just don't see how I can put together the two dmsm files created with DVD Builder into a single VideoWave "movie." I may need to read and try more alternatives. Maybe I was getting tired by 6 AM.

Appreciate the help.

Andrew

[malatekid]

ayjayar, on Sep 17 2006, 10:08 PM, said:

I am not having problems with DVD Builder. It's VideoWave that's giving me fits. I just don't see how I can put together the two dmsm files created with DVD Builder into a single VideoWave "movie." I may need to read and try more alternatives. Maybe I was getting tired by 6 AM.

Appreciate the help.

Andrew

You want to put the two dmsm into one VW project (which means having one video)? If so, try the following.

Assuming you have A and B (these are the two dmsm) and you want to append B to A.
1) Launch Videowave
2) Open B.
3) While in storyboard, copy all the panels. These should put all those panels (including transitions) onto clipboard.
4) Open A.
5) Go to the first blank panel then paste the clipboard. This should copy all panels/transitions of B to A
6) Save the updated file as a new production
7) Do check if audio/overlays and other stuff you have in B are all in the updated project now. Otherwise you have to do some tweaking.

Good luck!

Edited by malatekid, 17 September 2006 - 06:32 PM.

[ml]

ayjayar, on Sep 17 2006, 09:08 PM, said:

I am not having problems with DVD Builder. It's VideoWave that's giving me fits. I just don't see how I can put together the two dmsm files created with DVD Builder into a single VideoWave "movie." I may need to read and try more alternatives. Maybe I was getting tired by 6 AM.
Andrew

I also don't quite understand why you want to put two productions created in DVD Builder into VideoWave, but malatekid's method should work as long as your clipboard is large enough.

An alternative would be to use the method posted at the top to get both DVD Builder productions into VideoWave.    Then you could assemble those two (or more) separate productions into one movie in DVD Builder by choosing "Add to title"

One of the advantages of having smaller productions in VideoWave and assembling them in DVD Builder is quicker editing.   The longer your production becomes, the longer the program takes to generate a preview which really becomes annoying.    

The options 'add new title' or 'add to title' allow you to choose between making all your producions into into one movie or putting several small movies onto a DVD Builder menu.

You cannot assemble productions created in DVD Builder into one DVD Builder production.  However, if you select "add....." in DVD Builder and look at the options in the "Files of type" (All Media Formats), you'll see what type of files and productions can be assembled into one production in DVD Builder.  VideoWave productions are .dmsm files.  DVD Builder productions are .dmsd productions which are not in the list.

[ayjayar]

malatekid, on Sep 17 2006, 06:20 PM, said:

You want to put the two dmsm into one VW project (which means having one video)? If so, try the following.

7) Do check if audio/overlays and other stuff you have in B are all in the updated project now. Otherwise you have to do some tweaking.

Thank you - it worked exactly as you described. It's a little counter-intuitive for me, but I guess that's the nature of this particular software: one just has to learn it.

Kind regards,

Andrew

[malatekid]

ayjayar, on Sep 18 2006, 10:21 AM, said:

Thank you - it worked exactly as you described. It's a little counter-intuitive for me, but I guess that's the nature of this particular software: one just has to learn it.

Kind regards,

Andrew

Glad to hear it worked.

[ayjayar]

mlpasley, on Sep 18 2006, 05:10 AM, said:

An alternative would be to use the method posted at the top to get both DVD Builder productions into VideoWave.    Then you could assemble those two (or more) separate productions into one movie in DVD Builder by choosing "Add to title"

That's what I was trying to do. I just didn't know what came first: DVD Builder or VideoWave.

But I am learning.

Thanks for helping me and for being so patient.

Kind regards,

Andrew