Presentation issues

[dproxy]

I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to EMC10 but need to know if it will do what I need. I have to make a presentation on DVD that includes video, but also full-screen images. I want to be able to navigate manually from a f/s image to a video to the next series of 3 f/s images and then a video (etc.) The version I have now doesn't appear to let me hold a f/s image as long as I want. Will EMC10 allow that? I am not talking about converting a PowerPoint to DVD, but rather creating a presentation on DVD that I can run that will resemble a PowerPoint (if that makes sense.) Hope someone can help.

[grandpabruce]

I'm trying to decide whether to upgrade to EMC10 but need to know if it will do what I need. I have to make a presentation on DVD that includes video, but also full-screen images. I want to be able to navigate manually from a f/s image to a video to the next series of 3 f/s images and then a video (etc.) The version I have now doesn't appear to let me hold a f/s image as long as I want. Will EMC10 allow that? I am not talking about converting a PowerPoint to DVD, but rather creating a presentation on DVD that I can run that will resemble a PowerPoint (if that makes sense.) Hope someone can help.

 

No, it can't do what you want.

[dproxy]

No, it can't do what you want.

 

Bummer. Thanks for the quick reply. I'm told DVD Workshop 2 will do it, but I was looking for something more affordable. If anyone has alternatives to suggest, I'd be pleased to hear them.

[jeanrosenfeld]

If what you mean is to have the image showing for any arbitrary time until you click on some button on the remote (that would be the equivalent of a mouse click in PowerPoint to move to the next slide), then I don't think you can do that in any version of EMC.

 

However, if you are willing to consider any arbitray duration up to some maximum, then you can do that, in EMC 9 or 10 and I think earlier versions such as 8. (you don't say what version you have).

 

You can adjust the duration of a still image, but once set it is fixed. The image is treated as a movie of that duration. When it has played, it can be made to go back to a menu, (where you would have the options to go to any other movies or slide shows in the production), or it can be made to go on to play another movie directly,

 

So the way you would do what you want is to add the photos, video clips as separate 'movies' in My DVD. Then edit the still images to set their duration to a long time, i.e. the maximum you will need. Also set the link after playing so that when it comes to the end of play, it plays the next item in your production.

 

You could then use the 'go to the end' button (if your remote has that, or the equivalent on a DVD player, or aplayer on a PC) to move from one item to the next. See pic, which shows the preview screen of an example presentation of one still, followed by a video, followed by another still.

 

This method of creating the equivalent to a powerpoint presentation may be awkward if there are a lot of items in the presentation, as eacxh one, being treated as a separate movie, will have a button on the menu screen (though by choosing an appropriate style you can edit them by deleting the text, so they become invisible).

[dproxy]

Thanks, jeanrosenfeld. Your post makes me think that if I just stay on top of the remote (and pause the image/movies until I'm ready to move on, I might manage. But the truth is, what I'd basically like to do is create a full screen STILL image. Could I achieve that goal by creating separate menu pages using the .jpg images I want to show full screen, with a "next" button I could click to move on? I don't mind having to click to a new menu page and then click again to play a video. Think this might work?

BTW, my EMC is version 6 running on XP Professional.

[jeanrosenfeld]

I'm not sure I understand your question. In the example I showed, items 1 and 3 are still images. As I said, as far as the video production is concerned they are treated as a movie of whatever duration you set them to. But as nothing is moving in the pic, all you see is the still image for that duration.

 

I hadn't thought of using the pause button, but using that incombination with the go to end button could allow you to use somewhat shorter durations for the still images, so saving on the total time of the production. However, when I tried that in the preview in EMC 10, it did not work as expected. After pausing on a still image, clicking resume (the only active button when paused) it went back to the main menu instead of carrying on. Maybe I have some setting not right. I can only suggest that you experiment.

 

I have no experience of v 6, so don't know if is capable of doing what I suggested.Edited for correction. One can have submenus to the main menu.

 

Correction, in case you have read this before edit:

 

One can have sub menus below the main menu. So you could create those and use the still images as backgrounds, with buttons for the videos on whichever sub menu you want to play them from. However that would mean that the still images have buttons on them. The method I suggested does not have any obstructions on the images. Frther more, menus are also movies of set duration(still image or not) and don't seem to behave in the same way in terms of linking. I've tried a bit to use them, but still think that my original suggestion is the closest to what you want to achieve. However, do your own experiments to find what suits you best.

[james_hardin]

I'm not sure I understand your question. In the example I showed, items 1 and 3 are still images. As I said, as far as the video production is concerned they are treated as a movie of whatever duration you set them to. But as nothing is moving in the pic, all you see is the still image for that duration.

 

I hadn't thought of using the pause button, but using that incombination with the go to end button could allow you to use somewhat shorter durations for the still images, so saving on the total time of the production. However, when I tried that in the preview in EMC 10, it did not work as expected. After pausing on a still image, clicking resume (the only active button when paused) it went back to the main menu instead of carrying on. Maybe I have some setting not right. I can only suggest that you experiment.

 

I have no experience of v 6, so don't know if is capable of doing what I suggested.Edited for correction. One can have submenus to the main menu.

 

Correction, in case you have read this before edit:

 

One can have sub menus below the main menu. So you could create those and use the still images as backgrounds, with buttons for the videos on whichever sub menu you want to play them from. However that would mean that the still images have buttons on them. The method I suggested does not have any obstructions on the images.

EMC 6 isn't capable of doing any of these things… I hope dproxy missed a key there!

 

If not why on earth would he be posting in the V10 forum???

[grandpabruce]

EMC 6 isn't capable of doing any of these things… I hope dproxy missed a key there!

 

If not why on earth would he be posting in the V10 forum???

 

He/she is just thinking about upgrading to EMC 10.

[james_hardin]

He/she is just thinking about upgrading to EMC 10.

Yes, I missed that! Can I have some Cool Whip on my humble pie???

[grandpabruce]

Yes, I missed that! Can I have some Cool Whip on my humble pie???

 

hehehehe

[dproxy]

Thanks again for the suggestions. You guys are great. Since I don't yet have EMC 10 I can't experiment with it, but I do appreciate your efforts to replicate what I'm trying to achieve. The truth is, I've been happily using a very old MyDVD program for years to build and burn video DVDs for presentations because it's so simple, as compared to the EMC version which added stuff I didn't want that I then had to delete (intro video, music etc.) I had hopes that an upgraded EMC might be able to handle stills without converting them into movies. But at this point, it looks like I may just have to buy the $200 DVD Workshop that I know can do what I want (because I've seen the finished product). Sigh.