Use a Movie as Menu for another movie

[lujan]

Can someone tell me if it's possible to create a menu for a movie using another short 1 minute movie? I have a short .avi movie that I want to use as a menu for a longer movie and set a portion of the short movie as the menu play or start item. I'm trying to do this on MyDVD but have not been succesful. This is going to be a blu-ray project. I then want to set a portion of the movie as the clickable item to be able to start/begin the longer movie. Am I asking too much?

[bimicher]

Can someone tell me if it's possible to create a menu for a movie using another short 1 minute movie? I have a short .avi movie that I want to use as a menu for a longer movie and set a portion of the short movie as the menu play or start item. I'm trying to do this on MyDVD but have not been succesful. This is going to be a blu-ray project. I then want to set a portion of the movie as the clickable item to be able to start/begin the longer movie. Am I asking too much?

 

If I understand correctly.. you want to create a menu page that has a thumbnail menu item that will play the main movie when clicked. While watching the menu you want your short movie to play in the menu thumbnail (where normally a part of the main movie would play). Is this what you want to do?

If yes, then I don't think it can be done since you can only set the thumbnail view to a frame from the related movie.

[lujan]

If I understand correctly.. you want to create a menu page that has a thumbnail menu item that will play the main movie when clicked. While watching the menu you want your short movie to play in the menu thumbnail (where normally a part of the main movie would play). Is this what you want to do?

If yes, then I don't think it can be done since you can only set the thumbnail view to a frame from the related movie.

 

It would be nice if only I could set this one frame as the menu page and then have a portion (that you select) to be the clickable item that plays the movie. Can I do this one frame as the menu and if so, how?

[bimicher]

It would be nice if only I could set this one frame as the menu page and then have a portion (that you select) to be the clickable item that plays the movie. Can I do this one frame as the menu and if so, how?

 

You never answered my question

 

What do you mean by "set this one frame as the menu page"? As the background picture on the menu?

[lujan]

I finally figured out how to add a short movie to be the menu for the project. Next I added 5 movies so I have 6 movies all together (one for the menu and 5 for the movie project). The menu movie already contains the text for the other 5 full-length movies. When I add the 5 movies, MyDVD automatically adds the text which is the same as the name of the file to the buttons. I removed the text from the buttons because I already have it on the movie for the menu otherwise I end up having the text twice and it obscures the menu movie. Everything is good up to this point. I then burned the movie project except that when I sit down to watch the movie, I can't tell which movie is going to play (or is selected) or select another movie out of the 5 because the buttons aren't highlighted. Is there a way to highlight these buttons when there is no text on the buttons so that it is clear which one is going to play next? I hope I explained it clearly enough?

[bimicher]

I finally figured out how to add a short movie to be the menu for the project. Next I added 5 movies so I have 6 movies all together (one for the menu and 5 for the movie project). The menu movie already contains the text for the other 5 full-length movies. When I add the 5 movies, MyDVD automatically adds the text which is the same as the name of the file to the buttons. I removed the text from the buttons because I already have it on the movie for the menu otherwise I end up having the text twice and it obscures the menu movie. Everything is good up to this point. I then burned the movie project except that when I sit down to watch the movie, I can't tell which movie is going to play (or is selected) or select another movie out of the 5 because the buttons aren't highlighted. Is there a way to highlight these buttons when there is no text on the buttons so that it is clear which one is going to play next? I hope I explained it clearly enough?

 

If I understand what you are doing then you have a short movie (the menu movie) which you use to replace the default movie of some menu style. This menu movie contains some text which you want to click and that will play one of the 5 movies. You then add the 5 movies which results in 5 text lines (one for each movie). You then delete the text for these 5 movies. Now you expect to be able to select the movie to be played by selecting it from the titles on your "menu movie". How have you linked your "menu buttons" to the the movies?

 

I don't think what you are trying to do is possible. All you can do with your "menu movie" is use it as the menu background. The menu links are only created when you add the 5 movies and they will appear on your menu movie. You might as well remove the text from your "menu movie"

[lujan]

The menu movie is already completed so I don't want to touch that. Here are the steps:

 

1. Launch MyDVD

2. Select Blu-ray project

3. Delete text for menu

4. delete button (red square area)

5. Change Menu Background

6. Add a video as the new menu

7. Click Menu, then select "Apply Motion to all Menus"

8. My menu movie already has all the text I want to use.

9. Add New Movie

10. The application automatically adds text at this point, but since I already have the text as part of the motion menu, I don't need this one.

11. Delete text on the movie just added.

12. I then move the button (red area) on top of the text that is part of the motion menu.

13. Add the rest of the movies

14. Repeat steps 11 and 12 for each movie

15. This is the part I need help with. How can I highlight the button (red square area) for each movie so that I know which one is going to be play next or so that I can select one of the movies myself?

 

I guess I'm out of luck? I wish I could post screen shots which might make it more clear.

 

[lujan]

You never answered my question

 

What do you mean by "set this one frame as the menu page"? As the background picture on the menu?

 

I was only quoting you, your answer said that "... since you can only set the thumbnail view to a frame from the related movie." Can I set a frame from a movie as the menu and if so, how?

[Jim_Hardin]

I guess I'm out of luck? I wish I could post screen shots which might make it more clear.

If I follow all of that, you are the one who is wrecking the operation!

 

In steps 1 through 8 do not add any text!

 

When you add a new movie, just change the text that it has… It defaults to the file name but you can edit that and change font and color as well.

 

This way the 'text' is the Button!

 

In this pic I am using a built in background, but it could be a movie. The text "Movies 4, 5 6" is just pure Text and does nothing…

 

 

The other text are really buttons with the text changed to something more descriptive than tape 5a.avi, tape8a.avi, tape 6a.avi & tape 7a.avi. That is their file names, not too pretty...

 

The "Next Page" is actually started as an Unlinked button and I linked it to the Next Page. In another project I changed the button style to backward and forward arrows to navigate with.

 

In the future, when you are trying something new, create a test project and keep it short and simple – I use still pics to substitute for movies. Once you have it running the way you want, I even burn onto RW discs to test things, write down how you did it.

 

The notes for the one I pictured here used 3 pages of a legal size pad, and a couple more sheets that I threw away because they were great idea that ended in dead ends…

 

[bimicher]

I was only quoting you, your answer said that "... since you can only set the thumbnail view to a frame from the related movie." Can I set a frame from a movie as the menu and if so, how?

 

What I said and what you "quoted" are not the same thing at all.

I was talking about the thumbnail picture for a menu item not the background on the menu page.

 

Now which do you want? Just a frame from the movie in the thumbnail or do you want the menu background to be a frame from the movie?

[lujan]

If I understand what you are doing then you have a short movie (the menu movie) which you use to replace the default movie of some menu style. This menu movie contains some text which you want to click and that will play one of the 5 movies. You then add the 5 movies which results in 5 text lines (one for each movie). You then delete the text for these 5 movies. Now you expect to be able to select the movie to be played by selecting it from the titles on your "menu movie". How have you linked your "menu buttons" to the the movies?

 

I don't think what you are trying to do is possible. All you can do with your "menu movie" is use it as the menu background. The menu links are only created when you add the 5 movies and they will appear on your menu movie. You might as well remove the text from your "menu movie"

 

The menu movie is already completed so I don't want to touch that. Here are the steps:

 

1. Launch MyDVD

2. Select Blu-ray project

3. Delete text for menu

4. delete button (red square area)

5. Change Menu Background

6. Add a video as the new menu

7. Click Menu, then select "Apply Motion to all Menus"

8. My menu movie already has all the text I want to use.

9. Add New Movie

10. The application automatically adds text at this point, but since I already have the text as part of the motion menu, I don't need this one.

11. Delete text on the movie just added.

12. I then move the button (red area) on top of the text that is part of the motion menu.

13. Add the rest of the movies

14. Repeat steps 11 and 12 for each movie

15. This is the part I need help with. How can I highlight the button (red square area) for each movie so that I know which one is going to be play next or so that I can select one of the movies myself?