Standard Menu Creation Method
The standard method uses an overlay structure to display each button’s states. As
described in detail in
Creating Overlays
, an overlay is a four-color image used to identify
the highlight area of each button. Each of the four colors is mapped to the actual color
and transparency values that appear for each of the three button states.
The standard method provides the most flexibility when creating menus.
• The background can be static, or it can be a full-motion video clip.
• The background can contain the normal state of the buttons, or it can be plain, with
the overlay supplying the normal button image.
• You can use DVD Studio Pro to type text over the menu. The text can be used to title
the menu or just provide basic information.
• You can add text to buttons or even create text-only buttons.
• You can use shapes on the menu as either buttons or drop zones. Shapes are
self-contained graphics that include the normal state image, a graphic that defines the
highlight area, and that can even display a full-motion thumbnail image of an assigned
asset. Some shapes, called patches, contain animated effects. Shapes can be fully
positioned and resized. DVD Studio Pro includes many stock shapes and can import
shapes you create. The stock shapes are particularly useful when you are creating menus
with minimal reliance on graphics programs.
• You can create drop zones on the menu. A drop zone is an area of the menu you can
assign an asset or shape to. You can reposition, resize, and rotate drop zones. Drop
zones become a part of the menu’s background when you build the project. They allow
you to add graphic elements to your menu that are not text- or button-related, making
it possible to create complex menu backgrounds.
• You can use templates and styles.
• You can add audio to the menu.
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Chapter 12
Introduction to Creating Menus
The drawback of the standard method is that using overlays limits your creativity when
showing the different states of a button. While the normal state of a button can be a full
24-bit image, you can only use up to four colors (as defined by the DVD-Video specification)
to modify the normal image to show the selected and activated states. Because one of
these colors is typically used as a transparent background color, that leaves only three
colors. This is sufficient to add an outline or highlight to show when the button is selected
or activated, but it is not enough to allow you to radically alter the button.
See
Creating Menus Using the Standard Method
for details on creating standard menus.