Creating Overlays
As viewers use the arrow buttons on the DVD player’s remote control to cycle through
the buttons on a menu, they need some sort of indication as to which button is currently
selected. If they activate the button, they need an indication of that, too. An overlay’s
primary function is to show the viewer which button is currently selected or activated.
Note: If you intend to use shapes for your menu buttons, you do not need to create
overlays.
Overlays are still images that contain the graphics used to show each button’s three states
(normal, selected, and activated). One overlay file contains all of the buttons. Part of the
menu creation process in DVD Studio Pro is to identify each button and set its function.
The overlay is almost always used in conjunction with the background image. For example,
the normal button art may be in the background, while the overlay supplies only the
selected and activated highlights, such as a halo or checkmark.