Best way to get high quality menus?

Please save me from hours or days of experimenting and give me the benefit of your experience. What's the best way to get good looking text in SD DVD projects. I normally make simple menus wih overlays in Photoshop exporting to DVDSP as flattened .psd or jpegs. Sometimes I generate text in DVDSP and just have the text change colour when selected and activated. The only thing I've noticed there is that certain color settings look edgy when the button (text) is selected but I assume that's just a shortcoming of doing it this way. Apart from that the quality looks OK but not briliant. What's the recommended way of doing it, can't find anything in he manual.
Thanks.

You can get good results with the Photoshop method, make sure to use larger fonts (20pts+), Sans-Serif, flatten all the layers, rasterize text etc. (Sounds ike you have the last part down.)
Make sure the menu is the proper size and do not let DVD SP scale it. If you are using one of the presets (NTSC, NTSC widescreen, etc) from Photoshop, etc it works well. I prefer picts or tifs, would avoid jpegs.
Not sure what the pixel dimensions are, but make sure they are proper (in other words you do not want DVD SP to rescale at all) Not sure which format you bought in (JPG, PICT, TIFF). Also there can be a hit depending on how you make the menu - in a nutshell DVD SP 4 has certain instances (not all) where menus will have to be compiled/rendered (Pg 230 of the PDF), but other things are not.
Some combinations of colors can look bad (e.g., white on black, bright red) and pure white should be avoided.
I usually make my menus in Motion as of now, export in an uncompressed codec then encode to a m2v as a background (even if it is only a "still") then use that as the background with a still at the end as the option.

Similar Messages

  • Whats the best way of delivering high quality Flash on web?

    Hi Folks,
    I do short ads on Final cut pro and i need to load them to
    Flash comm server. I tried all posiblities but i dont get high
    quality videso like the ones you see on yahoo and the rest.
    I would appreciate if you can let me know whats the best
    practice in steps.
    Many Thanx
    By the way I have Flash 8 and dreamweaver 8

    Encoding is one factor.
    What are your encoding choices?
    If the video is jerky, could be bandwidth and latency
    issues.

  • What is the best way to get CD quality audio in a video with fcpx.

    I've been using fcpx to do everything for my videos, but the sound was...below par especially for what I want to do.
    I'm looking for the most efficient way of doing thing. I've been trying to record the audio into garageband, edit the sound in there, and then export to fcpx and syncronize.
    so I've started and just seemed like a lot of work and was wondering what do people normaly do for a thing like this?

    As far as your workflow, that's for an audiophile to chime in. Regarding sound quality in FCPX...
    Hmm... "CD quality" is 44kbps. FCPX can handle a sample rate BEYOND that (above a CD's sample rate.) FCPX deals in 48kbps.
    When I record my VO, I set it to 48Khz, and a sample size of 16 bits. It sounds wholesome--good enough for my network bosses.
    Admittedly, an audiophile may have to step in. But, I'm just showing you the benchmark at which FCPX begins--and it's definitely ABOVE "CD quality."

  • Best way to get quality DVD

    I just finished a short (7-min) video, mostly of hi-res still images. What is the best way to get this thing onto DVD and looking it's best?
    Thank you!

    I have done a couple DVD's of a 2 hour long video of a three camera shoot and they came out pretty good... so this is how I did it.
    I am assuming your project settings are for DV/NTSC. That being the case, I simply used the Export QuickTime Movie feature in the file menu. When the prompt comes up, it should default to Current Settings on the "Settings" drop down menu. Click ok, and voila, you will have a .mov movie file of your sequence in DV/NTSC specs. Also, I should add, that if you are setting up chapter markers in FCP, select which markers you would like to use in the appropriate drop down menu.
    From here, just import the .mov file into iDVD or DVD Studio Pro and make the DVD. I have used both DVD authoring programs, and they both come out looking great.
    If you want to go HD, or maybe convert to PAL format, or whatever, just select the setting you want in the prompt box for Export QuickTime Movie in FCP.
    It has worked for me so far and the DVD's look great. Hope this helps.
    Good Luck!

  • What's the best way to get user testing of our app (we're based in the UK)

    Hi all.
    We've just developed our first app for Palm and would really like to get some feedback from Palm users (our app allows users to take photos and send them as real printed postcards. We'd be very happy to give users free postcards in exchange for feedback).
    The problem we have is that Palm users are pretty sparse in the UK. We've found that user testing with non-Palm users becomes handset testing rather than app testing. We have to teach them how to use Palm ("Where's the back button?") and so the testing mainly focuses on the particularities of Palm rather than our app. Plus, we don't benefit from the user being able to compare to other Palm apps.
    Any advice on the best way to get feedback from Palm users? Especially as they'll need to download the SDK and install our app using it in order to get it onto their phones.
    If any of the users of this forum are interested in giving the app a go and sending us feedback, I'd love to send you the IPK and then chat. Just send me an email using [email protected]
    Our app is available for Pixi+, Pre+ and Pre2.
     Thanks,
     Freddie.
    Post relates to: Pixi Plus p121ueu (SFR)

    Hello freddie:
    Welcome to the Palm Forums. Thank You for the offer. I highly suggest offering it up
    to our many enthusiasts on Twitter as a beta with the #webos hashtag or joining
    the Precentral.net community and list it in a topic there, homebrew beta. You would
    get better beta response if you Package your app and put it in an ipk to simplify
    the install.
    Hope that helps... Best of luck with your app!
    notimeoff

  • When I'm done with my fcp sequence, whats the best way to get it to dvd?

    When I'm done with my fcp sequence, whats the best way to get it to dvd?

    The advice to go to Compressor left out the part that you may want to convert your audio to AC3 becaus ethe MPEG2 bitrate is probably too high for DVD specs.
    This method is in the DVDSP manual and it's in the Compressor manual, both difficult to locate, but easily searchable.
    Here's what I'd do: Export the timeline form FCP in the native sequence settings, self-contained. Bring that self-contained movie into DVDSP and let DVDSP handle the transcode.
    The advice to go to iDVD is even easier.
    bogiesan

  • The best way to get 5.1 sound out of Mac Pro

    Hello. I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but could someone recommend me the best way to get 5.1 sound of a Mac Pro. Since I don't require hi-fi -level sound, just simple directional audio for gaming and such, I wouldn't like to pour a lot of money to this. As I see it, I'd need an external sound card, internal PCI-E soundcard or speakers that have an optical input. I would like for the cost to be in two digits, euro or dollar.
    Any suggestions about hardware?

    Once again, the issue of 5.1 w/Apple comes up.
    Here is the bottom line.
    You will only get 5.1 audio if the following conditions are true:
    - You are using the OPTICAL output on your Mac
    - You are playing a DVD with a 5.1 soundtrack
    That's it. The simple truth is, that even if you have a Z-5500 setup (like I do), you still will not get 5.1 surround in ///any/// applications other then while playing a DVD.
    There is no way to get 5.1 out of a game on a Mac Pro. No matter how much money you throw at it. The support simply is not there. It is not a software issue, it is not a driver issue. It is the game developer's issue (sort of), and it is a //lack of hardware// issue.
    The complex truth, and I will attempt to explain, isn't that simple.
    Your Mac Pro or Macbook only has a single line-out, that supports 2 channels at the maximum. Optical audio will only handle 2 channels as well- it's the same signal (in two channels) on a different medium, basically.
    All PC soundcards that support proper 5.1 (save for a select few) have //multiple// line-out jacks for Front Left/Right, Center/Sub, and Rear Left/Right (3 plugs total for 5.1). Since your Mac/Mac Pro doesn't have this, you can't hook up a 5.1 speaker set and expect true 5.1.
    You do have optical audio, however, this only works in 5.1 when a Dolby Digital signal is piped through the optical cable.
    Dolby Digital works by encoding a 5.1 signal as a data stream, sending it to a receiver, where it is decoded and played back as 5.1 stereo. DVD's have this audio pre-encoded on the disk.
    If you wanted 5.1 output from your games, they'd need to ether have the sound/audio data encoded as Dolby 5.1, or support encoding on the fly to take a 5.1 signal, encode it, and pipe it out the optical audio plug. Xbox360 does this, because they've licensed the technology from Dolby- as have the game developers.
    Unfortunately, none of the developers for Macintosh gaming have yet to include live Dolby 5.1 encoding (I think Doom 3 had a beta patch that did- I could be wrong).
    If the game doesn't support the above feature, then you only get basic 2 channel audio.
    *Do not buy a Fireface 800.*
    This is a professional audio interface (like an external soundcard). While it supports 5.1 output via 6 individual outputs, you need SPEAKERS that have +built in amplifiers+ (called a Studio Monitor). Not just one amplifier- all the speakers have it built in and take a balanced stereo input.
    You're looking at $1300 for the Fireface 800, and another $200 per speaker. This is not cheap, is not meant for gaming, and is not consumer grade equipment. It's pro audio, designed for Logic 8 and similar.
    Even if you did spend the money, trust me, I'd know... I have a 5.1 setup running through an Apogee Ensemble (a $2000 "soundcard"), and I do not get 5.1 support from Quake 4, C&C 3, or any other game. I only get 5.1 surround from my audio production in Logic 8.
    To recap, since this has been asked many times- and I don't want you wasting your money here (just trying to be helpful!)...
    *There is no simple or cost-efficient way to get 5.1 from your Mac, other then while playing a DVD movie.*
    I would highly recommend that you buy a very good pair of 2.1 speakers with a Sub woofer. Maybe even a pair that takes an optical input for audio. If you really want to spend the money to *watch a DVD in surround sound,* then you can... And it'll work wonderfully, but gaming will not give you surround sound at all.
    *Again- There are no games out that support 5.1. Just because you technically support Dolby 5.1, doesn't mean the applications are aware of it and can utilize the 5.1 surround.*
    Edit: I may have neglected to also mention that the Firewave unit will support 5.1 properly through 3 separate plugs (much like a PC soundcard does), however the only game I am aware of that supports this is Unreal Tournament 2003 for Mac (or was it 04?), with an experimental patch for 5.1 via OpenAL. Last I heard, it worked okay, but crashed occasionally.
    Most of the other games out there just don't support 5.1, period (probably due to the lack of hardware on the Mac computers from the factory).
    -SC
    Message was edited by: ScottishCaptain

  • What is best way to get LCD display for Mac mini?

    Just got Mac Mini but when I connect it to my Samsung LCD the display quality is crap.  What is the best way to get HD resolution, (maximum quality) from this set up?

    Thanks,
    I did try all of the settings on the LCD display.  It is 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.  Built in 2011 by Samsung as a HD TV, computer monitor and audio/video combo.  I just let the Mac mini select the appropriate settings when I did initial startup last night.  I It came with an HDMI to DVI adapter which (to me) implies I need to get the male end of the DVI adapter to connect to the 9 pin (PC input).  Current HDMI is working but just not the "wow factor" that I expected from the Mac mini.  Compatibiltiy issue of some kind; input/output, settings, software update, or user error   Was trying to avoid getting a new monitor.

  • What is the best video converter for high quality MPEG-4 for Apple TV?

    What is the best video converter for high quality MPEG-4 for Apple TV?

    Handbrake won't convert AVI files, But there are many more than those mentioned that will
    The choice of conversion software is a personal choice, I have around a dozen applications that will tackle AVI's, however VisualHub is not one of them, not because there is anything wrong with it but rather I have enough such applications in my arsenal already.
    I would use mpegstreamclip in most scenarios for what you are wanting to do but maybe not always. It is a good idea to have a few applications to choose from as not all do the same thing. mpegstreamclip has a few more options than some bog standard applications without becoming overburdening with choices.
    You might want to try a few applications yourself before deciding on the software for you. isquint is a free limited version of visualhub, you might want to give that a whirl to get a feeling for visualhub.
    Be aware though that quality conversions do not happen quickly, claims of being faster than other applications may well be correct, but are usually a trade off against quality. Again you need to choose your software to reflect your preferred balance between speed and quality.
    Here's how I use mpegstreamclip, http://web.me.com/gartside1104/z008/Mpegstreamclip.html but your AVI's may well be low quality, you shouldn't set the bitrate any higher than your source file and likely lower, you shouldn't increase the frame size either.
    Message was edited by: Winston Churchill

  • HT1349 I lost/had my iPhone stolen. Tried using Find My iPhone and it's offline. It was set up. What do I do now? Do I report it stolen? What is the best way in getting back my iPhone if any? Thank you in advance.

    Tried using Find My iPhone and it's offline. It (Find my iPhone) was set up. What do I do now? Do I report it stolen? What is the best way in getting back my iPhone if any? Thank you in advance.

    Find My iPhone is good for misplaced iPhone but not good for thief and it was never meant to be.
    You chance of getting it back is very small.
    There are a few things you can try.
    Try remote lock/wipe your iPhone through Find My iPhone.
    https://www.icloud.com
    You can report to the police, cell carrier (expensive cell charges for international calls, roaming etc)
    Change all the passwords used in iPhone: Apple ID, E-mail, Bank Account ....
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2526

  • HT3775 I NEED I TUNES FOR A 64 BIT PC. OPERATING SYSTEM IS WINDOWS 8, NON TOUCH SCREEN. WHICH IS THE ABSOLUTELY BEST WAY TO GET ITUNES OPERATING CORRECTLY ON MY PC????//I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL THINGS, NONE OF WHICH ARE WORKING. IS ITUNES DELIBERATELY EXCLUDI

    I cannot get itunes to work/install on myPC. I am running windows 8 in a 64 bit machine. I also want to purchase books via itunes for my Nook. Are you deliberately excluding PC owners so we cannot use ituens on our computers???? I have selected a community but have no idea what community I should be working with. Can somone explai these communities to me? Also. you don't allow much time to go thru the sign up process. I had to start over SEVERAL times as you kept timing me out. Jesus...when people are signing up for the first time, we have no idea of the questions that will be asked. Give us a break and give us time to sign up. Not everone is disability free and able to go thru your process quickly...you are NOT user friendly. You should be for people who are wanting to join your community. I used to want an Apple product but now that  I have had first hand experience with your web page, I think I will probably stay away from Apple products. VERY DISAPPOINTING

    Jan 11, 2014 10:26 AM  Re: I NEED I TUNES FOR A 64 BIT PC. OPERATING SYSTEM IS WINDOWS 8, NON TOUCH SCREEN. WHICH IS THE ABSOLUTELY BEST WAY TO GET ITUNES OPERATING CORRECTLY ON MY PC????//I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL THINGS, NONE OF WHICH ARE WORKING. IS ITUNES DELIBERATELY EXCLUDING
      Re: I NEED I TUNES FOR A 64 BIT PC. OPERATING SYSTEM IS WINDOWS 8, NON TOUCH SCREEN. WHICH IS THE ABSOLUTELY BEST WAY TO GET ITUNES OPERATING CORRECTLY ON MY PC????//I HAVE TRIED SEVERAL THINGS, NONE OF WHICH ARE WORKING. IS ITUNES DELIBERATELY EXCLUDING PC'S  in response to Birdlover1      
    Post over in the iTunes for Windows forum, here:
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_for_windows
    sebastian

  • Starting Fresh With iTunes 9.0.1...best way to get music back in/import?

    Had some library troubles with iTunes 9, and decided to do a clean install of not only the program, but of Snow Leopard itself. I was waiting on an iTunes update to come out before I decided to re-load my library in, since I didn't want to risk repeat problems (I've always been one of those bleeding edge-ers, and this is the 1st time I've ever had a problem/held back...guess I learned my lesson). 9.0.1 is out and seems to address the problems I'd been having, but I caught the "start fresh" bug and I want to start over with iTunes. No playlists, play counts, etc need to be saved.
    I do have a full backup of my previous system (thanks SuperDuper!), and I'm wondering what the best way to get all of my music back into iTunes is.
    -Do I use the Finder to simply drag the contents of my old "iTunes Music" folder into the new "iTunes Media" folder?
    -Do I drag the whole folder and drop it onto the iTunes window? (I'm worried this method won't put iPhone apps, ringtones, audiobooks and podcasts in the right place).
    -Do I use the import function?
    Notes: prior to making the backup, I did upgrade to/select iTunes Media Organization
    I did see THIS article: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451 but it says it's old and I wonder if it applies to iTunes 9.
    Thanks for any help!

    You might want to check that your certificate that you made has been applied to iTunes.app
    try this code in Terminal"
    codesign -dvvvv /Application/iTunes.app
    Does the name on the certificate match the one you created?

  • I recently added my old mac hard drive to a new macbook with an SSD as my main OSX drive.  I am having trouble with permissions in viewing my old hard drive.  What is the best way to get complete access to my old hd installed in my new Macbook?

    I recently added my old mac hard drive to a new macbook with an SSD as my main OSX drive. I am having trouble with permissions in viewing my old hard drive, when I save a permission when I reboot the full access is changed again .  What is the best way to get complete access to my old hd installed in my new Macbook?

    Open the Get Info window for the old drive. Click the Lock icon on the bottom of that window and type in your password. In the permissions area click the Plus sign ( + ) and Add your Username to it and set it to Read & Write. Close that window. you should now have full access to all the files.

  • What is the BEST way to get my macbook with lion on it, to communicate with my Canon 40D camera?

    What is the BEST way to get my macbook with lion on it, to communicate with my Canon 40D camera? It says the utility disk is a PowerPC app and that is no longer supported. What do I do now? I can't upload photos from my camera.

    Also, I had the same problem happen when I tried to install an older version of Corel Painter. Are Macbook Pro users just NOT supposed to be able to use their laptops for the purposes they are best designed for?
    -Frustrated new Mac user

  • Iphone 4s coming friday, what is the best way to get the notes content from iphone 4 to 4s without doing a restore? i want the new phone to be totally new but not sure how to get notes content across.

    What is the best way to get the notes content from iphone 4 to 4s without doing a restore? i want the new phone to be totally new but not sure how to get notes content across. If I do a restore as I have when previously from one iphone to another it has shown (in settings, usage) the cumulative usage from previous phones so all the hours of calls on all previous iphones will be displayed even though its brand new. Anyone know how I can get my notes (from standard iphone notes app) to my new iphone 4s without restoring from previous iphone 4. Thanks for any help offered.

    First, if you haven't updated to iTunes 10.5, please update now as you will need it for the iPhone 4S and iOS 5.
    Once you're done installing iTunes 10.5, open it. Connect your iPhone to iTunes using the USB cable. Once your iPhone pops up right click on it. For example: an iPhone will appear and it will say "Ryan's iPhone."
    Right click on it and select "Backup" from the dropdown menu. It will start backing up. This should backup your notes.
    Please tell me if you have any problems with backing up.
    Once you backup and get your iPhone 4S, you must follow these steps. If you don't follow these steps, you will not be able to get your notes on your new iPhone 4S.
    Open up iTunes again then right click on your device (iPhone 4S). Once you do you will see a dropdown menu. It will say "Restore from Backup..." Select this and it'll ask for a backup, select it from the dropdown menu. For example "Ryan's iPhone - October 12, 2011." Pick that and it will restore to your backup. Do this when you get your iPhone 4S so you will not lose anything. Even though you're restoring, you're getting back, since you're getting the previous settings, notes, contacts, mail and other settings from your old iPhone. You'll still have Siri though! So, restore when you first get it. Also frequently backup your device, as it will be worth it. You can restore from a backup if something goes wrong or save your data for a future update.
    Once you do that, you should have your notes on your new iPhone 4S and iOS 5.
    Please tell me if you need any help.
    I hoped I answered your questions and solved your problem!

Maybe you are looking for