Encore Best Practices

jjchad · #1 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 09:22 AM

Hi could someone please point me in the right direction, I’m still a newbie at video editing & at present using Adobe Prem Pro & Adobe Encore for basic menu options. I’ve been editing my holiday dv & was wondering what the best way would be to out put it for use in encore to produce my menus.

In the past I have just been outputting 1 file that’s writes straight to the DVD & plays once in the player. Do I have to out put lets say 3 files them import them in Encore which are then linked to buttons or is it possible to just output 1 file & somehow tell Encore which button starts at what ever point in time I choose.?

Hope this all makes sense. John

Marc Peters · #2 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 12:15 PM

You can do it either way.

Producing one long MPEG and importing

The simplest and easiest method if you have just one film. If you want to access points within the movie from the tittle menu, simply add chapter points to the timeline. Then reference these chapter points in your buttons. I always use this method when making a chapter selection menu. Why? Well when your player moves from one MPEG to the next, you usually see a noticable jump. This isn't the case for chapter points!

Producing mulptiple MPEGs and importing

The prefered metho for multiple films. E.g. extras on the DVD. Reference clips for buttons using the timeline.

Ian in Northampton · #3 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 03:01 PM

For some reason, I split my original movie into sections - each section goes on a different timeline, then I import each timeline separately into Encore and attach it to its Encore button. I used to know a really good reason why I did it this way, but I'm buggered if I can remember what it was. Perhaps it never existed... The Playlist function allows you to couple them all together under a 'Play All' button.

jjchad · #4 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 04:26 PM

Thanks for that it really helped me out, just one more thing if i do just use 1 file & the chapter points, will i still be able to have chapters that go back to the menu screen. As i would like to have buttons like chapter 1 to 3 & maybe a play all button.?

John

Ian in Northampton · #5 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 05:11 PM

Not sure I quite understand, and I'm probably telling you something you already know - but for each button, you can define the end action i.e. what you want to happen when that sequence finishes - I think... So you could tell Encore to go straight ahead and play the next chapter, or tell it to go back to the menu screen.

Alan Mills · #6 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 05:55 PM

You will NOT be able to redirect the end of a chapter to go back to a menu.

Once you access a timeline by jumping in at a chapter of your choice it muct play all the way to the end of the timeline before any defined 'end action' will take effect. The only way out is if the user hits the menu button on the remote.

Ian in Northampton · #7 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 06:29 PM

Mr. Mills has just reminded me of why I do it the way I do it. If you associate an individual timeline with a button, you can return to the button at the end of the timeline. This, combined with the Playlist function, gives you the flexibility of just playing individual chapters or playing the whole thing from start to finish. Thanks Alan. :lol:

jjchad · #8 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 07:27 PM

Thanks guys i know now what i have to do, what would we do without the internet & these forums.?

John

Marc Peters · #9 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 07:28 PM

I'd have a social life, a house, a girlfiend and... no, wait, that's why I am here.

Ian in Northampton · #10 (**permalink**) 09-01-2005, 07:29 PM

John: welcome to Marc's Video Editing Forums at their sprakling best! Glad if we helped.