Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Essentials of Sonic DVDit for Corporate DVD Authoring
Douglas Dixon, Manifest Technology LLC
www.manifest-tech.com
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Seminar Notes - NAB 2005 PPW - WD-DA1 - Updated 3/18/2005
DVDit 5 -- "Powerful DVD authoring made easy"
Available June 2004 - $299
- Completely redesigned user interface
- New advanced menu and navigation tools
- Professional-quality video timeline
Menu design - Motion menu creation, object alignment, button highlight and text tools
Professional-quality graphic content - built-in set of high-quality menu graphics
Navigation control - First Play, End Action, button routing, Easter Egg buttons
Video editing - New chapter editing timeline, frame-accurate scrubbing
Encoding - Real-time MPEG-2 encoder, Variable Bit Rate (VBR), Dolby Digital (AC-3)
Input - Supports AVI, MPEG, QuickTime, Windows Media Video
Import MyDVD projects
Burn - Double Layer disc creation –DVD+R Double Layer DVD (8.5GB)
Interface
Interface Design
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Task-oriented UI walks users through each step
Workflow Tabs (top)
Task-oriented project workflow
- Projects
- Create New, Open, Delete - recent
- Edit
- Assemble media, trim, add chapter points
- Author
- Design menus, link navigation
- Finish
- Preview, Burn
Status Bar (bottom)
Project info and status
- Bit-budget (GB remaining), Last saved (date/time)
- Project format (NTSC / PAL), Project type (DVD-5, -9, -RAM)
(Limitations)
- One Audio track, no Subtitle tracks
- Simple button highlights - one-bit subpictures - one color per state
- Limited overrides, No playlists, no Menu and Title menus
- Not OpenDVD (or VR) project for re-editing
- Preview requires render for motion menus
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Projects tab - Open / Create
Interface
Open Project
Create Projects
Open Existing Projects
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View Recent Projects
Open existing project
Delete existing project (clean up)
New Project
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Create New Proejct
New From Existing Project - Project as template
Project Formats
DVDit project - *.dvd-dvi
MyDVD project - *.dvd
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Open and edit MyDVD projects (created with 4.x and 5.x) - then save as DVDit project
NOT OpenDVD discs / folders
(Import from DVD+VR discs - Edit tab)
Project Settings and Preferences
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File > Project Settings
General info, Summary fields
Transcode settings
File > Preferences - defaults
General - NTSC / PAL, warnings
Edit - Timecode display, chapter labels
Author - Menu editor, buttons
Finish - Temporary storage, Transcoding quality vs. speed
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Edit tab - Movie -> Timelines
Interface
Media palette - Import Video & Audio files
Movie list
- Drag files (Media files -> Movie clips to include on disc)
Preview area - View and trim selected Movie - drag In/Out points, edit timecode
Timeline
- Add chapters, audio track
Import Media - Media palette
Import media files (Video and Audio) into Media palette to be available for project
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File > Import > Media - AVI, Windows Media, QuickTime, MPEG-1,-2, audio
File > Import > DVD+VR Content (just clip list, no visual preview)
File tools - right-click menu - Delete, Rename, Duplicate to reuse
Create Movie - Movie list - Preview / Trim
Drag media files to Movie list to add clip to disc
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Set As First Play - triangle icon - right-click menu (also Titles under Author tab)
Create Movie - Drag and drop file at end of Movie list
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Preview and trim - Click Movie to select in Movie list, view in Preview area
Play
Trim - Drag In/Out points - Edit timecode directly
Grab Frame (camera icon)
Movies / Timeline
Chapter editing timeline - Frame-accurate live scrubbing, chapter placement
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Timeline controls and menu - Zoom, scroll
Current frame - Drag playhead, edit timecode
Timeline options - Non-drop, Drop frame
Video track
Add Chapter points - at playhead, Delete
Clip properties - right-click menu
Audio track
Audio track replacement - Import Media, drag to track
Volume / Mute , Fade In/Out - right-click menu (Timeline menu)
Audio Options
DVD Language, Bilingual/SAP channel (second audio program)
Audio Offset to sync with video track
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Author tab - Menus - Links
Interface
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Media palette
Images, Media, Buttons, Frames - import
Images (backgrounds)
Media - Video & Audio
Buttons - Button Images, Button Objects, Navigation Buttons
(Stored in Program Files/Sonic/DVDit/Content/
Button Objects, Frames, Images, Navigation Buttons)
Menus/Titles list
Menus - Select menu to work on
Titles - Select movies, chapter points, slideshows, pictures - link to menu buttons
Preview area
Attributes area - tabs
Status bar - GB Remaining, disc size, TV format, last saved
Import Media - Media palette
Import media files into Media palette to be available for project
Titles list - Movies and Slideshows
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Can drag media files to Titles list to add to disc (if do not need to Edit)
Set As First Play - right-click menu (also Media palette under Edit tab)
View > Thumbnail / Details (right-click) - Hierarchical view
Titles list - Slideshows
Select one or more Images in Media palette and drag to Title list
or use Add Slideshow above Preview area
Create Slideshow tool
Interface inherited from MyDVD - Edit / double-click
View - Filmstrip, Thumbnail, Details
Get Pictures - Assemble and organize list of images, Rotate
Button Image - Slide used for thumbnail in menu button
Settings - displayed at bottom
Basic: Duration, Audio track
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Fit Slides to Music
Advanced - Transitions, Letterbox color
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Archive Original Pictures to Disc - high-resolution, backup
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Menus list - Menu Creation / Design
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Customized menus - Position objects anywhere - Link anywhere
Included menu graphics, or import from Adobe Photoshop or other editor
Create Menu
New Menu - DVD Menus > Add Menu (right-click in Menus list)
Drag Image from Media palette to Menus list
Menu Background and Audio
Background - Background Color drop-down
Drag file from Media palette to menu background
(Image or Video - still or motion menu, with audio)
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[not Titles list - creates button]
(or drag to icon in Menus list) -- can be Image or Media / video file
Menu tab - Select Audio background - Fade In / Out
(Related tabs - see below)
~ Menu tab - Still, Motion, Audio [End Action] - Subpicture colors
~ Links tab - Button Subpictures, Routing, Motion [Link]
File / Preferences / Author - Button Options
~ Title tab - End Action
Menus list - Edit Buttons, Background
Add Buttons and Graphics
Add Buttons / graphics - Drag from Buttons palette - Images, Objects, Navigation
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Not linked - Use for background graphics design (and text as buttons)
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Add Movie buttons - Drag from Menus/Titles list, or Add Movie file (right-click)
[not Media palette -- used as background]
Automatically linked to movie
Edit Buttons and Text
Select tool - Position, resize (constrained from corner)
Text tool - Use Text tab for Text Format
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View > View Safe Area, - Title and Action Safe Zone
View > Show Grid, Snap to Grid; Button Numbers
Alignment drop-down / DVD Menus > Align
Align - L,R,T,B; Center H,V; (when selected)
Distribute H,V; Relative to Menu
Order - Bring, move to Front / Back
Size - Same Width / Height (right-click)
Lock / Unlock
Effects and Attributes
Effects tab - Drop Shadow, Object Opacity
Global Style - or individual objects
Copy/Paste Attributes (right-click)
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Navigation control
Links, End Actions, Button highlights
Motion Menus (Menu tab) - End Actions
Infinite Still / Timed Still - Timed auto-play menus
Audio background -> Timed Still
Video background (drag from Media palette) -> Motion Menu
(Motion buttons - individually - Animate Button in Links tab)
End Action - Loop (continuous playback), Still (stop)
Link to Menu, Movie (chapter)
Title End Action (Title tab)
Select in Titles list - Title tab - End Action - Loop, Stop, link
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Play Next Title in List
Menu Button Links (Links tab)
Convert any graphic object or text into a button
Drag to button / graphic from Menus or Titles list
Drag to replace button design - Link / Remove Link (right-click)
► View > View Button Numbers - Forced Selection (Menu tab)
Links tab - Link To
► Link End Action (override) - Return to Menu (after playing movie / slideshow)
Motion button - Thumbnail / Animate Button
Button Subpicture Highlights (Links tab)
► Subpicture Style - Defaults -- Fill / Outline - Area / Rectangle
Button's Subpicture Layer - imported from Photoshop
► DVD Menus > View Normal / Selected / Activated Subpictures
► DVD Menus > Edit Subpicture Colors - 3 Color Sets (Menu tab to select)
Import from Photoshop
Buttons: full-color Image layer, Overlay solid+transparent
Button frames: Image, Overlay, single-color Thumb region
Button Routing (Links tab)
Auto Route (Wrap), or Manual
First Play
(Intro, FBI warning, Main menu)
Right-click in Menus/Titles list - Any menu, movie or slideshow (also Edit tab)
Set End Action in Title tab - typically link to main menu
Invisible / Easter Egg Buttons
Text - blank (no highlight) - Manually Route (no Auto Activate)
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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Sonic DVDit - NAB 2005 PPW
Finish tab - Preview / Burn
ROM Content
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Author tab / ROM
Include Data Files - browse for ROM Folder
Preview Project
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Start from First Play / from Current Position
Motion menus shown in Preview mode (as stills)
Preview > Render Motion menus (also runner button on right)
Preview area - Play controls (Title / Menu), Navigation controls (Preview menu)
Finish Disc
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(must Stop Preview)
Burn to DVD (must Save project)
DVD+R Double Layer - 8.5GB
Write Disc Image, DVD Volume
Burn to DVD -- (from Project, Disc Image, DVD Volume)
(Burn / Create Label)
"Summary" fields allow users to precisely categorize their DVD
Transcoding
Real-time MPEG-2 encoder, Variable Bit Rate (VBR) control
Dolby Digital (AC-3) theatre-quality sound
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File > Project Settings / Transcode tab
Encode set: 4,6,8000 Kbps, CBR/VBR, Dolby Digital,
Custom Compression:
Video: Bit-rate (4-8000 Kbps), CBR/VBR
Audio: Dolby Digital or PCM, Bitrate 64 - 384 kbps
Convert All Compliant Video and Audio Files
(to lower bit-rates, Dolby Digital)
File > Preferences / Finish tab
Effort Control: Faster Transcoding -- Best Quality
Manifest Technology®
www.manifest-tech.com
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
Manifest Technology is a registered trademark of Douglas Dixon
Copyright 2004-2005, Douglas Dixon, All Rights Reserved
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