Details on how to create 4 DVD menus in 4x3, each with 4 buttons plus 32 thumbnail buttons?

g.jodler wrote on 2/14/2014, 12:01 PM

I want to create a custom menu with these elements:

4x3 domension
36 buttuns on each menu (i.e. the maximum as per DVD specification)
4 buttons leading to each of the 4 menus
the other 32 buttons leading each to another short film sequence
the end action of each film should be "return to last menu"

I had a quick first look at the menu designer and some questions came to my mind that I would like to ask here.

How best can I set the order in which the films appear on the menu? Is that always dependent on the order on the timeline?
In extension to this first question: During my editing process I create 99 video clips that should go onto one DVD. Should I, in order to get these individual edits/timelines onto one DVD, collect them on one new timeline? If so, how? If not, how best can I edit 99 clips and get them onto one DVD?
How best can I arrange the thumbnails in such a way that they are evenly spaced? Can I use an external graphic/photo editor? Photoshop?
It seems that the default menu structure is: Top menu >> sub menu 1. Can I leave this "top menu" out and go directly to my "menu 1"?
There is a default button for "next menu"/"previous menu" can I freely edit this button image? Or leave it out entirely, because I use the buttons 1 to 4 to navigate between menus.

Thank you all

Comments

johnebaker wrote on 2/14/2014, 1:59 PM

You cannot achieve this using MEP because there are limitations on the number of buttons per page in the templates, for a main menu 6 or 7 per page for chapters 6 - 8 depending on the template.

I would seriously question the useability of such a menu structure as you have proposed, text labels or images for the buttons are going to be very small and navigation cumbersome with 36 buttons per page.

To achieve what you want to do you are going to have to create the videos then use another DVD authoring program to create the menu structure and pages you require.

Whichever DVD authoring program you use - I used to use DVD Lab Pro 2 , they require a lot of preparation beforehand with the videos, images to be used for buttons and background images, audio etc and then assembling it all together and adding chapter markers if required.

John