PSD layers name in Architect

» Wed Aug 04, 2010 4:38 am

Special thanks to John Meyer
I would like to know how you would have it so the name of the title can be done.Do you put on the background of a photoshop picture with the theme and what the file ext. be named in the layer. I What to be able to edit it in dvda later. Some background on this theme I want to be able to use it for weddings where all I have to do is when it's done is change the name and pics. and the add the video. I can send a psd. file example if it would help.
Sample

» Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:37 pm

One of the curses and the blessings -- all at the same time -- of using PSD files to create fancier navigation buttons, is that there a gillion ways to do things. You can do all the buttons and everything in the PSD file, but you have to get the naming just right, and you then have to import the PSD as a submenu (a step that a lot of people don't catch on to when they first read the manual). But, you can also forget all the naming (this is in DVDA version 4) and instead insert empty buttons and then manually assign the thumbnail content and the highlight content. If you do this, then you hide those thumbnails on the background that you put in the menu. There are then dozens of variations of having the buttons on the background vs. inserting them as objects in DVDA and merely using the highlight (although you have to line up the highlight button with the background object).

In your case, I am not sure what you mean by "so the name of the title can be done." I assume you are referring to the title "Rebecca & Jacob" and perhaps the date below it. In the PSD file you sent, that has already been merged onto the background. If you want to be able to edit that, so you can re-use the template for a later project, or change dates, or for whatever reason, I recommend simply making the text object, but NOT merging it into the background. In DVDA, if you choose the PSD as the menu background, and if you choose "Composited Layer" as the Layer for that background, then everything that is hidden when you save the file will be hidden, and everything (i.e., all objects) that are shown -- such as your title -- will be shown. Therefore, you can edit the title object. In fact, if you have the PSD file open in your photo editor at the same time that it is used in DVDA4, you can make the change, save, and then switch back to DVDA and immediately see the change. There are a few rough spots in DVDA, so sometimes this doesn't work quite right and you have to save, close, then re-open the DVDA project.

I've attached an example PSD file, based on yours, along with a DVDA4 DAR file, that illustrates what I'm talking about. I didn't have access to your font, so I had to sort of fake the title, but it's close. Also, I lined up the three menu items and the highlight, and showed one of several possible ways to create highlight buttons. I could write several chapters on all the variations.

This link is good for seven days:

Example Files (zipped)

If you open the DAR file in DVDA and then preview the main menu, you'll see how it works.

» Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:11 am

Thanks for replying back
Ok here is what I want to do .Here is the original file before I changed it to dvda format.
I want to know if it can be done where the rebecca and jacob can be name a layer extension that would work in dvda same for the date and the transparent bar or do I have to merge it all the time then every time I bring a new wedding into dvda do I have to do all the work over. Does vasst dvda cd go into deep detail the different file names dvda will use. I can only find in the manual what I have done so far.I did use insert psd as a sub menu and I like the way the dots show up and I can add my file to play movie, chapter selections, special features. I also wanted to know if the words play move, chapter selection, and special feature could have a psd file extension that would work so I could edit them in dvda or again would I have to open up in psd to change that.
Thanks for given your time I hope this discussion will help me as well as many other who have been afraid to ask.
original before right file extensions