Creating Menus within DVD Studio Pro

Creating menus with DVD Studio Pro is very easy and shouldn't take long to do. DVD Studio Pro is one of the most popular video editing applications available for the Apple OSx operating system.

DVD Studio can be used to create a number of different types of menus for DVD's. One of the easiest methods for anyone with experience using Photoshop is to design a static menu.

Creating a Layered Menu will make it possible to design DVDs which are very easy to navigate. Different layers can be created in Photoshop for different states.

Step 1: Creating a New Document

First load Photoshop and create a new document with the right format. Choose the NTSC DV option to create the right size of image. Click ok to accept the changes and create a blank document.

This Photoshop document should now be used to create the basic static menu. Use different layers to create different parts of the layer. This includes layers for the background and also what happens when the buttons are clicked.

Step 2: Opening DVD Studio Pro

Now launch DVD Studio Pro by selecting it from the menu. When the software is loaded it will automatically create a new project for you to customize and turn into your DVD menu.

Step 3: Importing the Menu

Now import the menu Photoshop file by clicking on "Assets" and then "Import." Navigate to the Photoshop menu file that you created. With the image selected click on the Import button.

Step 4: Setting up the Menu

With the image important select the graphical tab. Now click on the menu and delete it. Click on "Add Layered Menu" from the toolbar. This will make a new menu to be created which you need to click the menu to choose it.

Click on the General Tab and then select the Photoshop layer which contains the background of your menu. This will create the basic look of the menu so that you can get an idea of how it will look.

Step 5: Creating Buttons

Click on the Menu Tab and then create buttons by dragging around them on the menu. It's then possible to adjust these buttons by resizing them if needed.

Step 7: Setting up Buttons

With all of the buttons created you should then click on one of the buttons to choose it. This will then cause the Menu Editor to show the controls which can be adjusted. The options can then be used to control exactly what the buttons will do.

Step 8: Previewing the Menu

To see how the menu will look hold down control and click on the background image. It's then possible to select "Simulate Menu" to preview the menu and see what it looks like.

Step 9: Configuring other Buttons

Repeat the steps to configure each of your other buttons. To do this click on each button one by one and then control what each of the buttons do. After you've done this the menu will then be ready to use on one of your DVD videos.

Your menus can then be burnt onto your own DVDs to make the most of your home videos.