Create a DVD Studio Pro Menu with a Photoshop File

DVD Studio Pro can create a huge variety of DVD menus. If you know Photoshop, then you will love the “Layered Menus” that start from a Photoshop file. You can create layers for background art and different button states, and those layers will translate directly into your DVD Studio Pro project. Once you prepare your Photoshop file for easy import, you are only a few steps away from a custom DVD menu.

Steps

Step 1: Create a new Photoshop document and select the “NTSC DV 720x480 (with guides)” preset. You will be warned that pixel aspect ratio correction is for preview purposes only. Click OK and continue.

Step 2: Launch DVD Studio Pro and a new project will open by default.

Step 3: In the Assets tab, click “Import...” Locate your Photoshop file and click Import in the dialog window. Your file will appear in the Assets tab.

Step 4: In the Graphical tab, select the Menu and press Delete to remove it. In the Toolbar, click “Add Layered Menu” and a new menu will appear. Click on this new menu to select it.

Step 5: Once you select the menu, the Menu Editor will display its controls. In the General tab, find the Background drop menu and select your Photoshop file. Check the box for your background layer and uncheck the rest.

Step 6: In the menu tab, create DVD Studio Pro button areas around your Photoshop buttons by clicking and dragging. You can move these areas or resize them using the bounding box.

Step 7: Click on a button area to select it and the Menu Editor will display its controls. In the Layers tab, select the appropriate layers for each button in each state.

Step 8: Control-click the background image of your menu and select Simulate Menu to preview your menu in the Simulator.

Step 9: Once you configure each of your buttons, your menu will be ready to be connected to your other assets. Refer to the DVD Studio Pro manual for more information on DVD authoring.

Tips

Photoshop layers for the background and the normal, selected, and activated states.

Your Buttons in Photoshop Layers

DVD menu buttons have three states: normal, selected, and activated. The “activated” state is displayed when you actually “click” on a selected button. You need a single Photoshop layer for each button’s “selected” and “activated” states, plus one background layer. You can merge the “normal” button states with the background layer. For example, if your project has five buttons, your Photoshop file should have ten layers for buttons states and one background layer that includes the buttons in their “normal” state.

Any layer effects (such as drop shadows), adjustment layers, and transfer modes should be “flattened” into basic layers. It’s a good idea to label all your layers clearly and to save a copy of your original Photoshop file before you prepare it for DVD Studio Pro.

Your Buttons in DVD Studio Pro

Once your buttons are set up in DVD Studio Pro, use the Menu Editor tools to preview different button states. Buttons in DVD Studio Pro need to be square or rectangular, but you can use any shape for the underlying Photoshop button graphics. Be sure that the rectangular or square buttons you’ll be drawing over the Photoshop graphics in DVD Studio Pro will not overlap. This will make your menu easier to use.

Other Kinds of Menus

DVD Studio Pro does a great job of using Photoshop files, but there are also many other ways to make DVD menus. You can import a wide array of file types including video, audio, and still images. Your buttons can use colored overlays instead of Photoshop layers to indicate different button states. Any of these elements can be combined to create menus that are as simple or as elaborate as you want them to be. Refer to the DVD Studio Pro manual for more ways to customize your DVD menu to the look of your creative projects.