So far we have been talking about importing assets into the Project window to use for our project. Although you typically import playable assets into the Project window (i.e., video, audio, and still images), you also can use it to store other graphical elements such as buttons to use in your menu designs. However, because menu elements are typically shared across multiple projects, Encore also provides the Library palette, shown in Figure 3-16, as a handy place to store menus, buttons, images, and other elements that you can reuse among all your Encore projects.
Think of the Library palette as a handy collection of resources—such as predesigned backgrounds, buttons, and complete menus—that can be imported into your projects.
The Encore installation includes a small collection of predesigned elements in the Library. In addition, you can browse through hundreds of more items provided on the Encore product disc, under the Goodies folder. And, of course, you can design your own elements and import them into the library as well.
At this point, open the Library palette (click the Library tab in the appropriate palette, or choose Window → Library). The Library palette includes the list of stored assets, a set grouping, a preview area, and a row of buttons in the middle. The elements stored in the Library palette are grouped into sets, accessed using the Set drop-down menu at the top of the palette.
Encore stores seven types of assets in its library: menus, buttons, still images, background images, layer sets, text, and vector shapes.
To view only the menus stored in the Library, toggle the Library palette. the buttons so that only the first of the seven buttons is highlighted. Then click through the menu designs to view them in the Library preview thumbnail, as shown in Figure 3-17.
The installed library contains several collections of related menu designs and elements. The items named Menu and Submenu are complete menus, and include Photoshop objects and layers for the background image and graphics, the title text, and buttons. Note that the Library palette displays only menus that are compatible with the current project’s TV standard (NTSC or PAL).
The menu marked with a small yellow star next to its icon is the currently selected default in the current set (i.e., Silk Wedding Menu.psd in Figure 3-17), and will be used as the default design for new menus of this set. To set a menu to be the default, select it and choose Set as Default Menu from the right-click context menu.
Next, press the second Show Buttons button, as shown in Figure 3-18, and click through the button designs.
These are complete Photoshop button designs, including layers for the button graphics, the region to be used for the clip thumbnail, and the button label text.
Just like the menus, the button marked with a yellow star is the currently selected default (i.e., Ribbon Video Button.psd in Figure 3-18), and will be used as the default button design when adding clips to a menu. Again, to set a button to be the default, right-click it and choose Set as Default Button.
Next, toggle the buttons so that only the third Show Images button is highlighted, and click through the images (see Figure 3-19.)
The images stored in the library can include decorative graphics elements (such as those shown in Figure 3-19) that you can add to your menu designs. Note that each element has a transparent background as well as antialiasing properties so that it will blend well with menu backgrounds or other graphics elements.
Next, toggle the buttons so that only the fourth Show Backgrounds button is highlighted, and click through the background images (see Figure 3-20).
These are all Photoshop menu backgrounds, automatically set for the output resolution of the television standard that you have chosen. Note that some backgrounds are labeled as “WIDE,” indicating that they will look best when the pixel aspect ratio has converted them to a 16:9 widescreen display. Any of these backgrounds can be added to your menus to give them a bit of flair.
The fifth button, shown in Figure 3-21, brings up the layer sets that you can use in your projects.
Layer sets are simply Photoshop files with various layers. Layer sets are similar to buttons (and can be used in the creation of buttons), but have no restrictions on layer names. They are typically used to create multilayer title bars and graphics, although they can be used to create much more.
The sixth button shows you the text elements that you have in your library. (See Figure 3-22.)
Text elements are simply Photoshop files that contain text layers in them. You will typically use text elements to create words with spiffy-looking fonts and text attributes.
Finally, the last button shows the vector shapes stored in the library, as shown in Figure 3-23.
Vector shapes are not bitmapped graphics, but instead are special Photoshop files that contain specific instructions on how to mathematically draw various shapes and colors. This means that they can be scaled and rotated without any distortion or “jagginess.” The vector shapes stored in the library include decorative graphics elements that you can add to your menu designs.
The Library palette dialog provides a simple means of grouping elements under a common theme, called sets. You can change the current set using the choice box near the top of the Library tab. Encore then stores copies of imported files on a per-user basis, in a directory named for the associated set (see Figure 3-24). Seven default sets are included with Adobe Encore DVD:
- Corporate
This set includes components that are geared towards the corporate user for presentations, either to potential clients or for distribution internally (e.g., a human resources presentation that welcomes new employees).
- Default
This set is a default directory with simple, basic designs. It also can be used to store your own components.
- Education
This set contains components that are designed for use by educators in creating instructional DVDs, including menus for math and geography lessons.
- General
This set has menus, images, buttons, text, and vector shapes that are designed for use by both corporate and entertainment producers in creating DVDs for movies. It also contains blank menus that can be used as a starting point for creating your own Encore DVD menus.
- Government
These set components are used for creating more formal-looking DVD presentations.
- Sports
This set has components that are helpful in creating menus, buttons, and backgrounds for DVDs that document sporting events.
- Wedding
This set contains components for independent videographers who are recording a wedding and wish to present the newlywed couple with a spiffy-looking DVD that documents the events up to and including the walk down the aisle.
To add new items to the library, click the New Item button at the bottom of the Library palette, and then use the New Library Item dialog to select one or more files to import. You also can drag files directly from Windows Explorer to the Library palette. Imported files can be in any of the following image file formats: PSD, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, or EMF. You also can copy assets between the Project window and the Library palette by just dragging from one window to the other.
Encore actually makes a copy of files when they are imported to the Library, so that the library retains the file even if the original file is modified or deleted on disk.
The original library files installed with Encore are stored in its application program directory. So, for example, if Encore DVD is installed in C:Program FilesAdobeEncore DVD 1.5 (the default directory), the library folders for the Default set are stored in:
| C:Program FilesAdobeEncore DVD 1.5LibraryDefault |
For the set of Wedding assets, however, the directory is:
| C:Program FilesAdobeEncore DVD 1.5LibraryWedding |
Encore then stores copies of imported files on a per-user basis, in the appropriate directory for the set. For example, if you add an asset to the Default set, it is placed in:
C:Documents and SettingsusernameApplication DataAdobeAdobe Encore DVD 1.5LibraryDefault
|
Adding library items is especially useful when you need to save designs that you have imported and created, and then share them with other projects. Of course, you can save items in shared folders and then import them into the Project window, but the library provides a useful way to organize and preview them.
Encore has specific rules (shown in Table 3-12) that it uses to determine what type of asset an imported file will be treated as.
Table 3-12. How Encore determines the type of imported asset
|
Category |
File Type |
File Must Contain |
|---|---|---|
|
Menu |
PSD |
The file must contain at least one button layer set (see below) and at least one layer that is the background for the menu. |
|
Button |
PSD |
A button is a single layer set with a (+) prefix before its layer name. The layer set may contain subpicture layers and video thumbnail layers, but cannot contain a background layer. |
|
Still image |
PSD, BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and EMF |
The file must be an image or PSD file that was not interpreted by Encore as a menu or button. |
|
Background |
PSD |
The file must be a Photoshop PSD file that contains a background layer only. |
|
Layer set |
PSD |
The file must be a Photoshop PSD file with a single layer set. The layer set cannot have the button layer name prefix (+). There must not be a background layer. |
|
Text |
PSD |
The file must be a Photoshop PSD file with a single text layer. There must not be a background layer. |
|
Vector shape |
PSD |
The file must be a Photoshop PSD file with a single vector shape layer, and no background layer. |
Finally, to remove items from the library, select the item in the Library list and then click the Delete button (Trash icon) at the bottom right of the palette.
You can add or remove sets to the Library palette by clicking the button with the right-facing arrow in the upper right corner of the palette window. This will raise a small pop-up menu, as shown in Figure 3-25.
Figure 3-25. Click the small arrow at the top right to add, rename, or delete sets from the pop-up menu.
If you want to add a set, choose Add Set…and give the new set a name. Encore will create a new set in the Library palette, which in turn creates a new folder inside your application data directory:
C:Documents and SettingsusernameApplication DataAdobeAdobe Encore DVD 1.5Library
new set name
|
Encore will also copy the current default menus and buttons (those marked with the small yellow star) into that set.
You can rename a set using the Rename Set…option. This will rename the folder in the application data directory as well, but will not change any of its contents. In addition, you can delete a set using the Delete Set option. This will remove the custom directory and its contents from your application data directory.