Because Encore provides a powerful built-in Menu Editor, you do not need to use Photoshop to create menus from scratch. Instead, you can use Photoshop to create a collection of predesigned menu and button templates, additional graphics elements, and even styles. Then use the Encore Menu Editor to assemble and edit the final menus from these templates and elements from scratch.
As described earlier, Encore can import seven different types of elements into the Library palette. You can create these elements in Photoshop to use in your own project. Each is a Photoshop file, but with different types of layers and names.
- Menus
A Photoshop file that may include multiple layers and layer sets for the background, graphics and text elements, and buttons.
- Buttons
A Photoshop file with a single layer set, with the layer set identified as a button by the (+) prefix on the layer name. Buttons may also contain layers identified as subpicture highlights (i.e., with (=1) prefixed to the name) and a video thumbnail (with (%) prefixed to the name).
- Layer Sets
A Photoshop file containing exactly one layer set (not named as a button) and no background layer.
- Text
A Photoshop file containing exactly one text layer and no background layer.
- Shape
A Photoshop file containing exactly one vector layer and no background layer.
- Backgrounds
- Images
Graphics and photo stills that can be used for menu backgrounds (if full-screen) or button or other elements. These can be common image file formats such as JPEG and TIFF, or Photoshop files that do not match the characteristics of other special library entries.
To help in applying consistent styles in a project, Encore provides a Styles palette with three categories of styles: text, shape, and image. As described in Chapter 5, these styles are predesigned Photoshop layer effects, such as shadows, glows, bevels, and strokes. You can apply the styles to individual layers, or to layers within a layer set.
You can create Encore styles as a Photoshop file containing one or more layer effects. The file should contain only one layer of the associated category (text, shape, or any other for image styles), with no background layer. The single layer then has layer effects applied with the desired settings. You then can import the file into Encore by adding it to the Styles palette, and apply it to elements in your menus.
When you apply a style within Encore, any visible effect layer in the style is applied to the object, replacing any previous such effect. Any hidden layer effect leaves any such layer in the object unchanged. And any layer effect omitted from the style is removed from the target object.