A Premiere Elements DVD Template theme comes in a set consisting of a main menu and a scene menu. The focus in this blog post will be on the scene menu and decreasing the number of existing buttons per scene menu page. The scene menu comes with designed in number of scene buttons per page. And, when the menus are applied, each of the scene buttons traces back to a scene in the Timeline content where a scene marker is placed. The sequential order of the scene markers in the Timeline is reflected in the sequential order in which the scenes are automatically placed and displayed in the DVD Template theme's scene menu page(s). When the number of designed in scenes per page is reached, the program generates a copy or copies of the first to display the rest of the scenes as per the number of scene buttons per page restriction.
Example
Given a Timeline with 12 scene markers placed in the content and a scene menu designed for 5 scene buttons per page. Under those conditions, the resulting scene menu situation would be 3 scene menu pages,
Page 1 with 5 Scenes
Page 2 with 5 Scenes
Page 3 with 2 Scenes
A certain degree of customization of the scene buttons can be done in the disc menu section of the opened project, but there are certain modifications of these menus that require that user to go into the scene menu's .psd file at the level of the computer hard drive save location for the .psd file involved. The limiting factor in editing one of the .psd files is that each button is represented in the .psd file as a Layer Set in the Layers Palette and, for most editing, one needs to get into the Layer Set for the edit. Programs like Photoshop CS and higher can open these Layer Sets if the edits are inside the Layer Sets. Use of Photoshop Elements for this purpose is problematic.
But in the case where the goal is only to decrease the number of buttons in the scene menu design, there is no need to open any Layer Sets. So, Photoshop Elements as well as Photoshop CS and higher can easily be used for the .psd edit to decrease the number of scene buttons in the scene menu design.
ISSUE
A Premiere Elements 12 user had a HD project with 12 scene markers and wanted to use the DVD Template Memories/Family Memories which comes with 5 scenes per page. She wanted the same number of scenes per each page and not the situation as described in the INTRODUCTION, that is
Page 1 with 5 Scenes*
Page 2 with 5 Scenes*
Page 3 with 2 Scenes*
The project was destined for burn to disc with the NTSC_Widescreen_Dolby DVD export preset.
SOLUTION
In order to obtain a Memories/Family Memories scene page with the same number of scenes per page when there were 12 scene markers in the Timeline content, "scene button 5 Layer Set" or "scene button 5 and 4 Layer Sets" were deleted from the Layers Palette of the .psd file, using Photoshop Elements 12 as the .psd editor.
If only Layer Set for "scene button 5" was removed, then the user had 3 scene pages each with 4 scenes per page. If Layer Set for "scene button 5 and 4" were removed, then the used had 4 scene pages each with 3 scenes per page.
The HOW TO described next is demonstrated with Premiere Elements 12 HD project using the Memories/Family Memories Theme (HD set). However, the principles involved remain the same for Premiere Elements 4 through 12 DVD Template scene menus.
HOW TO
STEP 1
In An Open Project, Assure That Files Needed For The Memories/Family Memories Theme Have Been Downloaded and Installed
The Memories/Family Memories DVD Template is part of the Premiere Elements 12 CONTENT that needs to be downloaded and installed for use. To do that, in the Premiere Elements 12 project, go to Expert workspace Tools Menu/Movie Menu/ and make sure that there is no blue ban at the top right corner of the thumbnail for this DVD Template theme. See Figure 1 with no blue ban at the top right corner of the Family Memories theme. The absence of that blue ban indicates that the Family Memories CONTENT has been downloaded and installed by the user. If there is a blue ban present, then right click the blue ban and select Download Now. See earlier blog posts on PE11 and PE12 CONTENT.
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| Figure 1. Premiere Elements 12 Expert Workspace Movie Menu Display For Memories/Family Memories Theme When HD Project. The HD Project Preset Directs The Program To Display The HD Version Of The Family Memories Theme. No Blue Ban In Upper Right Corner Of The Thumbnail Indicates That The Theme's CONTENT Has Been Downloaded And Installed Already By The User. Note The HD Markings On The Thumbnail Under The Circumstances. |
STEP 2
On The Computer Hard Drive, Locate The Scene Menu .Psd To Be Edited
The Memories/Family Memories theme .psds can be found in the following path (Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 64 bit)
Local Disk C
Program Data
Adobe
Premiere Elements
12.0
Online
DVD Templates
All_Lang
Memories
Family Memories
in the Family Memories Folder, there are 3 sets of .psd files, "s", "w", and "hd".
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| Figure 2. Premiere Elements 12 Memories/Family Memories Theme Files. The PSD Files To Be Edited Are Pointed To With A Red Check Mark. |
If Project Preset = NTSC DV Standard or PAL counterpart, edit scene menu .psd in the set
memories_s_sm.psd (for scene menu)
memories_s_mm.psd (for main menu)
If Project Preset = NTSC DV Widescreen or PAL counterpart, edit scene menu .psd in the set
memories_w_sm.psd (for scene menu)
memories_w_mm.psd (for main menu)
If Project Preset = a HD preset, edit scene menu .psd in the set
memories_hd_sm.psd (for scene menu)
memories_hd_mm.psd (for main menu)
Tip
To confirm which set of menus that the project is using for the project, open the Notepad document of the saved/closed project file (project.prel), go to Edit Menu of Notepad document, select Find, and type Family Memories in the Find What field to locate details of the menu in that document.
STEP 3
Copy The Original .Psds Found In STEP 2 And Prepare The Scene Menu .Psd For Edit In Photoshop Elements
a, Copy the appropriate original .psd set (.psd for scene menu plus .psd for main menu) and paste them inside a empty folder created on the computer desktop.
b. Rename folder and .psds at the computer desktop level. Since there are 6 variations involved here, the following renaming scheme was used
Standard, 4 scene buttons per scene menu page
Folder name = s4memories
Scene Menu .psd file name = s4memories_s_sm.psd
Main Menu .psd file name = s4memories_s_mm.psd
Widescreen, 4 scene buttons per scene menu page
Folder name = w4memories
Scene Menu .psd file name = w4memories_w_sm.psd
Main Menu .psd file name = w4memories_w_mm.psd
HD, 4 scene buttons per scene menu page
Folder name = hd4memories
Scene Menu .psd file name = hd4memories_hd_sm.psd
Main Menu .psd file name = hd4memories_hd_mm.psd
The same type of renaming scheme for the folder and files involved was used when 3 buttons instead of 4 per scene menu page was the goal.
STEP 4
Edit The Scene Menu .Psd In Photoshop Elements 12
Double click the appropriate prepared folder on the computer desktop to open it. (See STEP 3).
Right click the appropriate scene menu .psd inside that folder and select Open With, followed by Photoshop Elements 12 (for that matter, it could be Photoshop Elements 4 through 12).
When opening the scene menu .psd in Photoshop Elements 12, two dialog may pop up. The first asks about text layers update. Click No. The second mentions computer versus TV considerations. Click OK. At this point, the Full Editor should open and display the Family Memories scene menu .psd content as seen in Figure 3.
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| Figure 3. Photoshop Elements 12 Editing Of Family Memories Theme Scene Menu PSD. |
At this point, the folder with the edited scene menu .psd and the unedited main menu .psd should be on the computer desktop ready to be placed in the right Premiere Elements 12 Location on the computer hard drive.
STEP 5
Place The Modified Family Memories Folder Into The Right Premiere Elements 12 Location On The Computer Hard Drive
In Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 64 bit, follow the path
Local Disk C
Program Files
Adobe
Premiere Elements 12
DVD Templates
Common
and, in the Common Folder, create a new empty folder named Modified Themes. Open the Modified Themes Folder and place inside it the hd3memories Folder or the hd4memories Folder or both from STEP 4, if the two were created.
The Modified Folder can also be used to contain s3memories, w3memories, s4memories, and w4memories Folders if also produced in the above steps.
_______________________________________________________________________________
*Scene Menu Miscellaneous Information
Scene Menu Page, Scene Naming
Scenes in the scene page have sequential numerical names by default. When the number of Timeline scene markers exceeds the number of designed in scene buttons per scene menu page, the program generates a copy or copies for the spill overs. These additional scene pages are copies of the first. In the example above, 12 Timeline scene markers in a project with a scene menu with 5 designed in scene buttons per page,
Page 1 scenes would have names Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
Page 2 scenes would have names Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 4, Scene 5
Page 3 scenes would have names Scene 1, Scene 2
Scenes can be renamed at the Timeline level as well as in the disc menu customization area of the opened program. Results from renaming scenes at the Timeline level seem to reveal what the program is doing when it makes a copy or copies of the first page to take care of the scene spill overs. This "first page" is really a copy of the scene menu page with its sequential numerical defaults before renaming. For example, if at the Timeline level Page 1 scenes were renamed Scene a, Scene b, Scene c, Scene d, Scene e, what would turn up in the disc menu section would be
Page 1 scenes named Scene a, Scene b, Scene c, Scene d, Scene e
but
Page 2 scenes would be named Scene 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Page 3 scenes would be named Scene 1, 2
and not
Page 1 scenes named Scene a, Scene b, Scene c, Scene d, Scene e
Page 2 scenes named Scene a, Scene b, Scene c, Scene d, Scene e
Page 3 scenes named Scene a, Scene b
Multiple Timeline Movies, Each With Its Own Scene Menu Page
If a project highlights 4 movies in its Main Menu page, each Movie cannot have its own scene menu page.
September 03, 2014 Add On
Also see blog post
PE: Disc Menu Folders/Files Locations
http://atr935.blogspot.com/2014/09/pe-disc-menu-foldersfiles-locations.html
ATR
