Ok so following on from yesterday. I discovered why my program was so suddenly crash-happy... 16:9. Yes you can add clips into DVD Workshop 2 in a letterbox aspect ratio, but not menu's. Which complicates matters given you've designed the clips and the menus to merge into each other, in a reasonably seamless manner.
So, to the trash with that one. Doing a little trawling around, I read that Ulead have integrated most of the features of DVD Workshop into it's latest ever popular Video Studio. Which for it's price is a pretty feature packed quick and dirty movie editor ap. I've used it in the past and yes ok if you're a complete creative control user like me, it's a bit too simplistic and that most hideously loaded of phrases 'user friendly' (read: frustratingly restrictive).
Anyway, I downloaded a full trial version of Video Studio 11 and at first I couldn't see any sign of how you were supposed to build a DVD. Not until I clicked on the 'Share' tab followed by 'Create Disk' ...oh my goodness. The blurb about this programs features suggested that there was practically nothing you couldn't do or customise. What it didn't say was with the proviso that these customisations took place within preformatted templates in a fixed GUI, (Graphical User Interface - the screen thingie) obviously designed for maximum monitor resolutions no bigger than 1024x768. And even then you'd have to be leaning right in to make anything out. There's also no 'undo' available, (that I could find) so if you accidentally snag the wrong handle and distort it, you only have the option to try to manually re-size it, which is a near impossible task given how small the preview window is.
So off to the trash with you too. Back to the intertubes I sauntered once again... It was probably nudging on for about 2am at this stage. Looking for another DVD authoring package that would be relatively quick to get to grips with but allow the flexibility I required. I saw a lovely presentation for Apple's DVD Studio Pro 4 but this is only available for Macs. Hmm, 'ahh' I thought, Adobe!!! ...I'm not sure why exactly but I swear I briefly hear a choir of angels whenever I utter that word.
Sure enough, the hallowed church of Adobe Systems Inc, has a DVD authoring package: Encore. So I had a look if you could acquire a trial version. Yes and no. Encore is only available bundled into Premiere Pro CS3. Which is around 800mb and will take the rest of the night to download. Heave a sigh of resignation. A shaky nights sleep having this chuntering whirring box in the corner of my room is at best what I could claim to have had. So this morning, I sprung from my bed at about 7:45... a time I had long since consigned to myth and legend. And set about installing the brute.
I would say that that took a conservative 20mins. I fired it up, a splash screen came up with options for starting a new project, opening an existing project or getting help. Nothing happened when I clicked on any of these options. So I closed it down, restarted it and the same thing... however I did notice a little white box had appeared in my system tray. Intrigued I clicked on it: Adobe Updater, Downloading Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit 2, 1% of 195mb. Oh, how wonderful!!!
It's now 10:30am. I've been through a full 12 hours at least of downloading... The updates are as I type installing themselves. This fucker had better be amazing is all I can say!
- UPDATE 12.45 -
Ok so I've got Premiere Pro CS3 working finally. Turned out it was in conflict with WindowBlinds, so I've had to revert back to boring old XP styling. However, having spent a good 20 mins or so, I can't seem to find Encore bundled in with Premiere... I'm suspecting it might be disabled. Which would mean I've as good as pissed away 1gb of download allocation. Cheers Adobe. Although I have found a stand-alone trial version of Encore 2 on Adobes site...only 400mb. FTW I think not.
- UPDATE 13.30 -
1% of 1 file Adobe_Encore_2_0_tryout.zip 01:52:51 Remaining... *sigh*
- UPDATE 18.15 -
Adobe Encore 2 is fucking useless! Booo @ bad Adobe, very bad Adobe! It refuses to import HD sized clips. Ok, so now let's give the micro, (only 19mb) DVDlab Studio a shot... I'm not having a good day.
- UPDATE 19.25 -
Right, that one's not any better either. On to the next, I've watched the tutorial/introduction vid... I'll let Roxio/Sonic's DVDit Pro HD have its chance to lull me into thinking it's the bomb, only disappoint from left field. ...oh is that a sporting reference? I do appologise.
- UPDATE 00.15 -
Finally!!! DVDit Pro HD does the job... Thank fuck for that. Easy to use and damn powerful. Shouldn't count my chickens yet though, still pleanty of time for it to go wrong!
So, to the trash with that one. Doing a little trawling around, I read that Ulead have integrated most of the features of DVD Workshop into it's latest ever popular Video Studio. Which for it's price is a pretty feature packed quick and dirty movie editor ap. I've used it in the past and yes ok if you're a complete creative control user like me, it's a bit too simplistic and that most hideously loaded of phrases 'user friendly' (read: frustratingly restrictive).
Anyway, I downloaded a full trial version of Video Studio 11 and at first I couldn't see any sign of how you were supposed to build a DVD. Not until I clicked on the 'Share' tab followed by 'Create Disk' ...oh my goodness. The blurb about this programs features suggested that there was practically nothing you couldn't do or customise. What it didn't say was with the proviso that these customisations took place within preformatted templates in a fixed GUI, (Graphical User Interface - the screen thingie) obviously designed for maximum monitor resolutions no bigger than 1024x768. And even then you'd have to be leaning right in to make anything out. There's also no 'undo' available, (that I could find) so if you accidentally snag the wrong handle and distort it, you only have the option to try to manually re-size it, which is a near impossible task given how small the preview window is.
So off to the trash with you too. Back to the intertubes I sauntered once again... It was probably nudging on for about 2am at this stage. Looking for another DVD authoring package that would be relatively quick to get to grips with but allow the flexibility I required. I saw a lovely presentation for Apple's DVD Studio Pro 4 but this is only available for Macs. Hmm, 'ahh' I thought, Adobe!!! ...I'm not sure why exactly but I swear I briefly hear a choir of angels whenever I utter that word.
Sure enough, the hallowed church of Adobe Systems Inc, has a DVD authoring package: Encore. So I had a look if you could acquire a trial version. Yes and no. Encore is only available bundled into Premiere Pro CS3. Which is around 800mb and will take the rest of the night to download. Heave a sigh of resignation. A shaky nights sleep having this chuntering whirring box in the corner of my room is at best what I could claim to have had. So this morning, I sprung from my bed at about 7:45... a time I had long since consigned to myth and legend. And set about installing the brute.
I would say that that took a conservative 20mins. I fired it up, a splash screen came up with options for starting a new project, opening an existing project or getting help. Nothing happened when I clicked on any of these options. So I closed it down, restarted it and the same thing... however I did notice a little white box had appeared in my system tray. Intrigued I clicked on it: Adobe Updater, Downloading Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit 2, 1% of 195mb. Oh, how wonderful!!!
It's now 10:30am. I've been through a full 12 hours at least of downloading... The updates are as I type installing themselves. This fucker had better be amazing is all I can say!
- UPDATE 12.45 -
Ok so I've got Premiere Pro CS3 working finally. Turned out it was in conflict with WindowBlinds, so I've had to revert back to boring old XP styling. However, having spent a good 20 mins or so, I can't seem to find Encore bundled in with Premiere... I'm suspecting it might be disabled. Which would mean I've as good as pissed away 1gb of download allocation. Cheers Adobe. Although I have found a stand-alone trial version of Encore 2 on Adobes site...only 400mb. FTW I think not.
- UPDATE 13.30 -
1% of 1 file Adobe_Encore_2_0_tryout.zip 01:52:51 Remaining... *sigh*
- UPDATE 18.15 -
Adobe Encore 2 is fucking useless! Booo @ bad Adobe, very bad Adobe! It refuses to import HD sized clips. Ok, so now let's give the micro, (only 19mb) DVDlab Studio a shot... I'm not having a good day.
- UPDATE 19.25 -
Right, that one's not any better either. On to the next, I've watched the tutorial/introduction vid... I'll let Roxio/Sonic's DVDit Pro HD have its chance to lull me into thinking it's the bomb, only disappoint from left field. ...oh is that a sporting reference? I do appologise.
- UPDATE 00.15 -
Finally!!! DVDit Pro HD does the job... Thank fuck for that. Easy to use and damn powerful. Shouldn't count my chickens yet though, still pleanty of time for it to go wrong!