How to create new DVD templates on your own

[Karin]

DVD templates specify the position and height of a template's elements as well as the creative attributes like images, font size, colour etc. Some of these characteristics may be overwritten by DVD styles (cf. topic "How to create new DVD styles").

DVD templates consist of the XML file "Menu.xml" and eventually of some graphics. The DVD templates supplied by DVR-Studio Pro don't contain any graphics because these are directly provided by the DVD styles without exception. However, you can use personal graphics for own DVD templates without any problems and also protect them from being overwritten by a DVD style by removing the "style.item" attribute if necessary. More about this later.

Example for a menu.xml (1 Title + Cover + Text):

Code: Alles auswählen

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1252"?>
<Menu name="01 Titel + Cover + Text" aspect='4:3' background='imgBackground.jpg'>
	<Text id="label" pos='72,45' size='600,48' font='Arial, 45' style.item="label" lock='pos'>
            Enter DVD title
        </Text>

	<Image pos='72,110' size='240,320' file='imgCover.jpg' style.item="cover" 
         stretch="FitMax" transparent="no" shadow="yes" lock='pos, size'/>
	<Text id="vts1" pos='350,110' size='322,320' font='Arial, 30' multiline="yes" style.item="title" lock='pos'>
            Enter description here
        </Text>

	<Button pos='72,471' size='46,48' file='imgButton.png' 
         transparent="yes" style.item="button" lock='pos, size'/>
	<Text pos='140,475' size='340,48' font='Arial, 45' style.item="link" lock='pos'>
            Play...
        </Text>

</Menu>

Let's assume you want to edit this template for a notional docusoap named "The team of DVR-Studio Pro", then you would have to proceed as follows:

• - Select a template at the DVD Menu editor, in this case "1 Title + Cover + Text"
  - Change the DVD title into "The team of DVR-Studio Pro"
  - Change the description into "Episode 1: The development of DVR-Studio Pro"
  - Replace the background image by a personal bitmap, jpg or png
  - Replace the button by the following gif file: templates/subSilver/images/logo_phpBB.gif
  (Has to be downloaded and saved anywhere on your PC first)
  - Execute the function [Store this menu as a template] and name the new menu: "Haenlein"

Now, the button is a bit too clinched and you want to change that:

• - Open the file menu.xml in the following directory using a text editor:
  "C:\Documents and settings\<username>\My Documents\Haenlein-Software\DVR-Studio Pro 2\DVD-Custom Templates\Haenlein"
  - Look for the <button> element
  - Change there the attribute size='46, 48' into '190, 48'
  - Find the last <text> element (Play...)
  - Change there the attribute pos="1400,475" into pos="270,475"
  - Select an other template in DVR-Studio Pro and chang back to the template named "Haenlein"

=> The button respectively the logo is displayed correctly now and the text is slightly shifted to the right.

The file menu.xml now looks as follows:

Code: Alles auswählen

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='windows-1252'?>
	<menu name="Haenlein" aspect="4:3" background="imgBackground.jpg" stretch="FitMax" jumpback="yes">
	<text lock="pos" id="label" style.item="label" pos="72,45" size="600,48"
         font="Arial,45" color="0x00FFFFFF" multiline="no">The team of DVR-Studio Pro</text>
	<image lock="pos, size" id="" style.item="cover" pos="72,110" size="240,320"
         file="imgCover.jpg" transparent="no" alpha="100" stretch="FitMax" shadow="yes"/>
	<text lock="pos" id="vts1" style.item="title" pos="350,110" size="322,320"
          font="Arial,31" color="0x00FFFFFF" multiline="yes">
		Episode 1: The development of DVR-Studio Pro
	</text>
	<button lock="pos, size" id="" style.item="" pos="72,471" size="190,48"
         file="logo_phpBB.gif" transparent="yes" alpha="100" stretch="Stretch" shadow="no"/>
	<text lock="pos" id="" style.item="link" pos="270,475" size="340,48"
         font="Arial,45" color="0x00FFFFFF" multiline="no">
		Play...
	</text>
</menu>

Like this, all graphics can be replaced and texts may be shifted. Certainly, graphics may be shifted, too. The indicated graphic files will be scaled to the desired size, so they don't have to be accurate to a pixel to the listed size.

We always recommend to use an existing menu as starting point (one provided by the software or a homemade one), to change it in DVR-Studio Pro as far as possible and store it as a new template then before editing the menu.xml. Certainly, it's also possible to add or delete elements etc.

Enjoy adjusting DVD templates!