Topic: DVD Menu Sizes ???

[willndmb]

can i get opinions on what is the "right" size for a dvd menu please?
I had mine set up in photoshop but since lost them and it seems everytime i make one now its not covering the screen 100%

4:3
250 resolution
____ Inches WIDE x ___ Inches HIGH

16:9
250 resokution
___ Inches WIDE x ___ Inches HIGH

thanks

[hummat]

Photoshop has the correct sizes built in as pre-sets.  There should be a drop down when you create a new document. Maybe nested under a 'Film & Video" heading.

If you use the pre-set it also should account for the difference in pixel aspect ratio.

-jay

[willndmb]

thanks
i will give it a try later
maybe thats where i got my original from, oh well thanks again

edit ahh its 10x6.667
i was thinking it was 12, not wonder everything i tried was getting smashed down in the final product

[willndmb]

what the hell it still isn't filling the screen


edit it is 12

ok here we go 12x6.668
BAM

[marksk]

720 pixels x 480 pixels for ntsc

i think pal is 720 x 560

[BlackLab]

you have to account for wide-screen or not too in your authoring program but 720x480 is still resolution either way

[willndmb]

well for whatever reason photoshop isn't working with the template - no matter what the resolution is
the templates open and show as 4:3 or 16:9
but both are the same size in inches
so when you put it into the authoring program the widescreen isn't filling the screen
in order to fill the screen i need to make it 2 inches wider which is fine but then the grid lines are not correct (which for me isn't a big deal because i know i want to be around .75 inches from the edge to be safe)

[BlackLab]

your authoring program should have option to stretch image to fill

templates ARE both suppose to be 720x480

[willndmb]

your authoring program should have option to stretch image to fill

templates ARE both suppose to be 720x480

it (DVD Studio Pro) has the option to change the menu size but its not changing the actual menu image, its only changing the "screen" - leaving me greyish black bars down the sides

[BlackLab]

I've never heard of that program. Somewhere along the line you have to tell program not to 'letterbox'

[willndmb]

I've never heard of that program. Somewhere along the line you have to tell program not to 'letterbox'

letterbox and or panscan are the only choices
dvd sp is the authoring program used most on a mac

[bigjilm]

have you made sure the photoshop file is using the correct PAR (pixel aspect ratio)?  you can change it at the bottom of the window, in the advanced tab, when starting a new file, or if you already have the new file created you can change it under Image > Pixel Aspect Ratio.  Both standard definition 4x3 and 16x9 NTSC use 720 x 480 as the aspect ratio.  the only difference is that 4x3 uses a PAR of 0.9 while 16x9 uses 1.2.

Not sure if that'll help since I've not used DVD Studio Pro before, but I create DVD's for work and private use all the time with either DVD Maestro or Adobe Encore and never have a problem as long as the PAR is correct.

[KurtMichaels]

It's pretty simple actually ...
... always square pixels in Photoshop ...

PAL
4:3 = 768 x 576; export 720 x 576
16:9 = 1024 x 576; export 720 x 576

NTSC
4:3 = 720 x 540 (720 x 534 if you want to be mean about it); export 720 x 480
16:9 = 854 x 480; export 720 x 480

Always scale in Photoshop, DVD Studio Pro scaling is crap. If you have 16:9 material you have to set Pan&Scan/Letterbox in DVDSP for each and every menu and track.

Fonts are stretched 7% in PAL (compared to computer graphics), in NSTC pixel graphics lose 12.5%. So use narrow fonts in PAL, use wide fonts in NTSC.

[willndmb]

It's pretty simple actually ...
... always square pixels in Photoshop ...

PAL
4:3 = 768 x 576; export 720 x 576
16:9 = 1024 x 576; export 720 x 576

NTSC
4:3 = 720 x 540 (720 x 534 if you want to be mean about it); export 720 x 480
16:9 = 854 x 480; export 720 x 480

Always scale in Photoshop, DVD Studio Pro scaling is crap. If you have 16:9 material you have to set Pan&Scan/Letterbox in DVDSP for each and every menu and track.

Fonts are stretched 7% in PAL (compared to computer graphics), in NSTC pixel graphics lose 12.5%. So use narrow fonts in PAL, use wide fonts in NTSC.

+T