Making DVD Studio Pro backgrounds look awesome using Photoshop!

Getting smooth + clear menu backgrounds in DVD Studio Pro has been an ongoing struggle and the subject of much debate at Vinegar Hill. It was difficult to get any clear answers online but I finally came up with a solution for our upcoming Director’s Reel. The answer to blocky/splotchy & washed out text/images in your DVD menu background stills is VIDEO. If you use photoshop CS3 or later to build your background images you can easily export a .MOV file that works wonders. (If you have time you might even be able to figure out how to animate it!)

You decide for yourself which menu looks better…

Left: High Quality .TIFF Background    |      Right: Correct size .MOV Background

To get a compatible movie file for DVD Studio Pro 4 in Photoshop go to File>Export>Render Video…

•Quicktime movie Settings should be set to “Animation”. Set quality to “Best” and turn off Prepare for Internet Streaming.

•I set the size to NTSC DV Widescreen, 720x480. You should make this PAL or 4:3 if that is what your project needs.

•299 frames is about 10 seconds at 29.97 fps, which is the DVD standard. Example of the export window (in CS5) below:

If you have any other sneaky DVD building tips &/or tricks send them my way!

shepherd@vinegarhillcreative.com

—Shepherd

1 year ago  notes (1)
  1. shepherdahlers reblogged this from vinegarhill and added:
    standard.Example
  2. vinegarhill posted this