User Guide

ADOBE ENCORE DVD 2.0
User Guide
23
The Flowchart displays the content of the project graphically, in a tree structure, detailing the navigation between
DVD elements. This visual representation can help you to see areas where the navigation is cluttered and needs to
be refined. Beyond providing a visual representation of the project, the Flowchart also lets you perform many
authoring tasks, including editing.
The Flowchart displays project navigation and, when used with the Properties panel, lets you complete a majority of authoring tasks.
See also
“About the Flowchart” on page 179
Balancing file size and quality
File size and quality
Authoring a DVD involves striking a balance between two competing properties: file size and video quality. As
quality increases, so does file size. You want to achieve the highest possible quality for your content while keeping
thefilesizessmallenoughsothatallofthecontentwillfitonthedisc.Thisbalanceisachievedbymanipulatingthe
video content’s data rate—either automatically (by letting Adobe Encore DVD set the data rate) or directly (by setting
the transcoding settings or using a third-party application).
You determine the optimal data rate through the process of bit budgeting. To understand bit budgeting, you first
need to understand the variables involved: disc size, types and amounts of assets (audio, video, and motion menus),
and data rates and transcoding. Once familiar with the variables involved, you’ll be able to produce a bit budget to
guide you in producing high-quality projects that fit within the allotted disc space.
See also
“About transcoding” on page 28