User Guide

LESSON 3
56
Designing Menus in Adobe Photoshop
Most DVD designers create menus in Photoshop, taking advantage of its extensive tool
set. You can apply layer styles in Photoshop that are not available in Adobe Encore DVD,
create adjustment layers, and format text using advanced formatting features. When you
import the menu into Adobe Encore DVD, it recognizes and retains layer styles, and
honors adjustment layers. Additionally, text you’ve formatted in Photoshop appears
exactly the same in Adobe Encore DVD.
For a smooth workflow, you can return to Photoshop quickly using the Edit in Photoshop
command from Adobe Encore DVD.
Note: You can use either Photoshop CS or Photoshop 7.0 to complete this lesson. Because
Photoshop CS provides additional features for working with images intended for video, some
steps are slightly different. Where necessary, separate instructions are provided for the two
versions of Photoshop.
Creating a menu background in Photoshop
To create a menu in Photoshop, you’ll create a new image and apply a background color
to it.
1 In Photoshop, choose File > New.
2 From the Preset Sizes pop-up menu in the New dialog box, choose 720 x 534 Std. NTSC
DV/DVD (Photoshop 7.0) or NTSC DV 720 x 480 (with guides) (Photoshop CS). In
Photoshop CS, make sure the Pixel Aspect Ratio is set to D1/DV NTSC (0.9).
NTSC video has pixel dimensions of 720 x 480, but the Photoshop 7.0 file has more
vertical pixels (534). This is because NTSC video is composed of non-square pixels.
Photoshop 7.0 works only with square pixels, but you can import a 720 x 534 square-pixel
image into Adobe Encore DVD, and it is automatically scaled to fit the proper pixel aspect
ratio.
Photoshop CS lets you create an image with non-square pixels, so Adobe Encore DVD
doesn’t need to scale the image when you import it.
Encore_CIB.book Page 56 Saturday, September 20, 2003 1:56 PM
Peachpit Press/Scott Design