SonicDVD Creator Tutorial TM
©1999 Sonic Solutions. All rights reserved. Sonic DVD Creator Tutorial - Sonic Part Number 800117 Rev B (3/99) This manual, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may only be used or copied in accordance with the terms of such license. The information in this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should not be construed as a commitment by Sonic Solutions.
Contents WELCOME TO DVD CREATOR™ Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix Related User Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x How to Reach Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi 1 EXPLORING DVD CREATOR DVD Creator at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
TABLE OF CONTENTS Add Audio and Video to the New PGCs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13 Adding Entry Points (Chapter Points). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-16 Proofing the Entry Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-18 3 CREATING MENUS Lesson Three at a Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2 Creating Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3 Importing the Menu Image Files. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Welcome to DVD Creator ™ Welcome to DVD Creator™ from Sonic Solutions! DVD Creator is the first DVD production system designed especially for video and multimedia DVD development. Each DVD Creator system gives you the tools you need to make DVD-Video and DVD-ROM disc images, and all systems can be upgraded with additional features and functions to enhance your production environment.
X R e l a t e d U ser D ocumentation Please refer to the following documentation for further information: • DVD Creator Installation Guide • DVD Creator User Guide H o w t o R each Technical S uppor t You will receive software technical support from Sonic Solutions for 90 days at no charge. If you wish to continue receiving support or technical assistance, please be sure to purchase a SonicCare technical support contract for your system (a representative will contact you before the 90day period is up).
REGISTRATION R e g i s t r ation To help Sonic assist you more effectively with technical support, and to receive information about new Sonic DVD Creator product developments, please log on to Sonic’s on-line registration site: www.sonic.com/register.
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1 Exploring DVD Creator Session Goal: To familiarize you with all of DVD Creator’s tools by guiding you through the DVD workflow. Completion Time: About 10 minutes. Files Needed: None. D V D C r e ator at a G lance AUTHOR ENCODE Complete tool for storyboarding and creating DVD title’s. Encode source tapes into MPEG-2 video and Dolby Digital, MPEG, or PCM audio. DVD Creator Launcher PROOF Plays back your projects as a quality check before sending the disc out for replication.
1-2 EXPLORING DVD CREATOR D V D C r e ator Q uick Tour In this quick tour you will open and explore the four tools that make up DVD Creator: AUTHOR, ENCODE, PROOF, and FORMAT. Note: Make sure your DVD Creator system is configured properly as explained in the DVD Creator User Guide, Chapter 1. 1 Double-click the DVD Creator application icon on the Macintosh desktop. DVD Creator starts up and displays the application launcher.
DVD CREATOR QUICK TOUR The Project Planner is used to setup basic parameters about the new project and is explained in more detail in Lesson 2. 5 Leave the defaults in the Project Planner and click Finish in the second window. The Layout window appears. Drag these icons down into the grey Layout area to see what happens. You can also draw links from existing icons to create new ones.
1-4 EXPLORING DVD CREATOR 8 The Machine Control window appears. Rewind, Play, Pause, Stop, and Fast Forward buttons. Click and hold the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons for more options. Figure 1-2 The Machine Control window The machine control window allows you to control the external tape deck and is described in more detail in Lesson 4. 9 Select File > New (z+N). The Encode Setup window appears. Select New Video Set to open the Create Video Set window and set the video encoding parameters.
DVD CREATOR QUICK TOUR The encoding tool uses MPEG-2 video compression to compress your video. You can choose from MPEG audio, Dolby Digital, or PCM to encode your audio. Note: The secondary windows (Create Video Set and Edit Audio Set) are described in more detail in Lesson 4. For now, take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the interface. 10 When you are ready, press z+Q to quit the encoding tool and return to the DVD Creator Launcher. 11 Click PROOF to launch the proofing tool.
1-6 EXPLORING DVD CREATOR The proofing tool is a virtual DVD player that allows you to view an entire project from start to finish as it would appear on disc. Once you add some content to a project in th authoring tool, (for example, audio or video) you can easily play it back as you would through a DVD Player using the onscreen remote control. 12 When you are done exploring proofing tool, press z+Q to return to the DVD Creator Launcher. 13 Click FORMAT to launch the formatting tool.
DVD CREATOR QUICK TOUR Now that you are familiar with DVD Creator’s tools, you are ready to learn how to create a simple title. You may now: • Move on to Lesson 2, Creating a Simple Title, to begin authoring, or • Move on to Lesson 4, Encoding Audio and Video, where you will encode some of your own video material.
1-8 EXPLORING DVD CREATOR
2 Creating a Simple Project Session Goal: To learn how to author a simple project by creating a basic layout, adding audio and video, and playing back the project. Completion Time: About 30 minutes. Files Needed: LifeSaver.qt, NightMoves.qt, Pepsi.qt and Tabasco.qt L e s s o n Two at a G lance Create a basic layout in the Layout window. Play back the project using PROOF’s onscreen remote. control Use the Presentation Editor to add audio and video tracks to four different PGCs.
2-2 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT G e t t i n g Star ted In this lesson you will create a simple project using the audio and video files provided on the Tutorial CD-ROM. To copy the tutorial files from the CD-ROM to the Media Drive: 1 Insert the Tutorial CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive. 2 Copy the folder labeled, Demo_Material, to the external Media Drive. You must have at least 750 MB of available space. The demo material includes audio and video that has already been encoded (.MPEG and .AC3 files).
CREATING A NEW PROJECT C r e a t i n g a New P r oject For this tutorial, you will do the following: • Create a basic layout • Import audio and video • Add audio and video to a PGC • Play back the audio and video (proofing) • Add and link PGCs • Add audio and video to the new PGCs • Add entry points (chapter points) • Proof the entry points Creating a Basic Layout 1 Launch the authoring tool from the DVD Creator Launcher. 2 In the AUTHOR window, click New Project.
2-4 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT P roject Pl anner O pt i ons Planner Option Description What kind of DVD are you making? DVD Creator sets different parameters depending on whether you are making a movie, a video, etc. Which side is this project for? An entire DVD project cannot span both sides of a disc. Select the side this project is intended for. Note - This is different than layers, projects can span two layers.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT Based on the project planner options you selected, the Layout window appears with a First Play PGC, a Title Set Menu object, and a Title Set object. PGCs This is the project layout area P GC s (P res ent at i on O bj ec t s ) The building blocks of DVD titles are PGCs (also known as presentation objects or program chains). PGCs are placeholders for display information. They typically contain audio, video, subpictures, and navigation commands.
2-6 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT Importing Audio and Video Now that you have created PGCs, the next step is to import an audio and video clip to place into a PGC. 1 Drag and drop lifesaver.qt from the media drive into the Source List. The MPEG file is the video track. The AC3 file is the Dolby Digital audio track. The length of the files. All media assets, audio, video, and graphics, are imported via the Source List. The Source List is, therefore, a database of all a project’s assets.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 1 In the Layout Window, double-click the PGC, Title Set 1:1 PGC #1. Double-click the middle of the Title Set 1:1 icon to display the Presentation Editor. The Presentation Editor opens – this is where you add audio, video, and subpictures within a PGC. 2 Drag and drop the lifesaver.qt.mpeg video file from the Source List to the Presentation Editor’s Video track. Thumbnails representing the video file display in the video track. Drag lifesaver.qt.
2-8 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT 3 Drag and drop the lifesaver.pcm.ac3 audio file from the Source List to the Presentation Editor’s audio track. Drag the lifesaver.pcm. ac3 file from the Source List to the audio track. Figure 2-1 4 Presentation Editor displaying both video and audio streams. Close the Presentation Editor by clicking the box in the upper left-hand corner. The Layout window appears with a thumbnail of the video inside the Title Set 1:1 icon.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 1 2. Click Project . In the Layout window, select the PGC, Title Set 1:1 PGC #1, and click Project. 1. Click to highlight this PGC. The proofing tool launches, and after several seconds begin playing the video and audio streams contained in the PGC.
2-1 0 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT 2 Use the remote control to navigate through the title. It has all of the features and functionality of a DVD player’s remote control. Quit the proofing tool and return to the Layout window. Play, Pause, and Stop video playback. The Navigation State window displays the status of both System Parameters and General Parameters.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 3 When you are done, click Power to closer the proofing tool. Adding and Linking PGCs Now that you understand the basics of creating a title (designing a layout and adding audio and video to a PGC), you are ready to create a more complex layout by adding more PGCs with additional audio and video tracks. 1 Click and drag from the right arrow of Title Set 1:1 PGC #1 to an empty space in the layout window to create a Next link and a new PGC, Title Set 1:1 PGC #2.
2-1 2 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT Typ es o f Li nks - N ext , Previ ous , and Ret urn Linking PGCs establishes the order in which they will play back. There are three types of links: • Next - When a viewer presses the Next or Skip button on a DVD player remote control, the PGC attached by a Next link plays next. control, the PGC attached by a Previous link plays next. • Return - When a viewer presses the Return button on a DVD player remote control, the PGC attached by a Return link plays next.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 5 Add Previous links between PGC #4 and PGC #3, and PGC #3 and PGC #2. Add Audio and Video to the New PGCs Now you will add audio and video to each of the new, linked PGCs. 1 Drag the nightmoves_8.qt, pepsi.qt and tabasco.qt files from the desktop to the Source list. Add these three files to the Source List. DVD Creator adds .ses (session) to the file names.
2-1 4 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT 2 Double-click the middle of PGC #2 in the Layout window to display the Presentation Editor. 3 Drag tabasco.qt.mpeg from the Source List to the video track area and tabasco.pcm.ac3 from the Source List to the audio track area of the Presentation Editor. Note: Or, you can also try dragging the .ses file directly into the track header area. This will place both the video and audio files (contained in the .ses file) into the Presentation Editor at the same time.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 7 Repeat Step 6 with the other three Title PGCs: • Rename PGC#4 to Tabasco • Rename PGC#5 to Pepsi • Rename PGC#6 to Nightmoves This will make it easier to keep track of the layout. 8 Save the project (z+S).
2-1 6 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT Adding Entry Points (Chapter Points) Entry points are markers within a PGC that allow viewers to jump to certain points within a video stream using the Next and Previous buttons on the remote control. (Entry points can also be used as Chapter Points.) 1 Double-click the Nightmoves PGC in the Layout window to display the Presentation Editor. 2 Double-click just above the video track in the Entry Point area. This creates an entry point.
CREATING A NEW PROJECT 3 Double-click the entry point. By default, the entry point is defined as a Program and part of a title. You can name the entry point for reference purposes (the name appears next to the entry point in the Presentation Editor). Not only do entry points provide “jump to“ points in a title, but they also separate the video streams into Programs and Cells. E n try P oi nt s - Programs vs .
2-1 8 CREATING A SIMPLE PROJECT Proofing the Entry Points Now you will use the proofing tool to check that all of the Part of Title Entry Points function as expected. Using the Next and Previous buttons on the remote control, you can move between the different entry points. 1 In the Layout window, select the Nightmoves PGC and click Project. 1. Click to highlight the Nightmoves PGC. 2. Click Project . The proofing tool opens and plays the Nightmoves video.
3 Creating Menus Session Goal: Add a menu to the basic DVD project created in Lesson 2 and format the project. Completion Time: About 30 minutes Files Needed: MainMenu.tiff, Overlay.
3-2 CREATING MENUS L e s s o n T hr ee at a G lance + MainMenu.tiff (Background Image) = Overlay.tiff (Overlay Image) Menu (Onscreen Menu) The background image and the overlay image are superimposed in the Menu Editor. You will then add button highlights and navigation commands in the Menu Editor.
CREATING MENUS C r e a t i n g M enus In this lesson you will create a menu that will allow viewers to select among the four PGCs created in Lesson 2. You will: • Import the menu image (TIFF) file • Add the menu image to a menu PGC • Add menu buttons and selection order • Define button colors and button families • Assign navigation commands to buttons • Assign button attributes Importing the Menu Image Files 1 Complete Lesson 2. 2 If necessary, select File > Open and open Lesson2.as.
3-4 CREATING MENUS 4 In the Import Type window, choose the encode parameters for the graphic file. Select TIFF if it is not already selected. Select NTSC. Select 4:3. Leave Encode Quality set to 1 Highest. Click OK. The authoring tool encodes the TIFF file into an MPEG still that can be used as a menu background image. Note: DVD Specification can only work with MPEG-encoded images (stills and MPEG motion video).
CREATING MENUS The encoded TIFF is now listed in the Source List as an MPEG still. The menu’s background image TIFF appears in the Source List. Adding the Menu Image files to the Project 1 Double-click here to open the Presentation Editor. Double-click the video area of the Menu object to display the Presentation Editor.
3-6 CREATING MENUS 2 Drag MainMenu.tif from the Source List to the Video track. A thumbnail of the TIFF appears in the video track. A Subpicture track for a duration of twelve frames (default length) is created. 3 Double-click the brown subpicture track in the Presentation Editor to display the Menu Editor.
CREATING MENUS The Menu Editor appears. This is where you will add the subpicture overlay and button highlights. The buttons in the upper left corner of the window allow you to toggle different aspects of the display on or off. The background image TIFF displays with a default subpicture overlay in front. • Video Display - Toggles the background picture on and off. • Subpicture Display - Toggles the subpicture on and off. • Button Display - Toggles the subpicture display area on and off.
3-8 CREATING MENUS 4 Choose Menu Editor > Select Sub-picture. 5 In the Open window, locate Overlay.tiff on the media drive, and click Now the Menu Editor displays both the background and overlay TIFFs as they will look when played back on a DVD player. Figure 3-1 6 Toggle off all the display buttons except the subpicture display to view the subpicture image only.
CREATING MENUS Adding Menu Buttons and Selection Order Now that you have added the menu’s background image and the subpicture overlay, you are ready to draw the button highlight areas. The button highlight areas are the selectable areas on a menu. You will create four buttons to play back the PGCs created in Lesson 2 (one that plays the LifeSavers PGC, one that plays the Pepsi PGC, one that plays the Tabasco PGC, and one that plays the Nightmoves PGC).
3-1 0 CREATING MENUS It’s OK if the buttons overlap other artwork in the background image, as long as they do not overlap other parts of the subpicture overlay. When you define selection and activation colors, they affect text and images on the subpicture overlay (not the background image). 3 Use the Selection ( ) tool to reposition the buttons as needed.
CREATING MENUS The buttons are now programmed so that viewers can scroll through them from top to bottom with the arrow keys on a DVD player’s remote control. Defining Button Colors and Button Families Now that you have defined selection movement between the menu buttons, you will define how the buttons will appear when they are selected, activated, and normal (not selected or activated).
3-1 2 CREATING MENUS . The ’Colors’ section in the right column of the window allows you to change the Normal color settings for all buttons in the current family. Background, Pattern, E1, and E2 colors Overlay TIFFs must be created with four colors: white, black, red, and blue. These colors are mapped to specific controls within the Menu Editor: • White = Background color • Black = Pattern • Red = E1 (Emphasis 1) • Blue = E2 (Emphasis 2).
CREATING MENUS 1 Set E2 to 0 percent contrast. 2 Choose Menu Editor > Edit Button Families. The Button Families window appears. When menu buttons are selected onscreen, they will be highlighted with these colors. When menu buttons are activated onscreen, they will be highlighted with these colors. 3 In the Selection Colors area, change e2 to the dark blue that matches the Normal setting. Set e2’s Contrast setting to 100%. 4 In the Action Colors area, set pattern and e2 to white.
3-1 4 CREATING MENUS 6 Click Normal, Selection, and Activate in the Proof area of the Menu Editor to see how the buttons display in these different states. How the button appears when neither selected nor activated. How the button appears when selected. How the button appears when activated. Assigning Navigation Commands to Buttons Now you will assign commands to each button, so that when activated, it will perform the correct function.
CREATING MENUS 2 In the Command Editor, do the following: 1. Select Jump VTS PTT. 3. Click OK. 3 2. Select 1:1 #1, "Lifesavers":PG 1. This directs playback to the LifeSavers PGC. PG1 directs playback to Entry Point 1 within PGC #1 (LifeSavers object). Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the other buttons so that: • The Tabasco Button jumps to 1:1 #2, "Tabasco":PG 1. • The Pepsi Button jumps to 1:1 #3, "Pepsi":PG 1. • The Bob Seger Button jumps to 1:1 #4, "Nightmoves":PG 1.
3-1 6 CREATING MENUS Proofing the Menu 1 In the Layout window, click to highlight the video area of the Menu PGC and click PROOF. 1. Click to highlight the menu PGC. 2. Click Proof . The proofing tool opens, and displays the menu. 2 Use the remote control’s arrow keys to select different menu buttons and press Enter to activate buttons.
FORMATTING AND PROOFING THE PROJECT F o r m a t t i ng and P r oofing the P r oject When a project is complete, you compile all of its assets into one file (a disc image) to proof and send out to a plant for replication. In this section, you will format the project and play it back with the proofing tool to see the differences between proofing a formatted and an unformatted project. 1 Click FORMAT in the DVD Creator launcher. 2 In the DVD Format Server window, do the following: 1.
3-1 8 CREATING MENUS
4: Encoding Video and Audio Session Goal: To learn how to use the encoding tool by encoding a twominute segment of tape. Completion Time: About 30 minutes Files Needed: None. You will generate files from your own video tapes. L e s s o n F our at a G lance MachineControl The Encode Setup Window This is where you set the audio and video encoding attributes. Machine Control allows you to navigate through the tape in the source deck.
4-2 ENCODING VIDEO AND AUDIO E n c o d i n g A udio and Video In this lesson you will use your own source tapes to create a two-minute segment of MPEG-2 video with Dolby Digital stereo audio. 1 Launch the encoding tool. 2 Insert a tape into the video deck. 3 Use the Machine Control window to start, stop, and cue the source tape. Toggles the monitor display between the source video (input) and the encoded MPEG video (decoder.) Click to jump to the timecode entered in the In, Out, or Cue field.
ENCODING AUDIO AND VIDEO Timecode Format s Vid e o F o rm a ts Drop F ram e v s . N on-Drop Fr ame • NTSC - The North American video standard is NTSC video is actually 29.97002997 frames per second. In order to keep the timecode count accurate with a 24-hour clock, frames 0 and 1 are omitted (dropped) from the count at the start of every minute, except 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 minutes. Non-drop frame is 29.97 frames per second without alteration (no frames dropped). 29.97 frames per second (fps).
4-4 ENCODING VIDEO AND AUDIO 6 In the Create Video Set window, do the following: • In the Name field, type CBR_1Pass. • In the Encode Style box, select CBR 1 Pass. • In the Target Bit Rate box, enter 6.0 (for CBR encodes, the Maximum Bit Rate is not used). • From the GOP Structure list, select GOP 13 I12 B2. • Click Create. 1. Type CBR_1Pass. 3. Enter 6.0 as the Target Bit Rate. 2. Select CBR 1 Pass. 5. Click Create after making your choices. 4. Select GOP 13 I12 B2.
ENCODING AUDIO AND VIDEO V B R v s. CBR VBR (Variable Bit-rate) encoding and CBR (Constant Bit-rate) encoding are two options for encoding video. Bit rate is the speed at which the video, audio, and interactivity stream off the disc. The maximum rate is 9.8 Megabits per second. CBR encoding allots the same number of bits per scene through the entire encode. With this process, you can fit about an hour of video on a 4.7 GB disc. 7 To get more video in the same amount of space, VBR encoding is used.
4-6 ENCODING VIDEO AND AUDIO 8 In the Create Audio Set window, do the following: • Type DolbyDigital in the Name field. • In the Audio Format box, select Dolby Digital. • Select 192 as the encoding Bit Rate. • Click SAVE. 1. Type DolbyDigital. 4. Click Save. 2. Select Dolby Digital. 3. Select 192. DV D Audi o Types DVD Creator allows you to encode audio into three DVD-compliant formats: • Dolby Digital Stereo - This is the most common audio format.
ENCODING AUDIO AND VIDEO 10 In the Save As window, do the following: • Locate the Media drive • Type Lesson4.qt as the file name. • Click OK. 11 Choose Encode from the Encode menu (z+E). 12 A window displays and prompts you for added information. When you are done, click OK. The encoding process begins. Because this is a CBR 1 pass encode, the encoding process will take the length of the material or, in this case, two minutes.
4-8 ENCODING VIDEO AND AUDIO Also, the Movie Control window appears. 13 Use the Movie Control window to play back the audio and video files you just encoded. Slider bar – drag to move through the video timeline. Frame forward and frame back. Thumbnail of current frame. Rewind, Play, Pause, Stop, and Fast Forward buttons. Click and hold the Rewind and Fast Forward buttons for more options. Displays the start and end timecodes of the encoded MPEG stream.
