Adobe Encore DVD authoring help!

dtr43

New member
I am new to Encore and have watched some tutorials online and created a custom menu for my project. Main menu is basic with a background, logo on the left and 3 buttons on the right (play, scenes, special features). I have also created the sub menus for the scenes and special features. When I import them all into Encore I run into some problems once they are linked up. First, the main menu works as it should. Yellow buttons, and when they are highlighted the text goes to black, however, I also have an outer glow around the edges which is not really showing up when I preview the menu in Encore.

Second, my links work fine. I click scenes and it takes me to that menu. I click special features and it takes me to the appropriate menu. However, once I am there only the first 3 buttons on each page look how they should when not highlighted. The remaining buttons all look like they should when they are highlighted (and do not change when selected) and this includes the outer glow that is missing from my main menu buttons. I believe the glow is not there on the working buttons on both sub menus as well. All buttons are in their own groups in the Photoshop file. All layers are named in the same fashion. For example groups are named "(+) Play" with a defualt yellow colored type layer reading "Play" and a duplicate type layer in the color black with a yellow outer glow layer style applied. The second is renamed "(=1) highlight" and so on for each one as they go up in numerical order.

I am just confused as to why some work and some don't, and the ones that work don't have the right outer glow when highlighted and the ones that don't work look how they should as far as the outer glow goes. Help please!?
 
The buttons are the hardest part of Encore IMHO. This is, near as I can tell, largely the fault of the DVD standard itself. Buttons for DVD menus are weird beasts (when you get to subpictures, you'll know what I mean). And Encore doesn't handle this as gracefully as it could.

Basically, if you have buttons that you like and that work, duplicate them. Else, maybe my trials and tribulations on my own thread about buttons will be useful. IDK.

Then there's the manual. Read the sections on Menus and Buttons carefully. It's all there, but it's said in an arcane way. It took me many reads to finally "get" what Adobe was trying to tell me. If I really did "get it" that is. ;-)
 
Thanks for the info. I read through your thread but am still no further than I was. Tried reorganizing the layer order, made sure all layers were named the same as the others in their group and I still get the same thing. Changing the layer order just made the buttons that come after the first 3 on each sub menu have their defualt look on top and the highlight behind (with the glow showing). Still no change in color when they are selected and the working buttons still do not display the glow??? Is Encore really this bad? This seems like everything is correct, yet it's not displaying properly!?
 
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