The Backgrounds section

Pinnacle Studio 265 backgrounds button The Backgrounds sectionA title or menu can have four types of background: a solid color, a gradient, transparency (no background at all) or an image file (such as a drawing, photograph or saved video frame).

Pinnacle Studio image002 The Backgrounds section

The color and gradient options in the Backgrounds section of the Classic Title Editor work in just the same way as those in the Looks Browser, except that the color or gradient you select is instantly applied to the background of the title you are editing.

If you are working on an overlay title, you may find interesting ways to use the Opacity setting on the color-picker dialogs for these buttons, especially when the overlay is coupled with transitions. Normally, though, you’ll use a transparent background for titles, and transparency is the default background selection for a new title or menu.

The final option for backgrounds is picture – an image file in any standard format. As with many of the sections of Studio’s main Album, the backgrounds are drawn from a source folder that may be changed using the folder button. The image file you select with the folder button becomes the new background, and the image files in the folder are displayed as thumbnails on the Album panel. If necessary, the Classic Title Editor stretches the background image until it fills the width or height of the screen but does not change its proportions.

Adding a motion background

In Studio Ultimate, disc menus can have a background of moving video, not just a static image. To create such a motion background, or replace one, simply click the folder button and browse for a movie file in AVI, MPEG or WMV format.

Pinnacle Studio image003 The Backgrounds section

To see movie files listed while browsing for a folder on your hard drive, select the desired movie type (or “All Files”) in the “Files of type” box.

The following rules apply when you add or change a motion menu clip:

·    The length of the movie you add as a background does not affect the length of the menu clip in the Movie Window. If the movie is shorter than the clip, it is simply repeated as necessary to fill out the required time; if longer, it is truncated. You can adjust the length of the menu by trimming on the timeline or in the Clip properties tool as usual.

·    If you add a widescreen movie as a menu background in a project in standard format, or a standard movie to a widescreen project, the movie is stretched or squeezed as required to match the project format.

The Backgrounds section