Menu highlights disappeared

[VRYK]

After editing a menu button’s text, the menu was opened in DVDSubEdit where the relevant subpic was saved as a bitmap and exported to PS Elements to reposition the highlight concerned. The subpic was then replaced by the edited bitmap file. However, all highlights have now disappeared from the menu. What could be causing this ?

[r0lZ]

Can you see them in DVDSubEdit?

[VRYK]

No, they have disappeared from DVDSubEdit also.

[r0lZ]

You mean that DVDSubEdit doesn't find the subpic any more (and you cannot go to that subpic), or it finds it but it shows nothing in its video window?

In the latter case, try to redo the job with the option "Use automatic CLUT" instead of "Use IFO CLUT" (in the Subpic Color/Transparency frame). Verify also the transparency values.

[VRYK]

DVDSubEdit finds the subpic OK. Text and button outlines are visible, but the highlights are missing.

[VRYK]

I should like to revert to my problems with command button colours. I have just created a menu for a 16:9 video with 2 sets of buttons (widescreen and letterbox). However, in neither the Selected nor the Activated states do the button colours appear which I have set in the PgcEdit Colour Schemes Editor (the opacities are set between 6 and 9). The background image’s colour remains unchanged.
What can be the problem?

[r0lZ]

Not sure. You have probably not changed the right colours.

Can you see the highlights (with the wrong colours), or just nothing? If you can see them, try to change the other colours in PgcEdit, to find the right ones. Otherwise, you did something wrong.

BTW, the background image’s colour never changes. The highlights are translucent overlays that should appear over the background, giving the illusion that the background changes.

[VRYK]

Thanks very much for your reply.

My problem seems to have been caused by setting the background colour’s opacity too low and misplacing of the emphasis in the subpics. After correcting for these, I find that the emphasis overlay dominates (hides) the background colour. Could this be why the highlight sometimes takes the form of an underlining or of a icon to the side of the command buttons?

In DVDSubEdit is there any rule for choosing between the IFO and automatic CLUTs?

[r0lZ]

The highlight is exactly what you define in the subpic bitmap (except the colours and transparency values, defined in the nav pack). It can be anything, including an underlining or an icon. It can also somewhat mimic the background, to give the illusion that its colour changes or becomes brighter. It's just a matter of taste. The only important thing is the active area (that you can adjust with PgcEdit). When you click in that area, the button is activated, even if the highlight is fully transparent at that position.

In DVDSubEdit, you can use any CLUT, as long as you use the same setting when exporting and when importing the bitmap. Usually, the IFO CLUT is fine, and it has the advantage that you can more easily see the final result, but in some cases, the IFO CLUT contain several identical colours assigned to different pixel types (but with different transparency values). For example, 3 colours can be white, with some kind of antialiasing given by different transparency values. Since the transparencies are ignored when exporting the bitmap, these identical colours will be "merged" info a single colour, and you cannot differentiate the pixel types. When it's the case, you must use the Automatic CLUT, that uses 4 predefined different colours.

[VRYK]

Thanks for the clarifications. Sometimes it can be tedious to properly locate highlights in the subpic bitmaps; on such occasions it would seem more trouble than its worth to include highlights.

> you must use the IFO CLUT<
Unless I have misunderstood, I would have thought that it should be the Automatic CLUT in such cases.

[r0lZ]

Oops, right. I've fixed the error in my previous post.