Method to loop video clip?

[reboot]

No problem jeanl. Shrink won't do it, but pgcedit will.
I still think a dvd like that is a waste.
I would create a looping dvd in dvdlab, with a menu that appears onscreen for maybe a minute, then repeats playing the movie.
From the menu, one could choose to restart the movie from (just about) any point in the movie.
So if the first half hour were more boring, and you wanted to jump to a particularily funny spot, you could go directly there.
The movie would then continue playing to the end, then show menu for the minute, then start from beginning again.
Also good for long movies when you get interrupted. You can play again from just about where you left off, without having to fast fwd through it.
You could also create motion menus, with some of the funniest bits, and using switched menus, be able to jump directly to those parts.
The possibilities keep going from there!

[jeanl]

yes reboot, but remember:

Want to take a series of video clips and add them together and then play them for daughter's 21st birthday party.

nobody's probably going to even look at it?!

Jeanl

[reboot]

ROFL!

[mzemina]

Originally posted by jeanl
yes reboot, but remember:

nobody's probably going to even look at it?!

Jeanl

Well you guys HAD been helpful prior to this post. But at this point you're getting rude. Not too helpful when confronted with that type of attitude. Thanks for your previous help.

[jeanl]

mzemina, sorry I hurt your feelings, I certainly didn't intend to be rude!! It was simply a (smart-ass) way of pointing out to reboot that his wonderful authoring ideas were probably overblown for the intended use.
Sorry you didn't see the humor in it. Good luck with your project though...
Jeanl

[reboot]

Yes, sorry about that. It was only meant as humor to lighten the mood of these posts.
Sometimes we get very adamant about a process, and fail to see other's opinions (guilty as charged!).
As this video is probably going to turn out to be a family heirloom, and not a "watch once, toss away" project, we just want to make sure that you get it done right.
I do hope that your project turns out the way you want it

[mzemina]

I understand and have done the same (without realizing) and I hold no ill will. I have a related question and hope you can provide helpful solutions as you have previously.

I have not been as productive as I wanted and I found a friend with Pinnacle Espression program that he isn't using and another friend that has ULead DVD Movie Factory 2 - I am trying to save time and it looks like maybe either will help speed up making a DVD slideshow.

1) Can I use one of these to output to harddisk the slideshow (video) then using DVD-Lab to make the modification to loop like I first asked about?

2) If so which of these two products would be better?

3) Then what should I use to burn the final output to a DVD?

[reboot]

I would use DVDLab for the whole project. It makes slideshows too, and allows for chapter breaks within, for different subject matter, or timeline breaks. Add multiple audio tracks if you want, loop it from any point, to any other point, and autoplay. Resume from it's last play point (depending on the player), etc.
Once you get the hang of it, you won't need Expression or Ulead, or Sonic, or Nerovision, or whatever, except to encode the video.
DVDLab is a FULL authoring app. If you want something on DVD, more than just a playing movie, that's what it's designed to do.
Once compiled, burn with Nero, or any other dvd movie burning app.

[jeanl]

mzemina, I don't know these progs. Let's see what reboot has to say...
I suspect they can make your slideshow loop, that's not a very advanced feature, but I don't know for sure!
jeanl

[mzemina]

I've been reading manuals and found I think Ulead DVD Movie Factory2 can output to hard disk (without burning the DVD). But it appears that the Pinnacle Expression must burn the DVD (a waste of time and a DVD disc, since I want to be able to perform the looping. Neither program, it appears, can loop so that is why I was wanting to export to hard disk then using DVD-Lab perform the linking operation then burn the DVD - using Nero.

[reboot]

You can lead a horse to water... (sigh)
If you want to actually make the project in some other app, go ahead.
DVDLab will NOT import the menus though, so there's no point in making any. Just make the slideshow, and render the project to the hard drive, then load the .vob's into dvdlab (select join and demux!), and reauthor with the loop and/or menu's.

(I still dont' see why you're so stuck on Ulead DMF2. IMHO it's garbage)

[mzemina]

The ONLY reason I'm looking to do it in Ulead DMF2 is due to time, I NEED to get it finished tonight - I need easy...simple. I'l got way too many pictures and still have to rip music to use for background.

Menu - nope, not planning on any - just looping back to the beginning.

Mike

[mzemina]

Originally posted by reboot
(I still dont' see why you're so stuck on Ulead DMF2. IMHO it's garbage)

What recommendation do you have? I want to have nice transitions for a slide show with background music. I was hoping for some "Ken Burns" effects but I don't have the time to make it happen. Time right now is against me to finish it up in the evening.

Mike

[reboot]

In that much of a hurry, you're going to be hard pressed to get it done by tonight, no matter what software you want.
Make the project in whatever you like, then use PCGEdit to create the loop.