I want to knwo a program that allows me to put a clip preview on the main menu (not a clip preview background.. like a small rectangle box). I saw one of my friends do it and I really want to know how to do it. Also how to make the menu look like it has a play all video, and and one that says Chapters
Nero Vision can do it, but I don't use that. Probably other similar programs will do it as well in the same fashion like Ulead and Pinnacle, etc...
I also made up a guide that touches a bit on menu creation. I did not do chapter menus. The guide is currently very incomplete (approx 25% or so complete), but there is tons of info in it [approx 10MB PDF]:
Use the bookmarks to navigate the sections faster. I have not looked at the PDF since this is nowhere near complete, so I cannot guarantee all bookmarks are there. I converted the incomplete guide to PDF because someone requested it incomplete since they needed some type of guide.
If you want a specific thumbnail (this applies if you are manually making the menu in Photoshop, Paintshop, GIMP, etc...), take a snapshot using Media Player Classic or another player capable of doing that. Then, add the snapshot and resize it. If the software does not let you resize after importing it, you will have to resize it separately and then save as "pic_resize.xxx". You will have to experiment to get the right resolution though. Then just import them all and that's it.
You will then need to make a highlight layer. That is covered in the guide. Export your menu and highlight as .bmp or .psd. If you do .bmp, you will need a menu and subpicture, so two files..ex: "main.bmp" & "main_sub.bmp". For PSD, you only need one file since the layer is embedded.
If you are using DVDLab pro, you set chapter points where you want the thumbnail to be. Then, add the thumbnail using the "add thumbnail" button. After this, you can delete the chapter points and make the real ones. Then make sure you fix the links on the chapter menu.
If what I said sounds confusing, let me know, and I will put it in guide format. It will be short so I can actually finish it and have the flow charts and such to make it easier to follow.
