Need Help..Calling all Pinnacle Studio experts

[LaLa]

Okay, I have been online looking for the answers to my question but to no avail. I know that this is the place to get your questions answered, so here goes:

I just got this program last night, and am trying to make a Christmas DVD. I have captured the video from my DV camcorder and have it all in my timeline, along with my Christmas photos as well on the end. I am thinking I will set the photos to music. I can picture it all in my head and it is tear- inducing.


But here's the problem:
I am trying to create a custom disc menu at the beginning and am having trouble setting up the menu buttons. I have created them and they are in place on the menu itself, but they are blank. I set up 4 different buttons, and on the top of all but one, it says C1, C2 and C3 but there are no thumbnails displayed inside the buttons. On the 4th button, there is nothing. Nada. I go to the section on the timeline where I want each chapter to start (BTW, I chose the Manual setting instead of Auto Select)
and choose 'Set Thumbnail. I get a little hourglass for my cursor for just a second, but then nothing happens.

I also want to title each different chapter, and have typed in the "Name" for each one, but it too disappears, and reverts back to C1, C2 and C3.


Kinda confused and new to this program, so I thought maybe some of my fellow DISers could maybe help out.

Thanks so much in advance for any insight you can offer...

 

[Patch'sD]

I Use Power Director, I know that I have a button menu. And I customize the buttons in another part of the DVD creation menu. See if further along the line it will ask you to customise the DVD menu. I doubt this will help. but maybe.

 

[LaLa]

Thanks, I'll take a look around and see...

 

[castlegazer]

I have captured the video from my DV camcorder and have it all in my timeline,

I am sorry I can't help - I have never even gotten to this point - it won't recognize my mini DV Camcorder. I want to hurl my computer every time I try and use Pinnacle. I think it must be agreat program for someone out there.

 

[LaLa]

Castlegazer, I usually play around with Windows Moviemaker and have made several really cool photo movies with that with a little video mixed in here and there, but over Christmas we saw a video that my BIL made with Pinnacle Studio and I had to have it. It's frustrating that one of the main reasons I wanted it (the customized DVD menus) is what has me stumped.

 

[Patch'sD]

I would use the capture software that came with your Camcorder if it came with one. I have a anolog to digital converter for capturing from older devices such as 8 MM and VHS. This device does not work with the PowerDirector Software, but once I get the File saved in an Mpeg format the editing software works fine. My Mini DV Camera works fine with PowerDirector, but I use the Analog to put much older videos on DVDs.

Pinnacle's website should provide details on which cameras it will work with.

 

[LaLa]

Just giving this a bump...

 

[EpcotKilterFan]

I am doing this from memory as I am on the laptop.

Here it goes. When you edit the menu page and you can enter the names of the section, make sure you apply it. Also, select the picture that you want for the section and then on that edit page there is a box for select thumbnail. I think that is what it says. There are also times that I just get rid of the chapter markers and start again. Somehow it gets stuck.

I like Pinnacle and have not had alot of problems at all. If you still have not gotten answers by tomorrow I can answer you from the desktop where it is installed.

Hope it helps a little.

Debbie

 

[LaLa]

Thanks Epcotkilterfan

I was on it last night for 2 hours, thought I had it figured out, and then the program crashed and I lost all the changes I had made.

I figured out how to add the titles to the different chapters on the menu, started getting cocky and decided that if I couldn't get the first frame of each chapter to appear in teach button, that I would drag and drop some photos into the actual buttons on the menu. Just when I thought I was doing goed, that's when everything went wrong. After I added the photos to the buttons, it just would not play right. It eventually crashed and I had to shut down the computer. Could it have something to do with the fact that I had already "set the thumbnail" for the starting frame in the video for each button and then put a photo on the top of the button?