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ReelDVD Delayed Subpicture



1. There are two ways to create this--one that has a short pause, and the other is a 'trick' if you will, because its not an official supported feature of ReelDVD.


2. The first method would be to have a movie clip be your first play that led directly into another movie clip with a subpicture/motion menu. The problem with this method is that there will be a pause as playback proceeds from the first asset to the next.

3. The other option is to have one clip only, with the menu subpicture--but to trick ReelDVD into when the subpicture/menu should appear.

4. Import your motion menu (video backdrop), and scroll through the timeline until you see where you want your menu to come in (look at the timecode above the preview window and jot it down).

5. Next, drag and drop your subpicture onto your video stream, define your buttons, button states (dislplay/active/selection colors and opacities), and button interactivity.

6. Next, left click once on your video stream in the timeline window to select it. On the bottom you will see a start and "to" box with the start time at 00:00:00:00 and end time of whatever the length of your video clip. Type in the timecode you wrote down for when you wanted your menu buttons to show in the "start" box.

7. You will notice that both the video and subpicture have moved to the left.

8. Now either click and drag the left edge of the video stream back to the beginning, or type in all zeros in the start box. You will see that the video edge will jump back to the beginning, but the subpicture/menu will stay at the same place you first moved the video to, and hopefully is the exact starting point you want your menu to appear.

Additional Notes:

  • You may have to re-import your audio stream after you've finished. Simply click on the audio stream and select delete. Drag and drop it again in the Storyboard.
  • If you have an encoder that allows for forced "I" frame insertion, you can place an I frame exactly where you want your subpicture/menu to appear and you can have frame accurate placement of your menu appearance.
  • I usually have the first menu (with a timed subpicture appearance) lead directly into a menu (identical video backdrop and subpicture) without a timed appearance of the subpicture that loops back onto itself so that you don't see the first menu with the delayed showing of the menu over and over.
  • If you make the first menu long enough, your viewer generally won't be watching long enough to see the short pause between the first menu and the looping one. You can also direct your menu button, and return buttons to the looping menu, so you don't see the first play menu each time you go back to the menu.


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