4

4 Select the original second layer (which is now the third layer).
5 Press Command-E to merge the selected layer with the new empty layer.
The two layers merge into a new second layer, and the original second layer is deleted.
When this shape is imported into DVD Studio Pro, this new second layer will use the
opacity you set before the merge.
General Shape Information
When creating a shape in Photoshop, set the new image settings to the following:
• Width and Height: Set to values that will hold the shape at the largest size it will ever
be used at in DVD Studio Pro (quality tends to suffer much more when you make a
shape larger than the original than it does when making the shape smaller). Be sure
the shape’s graphics come as close to the edges of the canvas as possible—the canvas
defines the button’s active area. A typical button size is 200 pixels wide by 150 pixels
high.
• Resolution: Set to 72 pixels per inch. DVD Studio Pro bases the image size on the number
of pixels there are—the resolution does not affect its size when used on a menu.
• Mode: Set to RGB Color.
• Contents: Set to Transparent.
Keep these additional points in mind when creating your shapes:
• It does not matter which layers are visible when you save the shape’s file.
• You do not have to rasterize layers with text. You do have to flatten them if you apply
an effect to them.
• Be sure that the colors you use are within broadcast limits. You can create shapes that
look great in the graphics program but look a lot different once you use them in a DVD
project.
• You may want to design shapes with the specific intention of using them for drop
zones. This allows you to have drop zones with irregular edges. You need to use the
layers exactly as you do when creating a button’s shape, except that the highlight layer
is not used with drop zones. Shapes created for buttons can also be used for drop
zones. See Adding Drop Zones to Your Menu for more information.
Shape Aspect Ratios
Shape graphics are automatically scaled to maintain their aspect ratio. If you create a
square graphic and import it as a shape, it will be scaled so that it remains a square graphic
in DVD Studio Pro (as long as you add it to a menu by dragging it to an empty area).
111Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets