ArcSoft DVD SlideShow™ © ArcSoft, Inc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 ADDING CONTENT 3 CREATING A SLIDE SHOW 4 DESIGNING MENUS 7 "PAN & ZOOM" 9 EDITING PHOTOS 10 TRIMMING VIDEOS 11 PRODUCING YOUR MOVIE 12 PROGRAM OPTIONS 13 FAQ 14 -1-
INTRODUCTION Now anyone can make their own fully customized movies on DVD (or VCD). DVD SlideShow offers you lots of cool options and a fun interface to make your movie-making experience smooth and enjoyable. In no time you'll be showing off your unique presentations to friends, family, coworkers, business associates, etc. You don't need any experience in DVD authoring or video editing. Whether for work or for home, DVD SlideShow helps you get it done. Don't forget to utilize the built-in Help file.
ADDING CONTENT First thing's first: Let's add some content to your project! After all, you can't really do much else until you have all the photos and videos that you'd like to include on your DVD, right? Okay, so when you start out, you can do all of the following: • • • • Insert a previously saved video Insert an existing slide show Insert a PowerPoint file (each slide will be converted to a still image) Create a new slide show Take a look at the main screen. The bulk is taken up by a blank movie menu.
CREATING A SLIDE SHOW Slide shows offer a great way to present photos in a fun, flashy way. When assembling a slide show, you have lots of creative options. You can arrange photos any way you want, attach audio files to each slide, rotate and edit photos, and even create your own "Pan & Zoom" effects. In other words, you don't need to prep photos before adding them into a slide show. You can do it all here.
ARRANGING PHOTOS Once your photos have been added, you'll probably want to arrange the order in which they appear. Simply click and drag a photo from one location to another. ROTATING PHOTOS If a photo is oriented incorrectly, click it to highlight it, and then click either of the "Rotate" buttons until the photo is oriented the way you want. INSERTING BLANK SLIDES You may want to include plain, blank slides at various spots in your slide show.
ADDING "PAN & ZOOM" EFFECTS You can customize a "Pan & Zoom" effect for each individual slide, or have the program automatically apply effects to your entire presentation. Pan & Zoom is only available for DVD projects; see the "Pan & Zoom" chapter for more details. SETTING THE CHAPTER BUTTON THUMBNAIL As you already know, your slide show will be added to your project as its own chapter. The chapter will be represented with a thumbnail image. You can set any slide as the thumbnail.
DESIGNING MENUS Half the fun of making your own DVD comes from customizing the look and feel of the movie menu. Nothing's cooler than popping in a disc and hearing your favorite song play over your personalized menu background, text, and chapter buttons.
To apply a theme: 1. Click the "Themes" tab. 2. Use the pull-down to choose the appropriate category (there are multiple themes within each category). 3. Double-click the specific theme you'd like to apply to the current menu. Note: You can apply a different theme to each menu page. SELECTING A CUSTOM PHOTO BACKGROUND If you'd rather not use one of the available themes, you're free to use a photo of your own as the menu background. To do this: 1. 2. 3. 4. Click the "Customize" tab. Click "Image.
"PAN & ZOOM" Note: "Pan & Zoom" is available for DVD projects only. "Pan & Zoom" can be used to add some real neat effects to your slide shows. They can be used to add scrolling motion and zoom to each and every photo. You can have lots of fun with this effect because you design the movements yourself. The program can also apply random Pan & Zoom effects to every slide in your slide show automatically (check the "Auto-Pan and Zoom" box).
EDITING PHOTOS When creating a slide show, you have the option of editing your photos to ensure they look perfect for your DVD. You can do all sorts of simple yet effective enhancements. You can: • • • Brighten and alter image color Crop Add Text To edit a photo in a slide show, highlight the thumbnail you want and click "Edit Photo." ALTERING COLOR Enhancing a photo's color is as simple as clicking and dragging. There are two sliders: one for brightness, and another for color tone.
TRIMMING VIDEOS As mentioned before, you don't need to be an expert in order to not only make a DVD, but make it the way you want. If you have overly long video clips, you can quickly and easily trim them to more desirable lengths. To trim a video: 1. Double-click the chapter button of the video you want to trim. You can do this on either the Add Media or Design screens. 2. A window will appear with basic playback controls that you can use to preview the video.
PRODUCING YOUR MOVIE When you're finished adding, arranging, and customizing your movie content, go to the Produce screen (click on the big number "3" at the top of the screen). Here you can burn your DVD/VCD. A remote control will appear on the side. The buttons will be a little different depending on the type of project you're making. For DVDs, use the arrows to select the chapter from which you wish to begin playback, and then press "Enter." Hit "Enter" to play.
PROGRAM OPTIONS You can find all of the buttons on the "Add Media" screen (Insert Slide Show, Insert Video, etc.) available under the File menu. In addition, there are also commands for starting and saving projects, closing the program, etc.
FAQ What's the "Pan & Zoom" feature all about? "Pan & Zoom" offers you a cool new way of presenting your photos in a slide show. Instead of having plain slide shows, you can virtually animate each still image by causing the zoom and focus to shift around the photo. As a result, your slides look animated. Can you tell me about the available transitions? It's much better to actually see them, actually.
