Apple DVD Studio Pro 4 - Manual (Page 98)

Tips for Creating Menu Graphics
Most of the following tips apply to all graphics programs. Several apply specifically to
Adobe Photoshop, although similar issues may exist in other graphics programs.
• Make horizontal lines a minimum of three pixels thick so they won’t flicker on TV screens.
For the same reason, avoid using typefaces with narrow lines. Serif fonts tend to be
more prone to flicker than sans serif fonts.
• Be sure to use a filter that constricts the colors in the graphic to NTSC or PAL color
space. To support broadcast bandwidths, NTSC and PAL video must use colors that are
substantially limited compared to those your graphics program can create. Highly
saturated colors create the biggest problems and produce the biggest disappointments
when viewed on a video monitor.
• Photoshop’s effects layers, transfer modes, and layer styles do not work with
DVD Studio Pro. Be sure to flatten any of these before using them in DVD Studio Pro.
Flattening a Photoshop Layer
When creating graphics within Adobe Photoshop, you may want to add effects such as
bevels, glows, and shadows to a layer, use the transfer modes, or configure layer styles.
These Photoshop effects and modes are not supported by DVD Studio Pro. However, you
can “flatten” them in Photoshop so that they appear in DVD Studio Pro.
Note: Flattening effects is not the same as using the Flatten Image command, which
combines all contents of all layers of a Photoshop file (including effects) into a single
layer.
It’s a good idea to use this procedure on a copy of the original file, just in case something
goes wrong.
To flatten a layer of a Photoshop file
1 Add a new empty layer immediately below the layer with the effects you want to flatten.
2 Either merge or stamp the layer with the effects into the empty layer. Merging deletes
the effects layer, and stamping leaves the effects layer in place (which can be a good idea
if you need to make changes to the layer later on).
• To merge the layer: Select it and choose Layers > Merge Layers (or press Command-E).
• To stamp the layer: Select it and press Command-Option-E.
A bitmap image of the effects layer is placed in the new layer.
98 Chapter 6 Preparing Menu Assets