The work in AVS DVD Authoring is done using the projects so that the user could save the results of the work to return to them later or to use the same projects for several DVDs with menus. Before you can edit your DVD menu, you should start a new project. Normally when you launch the AVS DVD Authoring program a new project starts automatically. But still you can create a new project in three different ways:

1. Select the New Project button from the Top Toolbar. The program will create a new project with some of the pages already created and their parameters predefined for you. After that you will be able to change the project parameters, load video files and edit the menu.

2. Select the New Project option of the Main Menu. It is the same as to select the the New Project button from the Top Toolbar.

3. Select the New Custom Project option of the Main Menu. You will be presented with an empty project that you will be able to customize to your taste and wishes.

After either of the first two options is selected, you will be offered to select a preset for your future DVD menu:

Please choose one of the existing presets or create a default menu selecting the Use Default option.

You will also need to change the main project properties so that it could better depict your concept and fit your display or TV set. The succession of actions might differ, but we suggest that you follow the simple steps:

1. Load the videos that you want to use as your future DVD with a menu. To do that click the Import Video buttons of the Top Toolbar or Timeline Toolbar, or select the Import Video item of the Project section of the Main Menu. You can add more than one video, for that you should only select the necessary video files in the opened window or add them one after another. You can load video files of most main formats (moreover, the files loaded at the same time for one and the same DVD can be of different formats), they will be converted into the DVD MPEG-2 format once you select to save your DVD with the menu created onto a disc.

   If you need to remove some of the files from the future DVD, you can use the Remove Video button of the Timeline Toolbar. Simply select the necessary video file in the Navigation Panel or right at the Timeline and click the Remove Video button.

2. Change the disc preset - it can be selected from the Timeline Bottom Bar drop-down box. Selecting a correct preset will help you record a DVD with good quality, depending on the total length of all video files you would like to include into your DVD and the TV system used in your country (PAL or NTSC). Normally you should select a PAL (for Europe) or NTSC (for Japan and Americas) High Quality DVD if its total duration will be no more than 60 minutes for a single layer DVD (108 minutes for a double layer DVD). Selecting a Long Play DVD (either PAL or NTSC) cannot be really recommended and should be used only in case you really need to use it as the quality of the output DVD will be not optimal.

   Note: if you select a double layer DVD, make sure that your DVD drive supports writing onto such discs.

   

3. Set the video files order on the Timeline. You can do it in different ways:

   • Click the video you want to change the position on the Timeline and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it forward or backward on the Timeline. When the necessary position is reached, you can release the mouse button:

     

   • Click the video you want to change the position on the Timeline and use the Make First, Move Forward, Move Backward and Make Last buttons of the Timeline Toolbar to set the necessary position:

     

   • Click the video you want to change the position on the Navigation Panel and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it up or down in the Video Files list of the Navigation Panel. When the necessary position is reached, you can release the mouse button.

   • Click the Video Files element of the Navigation Panel. All the videos imported to the current title set will be seen:

     

     Select the icon of the necessary video on the list and, without releasing the mouse button, drag it to the necessary position. When the necessary position is reached, you can release the mouse button.

4. After all the videos are imported and their order is set correctly, you can start the DVD menu creation. Go to the Creating and Editing Title Sets section to see what is done next.