DVD-lab Pro feature wishlist

Aligning objects on menus DLP needs the following align functions: (some of these are implemented, but the behaviour is non-standard; see the last section in Align on left border Align on right border Align middles of objects Align tops of objects Align bottoms of objects

Add a feature where you can select a range of things (text or images) on a menu and align them all evenly between the first and last.

eg If I have a horizontal menu consisting of: A B C D EFG H I J K

I want to be able to click on A and K and then space everything evenly: A B C D E F G H I J K

Allow the user to change the size of the grid that menu items snap to.

Project window
 * Re-enable renaming of assets in the project tree by clicking to select, then click again to put the name of the item (movie, menu, etc) into edit mode.

Preview window
 * Bug: sometimes, when clicking on the Preview window, it does not take the focus, and if you scroll the mouse wheel, the size of the menu will increase/decrease (if the menu window previously had focus).

Menu window

Undo for the current undo an "undo history" would be very helpful (in a seperate window?). this way you could at least see what undo steps are available.

1. A close button on the Preview dialog [x].

2. If you insert a chapter point between two other chapter points, update all subsequent chapter points so you don't have to delete them all and reassign them. 3. [Bug] When using the preview window to add chapter points, you have to click on the movie window first, then click on the add chapter point button, or the chapter point will not be created.

4. Allow the user to NAME chapter points.

6.

7. Use a tooltip feature so that when you hold the mouse over a menu item, you get a tooltip that displays the button order, the chapter number, and the chapter timecode.

8. Allow the user to browse the video stream chapter by chapter.

9. In the preview window, have proper jog/shuttle, fast-forward, rewind and normal play speed controls.

10. Allow zoom-in on movie tracks, right into individual frames.

11. In menu windows, have a button that displays the properties of the currently selected item!

12. Provide a feature that automatically resets the button order of all menu entries, from top to bottom, or left to right, or top left to bottom right.

13. Allow drag and drop re-ordering of items in the project window.

14. Allow the user to change properties of multiple-selections of menu items.

15. [Bug] In the Tools > Customize dialog

15.1 On the Commands tab, remove duplicate command entries in Categories

15.2 Expose all of DLP's commands in the "customize" dialog. There are some missing, including "Set as first button" (from the context menu when clicking on a single menu item)

16. The Undo function is seriously broken. It's hard to predict which action will be undone.

* Double-clicking an asset should start playing the asset right away. This would also remove the current bug that you have to specifically stop an asset being played before being able to play a different file. * The options in the VOB Files (handling) dialogue don't match the dropdown options descriptions 100% which might cause confusion. * Option to rename files from the Assets window, it's a PITA to rename the files in Explorer and having to import or match them again. * When adding a new chapter point one I-frame after a previous chapter point, you get a sound notification but no error telling you you can't add one. * Cut option in addition to Copy and Paste. * Asset duration column in 'File Browser' and 'Asset' window. * Column in 'File Browser' and Asset window to indicate if a movie is Progressive or Interlaced. * Option to physically remove files from the hard drive from the 'Asset' window. * Preview files from 'File Browser'. * Option to leave out audio on VOB demuxing. * Object dragging functionality in 'Project' window tree to e.g. move a movie to a different VTS 'Movies' folder or to order movie objects. * Asset dragging functionality to the 'Project' window tree items to e.g. link a movie asset to a movie object in the 'Project' window tree

The following list is from version 1.60, I did not accurately check if the issues where still present in version 2.1 but I believe most of them are.

* Option to select and delete/remove links in the 'Connections' view. * Simulation of the complete DVD without having to compile it (navigate, show movie, return to menu, etc.). * The 'Stop Simulation' button is redundant since you can use the 'Simulation' button again to end it. * More alignment options in the 'Menu' view for more accurate positioning. Maybe Adobe Illustrator style with the ability to select multiple objects: Horizontal/Vertical Align Left/Center/Right, Horizontal/Vertical Distribute Top/Center/Bottom. * Option to change the grid size in 'Menu' view for more accurate positioning. * There's no 'Cancel' button on the 'VOB Files' dialogue. Even if you press the close button at the top, the VOB file will still be imported. Imo it's good to have a 'Cancel' in case people make up their mind. * Option to create and rename Groups/Folders manually in the 'Assets' window to be able to organize the assets the way people see fit. * Importing assets by means of the 'File Browser' can be a bit confusing, especially for the first time. You'll have to know you can drag the files to the 'Assets' window or you can double-click them. An additional 'Import' button at the top of the 'File Browser' will solve this problem. * Some of the properties dialogues (e.g. the 'Options' tab in the 'Project Properties' dialogue) are now listed under the 'Project' menu item. This is a bit illogical for some options since some are general properties which apply to all projects. Creating a 'Preferences' section for those would be more correct and easier to find. * Option in the preferences to perform the 'Get File Info' function automatically when browsing in the 'File Browser'. For those who don't want to click that button every time Wink

1. Exporting motion menus to AVI is too time- consuming if you have a lot of menus to send. I find that the mpeg encoder in DLP is quicker...but rendering each menu separately is a hassle. A render queue facility would be much appreciated. Generating 30+ switched menus with motion individually is a little tedious.

2. On the subject of motion render, could the duration be made frame accurate, rather than just to the nearest second?

3. Random All would be a great addition.

4. The list of available assets to connect to on a big project is enormous. I would like to be able to select what appears on the button connect list dependent on what part of the project I'm working on, ie. if I'm doing connections to movies, then I can cut out all the VMG, menus, etc, so I don't have to scroll down a big list. When I'm done with that, I can put up a selective list of other items.

5. Optional automatic naming of movies by their file name.

6. 'Always on top' for preview.

7. Automatic Save As every few minutes.

8. Editable button renumbering, rather than having to redraw connections.

9. Resizeable text editing window, so you can see the full width of text.

10. This is a hard one- button highlight colour changes dependent on button's colour- i.e. Moving from white text to, say a green navigation arrow, highlight colour can be set to change so the colour contrasts better.

11. Generate Switched Menu function allows you exclude certain buttons, or edit the number of clones it will produce.

12. A list of keyboard shortcuts.

lab-TALK 2

As for me, everything is fine even DVD-lab PRO 1.52 is On Top of other DVD-Authoring Software because of lab-TALK. Please tell me, what other DVD-Authoring application allows to control itself through VBA/JS/Python?

BUT, there is a big BUT with current incomplete state of lab-TALK. Lab-TALK should be Upgraded, so that it will Include ALL posible UI Functions to be Controlled by Script:

List of Missing Functions Menu/Movie:

* A Working Version of MenuSetPBC Function * Function to Rename Menus (Set nMenu sLabel) * Function to Set nMenu/nMovie Remote Menu Button to nMenu * Function to Set EndLink of Menu to Movie and vice-versa (currently possible only by Drag-and-Drop or Manually specifying in ComboBox) * Function to Add Multiple Audio Streams to a nMovie * Functions to Add PRE-POST Commands to nMovie Objects

Motion Menus:

* Functions to Setup a Motion Menu {menu:Menu>Render Motion} * Function to Control Loop Point in a Motion Menu * Functions to Setup Menu Transitions {menu:Menu>Transitions}

Objects:

* Functions to Set Font Style (Italics/Bold) * Functions to Reorder Layers (Put nObject after/before nObjectTo) * Functions to Apply Bitmap Effects to Objects {menu:Menu>Effects}, {menu:Menu>Extras} * Functions to Import Combo-Buttons * Functions to Operate on Group of Objects; Grouping Objects * Functions to Set Fill Texture, Type, Effect, Color-Fill Mix * ObjectCopy currently places Pasted Object on Top of the Layers Stack. Additional Parameter is necessary to Control where the nObject will be Placed nObjectTo. And only if the Parameter will not be Specified, the Current behaviour will be used.

Other:

* UOPs & Settings: Functions to Control EVERYTHING, starting from MenuID and up to "Prohibit poor user from doing... operation" Smile * Functions to Setup Special DLP Objects, like "Condition Splitter", "Case List", "Random List", etc.     * A Function with a Boolean Parameter to Control behaviour, of whether PGCN nMenu Numbers are Specified in Script

labTALK ScriptGifts +New Bugs:

* MenuPRE-POSTCommands Functions not work if the Block (Menu/VM), onto which the Commands should be Added/Removed, is set to use "Visual Blocks Editor" as VM Command Editor. Current Workaroud: Manually Deselect "Use VM Blocks as Default Editor" for the problematic nMenu/nVMCommand numeric values for all sliders

ability to copy/paste multiple objects inside a menu and from one menu to another at once

copy a complete menu (not clone it), e.g. by right-clicking it in the "project" window (think photoshop)

"bring to front", "send to back" etc. should also be available by right-clicking an object

close tabs by right-click-> close or by double-clicking (like in tabbed browsers, homesite, topstyle etc. etc.)

loop cell definition needs to have numeric values, it's impossible to do this accurately with the sliders based on the GOP information in the preview window. If you try to do an exact loop based on where you have the audio start and end (lets say 2 seconds after the background video started and 2 seconds before it ends), it's very frustrating to always have to do a test compile to see if you got it right - and when you move the slider with the mouse you have no point of reference how much time this affected; at least - if it is only possible GOP-wise - the sliders should "snap in" at a definite position and a time information should be given, so that you can adjust the audio track based on that information

disattaching menu properties (e.g. to move it to 2nd monitor) should do so for all menus - i.e. one properties window is enough (wouldn't this also save memory?)

I think there's enough space to show "normal", "selected" and "activated" color mapping at once beneath one another... just a suggestion

in "render menu motion" some rather strange frame information are given. they start at 0 and go up to 1 in steps like 0.2323343434. now if I want to reproduce the same motion menu with different (rendered) buttons it's virtually impossible to do so without have to write down these numbers and going crazy over using the slider to get to them. again I think a numeric input option is a must have and also it would be nice to change the frame info to a normal time-code

BUGS

windows rearranging themselves when program is minimized or in the back for a long time; I still wasn't able to pin this down but it happens a lot when I switch to photoshop to work on a menu or when I minimize DLP during compile to do something else

remember the problem with right click to set a link in menus, when the context menu would close because of the tiny gap? Oscar fixed it for context windows appearing on the right by eliminating the little gap, but not if they appear on the left!

complete undo/redo in menus - there are lots of actions for which undo doesn't work; I really think the undo routine needs to be rewritten

TINY REQUESTS

I'd love to see a fade in to black/fade out to black option in "render menu motion"

a small notepad attached to each project and saved along with it would be very helpful. think of it as a to-do list or for remembering certain values like which GPRM was used for what... it could prove invaluable when you revisit a project after a long time

could "render menu motion" become an "independent" window/process like compile or connections is - so that you can work on something else while it generates the video file?

save color mapping settings to file

"apply this color mapping to all menus" (as addition to "copy colors from")

1: Right click menu for menu objects ONLY works on the object on top, not on below ones. These must first be brought to the top. Really annoying.

2: Connection window positioning when zooming out. Moving through it when zoomed gets progressively worse and more annoying the more you zoom out. What a frustration.

3: labTALK, a big one for me, is lacking SO SO SO SO SO many of the wonderfull options available from DLP. Even some of the implemented features, e.g. making playlists, is lacking as some of the playlists can not be added this way. Or a command for labTALK to change strings to numbers. Vice versa is there, why not this one?

4: Cloning menus is a wonderfull option, BUT the more menus cloned, the SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWER it becomes. Also changing non cloned items in those menus is EXTREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEMELY slow. What a letdown for such a wonderfull feature.

5: Import of chapters can NOT be done on subsequent I-frames, or I-frames in following frames. Can be done manually though and the compiler accepts it wonderfully. THUS why not remove this limitation.

6: Duplicating menus into another VTS

Long links menus (see for a picture

in "connections" window when you switch to table view, the option to set the "Menu button (on remote)" is not integrated into the table view but below like in the normal view - this eliminates the advantages of the table view to set options for many menus quickly - and I think there's no reason why the "menu button" is not next to "end link" and "button HL" in the table; looks like it's simply been forgotten...?

a small bug: if you add a comment in "connections" there's no way to delete it again! DEL doesn't work and there's no right-click option as well.

cosmetic: things you do in connections window do register as project changes, meaning DLP will prompt you to save your file when you exit the program - but no little asterix (*) appears next to the project title to indicate that a change has accured more serious: there's no undo at all for changes in connections

Merge ProEx with the current preview window: Have 1 interface for playing back a movie with synced sound, adding chapters, jumping around chapters to verify correct timing, etc. - I would like to see DLP use the notion of "project directories" similar to Premiere Pro - Real Undo - Allow subfolders in assets - Allow sorting and re-ordering in assets

- Oscar, can you please add direct linking from VMG objects to non-entry VTS menues? As the VTS_TT->VTSM links are already being processed by the hidden VTS root object on the basis of Node number, the links from VMGM->VTSM should be just as easily done.

- a minor bug - when a Single VTS Playlist is end-linked to a VTSM and highlight button # is set the target menu tries to process the button on the basis of the IN node number. But the IN number of the playlist is never used and the end-link sets the OUT node number (as it should). I find I keep having to change it with PGCEdit post-compile.