🚀 go-pugleaf

Brian,

There are many Menus, Buttons, etc., in the Functional Content. What I do not know is whether the trial has these, or not. I do know that if you purchase on-line from Adobe and download the program, you will need to be careful to download the Functional Content, as well. Once PP & Encore are installed, you will need to Extract this second file (similar names, so be careful), then do an install for that, as well. From the install DVD's, the default installation adds the Functional Content.

One way to jump-start working with Encore is Jeff Bellune's book, "Focal Easy Guide to EncoreDVD2," by Focal Press and available on Amazon.com. Do not let the name "... EncoreDVD2" throw you. Most of Encore CS4 is exactly the same. The biggest differences will be the tighter integration between PP & Encore from CS2 to CS3 and more in CS4. With that exception, everything you'll need for Encore will be in Jeff's book.

One tip: when you do get the Functional Content, start with one of those Menus, and adapt the template, as you need. Once you get used to the exact naming conventions, and Button Layer Sets, you can then start building your own in Photoshop. In the meantime, the Blank Menu.PSD is a great place to start.

Also, there are many, many wonderful threads on this forum, that address almost every aspect of Encore. Again, do not be put off if an article says that it's about Encore 2, or CS3, as most of the info will still apply. Look for posts with links posted by Neil Wilkes, Ruud Blauw and Jeff Bellune (yeah, the same one), as they have helped so many people on this forum and their links will take you to other articles and Web sites with a wealth of info.

Last, there is almost nothing, within the DVD-specs, that Encore cannot do. It's really an easy, albeit powerful program.

Good luck,

Hunt