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  YOU ARE HERE : Home > Categories > Software > Multimedia Authoring > Adobe Encore DVD 2.0
  ProdID: 972 - Adobe Encore DVD 2.0Developed byAdobe Systems Inc Product Score: 9.3 
Adobe Encore DVD 2.0

Price : $690
Supplier :
Available : at quality software retailers.

The essential tool for DVD creation.

Create DVDs that reflect your best work. Packed with a rich set of creative tools, Adobe® Encore® DVD 2.0 software helps you create striking DVD titles for film, business, training, events, and more. With unmatched Adobe Photoshop® software integration and a flexible and intelligent workflow, Encore DVD 2.0 is the right choice for easy production of full-featured, menu-driven DVDs.

System requirements:
    •  Intel® Pentium® 4 1.4GHz processor (SSE2-enabled processor required for AMD systems)
    •  Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional or Home Edition with Service Pack 2
    •  512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
    •  1GB of available hard-disk space for basic installation (5GB of additional hard-disk space recommended for installation of extra content; 10GB hard disk or disk array recommended for ongoing work)
    •  DVD-ROM drive required for installation
    •  DVD+-R burner required for DVD creation
    •  Sound card with DirectX drivers
    •  1,280x1,024 32-bit color video display adapter
    •  QuickTime 6.5 required to import QuickTime files
    •  Internet or phone connection required for product activation and Internet-related services
Ease of Install
Ease of Use
Features
Functionality
Tucker   Review #1262 - Dated: 25th of May, 2006
  Author: Tucker

Wow, talk about playing with the big toys... I have been playing around with authoring original multimedia content as interactive DVDs for a little while now, and I thought I had some pretty nifty tools to do the job. From recording the events on MiniDV camcorders, through the welding and cutting clips into new units, dropping a few soundtracks over the top from the mp3 library, whip up a quick menu in Photoshop and assemble it all before burning to a disc.

Sure, the flow seems simple, and it is once you get used to the tools... but once I got a look at this, I saw that I was playing with toy trucks, not the serious earthmovers I thought they were. This application has it all. You have full control over every aspect of the DVDs performance, from initial concept, to final professional results. If you have done the smart thing and bought the whole suite then you now have the ability to make anything your imagination could want. OK, perhaps you should still have a good 3d environment package tucked away in there too.

If I had to pick on one aspect of it to be 'the most awkward component' I would have to pick Menus. Once you have your footage and audio taken care of, the files are simply drag'n'drop and a few tweaks. The bulk of the work is done in the original applications, but menus are all built within Encore. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this is, of coutrse, a sign of just how powerful a tool it is, but it does take the most getting used to. Assembling the rest of the content is relatively easy, especially if you make good use of the flowchart window in the early stages of assembly, to minimise confusion during menu design and construction.

On the other hand, one of the most impressive aspects of this is summed up by "Adobe Dynamic Link". This amazing feature allows you on-the-fly edit-&-update of linked After Effects compositions. This can save a LOT of time designing 3d or motion menus, transition clips and animated content. When a good 80% of your time in Encore will be spent designing and tweaking the structure rather than the content, this is a major workflow enhancement. Combined with the resources-at-a-click functionality of Adobe Bridge and you have some amazing powers of creativty at your disposal, and all your raw elements just a couple of clicks away.

Overall, this one really blew me away. Whether as the final stage only, or an integral part of the Production Studio package, this has to be the leader of DVD authoring. Not as simple as some readily available packages, designed for beginners or casual users, this app is designed for the serious professional, and would be the Big Gun on the market. With the absorption of Macromedia into the Adobe Family, there are bound to be some more enhancements coming soon, so I am anticipating some more amazing content-creation tools to be integrated in the near future. Watch the Adobe site for signs...



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Printed at 11:36:21pm on Friday 29th March 2024