Importing DVD and Slideshow Templates

Arthur-LW wrote on 9/28/2013, 11:37 AM

Is it possible to import the templates for DVDs and Slideshows from my previous versions of Magix Movie Edit Pro as there are quite a few that are not provided with the latest versions I have of Premium 2013 and 2014?

If so how?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

As you perhaps already realize, this isn't Magix support, just us fellow users. With that disclaimer out of the way, here's what I would try if I were you:

First off, my version (just FYI) is: MAGIX Movie Edit Pro MX Plus Download Version
Version: 11.0.6.4 (UDC2). I found the templates in:
C:\Program Files (x86)\MAGIX\Movie_Edit_Pro_MX_Plus_Download_Version\coverlabel.

You would need to uninstall the new and reinstall the old (or put the old on a different system) and then download all the templates pertaining to the old version and save the folder(s) somewhere for later picking and choosing, which you (hopefully) can move to the corresponding folders in the new version on a single-file basis. This assumes the templates you want haven't also been deleted from the previous versions' downloads. I am also assuming that the ones you want to retain in the new version were ones that you had tried and found that they worked for you. (I have a sneaking suspicion that the deleted ones were removed because they were found to be buggy and/or inoperative.)

Whether this cobbling the old into the new will work is something you can try, but there are no guarantees. If the addition of a template also includes some notation in some .ini file or whatever, then this probably won't work, but you will have to give it a try and take your chances.

There is another possibility that occurs, and that is if you have a separate system you can dedicate it to the old version, then when you need to use that particular template you can do your work on that one. HTH!

Arthur-LW wrote on 9/28/2013, 2:05 PM

My thought is there must be some "registration" process...

Exactly. I was afraid of that.

Computer 2 is my only other idea. Sorry.

terrypin wrote on 9/29/2013, 11:36 AM

Hi George,

I've been using DVD Layouts and Slideshow Templates from many previous versions by methodically copying across the respectve files. For DVD templates that has been the DVD layout folder, e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MAGIX\Movie_Edit_Pro_14_PLUS\DVD\Layout. That seems to have worked OK although I've not tested it thoroughly. But I'll take a closer look when I can in view of your post about this failing in your case. Maybe I've been labouring under a delusion and never discovered it because of using the same few templates! (To be frank, some of the Magix offerings seem rather garish for my taste.)

For Slideshows you should have no problems.

But Collages proved a much tougher job. There are translation.ini files to be edited very carefully and icons, preview image and video files to be made ! I've created many new collages over the years so this was important to me.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 9/30/2013, 7:55 AM

Hi George,

"I performed a "clean" install, i.e. removed my old version before installing the new version, whereas you installed the new version over the old version effectively performing an "upgrade". My concern with the latter approach is this will leaves a large amount of redundant data, old directories and files, on the hard drive..."

I install each new version as a separate application, retaining the old one completely. Definitely not 'redundant' though!
1. I can use any recent version until I decide whether to use the later one. (For example, I've reverted to using 2013 for the time being at least, as I found some weaknesses in 2014 and don't see any advantages.)
2. I can transfer across layouts, effects, collages, slideshows, etc. And copy back too (i.e. sync), so that the previous version(s) benefit from any new material.
3. Help answer queries from users with older versions.

If you are indeed tight on HD space you're giving yourself a significant handicap. Not only in the current context of keeping recent versions installed but also because video in general is so demanding on storage. What about your data backups too?

So I'd suggest you reinstall version X (with the material you want that's absent from 2013/2014) and then handle the transfers as I've described.

You'll find slideshows in a location like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MAGIX\Movie Edit Pro 2013 Premium\VideoEffects\Styles

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 9/30/2013, 8:09 AM

(I tried to insert a similar image here but failed )

Use the image tool next to the Smilie icon. Browse for the JPG or whatever, send it to the magix.info server and that's about it.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 10/1/2013, 7:11 AM

Hi George,

Pleased to hear you've pretty well sorted it.

I'd be interested to know how many DVD templates you've now ended up with in MEP 2013? How many more is that than the original 2013 set?

I no longer have the original layouts but I currently have 151, of which 81 are 16:9.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 10/1/2013, 8:47 AM

My question for you is what are you finding in 2014 that's not working compared to 2013? My only reason for upgrading was the promised (alleged?) performance improvements .. not so sure they are that obvious... yet.

I had a few more crashes in 2014 than 2013, although that was before the patch. But the only significant reason is the one I reported here
http://www.magix.info/uk/2014-mp4-export-slower-than-2013.forum.1028732.html

And as mentioned, I've not so far experienced or heard of any significant benefits.

Also, a few bugs have been reported recently as you'll have seen.

--------------------

That masterlist.csv is something I've not noticed before! Do you know what exactly is its influence please? I see that
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MAGIX\Movie Edit Pro 2013 Premium\DVD\masterlist.csv
has 447 (non-blank) lines, from

314;;;;;;;;;;;

Layout;Format;Auflösung;Hintergrund;Presenter;3DText;ContentLayout;AutoAnordnung;BGSound;OMK only;EasyMode;ForceTitle

to

_06_fire\fire.tpl;4:3;720x576;still;;;;;;;;

00_c_BusinessBlue\BusinessBlue.tpl;4:3;720x576;animated;;;;;;OMK;;ForceTitle

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/1/2013, 10:34 AM

Hi Terry,

So a new answer allows me to add an image but not edit my additions, ah well,,,,

Thanks for your thoughts on 2013 vs 2014.

The masterlist.csv is just like an INI file and it contains the list of DVD templates in the Layout directory used to build the menu on the lower left of the DVD edit GUI. More further on but as an example here's one, "Mountains Calls", which I added as a test...

I know there's a similar animated one in 2014, and probably 2013, however I was tesing the process of including the template in the menu and am now adding others like "sn_stripe" from MEP10.

Now the "interesting part.... see the image below...

Having dropped the "Moutaincalls" DVD template directory in the DVD "Layouts" directory it needs to be include in the CSV file so it can be "found" when building the menu.

I just copied the Default_169 entry above and changed the name. As you can see, some of the other data elements in the entry are self explanitory, e.g. 16:9, still, animated etc. - I've yet to figure out the others - but I'm sure you can work out which ones to copy and amend for your needs.

Then you need to add the "Category=travel" in the "Mountaincalls" INI file in the "Moutaincalls" directory so that it's sorted appropriately. The categories are defined in the Categories_EN.INI file in the DVD directory and it would appear quite simple to extend this by adding your own although any later updates/purchases might overwrite them.

Loads of fun!!

After a bit more digging I have a little more detail...

In the German heading

Layout;Format;Auflösung;Hintergrund;Presenter;3DText;ContentLayout;AutoAnordnung;BGSound;OMK only;EasyMode;ForceTitle

you have the record structure for each entry that is used when contructing the menu...

In English
Layout, format, resolution, background, presenter; 3DText, content layout, auto assembly; bgsound; OMK only;EasyMode;ForceTitle

Still not fully understandable unless you know the program in more detail so this is a bit of reverse engineering... using "mountaincalls" as an example template my best guess is...

Layout = The directory name of the DVD template e.g. “Mountaincalls”
Format= The name of the template style file mountaincalls.tpl (template layout) in the “mountaincalls” directory
Resolution= aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9
Background=resolution 720x576 or 1920x1080
Presenter= “still” use the mountaincalls_bg.jpg (note the file naming format "_bg.jpg")
“animated” use the MPG file mountaincalls_intro.mpg (again note the "_intro.mpg")
3DText=??
content layout=??
auto assembly=??
bgsound=If present use the sound file with the name format mountaincalls_bgani_sound.ogg (note the name format again "_bgani_sound.ogg")
OMK only=??
EasyMode=?? Music style??
ForceTitle=??

There aren't that many/any examples in the csv file that use the data elements I can't explain so perhaps they aren't used...??

Time for bed...

PS just make sure you if/when you edit the CSV file in Excel that you don't change the format when you save it as Magix will throw a wobbly when it finds an spread sheet

terrypin wrote on 10/2/2013, 2:51 AM

Nice work, George! I'll take a closer look later today/tomorrow.

As you've no doubt discovered, temporarily deleting it entirely results in this message at the next restart:

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 10/2/2013, 2:47 PM

Hi George,

I added a category called Favourites to this file:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MAGIX\Movie Edit Pro 2013 Premium\DVD\Categories_EN.ini

But so far I haven't succeeded in locating it as the first item, my preference. It always appears at the end, regardless of either positioning or the value of 'ORDER'.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/3/2013, 3:44 AM

Hi Terry,

Try the following entry just after [Translation]

Favorites=Favourites

Favourites_Order=05

The 05 is a lower value than 10 for General

And don't forget to place the

Category=Favourites

In the *.tpl file

I tried it out on my PC at home using LogMeIn :-) and it worked for me.

Regards, George

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 3:55 AM

Hi George,

MEP 2013 DVD Templates, 3 October 2013, 09:35
Category	16:9	4:3	Sub- total
DVD (animated)	8	34	34
Static	33	56	56
User-defined	12	26	26
Static HD	41	4	4
TOTAL	94	120	214

I don't expect you'll see this until your return in 10 days or so but I'll post now while it's fresh in my mind.

It took further grunt work to ensure that MEP 2013 DVD\Layouts included all of those from all previous versions MEP 14 onwards to MEP MX, plus MEP 2014. Basically I did as I described earlier, copying across the sub-folders.

I suspect that a few may still be missing and I know for sure that there isn't one for every entry in masterlist.csv.

But that now brings me to a total of 214 DVD templates in my menu, split as shown.

I'm wondering whether it's worth keeping all those 4:3 templates. How many people use that AR in these days of wide screen TVs? I might try to identify the unique ones and see how much work is involved in making 16:9 versions of them.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/3/2013, 4:30 AM

Hi Terry,

As I said in my PM the extra entries in the CSV file are probably sloppy leftovers from Magix developers - I've seen a lot of that - alternatively - perhaps they're there to accommodate the full range of templates available via paid downloads from Catooh just to make the installation process simpler..... If the template isn't there then the entry is just ignored, add the template directory and hey presto it appears.

Anyway, the conversion from 4:3 to 16:9 couldn't be easier. I used PaintShopPro to resize the main images, i.e. the background and previews used in the menus etc. to the same size as those in the 16:9 templates and then altered the TPL file 4:3 entry to 16:9 - you can change the music or background animation MXV file there as well or add it if it's not there already. You don't need to resize ALL the graphics in the template as the buttons etc. still work OK and if the template supports multiple menus/sub menus they should also still work.

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 5:22 AM

Hmm, still get that category at the bottom...

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/3/2013, 5:37 AM

The problem appears to be that the the menu entry shows Favourite with no S

could be that the category in the TPL file is wrong?

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 8:44 AM

The problem appears to be that the the menu entry shows Favourite with no S

could be that the category in the TPL file is wrong?

I assigned only one (arbitrary) template to the category and AFAICT the associated TPL was correct:

# Template File "BlueFog"

[Preview]
category=Favourites
Image=BlueFog_preview.jpg
Backgroundimage=preview_BlueFog_bg.bmp
Borderimage=preview_BlueFog_frame.bmp

[Entrytext]
etc

But anyway I'd have thought the file Categories_EN.ini defined global specifications, i.e. for all layouts. For example I wouldn't expect the position of 'Favourites' in the menu to depend on which template was currently selected? (However, there are other elements of that file that I don't grasp. How do you interpret AutoMax=Automatic categorization for example? And what would its 'ORDER' mean?

It's also odd that, apart from being positioned wrongly, it has lost the 's' - I hadn't spotted that!

--------------------

I've now returned to the original definition I used just in case MEP expects rigorous adherence to the syntax it seems to use. (In which the strings on the left and right of the equals sign on the top line are never identical).

[Translation]

terry=Favourites
terry_ORDER=05

common=General options
common_ORDER=10

travel=Travel and Holidays
travel_ORDER=20

And the TPL is now

# Template File "BlueFog"

[Preview]
category=terry
Image=BlueFog_preview.jpg
Backgroundimage=preview_BlueFog_bg.bmp
Borderimage=preview_BlueFog_frame.bmp

[Entrytext]

'Favourite' (no 's') was then still at the bottom of the User Defined group!

Edit: However, a few minutes after posting the above I went back for one last methodical check and discovered that I had added 4 more templates to that category (genuine favourites this time). Contrary to my opening statement! Having corrected that, all is well.

Lesson: editing the templates is error prone!

Quite apart from my own carelessness, identifying the correct layout folder name and the associated template name and the name used in the text files and the file name used for the preview is a nightmare. IMO this is because of illogical and inconsistent naming. I was going to say 'naming rules', but that would be over-generous, as they often seem arbitrarily constructed.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/3/2013, 9:34 AM

Hi Terry,

If Terry=Favourites in the INI file then in your TPL file the category should be Terry

The entry in the INI file is category=menu name - Terry=Favourites - and it's the categoryTerry that needs to be in the TPL file. The menu name, Favourites, is used to build the menu text and the order determines the structure.

The template style e.g. Still , Animated, HD etc. in the TPL file then determines which of the menu "sections" it then appears.

Great fun isn't it? :-)

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 10:02 AM

Hi Terry,

If Terry=Favourites in the INI file then in your TPL file the category should be Terry

The entry in the INI file is category=menu name - Terry=Favourites - and it's the categoryTerry that needs to be in the TPL file. The menu name, Favourites, is used to build the menu text and the order determines the structure.

The template style e.g. Still , Animated, HD etc. in the TPL file then determines which of the menu "sections" it then appears.

Yes, that's what I have, as described in my last post! All OK now.

Great fun isn't it? :-)

Well, sort of, but frustrating too.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 11:43 AM

Hi George,

I'm trying my first conversions from 4:3 to 16:9 and puzzling over the following.

I've so far found several TPL files referring to non-existent files. For example:

# Template File "LowTides"

[Preview]
category=travel
Image=LowTides_preview_wide.jpg
Backgroundimage=preview_LowTides_bg_wide.bmp
Borderimage=preview_LowTides_frame.bmp

LowTides_preview_wide.jpg is in both of these identical folders (either because Magix built them or because I copied from 2014 to 2013):

\Movie Edit Pro 2013 Premium\DVD\Layout\2008_LowTides\
\Movie Edit Pro 2014 Premium\DVD\Layout\2008_LowTides\

But the other two images apparently don't exist on my HD (or any backup).

Yet the template exists (and works OK) in MEP 2013, at 16:9 > DVD, animated > Travel and Holidays.

Also, taking my first conversion example,

Image=Audio_preview.jpg
Backgroundimage=preview_Audio_bg.bmp
Borderimage=preview_Audio_frame.bmp

Taking the first, its AR is 4:3 but so are the '16:9' versions (like HD 169 Default). However, presumably it still needs resizing as the 16:9 versions look as if they were made by adding black top and bottom?

Finally, am I right that MEP displays templates under the 4:3 and 16:9 headings by reference to masterlist.csv? I don't see anything in the TPL files explicitly about that.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

terrypin wrote on 10/3/2013, 3:20 PM

In English
Layout, format, resolution, background, presenter; 3DText, content layout, auto assembly; bgsound; OMK only;EasyMode;ForceTitle

Still not fully understandable unless you know the program in more detail so this is a bit of reverse engineering... using "mountaincalls" as an example template my best guess is...

Layout = The directory name of the DVD template e.g. “Mountaincalls”
Format= The name of the template style file mountaincalls.tpl (template layout) in the “mountaincalls” directory
Resolution= aspect ratio 4:3 or 16:9
Background=resolution 720x576 or 1920x1080
Presenter= “still” use the mountaincalls_bg.jpg (note the file naming format "_bg.jpg")
“animated” use the MPG file mountaincalls_intro.mpg (again note the "_intro.mpg")
3DText=??
content layout=??
auto assembly=??
bgsound=If present use the sound file with the name format mountaincalls_bgani_sound.ogg (note the name format again "_bgani_sound.ogg")
OMK only=??
EasyMode=?? Music style??
ForceTitle=??

George,

I found several entries that don't seem to fit your interpretation of Presenter:

00_a_Circles\Circles.tpl;4:3;720x576;animated;Presenter;;;;;OMK;;
00_a_Dots\Dots.tpl;4:3;720x576;still;Presenter;;;;;OMK;;
00_a_Pictureshow\Pictureshow.tpl;4:3;720x576;still;Presenter;;;;;;;
00_a_Skyline\Skyline.tpl;4:3;720x576;still;Presenter;;;;;OMK;;
00_a_Springbreak\Springbreak.tpl;4:3;720x576;still;Presenter;;;;;;;

In those, 'Presenter' seems to be in the position set for '3D Text' - puzzling!

The others are still obscure, especially 'OMK'. Some German acronym?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

george_ogden wrote on 10/4/2013, 8:15 AM

Hi Terry,

You're right, it's not the TPL file but the CSV file that determines where in the list the template appears, 16:9 or 4:3. Etc. My mistake!

The word Presenter in the 3D text field is curious although I don't think that actually relates to the Presenter field which can be either still or animated. Not sure what Presenter means when it's in the 3DText field but I will take a more detailed look when I'm back on my PC.

Regarding the resizing of the images, unless the 4:3 backgrounds are resized to 16:9 they'll not appear as wide screen in the main template editing window. The preview images are less important but adding the black bands would make it look more tidy. I suspect Magix didn't get round to fundamentally changing the previews to show 16:9 and just added them to 4:3 images.

Regards, George

Valerie-Nutt wrote on 10/30/2023, 9:32 AM

I am new to Majix and I have photostory 2023 how do I get more slide styles?

browj2 wrote on 10/30/2023, 11:12 AM

@Valerie-Nutt

Hi,

You have posted to a 10 year old thread that is about Movie Edit Pro and you have Photostory. Please create your own post under Photostory.

John CB