DVDA with Photoshop Elements...
 

I'm trying to import a PSD file for a menu made with elements but get the error...

"the file does not conform to the required specifications"

Pressing the Details button says...

"the file has no valid layers".

Huh?

This is a standard layered photoshop file. What's the trick?

You may try flattening it and seeing if that works.

DVD Architect can use the layers (when specifically named a certain way) to automate some menu features. It could be some layers are named in such a way that it's confusing it.

Thanks Edward.

It seems to work when using the layer naming conventions in the help file but that's too much work.

I might try installing my copy of the full photoshop app instead of trying to do this in elements.

I do happen to have a few videos were I used a graphic I designed in Photoshop CS3 and some videos were I did use Flash CS3 to give certain effects to my music video.

I manage to get all my graphics into vegas by saving them as JPEG in Photoshop.
Just select JPEG when you click the save as button. Works for me.
But however, I have never tried this with DVDA, so please forgive me if i have gone of subject.

You may be better off using PNG or some other less lossy format than JPEG. But, I'll agree, I've never had any issues with JPEGs either.

Yeah, I know I can import other file formats into DVDA but doesn't that defeat the purpose of using layers and having greater control over designining your own buttons?

Maybe I misunderstand Sony's intent here when they made it compatible with PSD files but I do think that's the reason folks.

If you still have the original PSD, you still have the layering. But if you're wanting to use these as buttons with layers, using the DVD Architect naming convention for the layers would be required. Otherwise, how would DVD Architect know what the various layers are? And, as you said, they worked using the DVD Architect naming convention. So why not just name them as DVD Architect desires?

Because I was surprised I had to do this. :)

I'm coming from Adobe Encore which does this all for you and allows one to name the layers anything you like. It's totally transparent to the end user.

Either this "method" of extracting layers in a PSD file is a secret and proprietary to Adobe or the Vegas coders just didn't put that functionality into DVDA. I'm thinking it's the latter (and wondering why).