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Changing the image displayed on an image button

An image button consists of a text label and a shape thumbnail (a rectangle or oval, for example), which is designed to be filled with a photo or movie clip to add visual interest to your menus.

Depending on what an image button links to (a movie, a slideshow, or a submenu), it displays a specific default image. A slideshow button displays the first slide in the slideshow. (If you haven’t added photos to the slideshow yet, the button shows a slide icon.) A movie button shows the first frame of the movie it links to. (Image buttons for movies are called “motion buttons” because a portion of the movie actually plays in the button.) A submenu button displays a folder icon.

In all cases, you can change the image displayed on an image button.

To change the image on an image button:

You can replace the default image on a slideshow button with a single photo or a movie clip.

Drag a photo or movie clip from the Media pane to the button until you see the green circle with the plus sign. The photo or movie clip is displayed on the button and is also added to the slideshow. When you double-click the thumbnail portion of a slideshow button, an image slider (shown below) appears above the button. You can move the slider to select a different image to display on the button.

To add the photo or movie clip to the button but not to the slideshow itself, press the Command key as you drag the item to the button. In this case, you can’t use the image slider to change which image is displayed on the button.

Image of slider to set a slideshow image in an image button

You can replace the image displayed on a movie button with a single photo or with another movie clip.

To add a photo, drag an image from the Photos pane to the button until you see the green circle with the plus sign.

To add a movie clip that’s different from the movie the button links to, press the Command key as you drag the movie from the Movies pane.

To change which frame of the movie is displayed on the button, double-click the image part of the button. Select a new frame using the Movie slider that appears (shown below). If you select the Still Image checkbox, the button displays the selected frame as a still image instead of playing the movie clip.

Important: If you don’t press the Command key as you drag a movie to the button, the new movie will replace the old movie as the media item the button links to.

Image of movie slider to control movie clips in image buttons

You can replace the image on a submenu button with a single image or with a movie clip.

Drag a single image or movie clip from the Media pane to the submenu button until you see the green circle with the plus sign

If you add a movie clip, you can select which frame is displayed in the button by double-clicking the image portion of the button and moving the slider in the Movie pane. Select the Still Image checkbox to display only the selected frame of the movie on the button.

While working on your menu, you can click the Motion button (shown below) to view the motion on a menu, which includes movies that have been added to image buttons.

Note: You should avoid adding long movies to buttons because they take up a lot of space in your project, and it’s unlikely a viewer will stay on the menu long enough to view the entire movie. Instead, add short movie clips.

Image of the Play button

Related Topics

Changing the appearance of buttons

About resizing images for menu backgrounds

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