Apply styles to subpictures

Can I somehow apply styles to subpictures in Encore? Basically, I want to
customize the look of text-buttons in three states: normal, selected and
activated using styles (eg to make them glow,change stroke color etc) rather
then simply change the color of the text.
I also tried to find an option to make a text as text or as button transperent
(with a colour stroke style applied so you can actually read it) but couldn't :(
Is it at all possible?

In a word, no.

You may be able to apply styles, but they will be ignored when you preview the
menu or build the DVD.

In the DVD-Video format, a subpicture is defined as a 2-bit RLE graphic overlay
- one color value, and one opacity value. That means no drop shadows, glows,
gradients, etc can be rendered by DVD players for subpicture information.

A color table is used for the subpicture layer that allows you to combine up to
three of these 2 bit graphics. Using this color table, you can get a little
tricky and use up to three different 2-bit graphics to make the subpicture look
a bit more impressive. There's a tutorial on this site that shows how to do
that.

But even using this trick, DVD-Video subpictures will never even get close to
looking like Photoshop styles on a 32 bit monitor. :)

Thanks for clarification, now I can at least stop thinking about applying styles
to subpictures :)

This might be possible.
You could try setting the letter colour as one, to be fully transparent in
normal state, with the strikethrough colour as a visible one.
Then this could possibly be changed for selected state.
You have 3 colours & opacity states to play with for each button, and each
button's state.
So the SPHL would have a 2-colour button (not including the background).

KIS37,

You might want to explore creating the "Stroke" as a graphic element
in Photoshop (not part of the actual Button, but overlaying it in location). It
would just be a regular (non-active) graphics Layer. Make your Text Layer
(within the Button Layer structure) active and then do a Selection from the
type. Convert this to a Work Path and choose Stroke. The only drawback to this
is that it would be visible and unchanged, regardless of the state of the
Button. When you do your real Button and an overlay like this, you will need to
select the appropriate Layers in PS and Align them carfully. Should work quite
nicely, especially if the Stroke is thick enough to cover, say a 1 pxl.
mistake.