iDVD
Current Version: iDVD 5.01
iDVD Overview
iDVD is authoring software that allows you to easily create DVD projects on your Macintosh. iDVD is where you put together projects that you have already created in iPhoto or iMovie. It cannot create original projects, but rather is a container that allows you to present your other projects in a professional way. DVD technology is commonly found in many households across the country and is becoming more popular every day. iDVD is integrated with iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie.
How Big is a DVD?
A DVD disc officially holds about 4.7 GB of data (actually 4.4 GB with formatting).
In comparison....
- A CD will hold 650 MB of data. (1000 MB = 1 GB)
- A zip disk holds about 100 MB of data.
- A floppy disk holds about 1.4 MB of data.
A DVD disc will hold about 60 minutes of video including video in motion menus.
iDVD will allow up to a total of 99 movies and slideshows (in any combination though length of video and numbers of photos will affect this).
What do you need to make a DVD?
You will need:
- Projects
- DVD-R or DVD-RW blank disc media
- Macintosh computer with a SuperDrive
- iDVD software
New Features in iDVD
New in iDVD
- It isn’t just for movies anymore: use your photos, music and movies to create great DVDs
- Choose from 15 great new themes, many with intro movies and submenus, and still have access to all the previous themes
- Get an overview of your DVD with the DVD Map
- Add your own autoplay intro movies
Improvements
- Put up to two hours of pro quality video on one DVD
- Add cinematic transitions and iTunes playlists to your slideshow
DVD Menus
You use menus to navigate through a DVD when you watch one. This is where you select to play a movie or watch the behind the scenes clips, etc. In iDVD, you will be creating the menus used to navigate to your iMovies and iPhoto slideshows.
iDVD Video Format
iDVD can create DVDs with video that is in either NTSC or PAL format. NTSC format is used in North America, Japan, and various other non-European countries. PAL format is used in most European countries.
DVD Terms
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authoring |
process of creating menus and adding content to your project |
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button | clickable area that takes you to different areas of your project |
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DVD-R | blank media used to burn your project onto, can be used once |
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DVD-RW | blank media used to burn your project onto, can be erased and reused Note: Do NOT use DVD+R media with iDVD. |
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menu | a screen containing clickable buttons allowing you to navigate through the project |
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motion menu | a menu which contains a background image that is a movie and/or contains background audio |
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MPEG-2 | compression format used for video on a DVD |
iDVD Window
You cannot resize the iDVD window.
Customize Drawer
This is where most of the different options are stored. It is divided into four tabs.
- Themes
- Settings
- Media
- Status
Themes
You can choose from a list of themes from iDVD 3, 4, and 5. There are a number of stylish themes to choose from. You can download more themes from sites such as Theme PAK which also offer additional themes for sale.
iDVD Theme PAK Free Themes
http://www.idvdthemepak.com/free.html
Settings
This is where you can changes settings for text size, font, button styles, background images, and sounds associated with a particular theme.
Media
You use this section to access content from other iLife programs such as iTunes, iPhoto, and iMovie. iDVD 4 has really made it easy to access your projects and media from these other programs.
Status
This tab gives you the current status of your project.
Creating a New Project
A new iDVD project will save as "Projectname.dvdproj". You determine where to save the project. There is not a default location.
Basic Steps
- Select a menu theme.
- Assemble the movies and photos to include in your project.
- Create the menus with links to each project.
- Preview your finished project. This can be done at any point throughout the process.
- Burn the final project to DVD-R media.
- Share your project.
iDVD Themes
Select a menu theme. Many themes contain motion and are called motion menus. Themes that contain motion menus have a motion icon on them.
Your menu can contain a maximum of 6 buttons which link to movies, slideshows, or other submenus. Each submenu can also have up to 6 buttons. One DVD project can contain up to 30 menus. To add additional menus, click on the Folder button. This will create an additional layer where you can add buttons.
There are a number of themes included with iDVD. You can also create your own custom themes by dragging an image from iPhoto to your iDVD window. You can save customized themes for use with future projects.
There are websites with more DVD themes available for purchase or free download.
Drop Zones
This is a special area in the theme where you can drag a movie or photos. This allows you to further customize your theme. You can add one iMovie to a drop zone. You can add up to 30 photos from iPhoto to a drop zone. It will play them like a slideshow. Once you have dropped items into the drop zone, you can move them around to position them.
Watch for the dotted line pattern as you drop your items into the drop zone. You want to make sure you are adding your effects to the drop zone vs. creating a new button linking to that item. You can remove items from the drop zone by dragging the item out. When you release the mouse button, it will disappear in a puff of smoke.
Adding a Movie
Click on the movies tab on the Customize drawer. It will got to the Movies folder of your Home Directory. In the iDVD preferences you can also add other locations where you have movies stored to the list. Movies created in iMovie will have a small iMovie icon next to them. You can preview the movies in the drawer by clicking on the triangle at the bottom or by double clicking on the movie icon.
Drag the movie onto the menu area (not the drop zone) and iDVD will create a button for it. If your movie contains DVD chapter markers ( you can add these in iMovie 3+), it will create two buttons, one for Play Movie and Scene Selection.
You can burn any kind of QuickTime movie onto iDVD. The DVD standard size is 720 X 480 pixels.
You can add movies created in iMovie or Final Cut Pro.
You can actually burn up to 90 minutes of video on a DVD but anything over 60 minutes will be compressed at a higher rate and will reduce the quality. It is recommended to keep your project at under 60 minutes of video.
Adding a Slideshow
You can add slideshows from your photo albums in iPhoto. Click on the Slideshow button to add a button to your project. Double click on the new button to open the slideshow window. You can drag photos from your iPhoto library via the Media tab into the Slideshow window.
Preview
You can preview your project anytime while you are working on it. When you are previewing your DVD project, use the DVD remote control just like you would on your DVD player on your TV.
Motion
This is where you turn on the motion menus so that you can preview your project. You can turn this off while you are working so that iDVD will run faster. Turn it on whenever you want to preview something and also make sure you turn it on before burning your DVD.
Map View
This is a new feature in iDVD 4. It allows you to quickly see the hierarchiel layout of your project. You cannot do anything in Map View, it is merely a place to look at your project. There is one exception to this. You can add a movie to the Drop Box on the top left of the screen and that movie will start to play automatically when you insert the DVD. The Map View will also display small icons to let you know what kind of media is associated with each page.
Burning a DVD
Burn a DVD of your project only when you are finished. While the price is coming down, they are still more expensive than CD media. Use the Preview button to look over your project prior to burning your DVD. Once you burn a DVD-R disc, you cannot reuse it.
Burning a DVD is processor intensive. You should not try to do other work while burning a DVD. If you are using a SuperDrive in a laptop, be sure to plug in to a power outlet prior to burning your DVD.
Before burning your DVD, make sure you have at least twice as much available disk space on your hard drive. iDVD will need the extra space to allow for encoding and burning your project.
If you have added Motion to your project, be sure to turn it on prior to burning your DVD.
Help
Apple - iLife - iDVD
http://www.apple.com/ilife/idvd/
iDVD - Apple Support
http://www.apple.com/support/idvd/
Apple Discussions - iDVD
http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx?14@195.FIX1ahfDovX.0@.eebeb28
Ken Stone - Authoring in iDVD 5
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/idvd_5_stone.html
Books
Carlson, Jeff. iMovie HD and iDVD 5 for Mac OS X: (Visual Quickstart Guide), Peachpit Press, Berkeley, CA, 2005
ISBN: 0-321-33542-2
http://www.peachpit.com
Pogue, David. iMovie HD and iDVD 5: The Missing Manual, Pogue Press, O'Reilly, 2005
ISBN: 0-596-10033-7
http://www.missingmanual.com
Carlson, Jeff. iMovie & iDVD 4 For Mac OS X (Visual Quickstart Guide), Peachpit Press, Berkeley, CA, 2004
ISBN: 0-321-24663-2
http://www.peachpit.com
Online Resources
iDVD Resources
Apple - iDVD - Start Your Project
http://www.apple.com/support/idvd/start.html
MacInTouch.com - iDVD Forum
http://www.macintouch.com/idvd4.html
iDVD Theme PAK Free Themes
http://www.idvdthemepak.com/free.html
iDVD/DVD Burning FAQ's
http://www.macmerc.com/articles/Power_User_Monday_Tip_of_the_Week/187
Dummies.com - Getting Your Pictures or Movies into iDVD
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1979.html
iDVD 3 and 4 - Atomic Learning, Inc.
http://www.atomiclearning.com/idvd_3_sample
Customizing iDVD 3 Articles
Part One
http://www.creativemac.com/2003/03_mar/tutorials/idvd31030319.htm
Part Two
http://www.creativemac.com/2003/03_mar/tutorials/idvd3p2030324.htm
Part Three
http://www.creativemac.com/2003/05_may/tutorials/idvd3-3030527.htm
Part Four
http://www.creativemac.com/2003/07_jul/tutorials/idvd3-4030709.htm
Educational Uses of iDVD
Digital portfolios
Training videos
Preserve and share family videos and photographs
Share multiple iLife projects with others
