IMovie or iDVD

I am producing an exercise video with digital HD content to sell on the public market.  Should I use iMovie or iDVD to create a Master disc?

Hi
Your Q: is bit of strange and might suggest the answer - Neither as non can make HD-disks.
But to start with
• iMovie can not burn anything - it is a Video Editor to prepare material as a  movie.
• iDVD can convert a made movie into a structure and code that it also can burn onto a DVD disk (to create a Video-DVD)
(DVDs burned from DeskTop/Finder becomes Data-DVDs and they do NOT play on any standard DVD-Players)
• DVD - is as standard (whatever program used) interlaced SD-Video as on old CRT-TVs - That's it's standard.
So if You want HD as result You must use a program that can create this as Roxio Toast™ 11 Pro incl BD-Component and You need a Blu-Ray-burner and Blu-Ray disks. (can only be played on BD-Players)
Still to get best possibly result with DVD then
• record in HD and i50 or i60 as neither iMovie or iDVD can use p50 or p60
• Import into iMovie HD6 (as it can handle interlaced video to 100% - iMovie'08 or 09 or 11 can not do this but discards every second line in the pictures = less sharp result)
• burn with iDVD (high quality DVD brand as Verbatim, DVD-R as they play on more and older DVD-players, burn speed set to x2 or x4 = less burn errors = plays so much better)
Good Luck - Bengt W

Similar Messages

  • This is my first time using iphoto, I am trying to make a slide show that I can then burn to a dvd. The slide show is complete, but I'm not sure where to go now. Can I burn the slide show from iphoto or do I have to export to imovie or idvd?

    I have completed the slide show i am making, but not sure what to do now. I want to burn it to a dvd, but not sure if i can do that from iphoto or do i need to export to imovie or idvd? If i need to export, will iphoto save a copy in iphoto? This may be really stupid, but I don't see an obvious way to save my slide show in iphoto. Please Help!

    Export the slideshow out of iPhoto as a QT movie file via the Export button in the lower toolbar.  Select Size = Medium or Large.
    Open iDVD, select a theme and drag the exported QT movie file into the open iDVD window being careful to avoid any drop zones.
    Follow this workflow to help assure the best quality video DVD:
    Once you have the project as you want it save it as a disk image via the File ➙ Save as Disk Image  menu option. This will separate the encoding process from the burn process. 
    To check the encoding mount the disk image, launch DVD Player and play it.  If it plays OK with DVD Player the encoding is good.
    Then burn to disk with Disk Utility or Toast at the slowest speed available (2x-4x) to assure the best burn quality.  Always use top quality media:  Verbatim, Maxell or Taiyo Yuden DVD-R are the most recommended in these forums.
    If iDVD was not preinstalled on your Mac you'll have to obtain it by purchasing a copy of the iLife 09 disk from a 3rd party retailer like Amazon.com: ilife 09: Software or eBay.com.  Why, because iDVD (and iWeb) was discontinued by Apple over a year ago. 
    Why iLife 09 instead of 11?
    If you have to purchase an iLife disc in order to obtain the iDVD application remember that the iLife 11 disc only provides  themes from iDVD 5-7.  The Software Update no longer installs the earlier themes when starting from the iLIfe 11 disk nor do any of the iDVD 7 updaters available from the Apple Downloads website contain them. 
    Currently the only sure fire way to get all themes is to start with the iLife 09 disc:
    This shows the iDVD contents in the iLife 09 disc via Pacifist:
    You then can upgrade from iDVD 7.0.3 to iDVD 7.1.2 via the updaters at the Apple Downloads webpage.
    NOTE:  If you're running iPhoto 9.5 the export options will be different.
    OT

  • Updated to iLife '08 and now iMovie and iDVD won't Start

    I received a copy of iLife '08 for Christmas and finally got around to upgrading today. The new iPhoto works just fine but when I try to start iMovie, it crashes (I have included part of the Problem Report below). I have tried restarting and it doesn't help. Then I tried to start iDVD and it flashes the "Welcome" / "Open" screen and then quits before I can do anything -- no error report. Any ideas on how to:
    1) Fix both programs so they will launch -OR-
    2) Restore the old versions of iMovie and iDVD
    Thanks!
    Process: iMovie [345]
    Path: /Applications/iMovie.app/Contents/MacOS/iMovie
    Identifier: com.apple.iMovie7
    Version: 7.0 (471)
    Build Info: iMovieApp-4710000~2
    Code Type: X86 (Native)
    Parent Process: launchd [104]
    Date/Time: 2008-01-02 15:53:31.019 -0500
    OS Version: Mac OS X 10.5.1 (9B18)
    Report Version: 6
    Exception Type: EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP)
    Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000002, 0x0000000000000000
    Crashed Thread: 0
    Application Specific Information:
    * Terminating app due to uncaught exception 'NSInternalInconsistencyException', reason: 'Creating more than one Application'

    Run Software Update (under the Apple menu) and update that software.

  • I keep getting the following error message while sharing my iMovie to iDVD.  "Unable to prepare project for publishing"  error (-2125).

    I keep getting the following error message while sharing my iMovie to iDVD.  "Unable to prepare project for publishing"  error (-2125).  I'm running iMovie 09 v. 8.0.6 on a iMac with OSX v 10.6.8, 2Ghz core duo, 1GB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM.  Any ideas why?

    That particular error comes up for a number of reasons, sometimes it's the size of the movie you're trying to export. Bengt Wärleby a longtime contributor to the iMovie Discussion Group has advised a number of people on this error code, so I am going to link to his latest advice he's given to anyone trying to export to DVD from iMovie: Bengt's tips for great DVDs.
    Specifically, try bypassing Share to iDVD by using Share to Media Browser instead.
    In the Share to Media Browser dialog box choose the Large Size.
    When(If?) it gets through that process, quit iMovie altogehter then go to iDVD.
    Create a new project and click on the Media button near the lower right hand side of the Project Window.
    Then click the Movies button in the Browser window just above that.
    Under the iMovie star icon you should see the name of the project you shared out from iMovie.
    Drag that into the project and burn the DVD.
    If it's still to large or you get the same -2125 error code trying to Share using the Medium size instead. But again if you really get stuck consult Bengt Warleby's User tips:
    Bengt's tips for great DVDs

  • Will not share Imovie with Idvd. Gets so far and then a box saying Unable  to prepare project for publishing because an error occured (-41)

    Cannot SHARE project from IMovie to Idvd. Gets so far and then a box with a message saying Unable to prepare project for publishing because an error occured (-41).

    Bengt is as always entirely correct, but another meaning of error -41 is that you have chosen the wrong encoding setting for the length of video you have:
    iDVD encoding settings:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1502?viewlocale=en_US
    Short version:
    Best Performance is for videos of up to 60 minutes
    Best Quality is for videos of up to 120 minutes
    Professional Quality is also for up to 120 minutes but even higher quality (and takes much longer)
    That was for single-layer DVDs. Double these numbers for dual-layer DVDs.
    Professional Quality: The Professional Quality option uses advanced two-pass technology to encode your video (The first pass determines which parts of the movie can be given greater compresson without quality loss and which parts can’t.  The second pass then encodes those different parts accordingly) , resulting in the best quality of video possible on your burned DVD. You can select this option regardless of your project’s duration (up to 2 hours of video for a single-layer disc and 4 hours for a double-layer disc). Because Professional Quality encoding is time-consuming (requiring about twice as much time to encode a project as the High Quality option, for example) choose it only if you are not concerned about the time taken.
    In both cases the maximum length includes titles, transitions and effects etc. Allow about 15 minutes for these.
    You can use the amount of video in your project as a rough determination of which method to choose. If your project has an hour or less of video (for a single-layer disc), choose Best Performance. If it has between 1 and 2 hours of video (for a single-layer disc), choose High Quality. If you want the best possible encoding quality for projects that are up to 2 hours (for a single-layer disc), choose Professional Quality. This option takes about twice as long as the High Quality option, so select it only if time is not an issue for you.
    Use the Capacity meter in the Project Info window (choose Project > Project Info) to determine how many minutes of video your project contains.
    NOTE: With the Best Performance setting, you can turn background encoding off by choosing Advanced > “Encode in Background.” The checkmark is removed to show it’s no longer selected. Turning off background encoding can help performance if your system seems sluggish.
    And whilst checking these settings in iDVD Preferences, make sure that the settings for NTSC/PAL and DV/DV Widescreen are also what you want.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1502?viewlocale=en_US

  • I can not see Aperture in the media brower of iMovie and idvd since I have upgraded my iphone 5

    I have Aperture 3.4.2 (most updated version I could find).  Now when I look to make a movie or dvd with my photos.  I can not find any of my recent photos in imovie or idvd via their respective media browsers.  Aperture and iphoto are both working fine and great (ie: I can adjust my photos accordingly and print them out).  I was able to successfully make both an imovie and then burn it on idvd (added photos to the idvd screens via media browers too), last week. 
    The only thing I can think that is different with my computer is that I upgraded my iphone from iphone4 to iphone5. 
    This is what I have looked into already:
    Aperture>Preferences>Preview is set to share and set to always>photo preview set to Don't limit    (no change)
    Tried alt+cmd when opening Aperture and reset Aperture (as well with iphoto).  (no change)
    Itunes>Advanced>choose photos to share> then a window pops up stating Aperture could not be found open Preferences in Aperture (My first step already proved that it should be fine)
    My question is why all of a sudden is Aperture and most of my iphone photos not showing up in imovie or idvd all of a sudden?  Does the recent Iphone5 updgrade have anything to do with it?
    Any help would be great since I have been looking all over the web for an answer with no success.
    Thanks in advance for your help.
    TOM

    Did you try this link: -> Images or Animations do not load
    * http://kb.mozillazine.org/Images_or_animations_do_not_load
    If NO, then check it first. If YES then bummer !! I was hoping that would work :-( Anyway here's how you can Downgrade to a previous version.
    Uninstalling Firefox
    * https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Uninstalling%20Firefox
    * DO NOT SELECT THE OPTION TO REMOVE YOUR USER DATA AND SETTINGS
    Downloading Firefox 3.6.19
    * http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-older.html
    Installing Firefox on Windows
    * https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Installing%20Firefox%20on%20Windows
    Check and tell if its working.

  • Sound problems when burning a film made in iMovie in iDVD

    PLEASE HELP!!!
    I have upgraded to iLife 09 and for all the bad that people have to say, I actually like it a lot. Anyway, it gave me the encouragement I needed to play with some old home movies I had stored with the aim of producing DVDs to give to my friends, and hopefully showing off the slick production values I have come up with.
    So after spending a week getting to grips with iMovie and editing an old holiday film with all the cuts, transitions, chapter markers and music etc that I wanted, I ended up with an hour long movie that I was happy with.
    Then to iDVD. After trying out all sorts of ways to go from iMovie to iDVD to ensure the best quality, I have finally given up trying to replicate the on screen quality of the movie in iMovie with the finished DVD, and just opted for the easy to use 'share to iDVD' option. The quality is not great, but then the footage is old anyway so not too much of an issue.
    Then I spend another few days playing with and learning iDVD and again end up with a finished product that I am happy with, with nice looking menu's and a slideshow etc.
    So I come to burn the final DVD, for which I pick the 'Professional burn' option which takes 4 hours but I am happy to wait if it means the best quality possible, and my DVD is done.
    I then play the DVD to discover my problem - the sound in the movie is not right. To explain further, in my movie I have reduced the sound of some of the film clips to nothing and placed music over the top. When played and previewed in iMovie it works fine - the music plays and the sound that is attached the the video does not. When previewed in iDVD it works fine - just as I had edited it in iMovie. But then when I burn the DVD, some of these sounds are present again which completely wastes all my hard work at the editing stage.
    I have searched and searched for help on this but am unable to find any.
    Sorry for the very long description and story behind my issue, but it is massively frustrating. Basically, at some point during the 'burn to DVD' stage in iDVD it decides to completely ignore most of the sound edits I have made on the movie in iMovie.
    If anyone can help it would be much appreciated.
    Many thanks in advance.

    Further to this, I have just sat and watched the whole final DVD on my TV and it would seem to be that the sound issues may be something to so with the transitions added in iMovie. Some of the sounds have even slipped in time! I get the sound from the next clip coming in early and then a blank patch of sound where it should be. All of this is always just before an iMovie transition.

  • How do I move from iMovie to iDvd?

    I am new user to both iMovie and iDvd (both in iLife 09). I have made my first movie in iMovie and it is 1 hour 49 minutes. How do I get the movie to iDvd? I tried Share, iDvd, and it worked away for an hour, then gave me an error message that the movie exceeds maximum content duration? Huh? I saw some postings about that and to change encoding settings, but do not know where those are.
    If I go to iDvd, I thought if I went to Media and iMovie, it should show all movies in there, but my movie does not show up in that area. It is in iMovie in the Project area in both an original and duplicate form. How do I get my movie into iDvd for best quality, what kind of settings do I need, and where do I do that?

    I think I found the answer to my question. According to a message I got in iDvd when attempting to open the movie I was told that I should choose Share, Media Browser. Seems like it should be Share, iDvd, but that is what it says. Also, I found the setting in Preferences for encoding and see I need to make it Professional. Guess I had a misunderstanding of encoding, too. I thought that would not be relevant until burning a cd, but evidently it is involved when taking the movie from iMovie to iDvd.

  • Using WindowsDV  .avi files in iMovie and iDVD

    I'm about to buy a Mac after using PCs for many years. I'm still deciding whether to buy an iMac 20", upgrade the Ram and use an external firewire drive or to get a Mac Pro and use internal drives. Initially I'll use iMovie and iDVD and I have some questions regarding using files I've already created on my PC. Up until now I've mainly been using Ulead Video Studio 10 and Ulead DVD Workshop. DVD Workshop does not do 16:9 menus and has now been discontinued and I've been impressed with iMovie and iDVD when I've seen it in Apple stores.
    I have some unedited 16:9 .avi files that I've captured from my Panasonic GS-400 camcorder as well as some already edited .avi and .mpg files. Will iMovie and iDVD recognise .avi DV files when accessed through my network or copied onto the Mac hard drive? I'll load unedited clips into iMovie for editing but anything that's already edited I'd like to put straight into iDVD, add chapters and make a menu etc.
    Is this going to work easily or will I have to convert the files to an apple compatible format?
    Thanks for any advice you can offer.
    Ken
      Windows XP Pro  

    Hi Ken and welcome to Apple!
    You should not have a major problem. The AVI files should (repeat should) be recognized by iMovie. If not, conversion should (I love the certainty of that word!) be easy.
    An iMac will do all you ask, but I recommend not less that 1GB of RAM.
    At this stage, go get your iMac, and try to import the AVI files into iMovie. If that is not successful post back!
    Remember: iMovie expects to be 'fed' by digital video through a firewire connection.
    Any more questions, we are here to help!

  • What's the difference between iMovie and iDVD?

    What's the difference between iMovie and iDVD?

    iMovie enables you to edit video footage - typically from a video camera - add titles, effects, etc.
    iDVD enables you to create an authored DVD of your iMovie, complete with DVD menu, chapters, "extras", etc and can be played in a conventional DVD player.
    20" iMac Intel Core Duo 2GHz 1GB RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

  • IMovie and iDVD, Stupid Upgrade Questions, Sorry Must Ask

    Okay, the deal is I have a PowerMac G4 Version 2.1 with a Combo Drive. I am upgrading to Mac OSX 3.0 so I can do certain things in iMovie and acquire a better browser. (My constraints on the iMovie project about which I've been inquiring are that at least 40 people have been waiting for copies of it for about a month and wondering why I don't come through with it--I sent a lengthy explanation to the guy who'll be duplicating it in case anyone asks. That's one reason I'm in such a hurry I have to ask urgent questions at forums and newsgroups and don't take the time to read every word ever written on every one of these systems and their various applications, abilities, and uses.)
    I started out thinking I was about one step from having a completed project and the more I learn, the more grim the situation looks. Yet I've done ALL THIS WORK already to create beautiful titles and elaborately-edited outtakes. I HATE to ditch it all if any faint hope flickers into sight!
    My Mac came with the following:
    iMovie 3.0.3 -- which seems to be working fine, only problem is, due to deficiencies in other equipment, I'm having trouble getting my movie to DVD or into any other form where it can be played anywhere outside the Mac!
    iDVD 2.1 -- My feeble brain, inadequate as it may be, has so far gathered the information that to go to DVD, a project can't be played in iMovie and sent straight to a DVD burner (can it?) There has to be some intermediary step. (Right?) People have argued the various merits of iDVD vs. Toast to accomplish this step. I hadn't opened my copy of iDVD because I am in no way near the point of being ready to make a DVD--I have not yet finished editing the project in iMovie. I made the hideous error of ASSUMING that since this came installed in my Mac, it would work fine when needed, just as iMovie did. When I tried to open it just to see what version I had, it wouldn't open and told me this:
    System Requirements
    iDVD 2 requires a PowerMac G4 computer with 256 Megs of RAM, a built-in DVD-R Superdrive and Mac OS 10.1.3 or later.
    Stupid redundant bonus question #1: WHY would this come installed on a Mac which lacks the hardware to use it? (iMovie could still be used to edit, and then copy projects--if I had a digital video camera--which I don't. The only other way we've figured is to send it back through the Canopus ADVC110 converter I used to get the video in there, and play it out to a VCR--a cumbersome process I've been assured will result in crummy quality.)
    Okay, here are the REAL questions:
    1. I don't suppose there's any way the Canopus could be connected to the DVD burner and the information sent to a DVD that way? Just asking.
    2. Obviously the upgrade isn't going to fix things to make iDVD work, as I'm already using Mac OSX 10.2.8, so I would assume its discontent stems from not having the Superdrive--at least, it was complaining something about inadequate hardware and I think that's what it meant. Will connecting a DVD burner via FireWire convince iDVD to work (either automatically or after some sort of tweaking), or am I stuck replacing the drive? I bought a DVD burner the minute I realized my drive was a Combo Drive and not a Superdrive (which is the first time I stuck a blank DVD in it and nothing happened) before learning details about this intermediary step and that there is more than one way to accomplish it.
    3. Is it even worth replacing the Combo Drive with a Superdrive or is it more worth buying a whole new Mac? If I am FORCED to buy a new Mac, what should I do with the old one? (Not only am I ethically opposed to tossing a perfectly good piece of electronic equipment into the ravine, I might get fined for littering. Can a good home be found for it? For that matter it would be a pain as I've saved all sorts of stuff to the Hard Drive which would have to be transferred to the new one before I could get rid of the old one. So can I keep the old one...PLEASE?)
    4. After making the system upgrade, will I be able to bypass iDVD entirely by using Toast, or does Toast also have all sorts of requirements my hardware does not possess so I'll still be SOL, stuck replacing drives or even the whole Mac, or going directly to crummy-quality VHS as there is NO OTHER WAY OUT?
    5. After making the system upgrade, would I be ready for more advanced versions of iMovie and iDVD? Are any upgrades free, or does every improvement cost? Do I get them all at the Apple site, order some of them from some supplier or other the way I did with the Mac OSX upgrade, or what?
    Thanks for helping to clear up my massive confusion!!!

    Wow, thanks. It's good to know iDVD is still an option, even if I don't buy the Superdrive (is that even possible, to get the Combo Drive taken out of my current Mac and a Superdrive put in? There's a question still unanswered.)
    (I think this is good to know--because part of my reasoning in asking the question was to eliminate one option or the other, and now I'm ending up with options of options, but hold on for Part 2 as I do have some questions concerning the capabilities of iDVD and Toast.)
    Partly answering one of my own questions (although I'd appreciate confirmation from someone who actually knows,) if these Toast 7 requirements mean what I think they do, I don't see anywhere that it says the computer MUST have a Superdrive and CAN'T use an external DVD burner!
    Toast 7 Titanium
    Requirements:
    * PowerPC G4 processor or faster (G5 recommended for viewing DivX files on your Mac)
    * PowerPC G3 processor and Mac OS 10.2 users, see Toast 6 Titanium or Popcorn
    * Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later
    * 300 MB of free disk space to install
    * Up to 15 GB of temporary free disk space during usage
    * QuickTime 7 or later
    * CD or DVD burner and recordable media
    If this is true (that I can use an external DVD burner) I like Toast already! My Quicktime Player is only version 6.5.2--is it going to be difficult, expensive, or both, to upgrade that? If it is or the other System Requirements are not met I can just go with Toast 6.
    As far as those requirements, I promise you I don't understand a word of it but here is what my System Profiler says my Mac has. Maybe someone can make sense of it and help me decide which version of Toast to get or, if not, what to do:
    System Profile
    Software Overview:
    | |
    | System version : Mac OS X 10.2.8 (6R73)
    (As I said, I'm upgrading to 10.3.0 soon, and obviously if I want Toast 7 gotta figure out the best way to go to 10.3.9 or higher.)
    | Boot volume : Hard Drive |
    | Kernel version : Darwin Kernel Version 6.8: Wed Sep 10 15:20:55 PDT 2003; root:xnu/xnu-344.49.obj~2/RELEASE_PPC |
    Hardware Overview:
    | |
    | Machine speed : 867 MHz |
    | Bus speed : 133 MHz |
    | Number of processors : 2 |
    | L2 cache size : 256K (times 2) |
    | L3 cache size : 1MB (times 2) |
    | Machine model : Power Mac G4 (version = 2.1) |
    | Boot ROM info : 4.4.6f2
    Memory Overview:
    Location Type Size
    DIMM0/J21 DDR SDRAM 256 MB
    DIMM1/J22 DDR SDRAM 512 MB
    DIMM2/J23 empty
    DIMM3/J20 empty
    Network Overview:
    Built-in:
    | |
    | Flags : 0x8051<Up,PpoinToPoint,Running,Multicast> |
    | Ethernet address : 00.00.00.00.00.00 |
    | IP : 67.0.142.95--> 67.0.128.6 |
    | Subnet Mask : 255.0.0.0 |
    | |
    Devices and Volumes
    PCI:
    SLOT-1(AGP):
    | |
    | Card Type : NVDA,GeForce4MX |
    | Card Name : NVDA,Parent |
    | Card Model : GeForce4 MX |
    | Vendor ID : 10de |
    | Device ID : 172 |
    | ROM# : 1121 |
    | Revision : a5 |
    | |
    USB Information:
    USB Bus 0:
    Apple internal modem:
    | |
    | Product ID : 33282 ($8202) |
    | Vendor : HCF USB V.90 Data/Fax Modem |
    | Device Speed : Full |
    | Power (mA) : 500
    FireWire Information:
    No FireWire devices found.:
    (Unsure why it says this as the Canopus Converter is a FireWire device and it's connected, turned on, and has been working.)
    Bus:
    CD-RW/DVD-ROM:
    | |
    | Disc Burning : Fully supported.
    (Obviously this means CDs only, not DVDs.)
    Hard Drive:
    | |
    | Disk Size : 57.26 GB (1K = 1024) 62 GB (1K = 1000) |
    | Unit Number : 0 |
    | ATA Device Type : ata |
    | Device Serial : VNC303A3L6AAHA |
    | Device Revision : VA3BA52A |
    | Device Model : IBM-IC35L060AVVA07-0 |
    | |
    Hard Drive:
    | |
    | Volume Size : 57.26 GB (1K = 1024) 62 GB (1K = 1000) |
    | Ejectable : No |
    | Writable : Yes
    One thing which may really sway me in favor of Toast is, will it make possible burning 2-hour DVDs? Supposedly iDVD will not enable anything longer than 90 minutes, and when I get to the other big project for which I really want to use the Canopus ADVC 110 converter, that is, converting my home movies from either VHS or 8mm video camera tape to DVD--well, ALL of my tapes are two hours long, because that's the way they come!! I don't see being limited to making 90-minute DVDs as anything but another GIANT PAIN of which I'm already amply supplied! So if Toast will fix this dilemma I'm ALL FOR IT!
    As always, thanks for help and advice.

  • Are there glitches in iMovie or iDVD that would create problems with viewing a finished project on a standard dvd player?

    Everytime I render a new project in iMovie and share it with iDVD to produce a video, there always seems to be glitches in the finished project.  I have gone back and tried to recreate the slideshow, but have not had a whole lot of luck.  I am wondering if I need to delete the iMovie and iDVD applications from the computer???  If I do that will it fix my problem or will I even be able to redownload the programs without having to pay for them again?  I have spent more time and $$$ trying to get a viewable disc to burn and am ready to get rid of the computer altogether.  Hopefully that will not have to happen, but this is a constant issue that I go through everytime I work on a project.  Any suggestions???

    Hi
    Yes and No.
    There are Bugs and ways to make better or Worse DVDs - see if this can help.
    There are two "Bugs" (or at least one)
    • In iDVD - do not go back to video editing program - if You got Chapters set in Your movie - if You try - then now back in iDVD it will ask You to up-date ==> all Chapters will point to Chapter one. Medicine - create a brand new iDVD Project.
    • There MUST NOT BE any Chapter mark set in very beginning of the Movie - or in any transition or within 2 seconds from them.
    DVD quality  
    1. iDVD 08, 09 & 11 has three levels of qualities. (version 7.0.1, 7,0.4 & 7.1.1) and iDVD 6 has the two last ones
    • Professional Quality
    (movies + menus up to 120 min.) - BEST (but not always for short movies e.g. up to 45 minutes in total)
    • Best Performances
    (movies + menus less than 60 min.) - High quality on final DVD (Can be best for short movies)
    • High Quality (in iDVD08 or 09) / Best Quality (in iDVD6)
    (movies + menus up to 120 min.) - slightly lower quality than above
    Menu can take 15 minutes or even more - I use a very simple one with no audio or animation like ”Brushed Metal” in old Themes.
    About double on DL DVDs.
    2. Video from
    • FCE/P - Export out as full quality QuickTime.mov (not self-containing, no conversion)
    • iMovie x-6 - Don't use ”Share/Export to iDVD” = destructive even to movie project and especially so
    when the movie includes photos and the Ken Burns effect NOT is used. Instead just drop or import the iMovie movie project icon (with a Star on it) into iDVD theme window.
    • iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not meant to go to iDVD. Go via Media Browser ( AND AS MEDIUM - not HD etc as DVD then will suffer in quality ) or rather use iMovie HD 6 from start.
    3. I use Roxio Toast™ to make an as slow burn as possibly e.g. x4 or x1 (in iDVD’08 or 09  this can also be set)
    This can also be done with Apple’s Disk Utilities application when burning from a DiskImage.
    4. There has to be about or more than 25Gb free space on internal (start-up) hard disk. iDVD can't
    use an external one as scratch disk (if it is not start-up disc). For SD-Video - if HD-material is used I guess that 4 to 5 times more would do.
    5. I use Verbatim ( also recommended by many - Taiyo Yuden DVDs - I can’t get hold of it to test )
    6. I use DVD-R (no +R or +/-RW) - DVD-R play’s on more and older DVD-Players
    7. Keep NTSC to NTSC - or - PAL to PAL when going from iMovie to iDVD
    (I use JES_Deinterlacer to keep frame per sec. same from editing to the Video-DVD result.)
    8. Don’t burn more than three DVDs at a time - but let the laser cool off for a while before next batch.
    iDVD quality also depends on.
    • DVD is a standard in it self. It is Standard Definition Quality = Same as on old CRT-TV sets and can not
    deliver anything better that this.
    HD-DVD was a short-lived standard and it was only a few Toshiba DVD-players that could playback.
    These DVDs could be made in DVD-Studio Pro. But they don’t playback on any other standard DVD-Player.
    Blu-Ray / BD can be coded onto DVDs but limited in time to - about 20-30 minutes and then need
    _ Roxio Toast™ 10 Pro incl. BD-component
    _ BD disks and burner if full length movies are to be stored
    _ BD-Player or PlayStation3 - to be able to playback
    The BD-encoded DVDs can be play-backed IF Mac also have Roxio DVD-player tool. Not on any standard Mac or DVD-player
    Full BD-disks needs a BD-player (in Mac) as they need blue-laser to be read. No red-laser can do this.
    • HOW much free space is there on Your internal (start-up) hard disk. Go for approx. 25Gb.
    less than 5Gb and Your result will most probably not play.
    • How it was recorded - Tripod vs Handheld Camera. A stable picture will give a much higher quality
    • Audio is most often more critical than picture. Bad audio and with dropouts usually results in a non-viewed movie.
    • Use of Video-editor. iMovie’08 or 09 or 11 are not the tools for DVD-production. They discard every second line resulting in a close to VHS-tape quality.
    iMovie 1 to HD6 and FinalCut any version delivers same quality as Camera record in = 100% to iDVD
    • What kind of movie project You drop into it. MPEG4 seems to be a bad choice.
    other strange formats are .avi, .wmv, .flash etc. Convert to streamingDV first
    Also audio formats matters. I use only .aiff or from miniDV tape Camera 16-bit
    strange formats often problematic are .avi, .wmv, audio from iTunes, .mp3 etc
    Convert to .aiff first and use this in movie project
    • What kind of standard - NTSC movie and NTSC DVD or PAL to PAL - no mix.
    (If You need to change to do a NTSC DVD from PAL material let JES_Deinterlacer_3.2.2 do the conversion)
    (Dropping a PAL movie into a NTSC iDVD project
    (US) NTSC DVDs most often are playable in EU
    (EU) PAL DVDs most often needs to be converted to play in US
    UNLESS. They are play-backed by a Mac - then You need not to care
    • What kind of DVDs You are using. I use Verbatim DVD-R (this brand AND no +R or +/-RW)
    • How You encode and burn it. Two settings prior iDVD’08 or 09
    Pro Quality (only in iDVD 08 & 09)
    Best / High Quality (not always - most often not)
    Best / High Performances (most often my choice before Pro Quality)
    1. go to iDVD pref. menu and select tab far right and set burn speed to x1 (less errors = plays better) - only in iDVD 08 & 09
    (x4 by some and may be even better)
    2. Project info. Select Professional Encoding - only in iDVD 08 & 09.
    Region codes.
    iDVD - only burn Region = 0 - meaning - DVDs are playable everywhere
    DVD Studio pro can set Region codes.
    1 = US
    2 = EU
    unclemano wrote
    What it turned out to be was the "quality" settings in iDVD. The total clip time was NOT over 2 hours or 4.7GB, yet iDVD created massive visual artifacts on the "professional quality" setting.
    I switched the settings to "high quality" which solved the problem. According iDVD help, "high quality" determines the best bit rate for the clips you have.
    I have NEVER seen iDVD do this before, especially when I was under the 2 hour and 4.7GB limits.
    For anyone else, there seem to be 2 places in iDVD to set quality settings, the first is under "preferences" and the second under "project info." They do NOT seem to be linked (i.e. if you change one, the other is NOT changed). take care, Mario
    to get this to work I
    • Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up (Mac OS) hard disk
    • Use Verbatim DVD-R (absolutely no +/-RW)
    • Set down burn speed to x4 - less burn errors = plays on more devices
    • No other process running in background as - ScreenSaver, EnergySaver OR TIMEMACHINE etc
    • and I'm very careful on what kind of video-codecs, audio file format and photo file formats I use
    • and I consider the iDVD Bug - never go back to video-editor to change/up-date - if so Start  a brand new iDVD project
    • Chapters set as they should - NO one at very beginning and no one in any transition or within 2 sec from it
    • Lay-out - Turn on TV-Safe area and keep everything buttons, titles etc WELL INSIDE not even touching it !
    Try to break the process up into two stages
    • Save as a DiskImage (calculating part)
    • Burn from this .img file (burning stage)
    To isolate where the problem starts.
    Another thing is - Playing it onto a Blu-Ray Player. My PlayStation3 can play BD-disks but not all of my home made DVDs so to get this to work I
    • Secure a minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up (Mac OS) hard disk
    • Use Verbatim DVD-R (absolutely no +/-RW)
    • Set down burn speed to x4 - less burn errors = plays on more devices
    • No other process running in background as - ScreenSaver, EnergySaver OR TIMEMACHINE etc
    • and I'm very careful on what kind of video-codecs, audio file format and photo file formats I use
    • and I consider the iDVD Bug - never go back to video-editor to change/up-date - if so Start  a brand new iDVD project
    • Chapters set as they should - NO one at very beginning and no one in any transition or within 2 sec from it
    • Lay-out - Turn on TV-Safe area and keep everything buttons, titles etc WELL INSIDE not even touching it !
    TO GET IT TO WORK SLIGHTLY FASTER
    • Minimum of 25Gb free space on Start-Up hard disk
    • No other programs running in BackGround e.g. Energy-Saver
    • Don’t let HD spin down or be turned off (in Energy-Save)
    • Move hard disks that are not to be used to Trash - To be disconnected/turned off
    • Goto Spotlight and set the rest of them under Integrity (not to be scanned)
    • Set screen-saver to a folder without any photo - then make an active corner (up right for me) and set
    pointer to this - turns on screen saver - to show that it has nothing to show
    • No File Vault on - Important
    • NO - TimeMachine - during iMovie/iDVD work either ! IMPORTANT
    • Lot's of icons on DeaskTop/Finder also slows down the Mac noticeably
    • Start a new User-Account and log into this and iMovie get's faster too - if a project is in a hurry
    • And let Mac run on Mains - not just on battery
    Yours Bengt W

  • Help with very advanced slideshow using imovie?/idvd?/iphoto?

    I am trying to create a more advanced slideshow for the first time, and I need some advice on how to manage my project and the order in which to use (if to use) the various applications (iphoto, idvd, imovie). I've been in all of them trying to figure out the best format to use, as each of them have certain features I'd like to incorporate into my slideshow. It gets a little confusing since this is all new and I just don't know how to approach it. If anyone has experience with all of these programs, maybe you could give me some suggestions on how to get the most out of what is available. Here is what I'd like to do:
    I have a 4 minutes song from itunes which I want to use with a slide show of about 30 pics (whatever is a reasonable amount).
    FX features (a sound effect at beginning before song and maybe some of the cool video affects on a few of the photos (in addition to Ken Burns )
    Ken Burns zoom like an animated slideshow
    Use a theme (preferably one from idvd as it seems to have more to choose from.
    Since it is only one slideshow, I don't need the confusion of all the zones to import clips into, so I'd like to keep it simple. While I want to keep it simple, I'd like to have some sort of preview in the beginning with the cool stuff imovie offers like the title floating in etc..
    So my problem is, I just don't know how to get all of these affects into one slide show because I'm training myself on bits ad pieces of each one, but I don't where to start (magic imovie, magic idvd, start from scratch idvd, or just slide show to import to idvd). I 've tried them all, but I can't figure a way to get more affects as each one has something different. Not sure if this makes sense, but I've trying so hard to get this right (for a Xmas gift) and I'm going in circles trying to keep it all straight. So, if this is possible, I would really appreciate help as to the best way to approach it. Thank you.
    MacBook1,1   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   using iphoto 6.05, idvd 6.0.3, imovie 6.03

    Hi n
    You have one day more for Your project than in Sweden as Santa has to start
    somewhere and home is close. (We start at about 15.00 24 of dec).
    I would start with - if the music is bought from iTune store (a fix for a known
    problem) to save it out as an audio CD (.aiff) else it will look OK till You try
    Your DVD disk = No sound.
    Then I would start a new iMovie project and from media button select photos
    and drop one start photo from iPhoto down into timeline. Then I would import
    the music from the new CD.
    Cont to put photos one at a time into timeline. Change duration so that they
    match the tempo in Your movie.
    Transitions
    Effects
    etc.
    Save from time to time to keep safe.
    When the "movie" is done - close iMovie and open iDVD and drop Your movie
    project icon into this - or - use the import function in iDVD.
    DON'T Share/Export from iMovie to iDVD - it will destroy Your movie by a bad
    rendering work. iDVD does this so much better.
    I don't know any way to use the "themes" in iDVD into iMovie. Sorry
    Merry Christmas !!!
    Yours Bengt W

  • DVD created in iMovie and iDVD appears cropped when played in DVD player

    Hi all.
    I have created a MPEG4 movie in iMovie 5 and exported it to iDVD 5 and brunt it to DVD (PAL). Now, when I play it in a DVD Player it appears to be cropped or zoomed in a bit. But when it is played through computer DVD player it works perfectly.
    I have fiddled with settings and tried it in a few different DVD Players (PS3 made it worse!) but to no avail.
    I cannot for the life of me work out what it happening. I haven't changed any settings in iMovie or iDVD because I can't find anything to change.
    Please help me!!!

    Hi
    Most certainly nothing to do with either iMovie or iDVD if viewed on a TV (CRT)
    Old TVs had to have what's called an OverScann (about 10% isn't viewable) but when
    such material is played back on a Mac or LCD screen one will see all strange lines
    and dotted bands that Text-TV uses etc.
    To be able to get a perfect match:
    • Nobody can't - different TV set's varies
    • You can adjust to a specific TV but then You need FinalCut and by trial and error
    get the precise shrinking of Your movie.
    Yours Bengt W

  • Help with imovie and idvd

    first time at this so i'm sorry. i have my movie exactly how i want it in imovie, no themes, nothing but video clips and audio clips. can i burn this just as it is without haveing to have themes or anything like that when i share it with idvd? help me with this please. i would be greatly appreciative. thanks-b

    there're two sorts of themes:
    iMovie themes
    iDVD themes...
    no need to create an iMovie with themes..
    on a videoDVD, you usually have a 'menu', from which the viewer can choose movies, slideshows, director's cut.. etc.pp. ... so, this is a common Q at the iDVD section of this board...
    there are 5 known workarounds, to create with iDVD a no-theme, autostart videoDVD,.. follow advices and links in this threat
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4756168

  • Poor Image quality/Slideshow/iMovie to iDVD

    I placed about 150 jpegs as clips in iMovie HD (v.5.0.2). I made them all 3.25 seconds long and gave them all a short overlap transition. I set them to music and exported to iDVD (v.5.0.1). Once the DVD was burned, I viewed it with disappointment. Briefly, during the transitions the images are of great quality. But the actual image clips are very poor quality. I'm new to this and I find all the many options for making quicktime movies a little overwhelming. But, exporting to iDVD doesn't have any options. I thought it was supposed to maintain the quality.
    What did I do wrong or what can I do right?

    Karl Peterson said,
    "If there are unrendered clips in the Timeline when we tell iMovie to Share (Export) a project to iDVD, iMovie will ask permission to render those clips. (Rendering converts the clips to video clips.)
    These may include still photos, photos imported with the Ken Burns checkbox turned OFF. Photos imported with the Ken Burns checkbox ON are rendered by Ken Burns; iMovie won't ask to render them again.
    If we grant permission to render clips, iMovie will render them with very poor quality, adding lots of "jaggies" to the photos. It's a bug.
    To avoid the bug, do NOT grant permission to render when iMovie asks. Then iDVD will render them for us, which it does with good quality.
    So, to avoid the bug do any ONE of these:
    1. Import all photos with the Ken Burns checkbox ON.
    2. If iMovie asks permission to render when exporting the project, do NOT grant permission.
    3. Instead of sharing from iMovie to iDVD, drop the iMovie project into the iDVD project window.
    Karl"

Maybe you are looking for