IMovie to iDVD--Video too dark, sound too loud--Help!

I created three iMovie projects for my son's swim team, then made a DVD using iDVD. It was fine when viewed in iDVD's preview, but when burned to the DVD-R the video was too dark and the sound was way too loud. This is footage taken on a Sony digital camcorder (DCR-TRV11).
I did the iDVD project by starting from scratch from within iDVD, then dragging the iMovie pieces and still images into the iDVD project. The iMovie pieces were prepared by using Share to make them into "full quality" .dv movies.
When I play the finished DVD on my iMac, there are no unusual problems with the video or audio. It looks and sounds like it did when played from the digital camcirder. But when played on both of my standalone DVD players + TVs, the video is too dark and the audio is much too loud.
Any idea why this is, and to fix it? I don't find a way to reduce the audio volume in iMovie. Maybe there is a workaround using the Relative Volume feature, but all my clips have a similar sound level. Any help will be appreciated.
--Eric
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

when burned to the DVD-R the video was too dark
They is a VERY slight darkening during the MPG-2 compression process (see my pages Digital Video Color Bars Test at http://homepage.mac.com/profpixel/color_bars/colorbars.htm and iMovie HD and iDVD 5 Gray Patch Test at http://homepage.mac.com/profpixel/gray_patches/graypatches.htm )
I suspect what you are seening is a major difference in brightness/contrast between your computer monitior and your TV set (and in fact you admit this: "When I play the finished DVD on my iMac, there are no unusual problems with the video or audio. It looks and sounds like it did when played from the digital camcirder. But when played on both of my standalone DVD players + TVs, the video is too dark and the audio is much too loud.") so you aren't seeing an iDVD problem.

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http://www.squared5.com/
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IPhoto books are often too dark or too light.

I've ordered numerous iPhoto books over the past year. When I receive them , I find that the
exposure quality is all over the map. I recently ordered 3 of the exact same book. All 3 arrived
the same day. One was over-exposed, one perfect, and one was under-exposed. I just
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I want to order 20 of the book I'm referring to, but not if they look like the last one.
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I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
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Burning a slideshow from imovie to idvd doesn't work...Please help

Hello,
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What folder do you have to upload your site to on the server? Is it called "public_html", or "htdocs" or something like this? If so, then in the directory/path, where some can leave it blank, you can enter public_html or htdocs or whatever file you upload to on your server. This should then work.
Your other option of course, is not to use the iWeb built in ftp, but to select publish to a local folder and then download Cyberduck - a dedicated ftp programme and use this to upload your site. If you use Cyberduck, then you can connect directly with your server and you can see exactly where all your site files are being uploaded to and exactly what folder on your server you have to upload to. If you use iWeb ftp, then you are working blind really and just hoping for the best.
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Hi there, I'm having an issue with my Photoshop applications and I was hoping someone could give me a little insight/help in fixing the problem.
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If it's any help, I'm working on an HP EliteBook 8740w, with Windows 7 and an NVIDIA Quadro video card.
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Deleting Photoshop preferences/settings (in both PSE 4.0 and CS5)
Uninstalling and re-installing both programs
Re-calibrating my monitor
Changing color settings in Photoshop (files still end up dark regardless)
Disabling OpenGL Drawing
Switching between file types when saving
I am at my wit's end! I am mostly concerned that my clients and professors aren't going to see my work as it is intended to look, when they view it online. The erratic behavior of too-dark or too-light, and my pictures seemingly never displaying correctly on any browser or in any program, has me a little paranoid about my online portfolio, haha. I'm applying for an art scholarship in a month, and if none of my work will save correctly (much less print correctly!) then it will be a sad day indeed!
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Though you have solved your problem, be aware, that different applications have different ways to interpret color profiles that can be set in different ways.
Example:
In Firefox, you can either set a color profile or not -- AFAIK, it only works with v2 ICC profiles (vs. v4, v3 seems to have not been released).
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"rendering_intent" - this corresponds to perceptual, abs, colormetric, types, I think 0=perceptual (default)
for FF, if you google one of those values, you'll find more info on some mozillian-type site... "prefix<keyname>" (e.g. - gfx.color_management.display_profile ).
Other progs may have their own or if we are lucky would use the system profile & color management system (assuming it is any good).
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I could bring it back in range, but had lost gamut, and was a bit below the sRGB (consumer grade) standard (which is some fractional
value of the Adobe Photoshop or NTSC standards, which are similar in the size of their ranges, but slightly offset from each other).
The result of all this -- I never really know how my images will look on other monitors, but I try to tag them w/my current monitor profile, hoping that if they care about color, they'll have some SW on their end that can make sense of it...but given my own experience in how SW on the same system handles color differently, I wouldn't say they were 'high hopes'... ;-)

Why do I lose sound when I try to make a dvd from imovie to idvd. The sound is all there in iMovie, but when I make my dvd, I have sound for about 3-4 minutes and then its gone.

I have made a 1 hour 30 minute dvd in IMOVIE. The video and the sound are perfect. However, when I make it into a dvd on IDVD, I lose sound after 3 or 4 minutes. Any Suggestions?

Hey MichiganMan32,
I found an article that looks like it applies to that audio issue you're experiencing. Check out the following troubleshooting steps here:
Resolution
Make sure the audio track has not been muted in the timeline.
Switch to timeline view by clicking the clock button in the iMovie window.
There are three checkboxes on the right side of the iMovie window underneath the sound icon. These checkboxes correspond to the video track and two additional audio tracks. Make sure all three tracks are selected. Any deselected tracks are muted.
If you are using iMovie 3 or later, check the "Edit Volume" option to see if it is selected. If so, make sure the volume of the affected video clips is not set to its lowest level, or try deselecting the option to Edit Volume.
See if the volume in iMovie is set to its lowest setting. Directly under the Preview pane in iMovie is a volume slider. Set this slider to maximum volume.
Make sure the computer's audio is not muted.
Quit and reopen iMovie, then check the clip to see if it now plays with audio.
Check to see if any of the video clips you have imported are in the MPEG-1 format. MPEG-1 clips will lose audiowhen you export them as part of your iMovie project.
Quit and reopen iMovie, then reimport the footage from the camera. Play the newly imported footage and see if you now have audio.
If you are using an analog to DV converter instead of a camera, make sure the audio connections are good between your VCR or other analog device and the converter. Check the documentation that came with your converter for more information.
Check /Library/QuickTime/ and ~/Library/QuickTime/ for any third-party plugins. Remove them if present, log out, and log back in. Check to see if the issue persists. If not, check with the manufacturer of the disabled plugin to see if an update is available. Note: The tilde (~) represents your Home directory.
Note: "Apple Intermediate Codec" and "QuickTimeMPEG2" are Apple components. For more information about a particular plugin, select the item in the Finder and choose File > Get Info. Look at the version string of the Get Info window to see if the plugin developer name is listed.
iMovie is missing audio on import, export, or playback
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts2289
Cheers,
David

Will Blurb correct images that are too light or too dark to print nicely?

I have two calibrated monitors and am submitting a book to Blurb. One monitor is brighter than the other--, that the images look fine on one and too dark on the other. I could changed the brightness, but how do I knwo which is correct for Blurb?what does Blurb see and do they correct images that are all too dark or too light?

Blurb does not correct anything in the uploaded pictures. This is stated clearly on their website; read up under <Color Management>.
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R1800 colors too dark

follow up from my last post
having had time to experiment
...old settings that matched were printer mgmt, Epson vivid gamma 2.2 paper
premium glossy, PS set on relative allow printer mgmt
...now all the prints I make with same saved settings are too dark and too
magenta
..using calibration on monitor from software based gamma program Samsung
magic eye can see all levels of black and whites with separation on webpage
test, do not have a hardware based tool
R1800 system display properties set to auto choose from profiles I see the
profile and the paper profiles there (later tried manual select ee089_3
>Epson default profile)
reinstalled same to make sure up to date
things I tried:
turn off printer mgmt, let PS manage, chose perceptual>>same exact results
as first too dark,too magenta
turn back to printer mgmt in PS, set to perceptual in PS, gamma 2.2 in Epson
driver>>same exact results
PS choose no color mgmt printer set to standard (was on vivid), try ICM on
sRGB (same as files & camera)
PS back to printer mgmt, relative printer set to icm sRGB input
standard>exact same results too dark, too magenta
make print in Windows wizard software>>same exact results
go back to printer driver-using my old settings that used to match>>
manually by sliders >set brightness up and pulled down magenta>>much much
closer to picture on monitor
UGH!! have to make 13x13 display prints and am wasting ink and paper testing
all this (used 6x13 strips left over trims)

second sentence
...old settings that matched were printer mgmt, Epson vivid gamma 2.2
paper
premium glossy
Thank you wolf
kind of you to say so
I will see if my friend can come over and use his on my machine
I went to Norman Korens page and it looks OK at 2.2 no wavy lines

Captured video-material appears far too dark

hi there!
I have a great problem (being under time-pressure with a project): video-material, taken with a canon HV30, that looks all right on the camera-screen, appears FAR TOO DARK (not usable), after beeing captured. the problem does not seem to be a premiere-problem (I have CS3), since windows movie maker produces the same fault. it is neither a pc-screen-calibration or -regulation-problem, since the same material played onto the same screen by another pc, that displays everthing else perfectly, is also too dark. the answer must be between the cam-corder and the capturing software? does someone have a clue? (the problem seems to be not only mine if you check via google... and the solution seems not to be at hand...)
I'm working with DV-widescreen(16:9)-PAL-material converting it with 16-bit sound and 48 kHz.
following my relevant systems-data... (everything is updated with the most recent drivers...)
thanks very much indeed in advance!
hilmar
System Information
Time of this report: 11/21/2008, 23:54:29
Machine name: PC02
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.080814-1233)
Language: German (Regional Setting: German)
System Manufacturer: MAXDATA
System Model: *
BIOS: Default System BIOS
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 4400 @ 2.00GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2048MB RAM
Page File: 766MB used, 3172MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode
DxDiag Notes
DirectX Files Tab: No problems found.
Display Tab 1: No problems found.
Sound Tab 1: No problems found.
Music Tab: No problems found.
Input Tab: No problems found.
Network Tab: No problems found.
DirectX Debug Levels
Direct3D: 0/4 (n/a)
DirectDraw: 0/4 (retail)
DirectInput: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectMusic: 0/5 (n/a)
DirectPlay: 0/9 (retail)
DirectSound: 0/5 (retail)
DirectShow: 0/6 (retail)
Display Devices
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GTS
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 8600 GTS
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0400&SUBSYS_040110B0&REV_A1
Display Memory: 256.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: (Standardmonitor)
Monitor Max Res:
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.7824 (English)
DDI Version: 9 (or higher)
Driver Attributes: Final Retail
Driver Date/Size: 10/7/2008 13:33:00, 6058112 bytes
WHQL Logo'd: Yes
WHQL Date Stamp: n/a
VDD: Nicht zutreffend
Mini VDD: nv4_mini.sys
Mini VDD Date: 10/7/2008 13:33:00, 6133856 bytes
Device Identifier: {D7B71E3E-4740-11CF-906D-0A2400C2CB35}
Vendor ID: 0x10DE
Device ID: 0x0400
SubSys ID: 0x040110B0
Revision ID: 0x00A1
Revision ID: 0x00A1
Video Accel: ModeMPEG2_C ModeMPEG2_D ModeWMV9_B ModeWMV9_A
Deinterlace Caps: {6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: Format(In/Out)=(YUY2,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_BOBVerticalStretch
{6CB69578-7617-4637-91E5-1C02DB810285}: Format(In/Out)=(UYVY,YUY2) Frames(Prev/Fwd/Back)=(0,0,0) Caps=VideoProcess_YUV2RGB VideoProcess_StretchX VideoProcess_StretchY DeinterlaceTech_PixelAdaptive
{335AA36E-7884-43A4-9C91-7F87FAF3E37E}: F

thanks,
dear craig,
for your thoughts and tips!
I will do that just for curiosity. but then I would have to know how the waveform-scopes should ideally look like? where can I find model-scopes? (and, what's more, the camera "gave up its spirit", as we say in german: can't be switched on any more - brand new... so I'll have to get it fixed...)
but: it seems to me, that your path-finding leads in the wrong direction... see: the camera records pictures digitally on a tape. from the tape it is able to read the data again out onto a screen - and fine! now: you should be able to reproduce that outside the camera - and not blame it somehow...
others seem to have the same problem with different cameras and different systems-cominations (operating system, graphic cards...). so it can't be just my camera. the problem is not so easy...
the guy here - http://forum.videohelp.com/topic281706.html - seems to aim in the right direction (imho): he touches the point of the colour-spaces used! he says inside the camcorder IRE 0.0 / 16-235 color space is used. right? well: outside the cam on a computer-screen RGB or sRGB is used, right? so some transformation has to happen - or may be, it is not done - with the bad result, we have...
now the chap there speaks about the possibly wrong codecs. a codec however has to do with compression/decompression. but - they say - the capturing via firewire is just the unaltered transmission of data, and .avi (the resulting format) is compression-free! so the problem is not a codec-problem. but how's the software called that changes the color-spaces or should change them???
what astonished me very much is to see that, when I change the screen-settings for color/luminance with my nvidia-graphics-card, then everything on the screen changes exept! the to video-images in the two screens (source, program) in premiere... so premiere seems to use its own screen-controle here!
and why actually can't I choose somewhere which the output-conditions for and after the capturing shall be, e.g. the clip-format (.avi, .mov etc.) and - may be! - the color-space! I can just say "DV 25i PAL max. bit-depth" and, under device(=cam)-controle, brand and type of device (and again PAL). now I can choose "canon" but not "HV30" (not contained in the list) - just "standard" instead. but that raises the question: what colour-space are the various cameras using and sending??
now if I check the supported camera-brands and -types online on the adobe-website (http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere/dvhdwrdb.html) I can't find canon's HV30 (just the semi-pro-models, for which "conditional support" is promised... but problems seem to lay elsewhere).
on the website, where you can check the compatibility of your cam with premiere, adobe boasts its "Preconfigured solutions
Certified Adobe OpenHD configurations (that) help ensure compatibility between hardware and software components." if you click on the linked text some general boasting and buy exhortations about the "creative suite" come up - no precise information...
should this well known and ill suffered compatibility problem not be handled more clearly and competently?
please help me finding the solution, which is: to interprete the recorded data on the tape, that get transferred via capturing, like the camera does!
thanks a lot indeed!
hilmar
ps: it is interesting to check http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_space, where it says: "YIQ was formerly used in NTSC (North America, Japan and elsewhere) television broadcasts for historical reasons. This system stores a luminance value with two chrominance values, corresponding approximately to the amounts of blue and red in the color. It is similar to the YUV scheme used in most video capture systems[2] and in PAL (Australia, Europe, except France, which uses SECAM) television, except that the YIQ color space is rotated 33° with respect to the YUV color space. ...
" you see: two different color spaces in TV and CAPTURE SYSTEMS! is premiere not a capture system?? and what do the graphics-devices underway between the camera and premiere??

Imports from iPhoto too dark in iMovie'11

I upgraded to iLife'11 in September'11 (in preparation for switching to Lion), but until now I have not used iMovie.
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Hi Eva
Two points:
a. You shouldn't judge the quality of Your movie on Your Mac screen. It's just
a qualified approximation. I have to and parallell with connected a small TV to
the analog out on my Camera. In iMovie I've selected play back via Camera.
Now I can see what iMovie does with my material on the TV and that's the
final result quality.
b. Yes there are a tool for brightness and contrast in iMovie under Effect - tool
but it is very crude and nearly unusable.
If You have or have a friend that have - FinalCut Express or pro - the tool to
alter the picture quality is greatly more advanced. You could in such case
Capture Your clips there and fix the apperance and save back to a new tape
in Your Camera to cont. working from this.
Yours Bengt W

Takes too long to convert from iMovie to IDVD

Does anyone know how to cut down the amount of time that it takes to transfer from iMovie to IDVD? A 55 minute video on iMovie takes close to 4 hours to have a finished burned DVD ready to play at any player.

The conversion process is very CPU intenstive and HD intensive. DO you have any other programs running during the conversion time? Free HD is key too. Not for the finished product, but for the scratch space needed during the conversion.
CHeck out istat menu to get an idea of what is doing what when you are converting. Menumeters is another one.. both are free.

MacBook Pro to TV, Video Output Too Dark

Hi,
I have an 2010 model 15" MacBook Pro i5.
I got this video converter for Christmas:
http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-VGA2TV-Computer-Presentation-Converter/dp/B000X3 FAJU/ref=sr14?ie=UTF8&qid=1295210644&sr=8-4
Using this in conjunction with an Apple Mini DisplayPort-to-VGA adapter and a standard RCA video cable, I am able to connect my MacBook to my TV so I can stream video from sites like Hulu.
My TV is a Sanyo flat screen CRT that's, probably, 6-7 years old (exact model probably isn't important).
I have no issues with the quality of the video output I'm getting (i.e. resolution, color). The issue I'm having is that the video is too dark. The video looks great on my MacBook screen, but the TV display is too dark. I have tried playing with the settings on the TV and on the converter (through which I can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, hue, and sharpness) and I can't, for the life of me, get the output to my TV brightened up to an acceptable level.
I have tried to use the display calibration tool in the Mac's display preferences and that didn't seem to help (I'll admit that I don't think I'm doing it correctly).
Can anyone suggest some steps that I might try in order to improve my video output?
Thanks.

No Answer, but related problem...please see my original post: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2773439&stqc=true

Videos are too dark to watch on Macbook pro?

Ever since I got my Macbook pro a year ago, videos are too dark to watch at any setting.

Hi Paul,
Sorry for the late answer. I live in Europe, so that's why I was asleep ;-)
Basically the command tells your computer to unhide everything on your Desktop, so if you don't have a Desktop, something is definitely wrong.
My guess is that there's something wrong with your account on that computer. You can check that by creating a new account in System Preferences (click on Accounts, click the lock in the bottom-left corner and then click the "+" button just above).
Then try mounting "some" media and see if it appears on the new user's Desktop. If not, I would highly recommend to reinstall Mac OS X.
HTH,
Jasper.

IMovie to iDVD--Video too dark, sound too loud--Help!

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