Today's PMUG meeting at the Prescott Public Library featured Bill Williamson demonstrating how to create a DVD on the Mac. Using iMovie, then importing photos and clips he showed how easily he could format, add transitions, and add music to the production.
Thanks, Bill, for these notes you've written:
Part 1 – Creating the movie:
1. Select photos & video clips to be used for your DVD. (Optional: Put them all in a folder)
2. Double click on iMovie icon in the applications folder.
3. “IMPORT” photos and clips. They will appear in the Clip Pane. You will see “Clips” highlighted at bottom of the Pane.
4. When all your photos are in the Clip Pane, click on the left mode rectangle below the monitor and drag the photos in the order you want them to be viewed into the Clip Viewer at the bottom of the screen. Note: If you change your mind about the order later, they can be moved.
5. When all the photos and videos are in the Clip Viewer, click on “Media” below the now empty Clip Pane and select “Photos” at top. Decide how long you want each photo to be on the screen, then click on the photo and then on “Show Photo Settings” above “Media." A box will appear that allows you to move the bottom slider for the time needed adding about 2 seconds for transitions. Ten seconds is a reasonable time. This box also gives you the ability to use the Ken Burns effect to simulate motion in a still photo. When you have all the settings as you want them, click “update." Repeat with each photo, but experiment with a few until you see how it works. All can be done together using shift click.
6. Click on “Editing” and then on “Titles” at the top of the screen. Choose a title type and a box will appear for you to select a color, font, size, length of time to stay on screen, & speed of motion for the text. Enter text in the box and a preview will show in the black monitor. When you like the preview, click on the title type you selected and drag it to just in front of the picture you want it to appear on. A red line along the bottom will let you know that it is “rendering."
7. Next in “Editing” select “Transitions” at the top of the screen. This allows you to choose how to move from one picture to the next. Drag the type of transition selected to the space between the clips.
8. When you have a few titles and/or transitions placed on the Clip Viewer, go to the first and click on it, then shift click on the last one. The headers and footers should now be blue for the pictures selected. Click on the middle play back button above the Clip Viewer. Watch the show so far to see how it looks. Make adjustments and continue until the entire line of pictures have transitions and/or titles, testing as you go. To remove a transition, click on it and then on delete. If you don’t like a title, it is best to delete the picture that has the title on it and start over.
9. Click the left playback control to go to the beginning, and then right hand playback button to view the entire show in full screen mode.
10. Remember to “Save Project” under File on toolbar often and especially when going on to the next step in the process.
Part 2 – Adding music:
1. Click on the Audio Mode next to the Video mode just above the Clip Viewer. The viewer will split with the photos above and spaces for sound below.
2. Click on Media above the Clip Viewer and Audio at the top and your iTunes list should appear. Select music wanted and drag it to the lower part of the Clip Viewer. You can have multiple songs within the two audio lines shown on the viewer. Music can also be imported.
3. Adjust the volume by clicking on the song to turn it purple. Then move the playhead line to where you want to start and click to see a yellow bullet. Move the bullet up or down for volume control and back and forth to where it should start. A dark purple dot or box will appear on the line and it can be dragged to below the desired volume in order to fade in and out. If you are using two songs, the bullets can be manipulated to fade one out as you fade another in.
4. If a song is too long it can be cut off by “splitting the audio at playhead” under Edit on the toolbar. The song to be split must be clicked to turn it purple in order to split it. Choose the part to be removed and click delete. It is a good idea to cut off the end of the music if it goes past the end of the photos, because the finished DVD will keep going until the music ends.
5. When you are satisfied with the movie, choose Save Project under file, and then go on to create your DVD.
Part 3 – Creating your DVD:
1. Except for very short movies it is a good idea to create chapters at logical breaks. This allows the DVD to be watched by selected scenes. Select Chapters above the Clip Viewer, then select the first picture of a new topic and click on “Add marker." The picture will show in the box to the right and you can type in a title for the Chapter.
2. After inserting all the chapters, be sure to Save Project and you are ready to go on to iDVD. On the toolbar, select Share and click iDVD. Click on “render and proceed.”
3. iDVD will now open automatically. You can select a theme from the list presented in the iDVD monitor window. To change the preset title, double click on Menu and change the text, color, size, font, placement, etc. Choose a picture for the drop zone. Choose music for the theme and drag it where indicated.
4. Preview and if OK, click on left button and select Burn DVD.
