iMovie '09 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

The DVD Map—and Autoplay

As you can see, menus and submenus can build up with alarming rapidity. At times your projects may grow out of control; pretty soon, you feel like Hansel and Gretel with not enough bread crumbs.

iDVD's Map pretty much eliminates these navigation problems. It's a living, interactive diagram whose icons represent your DVD's menus, videos, and slideshows and reveal how they're connected. As your menu and button layouts grow more complex, you can use the map screen to help you keep track of your menu structure.

To view the map, click the Map button at the bottom of the main iDVD window; it's identified in Figure 17-5. The element you were working on appears with colored highlighting (Figure 17-5). When you're finished working with the Map, click the Map button again, or click Return.

Note

Each menu tile includes a flippy triangle. Click it to expand or collapse that limb of the menu tree, for ease in managing complex projects.

Editing in the Map

The Map is interactive; you can actually design and edit your DVD on this single screen. For example:

• Delete a bunch of menu screens or other elements all at once. Select them by Shift-clicking them individually (Shift-click a second time if you select an icon by mistake), and then press the Delete key.

• Similarly, you can quickly apply new themes to the menu screens of your DVD without ever leaving the Map. Select the relevant menu icons, and then click the new theme on the Themes pane.

  You can even add new menu screens and slideshows ...