Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Panther Edition

iDVD 3

You have iDVD 3 only if you bought a new Mac containing a SuperDrive DVD burner, or you bought Apple’s iLife software suite. In any case, iDVD is designed to let you turn your digital photos or camcorder movies into DVDs that work on any DVD player, complete with menus, slideshow controls, and other navigation features. iDVD handles the technology; you control the style.

Sure, you can export your finished iMovie project back to a good old VHS cassette. But preserving your work on a DVD gives you a boatload of benefits, including better durability, dramatically better quality, no need for rewinding, duplication without quality loss, and cheaper shipping. (And besides, you can fit a lot more DVDs on a shelf than VHS tapes.)

Note

DVD players sold since 2002 are generally a safe bet for playing back homemade DVDs, but check the master player compatibility list at http://www.dvdrhelp.com if you’re ever in doubt. Some players are fussy about which DVD-R brand discs they play, too.

Here’s the basic routine for converting an iMovie movie into a Blockbuster-style DVD.

Phase 1: Insert Chapter Markers

DVD chapters let viewers skip to predefined starting points within a movie, either using a Scene menu or pressing the Next Chapter or Previous Chapter buttons on the remote control. Thanks to the partnership of iMovie 3 and iDVD 3, you can add to your own movies markers that perfectly replicate this feature.

Figure 9-3. The iDVD palette lets you add, remove, and name chapters—and then publish ...