Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition

chapter 14: the freebie programs 407

• Preview the DVD. iDVD’s Preview button lets you test your menu system to

avoid unpleasant surprises. When you click it, iDVD enters Preview mode, which

simulates how your DVD works on a standalone set-top DVD player. You even

get a simulated remote control to help you navigate. Click Stop (the filled square)

or reclick Preview to return to iDVD’s Edit mode.

• Check the length. iDVD prefers to burn 60-minute DVDs, because they have the

best quality. The instant you try to add the sixty-first minute of footage to your

project, though, iDVD invites you to switch to 90-minute mode—at lower qual-

ity—or to delete some video from the project to make it fit within 60 minutes

again.

When you’ve finished editing your disc and testing it thoroughly, it’s time to proceed

with your burn.

1. Check your Motion setting.

The Motion button at the bottom of the window determines whether or not your

finished DVD will have animated menus, buttons, and backgrounds, and whether

or not music will play. If the Motion button is green, you’ll get all of the above. If

you click to turn the Motion button off (gray), then motion and audio features

won’t appear on the final disc.

2. Choose FileÆSave. Click the Burn button twice.

The first click on the gray, closed Burn button “opens” it, revealing a throbbing

yellow-and-black button. The second click begins the burning ...