Using miDVD Pro
The miDVD Pro Interface
Click here to see the main components of the interface.
Quick Start
- Use the Media Browser to choose the video files that you want to burn (you can drag files from iTunes or the Finder as well).
- Drag and drop the videos into the theme canvas. Re-arrange by dragging if necessary.
- Choose a theme for your DVD using the theme selector in the bottom bar.
- Give your DVD a title by editing the text above the video thumbnails.
- If you want a menu soundtrack for your DVD filter the Media Browser for music and locate the sound file. Drag and drop it into the theme canvas (you can drag files from iTunes or the Finder as well).
- Click Preview if you want to check what the DVD's going to look like on your TV.
- Insert a blank DVD and click Burn.
Using the Media Browser
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The Media Browser enables you to browse your computer to find the video and sound files that you want to use in your DVD. The two buttons at the top enable you to filter the browser for videos or music. For example, if you click the video filter you see only video files in the browser. The top window of the browser shows shortcuts to the most common apps and folders where the media files are found. So in video mode, this window shows your iTunes Movies content, iMovie, your Movies folder, etc. Use this window to browse and choose folders. Tip: You can add shortcuts to your own folders into this window by simply dragging the folder from Finder into the window. In the example shown, the shortcut 'South America 2011' has been added. The bottom window displays the media files that you can add to your DVD. Select one or more files from this window and drag them into the theme canvas. Tip: If you prefer you can drag media files from iTunes or Finder directly into the theme canvas. |
Selecting Your DVD's Theme
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miDVD themes change the appearance of your DVD menu screen including the font used for the title, the background image, the placement of your video files and the video border colours. Simply click on the Theme Selector button in the bottom bar and choose a theme. |
Adding a Menu Soundtrack
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You can add a soundtrack to your DVD project that will play while the DVD menu is on the screen. The soundtrack will loop after 25 seconds.
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Previewing Your DVD
You can preview your DVD at any time prior to burning. In preview mode, the interface changes to simulate a TV screen and remote, giving you a realistic impression of how the DVD will play.
Tip: You must have added at least one video to your DVD before you can use Preview.
Simply click the Preview button in the toolbar. You can use the remote to select a video and then play, pause, scan or stop the video.
Click Quit on the remote to exit Preview mode.
Disk Capacity Meter
The Disk Capacity Meter, located at the right end of the bottom bar, shows an estimate * of the DVD space used by your project.
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When the meter appears white the estimate is based on the capacity of a standard single layer DVD (4.7GB). |
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When the meter appears blue the estimate is based on the capacity of a dual layer DVD (8.5GB). |
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When the meter appears red the estimate is that your project exceeds the capacity of a dual layer DVD (8.5GB). |
* The meter only shows an estimate of the disk capacity. The exact capacity is not known until the burn process has started. Regardless of the estimate, you can choose to attempt to burn your project to DVD.
Preferences
Background Preview Generation - This preference determines when miDVD generates movies for viewing when previewing your DVD.
When selected, miDVD generates previews in the background while you are doing other tasks in miDVD. This means that when you switch to preview your DVD, the preview will display more quickly. However, on less powerful computers this setting may affect your computer's overall performance.
When not selected, miDVD only generates movie previews once you select Preview mode. This means your preview will take longer to load, but your computer's overall performance will be unaffected by preview generation.
