Using OneStep DVD

Sometimes when you might not want to design a DVD from scratch. Maybe you have footage in your camcorder that you want transferred to DVD quickly—like a play rehearsal that you want to share with the cast, or a sports event the coaches need to review, or a movie on tape that you’ve already edited.

With OneStep DVD, you can copy the footage straight from the tape in your camcorder (or from your hard disk) to a DVD that will play your video footage as a single movie.

Tips

Your OneStep DVD

The DVD created from the OneStep process does not include a menu. It will play as a single movie from start to finish, looping until it’s stopped or ejected.

Using footage on your hard disk

If the movie footage you want to burn to DVD is on your Mac rather than your camcorder, create a new project in iDVD, and then choose "OneStep DVD from Movie" from the File menu.

Importing only part of your footage

OneStep DVD stops capturing video at the end of the tape or after 10 seconds with no video. If you want to import only the first part of the footage on your tape, click the Cancel button when you're ready to stop importing video. You’ll be given the option to cancel creation of the OneStep DVD, or to stop capturing video from your camcorder and burn to DVD the footage that has already been imported.

Comparing OneStep DVD and Magic iDVD

Using OneStep DVD is the simplest way to create a DVD that plays as a single movie. To quickly create a DVD that includes several movies, slideshows, and navigation menus, consider using the Magic iDVD feature or simply create new a DVD project yourself.

Saving video imported by OneStep DVD

By default, video imported during the OneStep process is deleted from your hard disk when your computer is restarted. If you want to save the imported video, use the Advanced option in iDVD Preferences to change the folder where video captured in the OneStep DVD process is stored. A good alternative storage site is your Movies folder.

Steps

Create a OneStep DVD

Connect your digital camcorder to your Mac using a FireWire cable.
Start iDVD and click the OneStep DVD button, or choose OneStep DVD from the File menu.
Insert a blank DVD into your SuperDrive or other compatible DVD burner.
Wait while OneStep DVD rewinds your camcorder and imports your video.
When the process is complete, iDVD ejects your DVD, and you can play it on a DVD player.