Tips

Importing movies with chapter markers

iDVD will automatically create a scene selection menu if you use a movie with chapter markers. If your movie is longer then a few minutes, consider adding chapter markers to allow your audience to quickly access scenes throughout the movies. iMovie lets you insert chapter markers when you create your movie. If your movie doesn’t have chapter markers, you can add them in iDVD. First add the movie to an iDVD menu. Next select the movie and choose "Create Chapter Markers for Movie" from the Advanced menu, set how often you want chapter markers to occur and click OK. iDVD will add chapter markers to your movie and even create a submenu with a Play Movie button, and a Scene Selection menu to jump to the specific chapters in your movie.

Previewing your movies before adding them

In the Movies section of the iLife Media Browser, you’ll see the title and a small preview image for each movie in your Movies folder. The title and image help you confirm you’re adding the right movie to your project. If you’re not sure, double-click the preview image to see a preview of the movie. Click the movie to stop the preview at any time.

Searching for movies in other locations

iDVD automatically locates any iMovie projects or QuickTime movies stored in the Movies folder in your home folder. If you store movies in another location, such as on an external hard disk, you can point iDVD to search there. In iDVD Preferences, click the Movies button, then click the Add button to choose additional locations. You can also drag a folder from the Finder into the iDVD Movies browser.

Add a movie directly to your menu

You can also drag a movie directly to the menu to add it to your project. Just be sure you don't drop your movie into a theme drop zone by mistake.

Adding movies from iMovie or the Finder

Besides adding movies from within iDVD, you can add movies directly from the Finder or iMovie. From the Finder, select a movie and drag it to an iDVD menu. From iMovie, select a video clip in your iMovie project and drag it to an iDVD menu. You can also send your finished iMovie project directly to iDVD by selecting iDVD from the Share menu.

Adding movies created in other applications

Any movie saved in QuickTime format can be added to an iDVD project, but for best results, export the movie as a self-contained DV (digital video) file.

Steps

Add movies to your iDVD menu

1. From the lower left corner of iDVD, click the Add button and select Add Movie. This will insert a movie placeholder button on your menu.
2. Click the Media button to open the iLife Media Browser.
3. Click the Movies button.
4. Drag a movie to the movie placeholder button. This will assign your movie to that button and change the default text to match the name of your movie.
5. Click the name to select it and enter the name you want to appear in your DVD menu.
6. Double-click the title to see a preview of the movie in the window. After viewing your movie, click Exit in the movie controller to return to editing your menu.
7. Save your iDVD project.