Software to Author/Create DVD's with menus and chapters.

[Yte_Kght]

All,

My goal is to create a DVD for a dance show that I recorded for a local dance company.

Here is what I have done so far.

1. I have imported the recording from the camcorder into iMovie

2. Added chapter markers at appropriate points as needed.

3. 'Exported' the movie in the HD 1080 format

4. I see the .mov file in the destination folder and can play it through QuickTime and see the chapter markers as I setup.

I now need help with the next step of creating/authoring the DVD. I have downloaded the iskysoft DVD creator app and am trying to use it to create the DVD. I can import the movie into iskysoft. While I can play the entire moview, it looks like the chapter information is not getting carried over.

I have tried to create the menu, and see the beginning of the recording. I cannot seem to manually add the chapters even i wanted to manually do so all over again.

Any suggestions ..?

If iskysoft is not the best product for what I am trying to do, is there an alternative I can use on a trial basis. I am not opposed to buying a product. I just want to make sure it works and does what I want before I invest.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Kaveman]

If you can lay your hands on iDVD its great.

DVD Creator looks similar to the old iDVD and it has a lite version, on the App store.

 

[Yte_Kght]

Kaveman,

Will give DVD creator a shot at it. Downloading right now.

Thanks.

 

[Yte_Kght]

Dont have iDVD and could find the option to create chapters in DVD creator. Any ideas how to add chapter markers at certain points in the recording, similar to what iMovie allows.

Let me know, Thanks.

I am hoping that I dont have to go through the labor intensive process of breaking the recording up into separate chapters and then stitch them back using DVD creator and/or iskysoft.

If I have to do that, I might as well go to a PC and use something like Movie Plus to use the original file .. :-(

Thanks,

 

[Kaveman]

Just by the by, DVDs are not in HD 1080 format, that making a lot more work for the DVD encoder.
The Chapter Markers from iMove should come across???

 

[Yte_Kght]

Chapter Markers --- I was expecting them to come across, but they didn't. That is what started the shout for help.

I should be able to record 1080P in the AVCHD format .. right ..? Or am I way off ... Educate me ..

Thanks.

 

[Kaveman]

Sure you can author it in AVCHD, but will the DVD player play it?

AVCHD discs cannot be played in a standard DVD player, but can be played in many Blu-ray Disc players.

So you're not making a standard DVD, sorry I have no idea what software will do this or how to retain the chapter markers.

 

[Yte_Kght]

Tried a few different DVD authoring tools, none really offered the capability to pick up the chapters as recorded in iMovie or intuitively manually add them in. Most required me to break the recording into individual section and repackage them again. Sees a little counter intuitive to me .. but hey .. life goes on.

Consider this sacrilege, but I went back to Movie Plus on the PC and got the job done .. :-(

Actually had to get away from AVCHD since apparently AVCHD can only handle recordings upto 60 minutes. I was 5 minutes over the limit.

Nick

 

[Kaveman]

I never had a problem with iMovie Chapter markers going across to DVD, I think going via AVCHD was the problem.

 

[Yte_Kght]

Hmmm .. Looks like I might have been doing something wrong .. Here are the steps I am taking, correct me as needed.

1. Import the recording from the camcorder into iMovie
2. Add chapter markers as needed.
3. Export the movie using Share>Media Browser>1920x1080p

This creates a .mov file in the specified folder.

In Quicktime, I can see the chapters when I play the .mov file and can jump from one marker to another.

I tried using 'iskysoft DVD creator' and 'DVD Creator Pro Lite' and could not see the chapter markers, when I add the recording.

I am now trying to export the recording in 720p from iMovie and will try to see if the chapter information is available in the DVD creating apps.

Any thoughts as to what might be going or, or where I may have taken the wrong turn.

Let me know.

Nick

 

[Yte_Kght]

Done with the 720P export experiment .. same results as that of the 1080P export

 

[Kaveman]

It the burning software that is not supporting the Capter Markers, they are in the file as QuickTime Player shows.

I've had a look through many Apps on the stores list of features and none say "supports chapter markers", DVDs on the Mac are going the way of the Floppy Disk, painful but true. My iMac doesn't even have a Drive of any type.

I can't even see if Toast 11 supports chapter markers.

You could email/contact via the support button on the App Store and ask the people who make the burner Apps.

 

[Yte_Kght]

my MBP doesn't have a drive either. I do have an external USB burner that I was planning to use.

Anyway... Looks like I will stick with the Movie Plus (PC/Win8) solution for now .. I was able to generate an 720P ISO image. I had to manually add the chapters. Small price to pay instead of the frustration and angst.

I 'could' have accomplished the same by breaking up the original recording and then trying to 're-package' it, but that just seemed very counter intuitive.

Thanks for trying to help.

Cheers