Final Cut Express and DVD burning... Be gentle. at DVinfo.net

Robin Lambert · June 4th, 2009, 11:08 AM

Okay, I'm new to Macs, Final Cut and burning DVDs. I have searched the forum and am sure that the question has been asked but can't find it but...

Is there an easier way to burn a DVD from a FCE project than going the FCE-iMovie-iDVD route? Especially if you want a DVD without the bells, whistles and menues which iDVD seems to force on you.

Tsu Terao · June 4th, 2009, 01:24 PM

a.) You're going from FCE to iMovie, then to iDVD? You don't need iMovie.

b.) Toast will burn no-frills DVDs.

If you're new to all this, I recommend Tom Wolsky's books on FCE.

Robin Lambert · June 4th, 2009, 01:52 PM

I've got the Editing Workshop but, before I buy more software, my question was (with HD projects) whether there's a way to go direct from FCE to iDVD without using iMovie?

Jonathan Levin · June 4th, 2009, 02:14 PM

What I've done on my last couple of projects is to export a quicktime movie self contained from FC, and then start a new idvd project and just add that exported QT file to your idvd project.

Pretty simple. I've only done this with short 10 minute or so projects, but I'm guessing that idvd would "compress" the QT to fit the dvd.

Anyone else?

Jonathan

Robin Lambert · June 5th, 2009, 06:26 AM

Thanks Jonathan I'll give that a try over the weekend.

Jonathan Jones · June 9th, 2009, 04:29 AM

Here is a post I made in a similar thread last month that includes a little bit of detail on the process (so as to avoid having to use iMovie as your intermediary. (process begins with the 5th paragraph)

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/1137689-post7.html

If you want to make a DVD without all the bells and whistles that iDVD presents by default, just select the simplest theme you can choose (or even use the theme menu options to download older Apple sourced themes from older versions of iDVD - which makes them available in the menu options....some nice simple ones there), or design your own custom theme to be extra plain and simple. Bring up the info HUD (heads up display - or content management pane) and replace theme drop-well with a single color image pane or a simple logo backdrop or whatever you create in an image editor. Placing it into the menu image drop-well will make it your menu backdrop. Then just follow the rest of the steps to drag your video into the menu and author your DVD.

Hope this helps.

-Jon

Robin Lambert · June 12th, 2009, 10:53 AM

Jon, you are a darling (in a purely platonic way) I didn't find that in my forum search. Thanks also for the info on how to get a puritanical dvd menu.

Now if I could only import friggin' AVCHD as 1080 x 14....

June 4th, 2009, 11:08 AM	#1
Robin Lambert Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London Posts: 70	Final Cut Express and DVD burning... Be gentle. Okay, I'm new to Macs, Final Cut and burning DVDs. I have searched the forum and am sure that the question has been asked but can't find it but... Is there an easier way to burn a DVD from a FCE project than going the FCE-iMovie-iDVD route? Especially if you want a DVD without the bells, whistles and menues which iDVD seems to force on you.

June 4th, 2009, 01:24 PM	#2
Tsu Terao Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Monterey Bay area, CA Posts: 82	a.) You're going from FCE to iMovie, then to iDVD? You don't need iMovie. b.) Toast will burn no-frills DVDs. If you're new to all this, I recommend Tom Wolsky's books on FCE. Last edited by Tsu Terao; June 4th, 2009 at 01:26 PM. Reason: added Tom

June 9th, 2009, 04:29 AM	#6
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Here is a post I made in a similar thread last month that includes a little bit of detail on the process (so as to avoid having to use iMovie as your intermediary. (process begins with the 5th paragraph) http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/1137689-post7.html If you want to make a DVD without all the bells and whistles that iDVD presents by default, just select the simplest theme you can choose (or even use the theme menu options to download older Apple sourced themes from older versions of iDVD - which makes them available in the menu options....some nice simple ones there), or design your own custom theme to be extra plain and simple. Bring up the info HUD (heads up display - or content management pane) and replace theme drop-well with a single color image pane or a simple logo backdrop or whatever you create in an image editor. Placing it into the menu image drop-well will make it your menu backdrop. Then just follow the rest of the steps to drag your video into the menu and author your DVD. Hope this helps. -Jon __________________ "Are we to go on record, sir, with our assertion that the 'pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers' are, in point of fact', magically delicious?" - Walter Hollarhan before the House Subcommittee on Integrity in Advertising - May, 1974

June 4th, 2009, 01:52 PM	#3
Robin Lambert Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London Posts: 70	I've got the Editing Workshop but, before I buy more software, my question was (with HD projects) whether there's a way to go direct from FCE to iDVD without using iMovie?

June 4th, 2009, 02:14 PM	#4
Jonathan Levin Major Player Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Chicago, Illinois USA Posts: 692	What I've done on my last couple of projects is to export a quicktime movie self contained from FC, and then start a new idvd project and just add that exported QT file to your idvd project. Pretty simple. I've only done this with short 10 minute or so projects, but I'm guessing that idvd would "compress" the QT to fit the dvd. Anyone else? Jonathan

June 5th, 2009, 06:26 AM	#5
Robin Lambert Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London Posts: 70	Thanks Jonathan I'll give that a try over the weekend.

June 12th, 2009, 10:53 AM	#7
Robin Lambert Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: London Posts: 70	Jon, you are a darling (in a purely platonic way) I didn't find that in my forum search. Thanks also for the info on how to get a puritanical dvd menu. Now if I could only import friggin' AVCHD as 1080 x 14....