Apple iDVD at a Glance User Manual

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Use iDVD to create DVDs containing your own movies and slideshows, along with attractive and
easy-to-navigate DVD menus, just like professional DVDs. Discs burned using iDVD can be played
in computers with DVD drives and in most set-top DVD players.

To create an iDVD project, select a theme from the list in the Themes pane. iDVD provides several
fun and elegant themes to use for your DVD menus. Customize the theme by adding your own
background music, photos, or video loops. Then add buttons that link to your movies and
slideshows. You can create several levels of menus to organize your movies and slideshows on a
single DVD.

As you design a DVD menu, you can see your project presented in different ways in the main
iDVD window; this makes it easier to work on different parts of the menu. You use the controls
and options in the Customize drawer to add or change items in your DVD menus.

iDVD at a Glance

At a Glance

The pages that follow introduce you to the different views and controls in the iDVD window and
the panes in the Customize drawer. Looking at these pages will help you learn the names of your
iDVD controls, so you can easily follow the instructions in iDVD Help.

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Main Window

B

A

C

iDVD menu:

A

pictures, and audio files into this area to create buttons or change the look and sound of the
background.

Drop zone:

B

pictures or a short movie loop that plays as part of the background.

Customize:

C

the tools you will need to customize your DVD menu. The different panes of the Customize
drawer are detailed in See “Customize Drawer” on page 3.

Folder:

D

where you can put more slideshows, movies, and text on the same DVD.

Slideshow:

E

Motion:

F

work on motion menus. (Motion menus are DVD menu designs that include slideshows,
background audio, or video loops on buttons or in the background.)

Map:

G

H

I

Click this to open the map view of your DVD. The map view helps you navigate more easily

through your iDVD project and is shown in more detail on page 10.

Preview:

on screen, and you can use it to navigate through the menus and play the slideshows and
movies as though you were viewing them on a set-top DVD player.

Burn:

Click this twice to burn your DVD disc when you are finished with your iDVD project.

E

D

This is where you see the DVD menu you are creating as you build it. Drag movies,

Some themes include special areas called drop zones where you can place still

Click this button to open the Customize drawer. The Customize drawer contains all of

Click this to create a submenu button on your DVD. A submenu is an additional menu

Click this to create a slideshow button on your DVD.

Click this to turn the motion and sound on or off while you work. This makes it easier to

Click this to preview your DVD. In preview mode, a DVD player remote control appears

G H

F

I

2 iDVD at a Glance

Customize Drawer

The Customize drawer contains all the tools you’ll need to select and customize a menu theme,
add your own media to your project, and keep track of how you are using your media resources
as you work.

Themes Pane

The Themes pane is where you select a theme for the menu. When you select a theme from the
themes list, it appears in the iDVD main window.

A

B

C

Pane selection buttons:

A

Status panes. Each of these panes is described in more detail in the following pages.

Theme sets:

B

themes appear in the Favorites list until you have customized your own theme and saved it as a
favorite in the Settings pane. (For information about the Settings pane, See “Settings Pane” on
page 4.

Themes list:

C

creating. Click a theme to select it.

Choose a set of themes to preview or choose All to view all the themes at once. No

Scroll through the themes that appear in this list to select one for the menu you are

Click these buttons to switch between the Themes, Settings, Media, and

iDVD at a Glance

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