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Starting a new project in iDVD

The steps to begin creating a new project in iDVD are straightforward: you select “Create a New Project” after you open iDVD, and then you select a theme. From there, you can be as creative as you want, adding movies, slideshows, and soundtracks to make your DVD a personal masterpiece.

Note: The first time you use iDVD, it’s a good idea to check the settings in iDVD preferences, where you can set the encoding quality for your projects, specify aspects of how iDVD handles videos and slideshows you add to your projects, and so on. Choose iDVD > Preferences.

To create a new project in iDVD:

Step 1

Open iDVD by double-clicking the iDVD application icon in the Finder or in the Dock.

Step 2

Click “Create a New Project” in the dialog that appears.

To learn more about the other options you see in the dialog, see Related Topics below .

Step 3

Type a name for your project in the dialog that appears, and choose where you want to save it on your computer by making a selection from the center pop-up menu, which indicates Documents as a default location. Select an aspect ration, and then click Create.

A project window opens, with a default theme showing.

Step 4

If you don’t want to use the default theme, click the Themes button and select another theme.

The pop-up menu at the top of the Themes pane provides access to more themes.

Step 5

If the theme you selected has motion menus, you can click the Motion button at the bottom of the iDVD window (shown below) to preview the motion. Click the button again to stop the movement.

Image of the Play button
Step 6

Double-click the menu title to highlight it and type a new title.

In the in-place control that appears (shown below), you can use the pop-up menus to change the typeface, font style, and size of the title.

Image of menu title selected with in-place editor showing below it

Now you are ready to add content, such as movies and slideshows, and further design and modify your menus. For more instruction about how to add media, customize themes, and more, see the iDVD Help Index, use Help search to find topics, or browse categories of topics on the main iDVD Help page.

If you are new to iDVD, you can open a printable document that takes you step-by-step through the process of making your first DVD. To get started, choose Help > Getting Started PDF.

You can also transfer video directly from your DV camcorder to a DVD disc using the OneStep DVD feature. See Related Topics below for more information.

Related Topics

About iDVD themes

Adding a movie to an iDVD project

Burning a OneStep DVD directly from a DV camcorder

Choosing an iDVD theme

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