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Checking the TV safe boundaries of an iDVD menu

When you create a project, you may not know what kind of technology viewers will use to watch your DVD. For example, if you create a widescreen project and your viewers have standard television screens, some parts of your DVD may not be visible. Also, some television sets may not show the outer edge of your DVD menus and movies.

If you know that your DVD will be viewed on a television screen (not a computer screen), you can check your project to make sure all elements of it will be visible to viewers.

To see the TV safe boundaries for your project:

Step 1

Make sure the menu you want to check is showing in the iDVD window.

Step 2

Choose View > Show TV Safe Area.

A shaded area appears on the menu. The inner area that is not shaded is visible on most television sets.

Step 3

If your project is widescreen, with a 16:9 aspect ratio, choose View > Show Standard Crop Area.

The area inside the boundaries is visible on a standard television screen.

You can turn on both of these guides to see the safest part of the menu. To turn off the guides, choose View > Hide TV Safe Area or Hide Standard Crop Area.

The TV safe area varies from television to television. The TV safe area displayed in the iDVD window is an approximation; use it only as a general guide as you edit.

If buttons fall outside of the safe area, you can move them. Open the Menu Info window by choosing View > Show Inspector. Select “Free positioning.” This allows you to drag buttons wherever you want on the screen.

Related Topics

Fitting slideshow images into the TV safe area

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