How to create a simple DVD with menu and a set of scenes (on a mac)?

Question

I want to create a DVD form a dancing show.

• There are about 30 scenes
• I want to separate the scenes with some black space
• add a title before each of the scenes
• create a DVD menu with each scene
• have a menu with at least 12 tracks per page

I used to do this with Ulead Viedeo Studio 11 (on a really slow XP-PC). Now I have ACVD material, a Mac and the old hardware and software cannot handle it anymore.

• What software would you use?
• Is this possible with Adobe elements 11?
• Does final cut provide custom menus?

Answer 1

iDVD should have come with your mac. Give it a try.

iDVD is a very basic DVD authoring tool (a category that is distinct from video editing, though authoring tools may be bundled with some editing packages). I've only used it a handful of times, but I'm fairly sure that it does everything that is requested here.

One thing to keep in mind is that DVD authoring is very much an art. I can't offer much specific advice other than the observation that different DVD players react to different Codecs in their own ways. Single-layer DVDs are relatively easy to author, but if you get into making dual-layer DVDs then you need to do extensive testing to ensure that your discs will actually be playable.

Answer 2

Adobe Premiere Pro (which includes Encore) would certainly meet your needs and is what I use for such projects. I am unsure if Premiere Elements supports this level of functionality or not, though from what I've seen, it seems very limited in capability. I believe there is a free trial available for it though, so you could use that to test if it is possible.