Export iMovie Project to DVD
iMovie is the free video editing program that comes installed with every version of OS X. Apple used to include a program called iDVD as well, which allowed you to burn your iMovie files to DVD to play in any DVD player. iDVD has been discontinued, but you can still create video DVDs from your iMovie projects using third-party software.
Steps
- Download and install Burn for OS X. iDVD is no longer included with OS X, so you'll need a separate utility to burn your iMovie project to DVD. One of the more popular options is "Burn," a free, open-source DVD burning program that can burn video files to playable DVDs. This program does not come with any junkware, and no one profits from you installing it.
- You can download Burn from burn-osx.sourceforge.net/.
- Double-click the "Burn.zip" file that is downloaded to your computer to extract the "Burn" folder.
- Drag the "Burn" application to your Applications folder. You may be prompted to enter your password. This will install Burn.
- Open iMovie and select your video project. Highlight the project in your iMovie Library. Press ⌘ Command+A to select the entire video.
- Click "File" → "Share" → "File." This will open a menu allowing you to adjust your sharing settings.
- Click the "Size" or "Resolution" menu and select "480p." Although there may be higher resolutions available, DVDs display in SD (480p). Saving the video file in any higher resolution will result in wasted space.
- Save the file. It may take a while for iMovie to create the file. To make it easier to find the file later, save it to your desktop.
- Launch Burn and click the "Video" tab. You'll see the tabs along the top of the Burn window.
- Select "DVD-Video" from the drop-down menu. This menu is towards the top of the window, to the right of the DVD name.
- Drag the newly-created MP4 file into the "File" list. Find the file that you created from iMovie and drag it into the Burn "File" list.
- Click "Convert" if prompted. Burn will convert video files that are not compatible into a format that works.
- Click the "Gear" button and select "Use DVD theme." This will enable a basic menu system for your DVD. You can skip this step, and the video will begin playing immediately once you insert it.
- Insert a blank DVD. You'll need a blank DVD to burn to. DVD-R is the most compatible format for DVD players.
- Click the "Burn" button. Select your DVD drive if it is not already selected, then click "Burn" again.
- Wait for the disc to burn. The time the burn process takes depends on the length of the movie and the speed of your DVD drive.
- Play your movie. Your DVD can now be played on most DVD drives. While it should work in many DVD players, be aware that some older players may not recognize burnt discs.
