Sams Teach Yourself DVD Authoring in 24 Hours

Description

DVD authoring software lets you create Hollywood-style DVDs using your own videos, music, and photos. Sams Teach Yourself DVD Authoring in 24 Hours helps you make the most of this new technology. This book gives you hands-on, step-by-step instruction on the entire DVD creation process: from video and audio production to DVD authoring. It eases you into the DVD authoring process then gradually helps you build your skills to the point where you can create professional-looking DVDs.

DVDs are quickly replacing tape as the video publishing format of choice for video professionals and video enthusiasts. Here's why:

• DVDs are an excellent media to archive, publish, and share data and multimedia.
• DVDs can hold two hours of high quality video.
• DVDs are interactive. Using menus, users can easily and immediately access "chapters" within videos, images, text, and high-quality audio.
• DVD recorders ("burners") are now widely available at prices well within the reach of average consumers.
• DVD technology is the fastest growing consumer electronics product in history. There are more than 30 million DVD set-top players and more than 70 million DVD-equipped PCs in the market today.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Introduction.

DVDs Dominate the Video Market. How This Book Will Help You Make Terrific DVDs. How This Book Is Organized. What's on the DVD? Exciting Times. Conventions Used in This Book.

I. PRODUCING YOUR FIRST DVDS.

How Converging Technologies Got Us to This Point. Enhancing Your Media with DVDs. Delving into DVD Project Ideas. What DVD Authoring Software Can Do for You. Summary.

Clearing Up the DVD Recording Media Confusion. Selecting a PC DVD Recorder. Evaluating Three DVD Software Movie Players. Summary. Workshop.

Using Windows XP to Burn Data Files to a CD. Using Bundled Software to Burn a DVD. Taking a Quick Tour of Roxio's Easy CD & DVD Creator. Summary. Workshop.

Introducing the Authoring Process. Checking Out the MyDVD 5 Interface and Features. Using MyDVD's Scene Detection Module. Summary. Workshop.

Editing Video with MyDVD. Assembling Assets and Building Menus Using MyDVD. Setting Part Points and Adding a Slideshow. Summary. Workshop.

Previewing Your Work-in-Progress. Editing the Menu Style. Creating Templates and Sharing Them on the Web. Burning Your DVD Project to a Recordable Disc. Summary. Workshop.

II. CREATING MEDIA.

Digital or Film Cameras—What Will Work for You. Making High-Quality Photos—Tips and Tricks. Selecting a Scanner for Your Video and DVD Projects. Summary. Workshop.

Ripping Music CDs. Licensing Music or Buying Royalty-Free Music. Creating Custom Music with SmartSound Movie Maestro. Recording High-Quality Narrations. Summary. Workshop.

Making a Case for Digital Video. Choosing a Digital Camcorder. Evaluating Two Popular Consumer Camcorders. DVD Camcorders—Not There Yet. Video Shooting Tips. Summary. Workshop.

Transferring Digital Videos to Your PC. Trying Two Free Video Capture Software Products. Capturing Analog Video Easily and Inexpensively. Overview of Three Full-featured Video Capture Cards. Summary. Workshop.

III. EDITING MEDIA.

Organizing Your Assets. Creating Your Story. Evaluating Four Video Editing Software Titles. Summary. Workshop.

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