Authoring Software

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I just got Final Cut Express. I edited a ton of film and now want to put in a DVD menu with chapers to make it look real nice. I know there are alot out there but want to get some opinions. I need to know the best Authoring software where I can simple drag and drop edited FCE footage so I can put in chapters and a menu. I know iDVD has this capability but you can not place chapter right were you want them and that is what im looking for. Any suggestion that you have worked with?
 
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chas_m

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Final Cut Studio will do this.

I doubt Premiere Pro would (at least not without exporting and converting the file, then it would most likely).
 
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Thanks for the reply but isn't Final Cut Pro another editing software. That Why I got the Final Cut Express software, to edit film. Now I need a seperate program that is dedicated to just authoring and puting in menus and chapters. I just spent $150 on FCE I dont want to spend $300 on Final Cut Pro. I would rather find seperate software for just menus that cost under $100
 
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Yes you can place chapter markers where you want to in FCE!

When in FCE, just place the playhead at the point you wish to make a chapter marker, press "M" twice and a box will appear asking you if you wish to place a marker there. You can even title the chapter while doing this. When you export to iDVD, it will automatically recognise all the chapter points and adjust the DVD menu accordingly.

Philip
 
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Holy ****. I remember reading something similar to that but was not sure how to do it. That will save me money. Thanks for your help I will try that after work today.
 
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Just remember that when you have added the markers in FCE, you will see all the little marker points on the bottom of the Canvas screen (far right). You must then export as "Quick Time Movie" and BEFORE saving the project in the save pane, you must go to the drop down menu that says "Markers" and select "Chapter Markers". If you do not do this, none of the markers will be recognised when you import to iDVD. You will then notice (in iDVD) that you have all your chapter windows with the titles you have given them, ready to go.

Philip
 
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Ok I saved it as a "Quick Time Movie" and clicked "Markers" then selected "Chapter Markers" on the drop down menu. I must be doing something wrong when I open it iDVD because its not recognizing them. What specific things do I need to do to open the FCE movie in iDVD?
 
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OK.

To recap: You have placed the playhead on the timeline where you wish to make a chapter point, you have pressed M twice? Within the box that opens you have clicked on "Add Chapter Marker" (and added a title to the chapter if you desire) and then clicked on OK. This will have placed a green marker on the timeline and on the canvas.

When you have finished all your markers and completed your project go:
File/Export/Quick Time Movie - save box opens - choose a location to save to and make sure that you select chapter markers in the "Markers" box. Also check "Make movie self contained" although this is not strictly necessary if you are not moving the project to another Mac. Then click save. Once the project has finished exporting, drag the saved file to the iDVD icon on the dock. This will then open iDVD with all your chapters intact. You can further customise the look in iDVD

Let me know how you get on.

Philip
 
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I have got the FCE express part right. The markers are in there and I saved it while checking "Chapter Markers". I believe im screwing up in iDVD. I open iDVD and click on new "Creat New Project". Then I drag my FCE(converted to Quick Time) movie over from my desktop into the default theme that iDVD has and it does not recognize the 3 chapters that I made.
 

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