Make anamorphic DVDs with iDVD5 and Final Cut source

May 05, '05 09:47:00AM

Contributed by: gentryunderwood

If you've ever tried to get iDVD 5 to burn an anamorphic DVD from a widescreen source other than iMovieHD, you know it doesn't work. If you import the movie into iDVD, the app will treat it as a 4:3 movie instead of a 16:9, meaning your beautiful aspect ratio will be turned into a tall, skinny mess on most consumer DVD players.

iDVD 5 supports anamorphic material when it comes from iMovie HD, however if you try and import a Final Cut movie into iMovie before sending it to iDVD, you'll find the same problem: namely that iMovie now thinks your source is 4:3. Some people have suggested fairly long and complicated solutions to this problem involving editing the MPEG2 stream encoded on the DVD image, and reburning your disk. This, it goes without saying, is a royal pain in the booty.

I've found a fairly simple work-around for the problem: the basic idea is to trick iMovie HD into thinking it has already encoded your source, and then feed your iMovie project to iDVD. The result works beautifully. Here's what you do:

  1. Export your 16:9 anamorphic DV movie in Final Cut as a QuickTime movie using the DV 48KHz Anamorphic setting (PAL or NTSC depending on where you live). Export no markers and make sure that "Make movie self-contained" is unchecked.
  2. Launch iMovie HD and create a New "DV Widescreen" project. Name it whatever you want your DVD to be named. Quit iMovie HD.
  3. Find your iMovie project, Control-click it and select Show Package Contents from the pop-up menu. Open the Media folder and drag your Final Cut movie into there. Close the Finder window.
  4. Double-click your iMovie project to relaunch iMovie HD. When prompted, agree to view trash contents.
  5. Drag your Final Cut movie out of the trash and into your media tray. Close the trash. Drag your Final Cut movie to the timeline.
  6. Click the iDVD button and add chapters if needed (chapters added as markers in Final Cut don't work and shouldn't be exported with your movie). Continue to iDVD and build your DVD.
That should do it! Good luck and happy movie watching.

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