Product iDVD2 - Apple Computer, Inc.
Version/URL 1.0 / http://www.apple.com/idvd

Review Date November 11, 2001
Description An entry-level DVD creation tool targeted at hobbyists but capable of producing professional looking DVDs.
Requires Mac OS X 10.1, PowerMac G4 with internal DVD burner


Summary

iDVD2 is Apple's follow-on product to iDVD, one of the first home DVD production tools available. While the first version ran only on OS 9, iDVD2 requires OS X 10.1 or greater. It is the first of Apple's major "digital hub" programs to be available only for OS X.

It's important to realize that, unlike Photoshop, AfterEffects, and iMovie, iDVD2 is not a production tool. iDVD2 cannot create content of its own, rather, it's a tool for assembling existing content. Once the content has been created, iDVD2's mission is to make packaging that content into a professional looking DVD as easy as possible. For the most part, Apple has succeeded in meeting that objective with iDVD2, while adding features that were previously only available in high-end packages.

User Interface

iDVD2 has a user interface that is most definitely targeted at home users, not professionals. Apple's professional DVD production tool is DVD Studio Pro. A quick look at the each product side by side clearly shows the different intended audiences:


iDVD2

DVD Studio Pro

iDVD2's interface is simple and straightforward when compared to DVD Studio Pro. Of course, you give up quite a bit of power in choosing the free iDVD2 over the $995 DVD Studio Pro (things such as multiple angles, multiple audio and video tracks, specifying menu behavior, etc). For the casual consumer, however, the features in iDVD2 will be more than sufficient to meet their needs.

The basic premise of iDVD2 is that you work with an actual representation of the finished product at all times. Most options are selected from the drawer to the left of the main screen. Drag and drop is also the preferred method of moving content into iDVD2. You can do so through the menus, but drag and drop actions are much simpler to execute.

iDVD2 is built around a 'theme' metaphor. You start all projects by choosing a theme, and then tweaking the settings from there to get the final look that you desire. Themes can either be pre-made or you can import your own images, movies, and sounds to develop and save custom themes.

Overall, the user interface is intuitive and easy to use, although it takes some time to get use to the combination of predefined elements and user customizable options.

Themes

iDVD2 ships with a number of pre-made themes which make producing a solid looking DVD a snap. Whether the content of the DVD is any good or not is completely beyond the control of iDVD2, of course! The themes cover three categories: full motion, still image, and picture with audio. There are nine full motion themes, four picture-only themes, and one picture with audio theme. In addition, when working through the tutorial, you'll actually create one more full motion theme. The original iDVD shipped with a greater number of themes (nineteen), but they were all still image themes - full motion and audio were not supported. This is one of the biggest improvements with iDVD2; full motion menus with sound are much more engaging than a static, silent image just sitting on the screen. Here's a look at all 15 iDVD2 themes:


Full Motion

Still Image

Still Image

Still Image

Full Motion

Full Motion

Full Motion

Picture with Audio

Full Motion

Still Image

Full Motion

Full Motion

Full Motion

Full Motion

Full Motion [Custom]
Apple's iDVD web site has QuickTime previews of all the still and full motion menus.


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