Burning Your Final Cut Project to DVD
Exporting from Final Cut
Note 1: Ensure you have the correct DVD-R blank disc.
Note 2: If you have already saved a self-contained QuickTime movie file of your film (for use in compressing a copy for the Web) skip down to "Compressing Your Film".
1. Launch your project in FINAL CUT PRO. At the top of the screen click FILE -> EXPORT -> QUICKTIME MOVIE.
2. A Save dialogue box will pop up.
- Save As: "Your Name FILM 250 QT.mov"
- Click on your HDV Drive on the left hand side column so that your movie will be saved there.
- Settings: Current Settings
- Include: Audio and Video
- Markers: None
- Deselect "Recompress All Frames"
- Select "Make Movie Self-Contained"
- Click "Save"
A 5-minute film generally takes about 3 minutes to export as a QuickTime movie.
3. When the export is complete, quit Final Cut Pro and find your new QuickTime movie file on your HDV Drive.
Compressing Your Film
4. Launch COMPRESSOR which is located in the dock at the bottom of the screen.
5. Near the top left of the Compressor window, there will be a large downward pointing arrow. Drag your QuickTime movie file into this box.
Below the box is a "Settings" window full of individual folders.
Click on the "Custom" folder and open the Student folder. Within this folder are three different settings: AC3 for audio, MPEG-2 for video, and H.264 for posting on the web.
Drag the AC3 setting up to the box up to where you placed your QuickTIme Movie.
Then drag the MPEG-2 setting to the same box.
6. Click "Submit" just below where you dragged your settings. A box will appear. Type in your name and click "Submit".
7. Your files are compressing now. To see their progress, click on the BATCH MONITOR icon located above where you dragged your settings to.
The BATCH MONITOR application will open. Click on "This Computer" in the left column to view the progress of your compression.
Your compressions will the highest listed job in the BATCH MONITOR. Click on the arrow next to your name to see the details of your compressions. You should have two compressions occurring: one for MPEG-2 video and one for AC3 audio. A 5-minute film generally takes 15 minutes to compress.
8. When the compression is complete, Quit Batch Monitor and Quit Compressor, without saving the project file.
9. Find your new MPEG-2 file and AC3 files now located on your HDV Drive. They will have long names; look for the ac3 and m2v suffixes at the end of the names.
Authoring Your DVD
10. Launch the DVD STUDIO PRO application in the dock at the bottom of the screen. At the top of the screen click FILE -> IMPORT -> ASSET
11. An "Import Assets" box will pop up. In the left column, click your HDV Drive, and then select your new AC3 and MPEG-2 files. Click "Import".
Your files will now appear in DVD Studio Pro in the Assets box at the lower left.
12. Click "F3" on the keyboard to display all the windows for DVD Studio Pro. There is a large FInal Cut Pro-like timeline located next to the Assets box.
13. Drag your MPEG-2 video file onto the V1 track of this timeline. It will appear on the timeline in blue. Drag the AC3 audio file onto the A1 track. It will appear in green.
14. In the big viewer box located above the Timeline, click on the MENU tab. A grey screen will appear.
15. Click your mouse anywhere within this box and drag to draw a box. It will label itself as "Button 1".
Click inside the button you just made, then go down to the box that is just to the right of the timeline.
At the top of this box it should say "Button"; if not, be sure to click within the button you just made.
Near the bottom of this Button Menu is a smaller rectangular box called "Text". Type in "PLAY FILM" in this box. Then at the bottom of the screen select "Include Text in Highlights".
16. Go back up to your large grey Menu box and click on the "Connections" tab. You will have a blue icon of your "Button 1". To the far right of it will be a list of colour-coded Targets.
Drag "Track 1" from this list over onto your blue "Button 1". It should now appear beside it in the Target column.
13. At the very top of your screen there is a list of icons including a white "Simulate" button. Click it to see how your DVD will look.
There should be a grey menu with your PLAY FILM button. Click the button to watch your film before burning. If you are satisfied, click on the "Burn" button at the top of the screen, and insert a DVD-R disk.
A 5-minute film generally takes about 5 minutes to burn to DVD.
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