Friday, January 21, 2005
iLife '04 Retrospective
Posted by Kent Pribbernow in "SOFTWARE" @ 01:00 PM
iDVD 4
Product Category: Software
Company: Apple
Price: $49, part of iLife suite
System Requirements: (PC) Windows XP or 2000. Mac OSX. Requires a DVD drive or Burner to install.
Pros:
- Seamless integration with other iLife apps
- Drag and drop interface
- New map view feature
- Wonderful theme selection
- Lacks advanced options
- Limited Map functionality
Summary:
iDVD 4 turns DVD authoring into a simple drag and drop affair. Anyone can take a movie or photo collection and turn it into a high quality DVD movie, or animated slideshow. iDVD gets the job done without much fuss.
iDVD is easy
Figure 1: iDVD interface
iDVD is a rather unusual application. I say that because, unlike its other iLife siblings, iDVD isn’t quite an application in the traditional sense; but rather more along the lines of a wizard interface meant to pull content authored by other iLife apps and roll them into a DVD. That’s not to say it is unworthy of its title, not by a long shot. But clearly Apple targets iDVD towards a single purpose.
Figure 2: DVD toolbar
Assembling a DVD project in iDVD couldn’t be more simple. To start, you simply choose one of the many lovely built-in themes offered. Then drag a movie you’ve made in iMovie, or any collection of photos from your photo library, right onto the primary window. Click on the settings tab to set the parameters of your work, like duration, transition effects, text attributes and button styles. The media tab gives you the option to bring audio to your movie as well.
Once you’ve finished all the little details, simply preview your movie. If all is as it should be, you’re ready to burn your movie. Pop a blank DVD into your Mac Super Drive or DVD burner, then click the burn icon in iDVD. That’s it! Quite simple and painless really.
New Themes
Figure 3: iDVD themes from Apple
iDVD includes a handsome selection of professionally designed theme templates. This is where Apple really shines, when it comes to empowering novice users with the tools to create high quality work that speaks art. The new themes are event driven, arranged for such occasions as weddings, graduations, vacations, road trips, and a few general themes for kids or just any fun project.
Apple has also extended the richness of theme support as well, adding background audio and other effects that give your work a bit of polish and depth.
In my own tests, I created two different slideshows complete with transition effects and background audio. The results were surprisingly impressive. It’s not hard to imagine the possibilities one can create with just a few video and photos. Put a DV camera in the hands of a child and let their imagination run wild.
Conclusion
Since iDVD is really more of a utility than a content creation app, there isn't a whole lot to say about it, except that it is a fantastic product that does what it’s supposed to do without much user intervention.
