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FCPX -> iDVD, Chapter Titles: Missing
Each month, I create a few programs for our local Public Access station. In FCPX, I insert Chapter Markers at various frames in the timeline; I enter a title each of them and click the “Chapter Marker” button. I then export the programs as QuickTime .mov files so that I can create DVDs for the talent and crew, as well as the Public Access station itself.
I’m running Mountain Lion with FCPX 10.0.8, using iDVD that I installed from an iLife ’11 disc purchased on eBay.
When I drag the exported QT file into iDVD, it creates one or more Chapter Menus depending on the template I select and the number of Chapter Markers in the movie. I typically use the iDVD “Revolution” template, which is the default 7.0 template.
As expected, each entry on a Chapter Menu contains a video clip that begins at the marker frame of the movie. However, the Chapter Titles that I entered in FCPX are empty, so I need to retype them all in iDVD. (The only Chapter Title that displays in iDVD is “Beginning,” for the chapter entry that iDVD automatically inserts in the first position of the first Chapter Menu. This Chapter Title does not come from the .mov file.)
Please note that the Chapter Titles do display in QuickTime Player, so it seems that FCPX exports them correctly in the .mov file, yet iDVD acts as though they are missing.
I know that iDVD is not considered a professional tool, but for the few DVDs that I create each month I cannot justify the cost of DVD Studio Pro or Adobe Encore.
I’d appreciate suggestions about what might be going wrong here, and how to fix the problem (other than retyping the Chapter Titles in iDVD, which is my current workaround). I’d also be interested in recommendations for an inexpensive alternative to iDVD that supports both Main and Chapter Menus.
Thanks!
FastBill -
4 Replies
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I just tried this on my system and indeed the chapter titles are blank in iDVD. I tried in DVDStudioPro and the chapter names do come in.
Frankly, if it were me I would just stay in iDVD and retype the chapter markers and call it done. DVDStudioPro is frankly so difficult to use I avoid it if I can. I haven’t used but I have heard similar things about Encore.
At our shop we used to make alot of DVDs, but as I said the authoring tools are slow and cumbersome. And really, menu’s and the such are very much on their way out as viewers become used to streaming content. Disney even calls it a “feature” on their DVD’s called “fast play” where the menu is skipped!
Now at our place, we are making DVD and BluRays left and right for clients because FCP X is so fast. I made a 2 hr project on DVD from first click to burn and eject in just 25 minutes! BluRay of course takes a whole lot longer, but those are typically for trade show use, and proofs.
An alternative is to use Final Cut Pro’s build in DVD templates. They are super simple yes, but you can add a image to the menu and make it look nice. I’m now in the habit of making the movie auto play on a DVD and my clients have been quite happy with it.
Better yet, pickup a inexpensive BluRay burner ($80) and give the folks an option for BluRay. Make that right out of FCPX and they will be thrilled with the quality.
Hope this helps.
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T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque -
Hi! I’m having this issue, but I don’t know how to rename the chapters in iDVD, could you guide me with this? Thank you!!
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Navigate to the chapter menu in iDVD and then just click on the chapter name, it will highlight and you can change it from there.
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T. Payton
OneCreative, Albuquerque -
In iDVD, once you have dragged your QuickTime .mov file onto the template you’ve selected, your Main Menu will have 2 buttons — one to play the video, and the other to display the first (or only) Chapter Menu. Each Chapter Marker that you created in FCPX becomes an entry on a Chapter Menu in iDVD.
On the Main Menu, double-click the “Select” button to edit the Chapter Menu. iDVD always inserts a “pseudo-chapter” at the beginning of your video, which it labels “Beginning.” The remaining Chapters correspond to the Chapter Markers in your video. Select one, and you should see that iDVD highlights it (the specific highlight depends on the template). You should also see the text box below or beside the chapter’s video frame, but the text box will be empty.
Double-click the empty text box, and you’ll be able to type the chapter name.
Here’s a tip: I usually open my .mov file in the QuickTime Player, and then click the “Show Chapters” dropdown icon in the Player to display a list of all the chapter names. Since that list disappears when you switch back to iDVD, I often will take a screen grab of that list. I press Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 and drag a rectangle around the chapter list; when I let go of the mouse, OS X puts the screen grab onto the Clipboard. Then I launch Preview, where Cmd+N creates a new picture file from the Clipboard contents. This technique keeps the chapter list visible while I enter the chapter names in iDVD.
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