What software can I use on OS X Mavericks to burn my photos on a DVD? iDVD is too slow and crashes.

short answer for now:

if you're taking your photos from iPhoto:

-click "File", then click "Export",

-look at ( and try out on a DVD-RW ( rewritable )) the multiple options there ( you can choose to keep your keywords, for example, but your ratings ( stars ) will not follow, etc. )

-click "Export" and choose your DVD as destination

What version of iDVD are you using? If it's version 7 but not the final 7.1.2 version download and run the iDVD 7.1.2 updater on the app.

If you do have 7.1.2 try this basic troubleshooting fix:

1 - delete the IDVD preference file, com.apple.iDVD.plist, that resides in your

User/Home/Library/ Preferences folder.

2 - delete IDVD'S cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your

User/Home/Library/Caches/com.apple.iDVD folder.

3 - launch IDVD and try again.

NOTE: In Lion and Mountain Lion the Home/Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and press the Return key - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.

If you're running Mavericks, 10.9, go to your Home folder and use the View ➙ Show View Options menu to bring the this window:

OT

iDVD is not for backing up data, it's for authoring disks that can play in domestic DVD players.

To burn files from iPhoto:

File -> Export - noting the options in the Export dialogue

Export to a folder on the desktop.

Burn that with the Finder.

Two Comments:

1. This User Tip

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-4921

has details of the options in the Export dialogue.

2. As a back up system it's worth noting that Optical Drives are being dropped by computer manufacturers. You might want to ask yourself if having a back up on Optical media will be of any use in 10 years time, when such drives will be as common as floppy disk drives are now.

to put this "opinion" to rest, i will have to quote, from the excellent

" ...BACKUPS, ARCHIVES..." ( by Plotinus Veritas )

at

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031

When it comes to long-term data protection, there is optical and there is NOTHING else, period. While modern notebooks and macbooks have forgone, for the most part internal optical DVD/CD readers/writers, this is most entirely due to the fact that commercial videos and movies have gone to online rentals and Itunes purchases, additionally nearly all software now is online purchase and download. The other reason for this is the removal of a 'high' failure point of an internal optical drive which is both mechanically complex, prone to dust on the laser diode lens due to users inserting dusty disks / media, and that the superdrive is not currently capable of fitting in the super-slim form factor machines such as the current Imac, Macbook Pro and especially the Macbook Air. However external USB DVD burners and readers are going nowhere anytime in the foreseeable future,... and until a new optical technology emerges for data preservation, DVD writers aren’t going anywhere.

oh yes, and here's also the excellent Ken Watson ( in his "All about digital photos" )

( http://www.rideau-info.com/photos/index.html )

CDs and DVDs have a shelf life (20 to 50 years depending on who you believe) which is sufficiently long that when the next inexpensive storage standard comes along (likely high capacity flash memory) you can move your archived images to that new medium.

by the way, using DVD+R is better, for tech reasons.