That iDVD Burn Problem AGAIN!

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on this in a previous iDVD post.


One of you agreed with my idea of transferring everything to my older iMac running Snow Leopard and it worked but, I've just tried it again and now it keeps saying "File Can't be Found"!


I've had to completely build the whole iDVD project thing up from scratch to get it working and it's now actually burning normally (on the old iMac).


I have read all the previous bits of advice on how to get round this problem but there seems to be a lot of other people finding there are problems with these.


Can anyone tell me what the problem is now?

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), macOS High Sierra (10.13)

Posted on Oct 30, 2017 8:40 AM

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Posted on Oct 30, 2017 3:14 PM

After you complete your iDVD project, if you change the location or name of any media files used in the project iDVD will not be able to find them. Return the files to their original names and locations and you should be good to go.


Also, you don't need to be going back to Snow Leopard on an old computer. iDVD works on the newer operating systems.


-- Rich

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Oct 30, 2017 3:14 PM in response to makey

After you complete your iDVD project, if you change the location or name of any media files used in the project iDVD will not be able to find them. Return the files to their original names and locations and you should be good to go.


Also, you don't need to be going back to Snow Leopard on an old computer. iDVD works on the newer operating systems.


-- Rich

Dec 27, 2017 9:53 AM in response to makey

There are no actual files in an iDVD project. The app refers to the files in the location that they were in when the project was created. If those locations have changed in any way, or if you moved or renamed a file, iDVD won't be able to find it. That's why you are getting the "File Can't be Found" message. In the future, create your project on the old Mac with files that are stored on the old Mac and left in their original locations, and you should be O.K. You already have been able to get it to burn normally after recreating your iDVD project, and that is a good sign.


Mp4 is probably the most compatible format across the board and should import into any third party DVD authoring program. If your movies are coming from iMovie they are Mp4 unless you chose to share to pro res by selecting the Best Quality option. It would be a good idea to double-check that you are correctly following the app's import procedure.


Alternatively, you might try googling to find an iDVD "Missing Manual" book that will explain the features of the app in an organized way.


Best,

Rich

Dec 23, 2017 10:36 AM in response to makey

I think it's time to move on to a supporte DVD video authoring tool. iDVD is continually falling farther and farther behind in compatibility with the system and is more difficult to use.


There are many in the App Store. I've tried the demo version of this one: DVD Maker Lite - DVD Creator which will make slideshows from still photos like iDVD does. The free version adds a watermark which is removed when purchased.

User uploaded file

It also can use video files. It's the only app I've found that can do slideshows from still photos. The paid pro version also removes the watermark and has more themes than the lite version.


If you only want to burn movie files to DVD then try several of the other offered apps to see which offer the most. Many do offer demo versions with watermarks.

Dec 24, 2017 11:18 AM in response to makey

No. When you save to Disk Image there's no need to have a disc in the optical drive.


If you continue to have problems consider trying the demo version of DVD Maker Lite - DVD Creator from the App Store to see if it can encode your videos successfully. It will let you know if the media used can be encoded. The paid version offers more themes and capability but is only about $15. This is the only other app that I've found and tested that can use still photos to create slideshows for a project as well as use movie files.


As I've said before iDVD is continually becoming more and more incompatible with the Mac OS systems. It may be time to put it to rest and move on.

Dec 24, 2017 11:27 AM in response to makey

No, if you are saving as a disc image from iDVD there's no need to put a DVD in your drive, or even to have a drive, because you are not burning a disc.


As Old Toad says, iDVD is becoming increasingly quirky with each new operating system. It is very quirky in High Sierra, although I have been able to create a successful disc image with a little fiddling. If you still want to work with iDVD, you might check your movie around the frame where the burning stopped and see if there is any corruption there that you can remove. Any time that you edit the movie you will need to start with a whole new iDVD project.


With all the trouble that you have had with iDVD, you might consider following Old Toad's advice to try some new DVD authoring applications.


-- Rich

Dec 28, 2017 9:50 AM in response to makey

I use iMovie HD 6.5.1 also and just drag the completed iMovie project file into the iDVD window to add it to the iDVD project. No exporting necessary from iMovie. What type of media are you using in iMovie to create the movie file? If from still photos how many. If you've added music what is the audio format used? Do you export them out of iMovie? If so in what format?


To test it out I just quickly created a small test iMovie HD/iDVD project from still photos and music and saved it to a disk image without issue.


User uploaded file

Dec 26, 2017 4:05 AM in response to Rich839

I did have a look at Old Toad's suggestion but found it extremely hard to get on with.


I've now decided to use a spare external drive, use it as the start up disk, and install OSX 10.8.5 (Mountain Lion) because everything worked perfectly in those days. I'll even be rid of those silly coloured dots and get proper banners back again.


There's SO MUCH I DISLIKE about High Sierra anyway but, when I need to, I can start up from the High Sierra.


I have got Mountain Lion on a couple of USB sticks and on a DVD, so what do you think?

Dec 24, 2017 4:14 AM in response to Rich839

I'm still getting nowhere with this iDVD freezing during the Encoding Process. This time it froze (i.e. iDVD Stopped responding at 21 minutes and I had to Force Quit it)!


You mention that a DVD-R disk should be in my Super Drive (USB mounted) so, even if I'm going to do it to a Disk Image, should I have the DVD in the Super Drive first?

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That iDVD Burn Problem AGAIN!

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