Creating a DVD with Pictures and Music - Help Please

[VH-MARIA]

Hi all,

I am trying to create a DVD of family pictures but also have a sound track to accompany it. I have been trying unsuccessfully and inquire if anyone on this site might be able to help out a "thick" individual as I think this should be relatively straight forward.

Thankyou in anticipation.

VH-MARIA

[M.Mouse]

Picasa has a facility to make DVDs, I make one every year of a group trip with photos and music.

If you are using a Mac then iPhoto has the same facility.

I am sure there are other programs which will do the job.

[reynoldsno1]

Windows Movie Maker lets you add soundtracks

[Tarq57]

Your timing is spot on, as far as I'm concerned.
Starting today, I've been looking for the same sort of thing, as I need to make a slideshow for the family.

A google search led me to a video tutorial here (http://www.jakeludington.com/free-tutorials/videos/moviemaker/) (which I've just finished watching) and it makes the process reasonably straightforward.

There may be better tutorials around, the sound quality isn't fantastic, but I think it will do the job. For me, anyway. Maybe for you too.

[VH-MARIA]

Thankyou all for your replies - have opted for Microsoft Moviemaker but cannot seem to import iTunes songs into it.

I told you I was thick!!

Cheers.

VH-MARIA

[Tarq57]

I think i-tunes have some proprietary format, but ain't sure at all, as I don't use them.

What if you copy the tracks you want to another folder, or your desktop, and try importing them, maybe one at a time, from there?

[reynoldsno1]

iTunes stores sounds in AAC format - which is pretty well unusable in any other program, including Windows Movie Maker.
I believe iTunes will convert .aac files to .mp3 files - which ARE compatible with Movie Maker (and just about any other application).
A good reason NOT to have an iPod .....

[Tarq57]

FWIW I spent about 3 hours last night creating "test" slideshows with music (in .mp3 format) attached, using the Windows movie maker.

Not a bad result; still playing around with it, but seems to be optioned-up enough.

But do you think I could burn the finished item to a DVD that would work?
No way.

[M.Mouse]

The whole thing is a doddle using Picasa.

[Tarq57]

Downloading Picasa (http://picasa.google.com/) now. Will try.
Can the file produced be easily burned to a dvd disk that is playable on the telly? (with attached dvd player, of course.)

[M.Mouse]

Yes. On the top menu in Picasa is 'Create', click that and an option 'Video...' is available. When you click that a new tab appears. You can add pictures, set their time to remain on screen, change the method of changing to the next picture, add music and so on. I found it intuitive to use and made some quite good amateur slide shows using it.

I did find I wanted to string several music clips together and used another simple and free program called 'Audacity' to make one continuous sound track. In Picasa only one track can be used so using Audacity I made one continuous mp3 of the required length by joining all the audio clips I wanted together and used that.

It is simple to burn the finished product to DVD and it plays on a normal DVD player. Audacity is also a free program.

[Tarq57]

Thanks!
I bet VHMARIA will be all thanky too. Sounds good.

[Tarq57]

Well, I've burned two would-be DVDs using Picasa.

Neither are recognised by the dvd player, probably because the slideshow - with added music track, is saved in a .wmv format.

Why the disk created by the program itself is not recognised by the dvd player I've no idea. But it just says "disk error". (this is the "create gift cd" option within picasa.)

Sad to say, I did not find this a doddle.

[VH-MARIA]

Thankyou to all - am going with Windows Movie Maker for the time being (although somewhat unsuccessfully so far but am not giving in!!

Thanks again.

VH-MARIA

[M.Mouse]

tarq57, sorry for the delay in replying.

Once created and saved as a file your 'movie' will be in .wmv format. All you then need to do is burn the file to a DVD using whatever burning software you use to burn a video format DVD. Be aware that DVD-RW DVDs won't work in some DVD players.

Which program are you using for burning?

[Tarq57]

I've tried using imageburn, and the burn a dvd option was greyed-out (not available) due to the file format.
I'd also tried burning one that had been saved in .avi, but that still would not play.

I've had Nero installed in the past, and might try that again.
But is unimportant right now, except in respect to the OP's question, as a friend who does this sort of thing for a living has offered to do it for us.

TY.