How to Use Windows DVD Maker to Create Professional Looking DVDs For Your Small Business.

How to Use Windows DVD Maker to Create Professional Looking DVDs For Your Small Business.
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If you have a small business, you know how important it is to obtain and hold on to new clients. One way to do this is to promote your business or products. You can promote your business by distributing professional-looking DVDs that detail what your company offers. You don’t need an expensive or fancy third-party application to do this though; if you have Vista Home Premium or Ultimate, you have all you need to get started.

Windows DVD Maker helps you create professional-looking DVDs, and it offers a wizard to help. Using the wizard you’ll first choose what to put on the DVD, and then create menus and transitions, and finally, burn your movie to a DVD. You can find Windows DVD Maker in the Start, All Programs menu.

Follow these steps to create a DVD in Windows DVD Maker:

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and click Windows DVD Maker.

2. Click Choose Photos and Videos. [See Image 1]

3. Click Add Items.

4. Browse to the data you want to add. If you have a video of your product, select it, if not, add pictures. You have to choose individual images; you can’t choose entire folders. Repeat this step until all data has been added. Images will be played as a slide show when you watch them using your DVD player – in the order they appear in the folder

5. Select the items to add, click Add.

6. If you’ve added images, double-click the Slide Show folder to open the Slide Show folder. [See Image 2]

7. Select any picture or select multiple pictures and click Remove Items if desired. Use the up and down arrow keys to reposition the picture in the list.

8. Type a name for the disc in Disc Title.

9. Click Options. In the DVD Options window, make changes as desired. The following options are available: [See Image 3]

* Start with DVD menu: Select this option to have your DVD perform like most DVDs you’ve seen, by displaying a DVD menu when inserted.

* Play video and end with DVD menu: Select this option to have your DVD play the content first and display the menu after the content is complete.

* Play video in a continuous loop: Select this option to have your DVD play in a loop. Users will have to press the Menu button on their DVD remote control or player to access any menus you create.

* DVD aspect ratio: Select a ratio that you think matches what your viewers will use to watch your DVD (or what you will use). 4:3 aspect is almost square while 16:9 is “widescreen” or rectangular.

* Video format: Select from NTSC or PAL video format NTSC format is correct for the United States, but PAL is used in the United Kingdom, Italy, Ireland, Spain, and more.

* Other DVD settings: Select the fastest setting. If you have problems during the burn process, choose a slower speed.

10. Click OK.

11. Click File, and click Save As. (If something happens, you can reopen this file later.)

12. Type a file name.

13. Note that by default, the file will save in the Videos folder of your personal folder. Click Save.

14. Click Next.

15. Make a selection from the Menu Style list.

16. Click Preview. Watch the video to see if you like the menu selection. Click OK.

Note: At any point, you can click Burn to complete the DVD. You do not have to personalize the DVD.

17. Click Menu Text.

18. Select a font from the drop down list. Change the Disc title, and choose a different word to represent Play, Scenes, or Notes. (For instance, you might change Notes to Disclaimer or Read This First!)

19. Click Change Text. [See Image 4]

20. Click Customize menu. [See Image 5]

21. Click Browse to select a foreground video, background video, or menu audio if desired. Locate the file and click Open to add it.

22. Select a new Scenes button style.

23. Click Change Style.

24. Click Slide Show.

25. Click Add Music to add music tracks to the DVD. Browse to the file to add, and click Add. [See Image 6]

26 Click how many seconds each picture in the slide show should appear before changing to the next picture.

27. Select a transition.

28. Click Change Slide Show to apply changes.

29. Click Burn.

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