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Burning audio CDs, video and slideshow DVDs - Windows

Last updated: 03 November 2010
Published in: Creating new digital media |
Tags: accessibility | conversion | dvd |

Burning your photos or movie files to a disc sounds, on paper, like a relatively simple task, but can often turn out to be a confusing and time consuming one. Choosing the right file types and knowing which software to use is often never clear and instructions on the simplest method to create CDs and DVDs on the whole do not come pre-installed on a computer. With these things in mind, this document provides step-by-step guides and practical advice on how to create audio CDs and video DVDs using the simplest approaches on Windows machines. (see also our guide for Mac OSX).

This document contains the following how-to guides:

How to create an audio CD
How to create a video DVD
How to create a slideshow DVD

How to create an audio CD

The simplest way to burn an audio CD on a computer is to do it through the built-in media library application, Windows Media Player (WMP).

1. Open WMP from the Start Menu

Image 1- The start menu. Windows Media Player can be found by clicking on All Programs if it is not shown as above.

2. If you have not done previously, you will need to add your audio files to the WMP library. To do this, drag and drop the files from an explorer window onto the Library label in the left-hand sidebar, shown as highlighted in Image 2 below.

Image 2 - Library. Drag and drop audio files onto here.

3. In WMP click on the Burn tab from the top menu bar.

Image 3 - Burn tab

This will open the burn sidebar in the right hand side of the window, shown below

Image 4 - Burn sidebar

4. You can drag audio files from the library, or even complete playlists (see Image 2), from the left hand sidebar into the burn sidebar to create a burn list. Files can be reordered by dragging and dropping up or down.

Image 5 - Burn list

5. For advanced burning settings, such as compressing file sizes, click on the burn tab and select More Options from the drop down menu, and click on the Burn tab in the new window. If you don't wish to make any advanced changes skip this step.

Image 6 - More Options

5. When you are happy with the contents of your burn list, and with a blank CD inserted into your computer's disc drive, click on the Start Burn icon, which can be seen at the bottom of Image 5, above.

How to create a video DVD

Sadly Windows XP and Vista do not come with standard video DVD burning software built in, although you can prepare your movie files and slideshows for burning with Windows Movie Maker. Windows 7 comes bundled with Windows Media Center, which is fully equipped for burning video DVDs and is available as a download for certain versions of XP and Vista. Where it is possible to create data DVDs in Windows for storing data, video DVDs, that can be played in DVD players, are somewhat more tricky to create.

If your computer has a DVD r/rw drive then you are likely to have some DVD authoring installed, for example Roxio. As there are too many to cover here please refer to either the manual or manufacturers website or contact our helpdesk for more advice, info@jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk

Alternative free DVD burning software:

Preparing a video DVD in Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great program for performing simple editing to video files, joining video files together and adding sound files to video files.

1. To prepare your video files for DVD burning import your files by selecting Import video from the sidebar window.

Image 7 - Import files

2. You can drag your movie files onto the timeline below to perform editing functions and effects including fade-ins and fade-outs.

3. Note that however your film is shown when played back (spacebar to play) in the timeline, will be the file you create for DVD burning.

4. When you have finished editing your film files click on File > Save Movie File and select the My Computer option for saving.

Image 8 - Save Movie Wizard

5. Click next and in the dialog box name your movie file, and choose the location to save the file on your computer.

Image 9 - Save Movie Wizard 2

6. Click next and select the Other settings dial button. From the drop down menu choose DV-AVI (PAL) and click next to render the file.

Image 10 - Save Movie Wizard 3

7. Your movie file is now ready to be authored to disc using your DVD video burning software.

How to create a slideshow DVD

Again, the actual process of burning a DVD in Windows (pre-Windows 7) will depend on the burning software that came with your DVD drive. Making a slideshow that will burn onto a DVD as a video file from a set photos is relatively straightforward.

1. In Windows Movie Maker import all of the pictures you wish to use in your slideshow by clicking Import pictures from the sidebar window and selecting your images.

Image 11 . Import Pictures

2. Drag and drop your pictures from the main view window to the video timeline at the bottom as shown in Image 12 below.

Image 12 - Drag pictures into the timeline

3. You can change the duration of the pictures within your slideshow by selecting each image one by one on the timeline, and dragging the edges of the frame to your desired length, as shown in Image 13 (use the seconds on the timeline above as a guide).

Image 13 - Change picture duration

4. To create transitions between pictures click on Tools > Video Transitions and drag and drop the appropriate transition icons in between your pictures.

5. If you wish to add a sound file to you slideshow click on the 'Import audio or music' text from the sidebar window (see Image 11 above) and select your audio file(s).

6. As with your images, drag and drop the audio file to the audio track on the timeline (note: It is important that the length of the files on the audio and video tracks are the same otherwise you may end up with a black screen and sound or pictures and no sound. You may have to trim the audio file or repeat it to make it the same length as the images on the video track).

7. When you are happy with your slideshow follow steps 3 - 7 in the section How to create a video DVD above

Last updated: 03 November 2010
Published in: Creating new digital media |
Tags: accessibility | conversion | dvd |

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