Avidemux DVD-Authoring Guide

This guide should help you with all the steps required to create a standard-compliant Video DVD.
It is based on Avidemux and other (free) utilities.

Required Software

To follow this guide, you will need to install three different programs. All of them are available for free:
* Avidemux 2.4: http://www.razorbyte.com.au/avidemux/
* DVD Styler: http://www.dvdstyler.de/downloads.html
* ImgBurn: http://imgburn.com/index.php?act=download

Step 1: Encoding your video in Avidemux

Run Avidemux (GTK+ version), choose File -> Open and select the video you want to put on DVD. If you get asked, whether you want the MPEG file to be index, please choose "Yes". In case Avidemux asks for a "special" mode to process you file (this will happen with H.264 videos), choose "Yes" again. If you want to append additional segments to your video, use File -> Append for each file. The next step is only(!) required, if your input video is neither 25,00 (PAL) nor 29,97 (NTSC) frames per second: Manually change Video to "DVD (lavc)" and click the "Filters" button (both to be found on the left side of the main window). Then choose the "Resample fps" filter from the list, add it by double-clicking, enter the new framerate (either 25 or 29,97), click OK and leave the Filter Manager. The next step is required for all(!) videos again: Choose Auto -> DVD from the main window. Now set "Source Aspect Ratio" according to your input video. If your input video was intended for playback on a computer, it's aspect ratio will usually be "1:1". If it was captured from TV, the aspect ratio will ususally be "4:3". Next set "Destination Aspect Ratio" to 4:3 if you want to create a normal DVD or to 16:9 if you want to create a Widescreen DVD. Click OK. Avidemux has now configured all the settings as required for Video DVD, so don't change anything from now on, except the settings mentioned here. You can go to Video -> Filters in order to check that all filters were set up properly. In case the "MPlayer Resize" filter is involved, I prefer to change the resizing methode to "Lanczos3", which should give a sharper (more detailed) picture. Leave the Filter Manager and call Tools -> Calculator. This step is very important to make sure that the resulting video will fit on a DVD media. In the Calculator window set Format to "MPEG" and Media to "DVD5" (for 4,7 GB Single-Layer DVD Media). Don't change the Audio Bitrate, just click the Apply button and close the calculator afterwards. Next click the Video -> Configure button (to be found on the left side of the main window). You will now see that the Video Size was already set by the Calculator. It's not recommended to change anything here, except the Aspect Ratio. Make sure you set Aspect Ratio according to the "Destination Aspect Ratio" selected at the beginning. Then click OK. Finally click File -> Save -> Save Video and choose a proper filename for your video, like "C:\Output.mpg". Wait until the encoding process is completed...

If you want to see a Flash animation for Step 1, click here.

Step 2: Author your DVD in DVD Styler

Once you video was encoded successfully in Avidemux, exit Avidemux and run DVD Styler. Now select the encoded video file (e.g C:\Output.mpg) in your Explorer and drag it over to DVD Styler's main window. Drop the file besides the existing "Menu 1" box (to be found at the bottom of DVD Styler's main window). Next you can set up the DVD menus, in case you want to have menus. Creating menus will not be explained here, as that's DVD Styler specific stuff. More information in the DVD Styler Wiki. If you just want a plain Video DVD without a menu, simply right-click "Menu 1" and choose Delete. Once you have set up the menus as you want them, choose File -> Burn DVD. Select "Create ISO Image" and make sure "Temp Directory" points to a directory with enough free diskspace. Next edit "Save to" and enter the path where you want your ISO file to be saved, for example "C:\DVD.iso". Finally click the Start button and wait until DVD Styler has created the ISO file...

Step 3: Burn your Image to DVD with ImgBurn

Once the ISO file was created successfully, exit DVD Styler, insert a blank DVD media into your DVD Burner and run ImgBurn. In the ImgBurn main window choose Mode -> Write first, then click File -> "Browse for a File" and select your ISO file. Now select your DVD Burner in the "Destination" drop-down menu (if not already selected). As soon as you are ready, click the big "Write" button in the lower left corner of the main window in order to start the burning process. Note that the "Write" button will be grayed out if your DVD Burner is not ready with a blank media yet! When the burn process has been started, please wait until your DVD is ready. You can enable "Verify" if you want ImgBurn to check your DVD for burning errors afterwards, which takes some additional time...

You are done

Updated instructions for latest Avidemux 2.5.2:
http://avidemux.org/admForum/viewtopic. … 932#p40932

Last edited by LoRd_MuldeR (2010-01-13 15:34:33)