Cinelerra for Grandma
Basic HOWTOs for very beginners
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Pre-requisites
 
Installation
Compilation
 
Cinelerra in 30'
 
Preparing media
Adjusting settings
 
Loading media
First editing
Second editing
Titles
Transitions
Effects
Compositing
Colour correction
Rendering
 
Making animations
Making a DVD
Subtitles
 
Troubleshooting
Glossary
Table of Contents

Introduction

DVD structures

You’ll encounter mainly two kinds of DVD: DVD-Data and DVD-Video.
They use the same kind of optical disk but their content is quite different, especially in the organization of the files.

DVD-Data

it can store any file. No specific structure is required. It is readable by computers. Sometimes it is called DVD-ROM.

DVD-Video

it contains video stored with a specific standard structure, that appears as a set of two folders: AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS. It can be PAL or NTSC. A DVD-Video can be read by standalone DVD players or computers with a MPEG2 decoder installed.

DVD-Video/Data

it is a combination of the two. On the same phisical disk more files are stored outside the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS, usually for extras content and documentation on the main video. The DVD-Video part is accessible from a standalone player or a computer with a MPEG2 decoder installed. The DVD-Data part is accessible only from a computer.

DVD file formats

DVD-video files are a special kind of MPEG2-PS format, called VOB (Video OBject). Unlike text or image files, multimedia formats are container formats. That means they are just like boxes containing several streams, encoded in various codecs.

Our VOB files usually contains:

  • a video stream encoded in MPEG2

  • a main audio stream encoded in AC3

  • ausiliary audio streams, with dialogs dubbed in other languages

  • several subtitle streams, with dialogs in many languages

During playback the player must manage the streams and playback the audio stream and/or the subtitle stream chosen by the user (using the remote control buttons or the DVD graphical menu). More than one subtitle stream can be played back at the same time (e.g. close captioning and translation of occasional foreign terms).

DVD wokflow

To make a DVD-Video you have to pay a lot of attention and follow a precise recipe. The process of making a DVD-Video can be divided into many steps:

  1. Adding hard coded subtitles to your video (optional)

  2. Rendering your Cinelerra project into VOB-like format

  3. Creating subtitle files (optional)

  4. Preparing the menu (optional)

  5. Authoring your DVD (building the DVD-Video structure)

  6. Creating an ISO image of your DVD-Video structure (optional)

  7. Checking the DVD-Video structure or the ISO image (optional but recommended)

  8. Burning the DVD-Video structure or the ISO image on a DVD disk.

Cinelerra can’t render your project directly into VOB-like format. See the Rendering section for that.
For making a DVD-Video out of VOB-like files (steps 2 to 6) you can use programs like ManDVD or dvdauthor

DVD disks

DVD disks come in many formats. The most common are DVD+R and DVD-R. Both are good. DVD+R are not playable on very old players but they get less writing errors.
You can also use rewritable DVDs (DVD-RW).

How to make a DVD-Video structure - multiple titles, single menu

I recommend you use the program ManDVD. I assume you have DVD-compliant MPEG files ready. If not, see the Rendering section.
Since Ubuntu Jaunty ManDVD is listed in Synaptic. If you use an older Ubuntu you need to install ManDVD in a different way. To get the Ubuntu package (32 bits) send Firefox to getdeb/Gutsy or getdeb/Hardy getdeb/Intrepid (depending on your release). Click on the Download: mandvd link. Open and install the chosen package with GDebi Package Installer.

The language used in the GUI is set in .mandvdconfig, a hidden file in your home directory. To change the language, open this configuration file in a text editor and replace the language code. It seems that in any case you can’t get rid of some French words here and there. C’est la vie!

Nevetheless ManDVD is very intuitive and easy to use.

  1. Launch the program from the menu Applications → Sound & Video.

  2. Under New Project click on Destination folder to choose the directory that will contain your DVD files. Choose and existing one or create a new one. I keep all my DVDs files in a folder called DVDs. Inside it I have a subfolder for every DVD I make.

  3. Make sure the standard is the right one for your country. The size is set automatically. Confirm.

  4. Click on Add a video to your project and browse for your .mpeg or .mpg video files. Click on a video file to open a dialog that contains clear instructions for defining menu buttons.
    You can add up to twenty videos (titles). Each title must have a menu entry.

From now on ManDVD will hold your hand through all the process.

You can burn your DVD-Video on a DVD disk directly from inside the program.

Burn DVD will burn directly the DVD structure to the disk, at high speed.

For burning at lower speed (and at lower error risk) Create an ISO image in ManDVD and burn it later following the next howto. ISO Images are considered convenient especially when you need to burn multiple copies of the same DVD-Video structure.

If you click on Burn with K3b, ManDVD will automatically open K3b and load the DVD-Video structure. Beware: always check that k3b is set to burn it as video DVD project and not as data DVD project. If you need to change the settings for the project to DVD-Video go to File → New Project → New video DVD project.

How to make a DVD-Video structure - single title, no menu

This is the kind of DVD-Video you are supposed to send to Short Film Festivals. They have to be essential and reliable. The video file must be played as soon as the DVD is inserted in the player.

I assume you have a DVD-compliant MPEG file ready. If not, see the Rendering section.

I recommend you use dvdauthor, a command line program.
Install dvdauthor with the following terminal command:

sudo apt-get install dvdauthor

dvdauthor uses text files to describe the DVD structure. Let’s start talking to the program!

In our example we have: a folder called DVD, containing a video file called video.mpg. (full path is /home/grandma/DVD/video.mpg) Adapt this example to your case replacing filenames and paths with the ones right for your project.

Now open a new file in a text editor with the following terminal command:

gedit

Copy and paste the following description:

  <dvdauthor dest="/home/grandma/DVD">
    <vmgm />
    <titleset>
        <titles>
            <pgc>
                <vob
                file="/home/grandma/DVD/video.mpg" />
              </pgc>
        </titles>
    </titleset>
</dvdauthor>

This is a simple XML file with information about the location of the DVD structure that is going to be created and the location of the source file.

Save this text file in the DVD folder, with .xml extension. (e.g.: /home/grandma/DVD/video.xml)

Now we are ready for authoring.

Change the working directory to DVD with the following terminal command:

cd DVD

Tell dvdauthor to build the structure using the information stored in the just created XML file using the command:

dvdauthor -x video.xml

dvdauthor will create the DVD-Video structure, consisting in a set of two folders: AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS.

For variants of this structure, see the dvdauthor documentation

How to preview your DVD-Video structure

Before burning it on a DVD disk I recommend you preview your DVD-Video structure, you check all the buttons and all the video.

Using the Graphical User Interface - VLC

Install VLC using Synaptic Package Manager. Open VLC from Applications → Sound & Video. Go to File - > Open Directory. Browse your filesystem and select the VIDEO_TS folder of your DVD. Click on Open. Alternatively you can right-click on the VIDEO_TS folder, select Open with in the popup menu and click on VLC. Use your mouse or the Navigation menu of VLC to control the playback. Always stop the playback before closing the program.

Using the Command Line - xine

Install Xine with the following command:

sudo apt-get install xine-ui

Enter the directory that contains the DVD with (replace DVDdir with the path to the folder of your DVD-Video structure):

cd DVDdir

Preview the DVD with the command:

xine dvd:`pwd`

How to burn the DVD-Video structure on a DVD disk

Using the Graphical User Interface - K3b

  1. Install K3b using Synaptic Package Manager.

  2. Open K3b from Applications → Sound & Video.

  3. Insert a blank DVD-R or DVD+R disk in your driver.

  4. Click on the New Video DVD Project square blue button at the bottom of the welcome window. (Note: by default in KDE applications you select with a single mouse click)

  5. Use the dialog for browsing through your folders.

  6. Drag the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders to burn and drop them on the right panel of the Current Projects window.

  7. Click on Burn at the top of the left panel of the Current Projects window to Open the burn dialog.

  8. Check that K3b sees your DVD disk in the Burn medium field. If it says "Please insert an empty DVD medium" very likey your DVD disk is faulty. Try with a new one.

  9. Select the lowest possible speed using the drop-down menu, for better quality.

  10. Click on the Filesystem tab and Enter the Volume Name. The volume name is the name you see on your Desktop below the DVD icon once the DVD is inserted in the player.

  11. Press Start to start burning. When the burning is complete the disk is automatically ejected.

Always test your DVD on the crappiest standalone DVD player available. The more players the better.

Using the Command Line

Enter the directory containin the DVD-Video structure by typing the following command (replace DVDdir with the actual name of your directory):

cd DVDdir

Burn the DVD-Video Structure at speed 2x and automatically eject the disk at the end by typing the following command:

sudo nice -n -20 growisofs -dvd-compat -speed=2 -Z /dev/dvd -dvd-video -V VIDEO ./ && eject /dev/dvd

Look at the options of the command. You can modify them!

-speed=2

Sets the burning speed at 2x. Usually that’s the recommended speed. If your DVD burner complains about I/O errors, try with a different speed. My burner seems optimized for -speed=8.

-V VIDEO

Sets the volume name to VIDEO. The volume name is the name you see on your Desktop below the DVD icon once the DVD is inserted in the player. You may want to rename it.

Always test your DVD on the crappiest standalone DVD player available. The more players tested the better.

How to make an ISO image out of a DVD-Video structure

An ISO image is a single file with .iso extension that contains all the data files plus filesystem metadata. It is useful to store all the information of a DVD-Video in a single file to ease the burning of multiple copies of the same DVD-Video structure.

Using the Graphical User Interface - K3b

  1. Install K3b using Synaptic Package Manager.

  2. Open K3b from Applications → Sound & Video.

  3. Click on the New Video DVD Project square blue button at the bottom of the welcome window. (Note: by default in KDE applications you select with a single mouse click)

  4. Drag the AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS folders of your DVD-Video structure and drop them on the right panel of the Current Projects window.

  5. Click on Burn at the top of the left panel of the Current Projects window to Open the burn dialog.

  6. In the Writing tab, in the Settings panel check "Only create image".

  7. In the Image tab you can enter the correct path and name of the ISO file you are creating.

  8. Click on the Filesystem tab and Enter the Volume Name. The volume name is the name you see on your Desktop below the DVD icon once the DVD is inserted in the player.

  9. Click on Start.

Using the Command Line

Enter the directory containin the DVD-Video structure by typing the following command (replace DVDdir with the actual name of your directory):

cd DVDdir

Then copy and paste the following command (final . included):

sudo nice -n -20 mkisofs -dvd-video -V VIDEO -o dvd.iso .

Now, look at the options of the command. You can modify them!

-V VIDEO

Sets the volume name to VIDEO. The volume name is the name you see on your Desktop below the DVD icon once the DVD is inserted in the player. You may want to rename it.

-o dvd.iso

Sets the output filename (dvd) and extension (.iso). You can change the filename.

How to preview your ISO image

Before burning it on a DVD disk I recommend you preview your ISO image, you check all the buttons and all the video.

Using the Graphical User Interface

You can use use VLC for that. Install it using Synaptic Package Manager.

  • Open VLC from Applications → Sound & Video.

  • Go to File - > Quick Open File.

  • Browse your filesystem and select your ISO image.

  • Click on Open.

Alternatively you can right-click on the ISO image, select Open with in the popup menu and click on VLC.

Use your mouse or the Navigation menu of VLC to control the playback.
Always stop the playback before closing the program (otherwise you could experience occasional problems in stopping the audio).

Using the Command Line

You can use use VLC for that. Install it with the following terminal command:

sudo apt-get install vlc

To preview your ISO image dvd.iso stored in your Home folder, use the following command (replace dvd.iso with the name of your image):

vlc dvd.iso

Use your mouse or the Navigation menu of VLC to control the playback.
Always stop the playback before closing the program (otherwise you could experience occasional problems in stopping the audio).

How to burn the ISO image on a DVD disk

Using the Graphical User Interface - K3b

  1. Install K3b using Synaptic Package Manager.

  2. Open K3b from Applications → Sound & Video.

  3. Insert a blank DVD-R or DVD+R disk in your driver.

  4. Click on the Burn DVD ISO Image… square blue button at the bottom of the welcome window. (Note: by default in KDE applications you select with a single mouse click)

  5. In the dialog, select the ISO Image to burn browsing through your files and selecting the DVD file with .iso extension.

  6. Click on Burn at the top of the left field of the bottom window.

  7. Check that K3b sees your DVD disk in the Burn medium field. If it says "Please insert an empty DVD medium" very likey your DVD disk is faulty. Try with a new one.

  8. Select the lowest possible speed using the drop-down menu, for better quality.

  9. Press Start to start burning. When the burning will be complete the disk will be automatically ejected.

Always test your DVD on the crappiest standalone DVD player available. The more players the better.

Using the Command Line

Enter the directory containin the ISO file (DVDdir) by typing the following command (replace DVDdir with the actual name of your directory):

cd DVDdir

Burn the ISO file (dvd.iso) at speed 2x and automatically eject the disk at the end by typing the following command (replace dvd.iso with the actual name of your file):

sudo nice -n -20 growisofs -dvd-compat -speed=2 -Z /dev/dvd=dvd.iso && eject /dev/cdrom

If your DVD burner complains about I/O errors, try with a different speed. My burner seems optimized for -speed=8.

Always test your DVD on the crappiest standalone DVD player available. The more players tested the better.

How to create the cover for your DVD case

I recommend you use KoverArtist, an easy application that lets you set title, subtitle, content, side text, text effects and images on covers for standard DVD cases, standard or silm CD cases. You can install it with Synaptic.

How to convert your project from PAL to NTSC and viceversa

A DVD-Video can be PAL or NTSC, depending on the country’s standard.
If you live in a PAL country and want to send a DVD to your little grandchild that lives in an NTSC country you have to change the standard of your project.

Case 1: Projects that don’t use projector zoom

  1. Edit your EDL in PAL standard as usual.

  2. You can check your resources attributes by right clicking on them and selecting Info from the pop-up menu (PAL = framerate 25 - size 720x576).

  3. Before rendering it, change project attributes (Settings → Format). Change the Preset from PAL to NTSC. Select the Auto checkbox for Aspect ratio.

  4. Check the size of the video output in the Compositor. You may need to zoom out all your video tracks with the compositor projector.

  5. Render as usual.

  6. The rendered file is NTSC. You can verify its attributes by opening it with Cin and selecting Info from the pop-up menu (NTSC = framerate 29.97 - size 720x480).

Case 2: Project with very keyframed projector zoom curves

In case of a project with complex projector zoom keyframing, you may want to use ffmpeg, a command line application for converting your rendered file. Here is a command example of change of standard for a file meant for DVD:

From PAL to NTSC:

ffmpeg -i myfilePAL.mpg -target ntsc-dvd -sameq -r 29.97 -s 600x480 -padleft 60 -padright 60 myfileNTSC.mpg

From NTSC to PAL:

ffmpeg -i myfileNTSC.mpg -target pal-dvd -sameq -r 25 -s 720x480 -padtop 48 -padbottom 48 myfilePAL.mpg

where

-i myfilePAL.mpg is the input file name -target ntsc-dvd -target pal-dvd set automatically all the format options (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) -s 600x480 set frame size (1) -s 720x480 -r 29.97 set frame rate (frames per second) -sameq use same video quality as input avoiding compression -padleft 60 set left pad band size (1) (in pixels, black as default color) -padright 60 set right pad band size (1) -padbottom 48 set bottom pad band size -padtop 48 set top pad band size myfileNTSC.mpg is the output file name

(1) needed to fit a 1.25 aspect ratio video into a 720x480 frame. Output size: (60+600+60)x480

PAL: Canvas size 720x576 - Aspect ratio: 5:4 (1.25:1) NTSC: Canvas size 720x480 - Aspect ratio: 3:2 (1.5:1) To keep the original ratio in the new canvas, blank pad bands are needed. NTSC video in a PAL canvas → 720x(48+480+48) (the small numbers indicate the pad band size) PAL video in a NTSC canvas → (60+600+60)x480