CyberLink PowerProducer 3 User’s Guide
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Contents Introduction.............................................. 1 Welcome ....................................................................................... 2 Production Flow .......................................................................... 3 Pre-Production ........................................................................ 3 Disc Production ...................................................................... 4 Ready to Burn ..........................................................
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Capture from a HDV Camcorder ....................................... 23 Capture from a TV ............................................................... 25 Capture from a VCR ............................................................ 26 Capture from a PC Camera ................................................. 27 Capture from a Digital Camera .......................................... 28 Adjust a Video Clip’s Aspect Ratio ................................... 29 Edit Clips ......
Contents Right-to-Disc .......................................... 57 Burn Video from a DV Camcorder to DVD .......................... 58 Burn Video from a HDV Camcorder to DVD ....................... 61 Burn Video from a TV to DVD ............................................... 64 Burn Video from a PC Camera to DVD ................................. 67 Burn Video from a VCR to DVD ............................................ 70 Disc Utilities ...........................................
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Video Qualities ................................................................... 101 Audio Formats .................................................................... 102 Glossary .................................................................................... 103 Index ...................................................
Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter introduces CyberLink PowerProducer and the digital movie production process, including what you need to have on hand before you begin working on a project. If you are looking for instructions on how to start producing a movie immediately, see Produce a Movie Disc on p.15. This chapter contains the following sections: • Welcome on p.2 • Production Flow on p.3 • The PowerProducer Program on p.5 • PowerProducer Projects on p.6 • Register Your Software on p.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Welcome Welcome to the CyberLink family of digital video tools! CyberLink PowerProducer allows you to finalize your digital video productions and burn them to disc. You can use PowerProducer for light editing tasks and to capture new media, and when it’s time to polish your movie, CyberLink PowerProducer is the best production tool to use.
Chapter 1: Introduction Production Flow The digital movie production process involves a combination of artistry and technology, beginning with raw video footage and ending with a movie production burned to disc. CyberLink PowerProducer provides the easiest way to produce your finished movie and burn it to the medium of your choice. Pre-Production Before you produce your movie using CyberLink PowerProducer, you must first gather (or create) its component parts: video files, photos, and background music.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Disc Production When your movie is ready for production, that’s the time to use PowerProducer. Because PowerProducer offers basic video editing tools, your movie does not have to be perfectly polished at this stage. If you have your media clips on hand, but have not previously edited and polished your movie, you might expect to use CyberLink PowerProducer to perform the following tasks: 1. Specify the disc type and video quality you want to use. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Chapter 1: Introduction The PowerProducer Program When you first open PowerProducer, the program appears as follows: Produce Movie Disc Acquire media, make photo slide shows, create a movie production. Right-to-Disc Burn video directly to a DVD. Edit Disc Edit a disc after burning. Open Project Open an existing PowerProducer project. Disc Utilities Manage your discs and production files.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 PowerProducer Projects To open a PowerProducer project, click Open Project on the main PowerProducer window. CyberLink PowerProducer saves your project as a .PPP file. This project file is the collection of all of your movie content, your special effects, and your settings, but is not the final production.
Chapter 1: Introduction Register Your Software After you install the program, a registration window opens, prompting you to register your software. It is important to register your software in order to receive technical support or other information from CyberLink. To register your software, do this: 1. Enter your personal information in the First Name, Last Name, and Email entry boxes. • Check one or both of the options to receive information from 2.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Upgrade Your Software Software upgrades may be periodically available from CyberLink. To upgrade your software, click in the row of buttons across the top of the window. A web browser window opens to CyberLink’s cyberstore, where you can upgrade your program as well as receive other information about CyberLink and CyberLink’s products. Note: You must be connected to the Internet to use this feature.
Chapter 1: Introduction Production Preferences CyberLink PowerProducer offers a range of preferences to better suit the way you work. To set your preferences, click the button, available on most windows. The Preferences dialog box opens, displaying the Project tab and the Video/Audio tab, which contain customizable preferences. These preferences are described below.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Video/Audio Preferences Note: The video and audio quality options that are available depend on the disc format that you have selected. • Video quality: Select a video quality for your disc: High Quality, Standard Play, Long Play, Extended Play, or Smart Fit. The video quality settings offer different bit rates, resulting in files of different size. The higher the quality of the video, the larger the resulting file and the shorter the length of video that can fit onto a disc.
Chapter 1: Introduction Supported Formats The disc and file formats that PowerProducer supports are listed below: Supported Disc & File Formats DVD Types DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM DVD Formats DVD-Video, DVD-VR, DVD+VR CD Types CD-R, CD-RW CD Formats VCD, SVCD, Divx Audio Input Formats .mp3, .wav, .wma Image Input Formats .bmp, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .tif, .tiff, .psd Video Input Formats .mpg, .mpeg, .avi, .dat, .wmv, .asf, .vob, .
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 System Requirements The system requirements listed below are recommended as minimums for working with the program. You may find that your system, while meeting these recommended minimums, requires expanded capacity for specific tasks.
Chapter 1: Introduction Minimum System Requirements DV/ HDV • OHCI IEEE 1394 compliant device Capture • Analog video capture: USB or PCI capture devices compliant to WDM standards • DV Camcorder video capture: IEEE 1394 I/O devices compliant with OHCI standards • DSC photo import: USB interface Note: To preview HDV content while capturing the video, a nVidia 6200 (or better) or ATI X700 (or better) graphic card is recommended.
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Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc This chapter leads you through the process of producing a movie, from capturing content to burning your finished production to disc. It includes instructions for creating a full-feature video production or photo slide show, customizing your DVD, burning DV/HDV directly onto DVD, and editing a disc after burning. The focus of this chapter is on the fun, creative side of production. This chapter contains the following sections: • Select a Disc Format on p.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Select a Disc Format The first step in producing a movie disc is selecting the format of the disc you want to create. Factors that influence the disc format you should use include the type of disc burner you have on your system, the length and quality of the video you use, and the type of player you intend for playback. To begin producing a movie disc, do this: 1. 16 Open PowerProducer.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc 2. Click Produce Movie Disc. The Select Your Disc window opens. 3. Select the disc format you want to use: • VCD: to create a lower-quality video or a slide show. • DVD: to create a longer, high-quality video. (Requires DVD burner.) • Blu-ray Disc: to create a high-quality high definition video. (Requires Blu-ray disc burner.) Set your other options as necessary: • Video recording format: select a video recording format.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Acquire Content In order to assemble a video production, you must first acquire your video content. You may already have digital files you simply want to import into PowerProducer, or you may have raw footage from either an analog or a digital source that you need to capture. Your production can contain a mixture of video and photos.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc The procedures for acquiring content depend on the kind of device used. The sections that follow describe the specific steps to take for importing or capturing content using the available devices on your system. After import, video clips and photos (in albums) appear in the Author pane as thumbnails. To learn about the actions you can perform on video clips, see Edit Clips on p.30. To learn about the actions you can perform on video clips, see Edit a Slide Show on p.32.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Import Video Files You can import video files (including the audio portion) for use in PowerProducer by clicking Video Files under the Import option on the Content window. You import video files using a normal Open dialog box, but with one difference: PowerProducer allows you to preview video files before you open them. Use the controls under the preview window to start and stop the preview. Import Photos You can import photos for use in PowerProducer as a slide show.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Import Scene on DVD You can import video scenes (including the audio portion) from a DVD for use in PowerProducer by clicking the Scene on DVD option. To import a scene on a DVD, do this: 1. Click Scene on DVD under the Import option on the Content window. 2. Insert your disc and select your DVD drive. 3. Locate the content you want to import. You may use the Playlists and Scenes options to better refine your search.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Capture from a DV Camcorder You can capture video (including the audio portion) from a DV camcorder for use in PowerProducer by clicking DV Camcorder. To capture from a DV camcorder, do this: 1. Click Video under the Capture option on the Content window. 2. In the window that opens, click 3. Locate the content you want to capture. . Note: Be sure that your DV camcorder is set to VCR mode. • You may use the playback controls under the preview window.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc 5. Click want. to end capture when you have captured the video you Note: Non-realtime capture continues capturing and processing after the video has finished playing in order to ensure that no frames are dropped during capture. Capture from a HDV Camcorder You can capture video (including the audio portion) from a HDV camcorder for use in PowerProducer by clicking HDV Camcorder. To capture from a HDV camcorder, do this: 1.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 • You may enter the timecode of the first frame of the video you want to capture. • You may enter a duration (in minutes and seconds) in the 4. 5. Auto-recording duration field to instruct PowerProducer to capture this amount of video from the current position when you begin recording. Click to begin capture. Click want.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Capture from a TV You can capture video (including the audio portion) from a TV for use in PowerProducer by clicking the TV option. To capture from a TV, do this: 1. Click TV under the Capture option on the Content window. 2. In the window that opens, click 3. Select the channel you wish to record.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Capture from a VCR You can capture video (including the audio portion) from a VCR for use in PowerProducer by clicking the VCR option. To capture from a VCR, do this: 1. Click Video under the Capture option on the Content window. 2. In the window that opens, click . • Click to open a dialog box in which you can set other configuration options. 3. Click to begin capture. • You may enter a duration (in minutes and seconds) in the 4.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Capture from a PC Camera You can capture video from a PC camera (webcam) for use in PowerProducer by clicking the PC Camera option. To capture from a PC camera, do this: 1. Click Video under the Capture option on the Content window. 2. In the window that opens, click . • Click to open a dialog box in which you can set other configuration options. 3. Click to begin capture. • You may enter a duration (in minutes and seconds) in the 4.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Capture from a Digital Camera You can capture still photos from a digital camera for use in PowerProducer by clicking the Digital Camera option. To capture from a digital camera, do this: 1. Click Photos under the Capture option on the Content window. The Slide Show Photos dialog box opens. 2. 3. Select your camera from the drop-down box. Check the photo(s) you want to capture. • Check the Select all option to select all of the photos.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Adjust a Video Clip’s Aspect Ratio When you import or capture a video clip, PowerProducer will automatically detect the video clip’s aspect ratio. If the video clips you are using have a different aspect ratio, you can manually adjust the video clip’s aspect ratio to match your movie’s aspect ratio. To manually adjust the video clip’s aspect ratio, do this: 1. Select a video clip from the Author window. 2.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Edit Clips Options for editing clips are located on the Edit Clips window within the Produce Movie Disc function. These options are available to edit both video clips and slide shows. AB Cut The AB Cut option allows you to trim either the ends of a clip or to cut out the middle and keep the end portions. To perform an AB cut on a clip, do this: 1. Click Video clips under the Edit heading. 2. 3. 4. Click the AB Cut tab. Click on the clip you want to cut.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Merge You can merge multiple clips into a single clip that you may find easier to work with. Using a single clip allows you to add a single background music file, or transition effect in a slide show. Note: You cannot merge video clips with albums. To merge multiple clips, do this: 1. Click Video clips under the Edit heading. 2. Click the Merge tab. 3. Select a clip, then click to add the clip to the merge list. Continue to add all the clips you want to merge.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Edit a Slide Show You can modify an album on the Photo Slide Show window, which appears after you import photos on the Content window, or if you select Photo Slide Show under the Edit heading on the Content window. To select an album, click or . Its preview slide appears within the album preview window and the slides it contains appear in the storyboard. Create a New Album To create a new album, use the Import Photos function. For more information, see Import Photos on p.20.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Add Background Music to an Album You may add an audio file to an album in order to provide background music. To add background music to an album, do this: 1. Click Photo Slide Show under the Edit heading. 2. Select the album you want to modify. 3. Click 4. Click to open an audio track. You may edit the audio file here or click to add it to the video clip you have selected. The following options are available, if desired: • Select a fade in/out option.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Add Transition Effects To set a transition effect between all of the slides in an album, do this: 1. Select a transition effect from the drop-down box. 2. Enter the duration (in seconds) of the transition effect. • Click to apply the same transition effect to all albums. Back up Slide Show Photos on Disc To back up your slide show photos on the disc that you burn, check the Back up photos on disc option to burn copies of your photos onto your disc.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Organize Your Story The order of the thumbnails in the Author pane on the Content window corresponds to the order of the video clips in your movie production. You can reorder, remove, and preview each of these clips in order to organize your production into proper order. Note: The aspect ratio of the menu thumbnail is always 4:3. Clips with 16:9 aspect ratio will be modified with letter boxes.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Preview Disc Content When you have organized your clips and finalized the content, it is a good idea to preview your entire production before burning it to disc. You can also view the production summary and the disc’s menu. Preview Your Production To preview your entire production, including video, slide shows, and any settings you have added, click the Preview tab. The Author pane changes to the Preview pane. Click to begin the preview.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc View the DVD Structure To view the menu structure of your disc, click the Disc Structure bar on the Content window. To view a title, click it in the Disc Structure pane. To close the Disc Structure pane, click the bar again. View the Production Summary You can view up-to-the-minute system and production information by clicking on the PowerProducer interface. This button is available on most PowerProducer windows.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 PowerProducer gives you an overview of the file size and duration of your production next to this button.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Customize Your Disc’s Menu Page Menus allow you to navigate around on your final disc. The Customize Menu window gives you complete creative control over the look of your menu page. You can modify the appearance of the menu’s buttons, text, and overall layout. To open the Customize Menu window, click Menu under the Edit heading on the Content window. Note: The Background Image is always displayed at 4:3 aspect ratio.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 3. Click to close the customization window. Specify the Number of Buttons Per Menu Page To specify the number of buttons per menu page, do this: 1. Click Buttons Per Page. • To restrict display for easier selection, choose a category from 2. the drop-down box, or select ALL to show all options. Select the option you want to use. 3. Click to close the customization window. Select a Button Frame Style To select a button frame style, do this: 1. Click Frame.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc 1. Click Button Style. • To restrict display for easier selection, choose a category from 2. the drop-down box, or select ALL to show all options. Select the option you want to use. 3. Click to close the customization window. Download a Template To download a template from CyberLink’s web site, do this: 1. Click More Templates. A web browser window opens to CyberLink’s cyberstore. 2. Download the template(s) you would like to use.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Set Background Music The procedure for adding background music to a menu is the same as the procedure for adding background music to an album. See Add Background Music to an Album on p.33 for the steps to follow. Set a First Play Video Clip A clip designated as first play is the initial sequence that plays as soon as a disc is inserted into a computer for play, and before the menu page appears.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Set Chapters Chapters allow for ease of navigation on a disc. If you set chapters on your disc, viewers can jump from the menu page to the start of these chapters in order to skip previous content. However, you may choose not to include chapters. If you do not set chapters, your movie plays automatically when the disc is inserted into a player. Set Chapters Automatically To set chapters automatically, do this: 1. Click Chapters under the Edit heading on the Content window.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Set Chapters Manually To set chapters manually, do this: 1. Click Chapters under the Edit heading on the Content window. 2. Use the playback controls to locate points in the video clip where you want to add a chapter, then click to set chapters at these points. 3. Click . Remove a Chapter To remove a chapter, select it, then click . You can undelete chapters in the order that you delete them by clicking .
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Add a Playlist Adding a playlist to your DVD allows you to specify which sections of content are shown when you play your DVD. You may include several playlists that display different variations of the original content in order to provide different versions of your movie. Note: Playlists are available only when you create DVD-VR discs. To add a playlist, do this: 1. Click Playlist under the Edit heading on the Content window. 2. Click to create a new playlist.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Select a Playlist When you create a new playlist, a preview appears in the playlist preview window. You may, however, have other playlists that are not visible. To select a different playlist, click or . Its preview slide appears within the playlist preview window and the clips it contains appear in the Author pane.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc Final Output After you have acquired your media, assembled your story, edited your clips, added audio and other effects, and customized the layout and look of your disc, then it’s time to finalize your production. CyberLink PowerProducer offers several methods to finalize your production, which are useful under different circumstances.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn Your Production to Disc Burning your production to disc is the final stage of the movie production process. Once it is burned, you will be able to play it on a disc player to share with your family and friends. To burn your production to disc, do this: 1. Check the Burn to disc option on the Final Output window. 2. Specify your burning options: • Enter the number of copies you want to make. • To give the disc a volume label, enter the desired label. 3. Click .
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc When the task is completed, a window appears, displaying a congratulatory message and offering several options to continue. Click Play Disc to play the disc in CyberLink’s PowerDVD software player. Click Go to Main Window to return to the main PowerProducer window. Click Quit PowerProducer to close the program.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Save Your Production as a Disc Image You can save your production on your hard drive as a disc image for later burning. This option is particularly useful if your computer currently does not have a disc burning drive installed. To save your production as a disc image, do this: 1. Check the Save as disc image option. 2. Click , then select the directory where you want to save the disc image and enter a file name. 3. Click . The task begins immediately.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc When the task is completed, a window appears, displaying a congratulatory message and offering several options to continue. Click Go to Main Window to return to the main PowerProducer window. Click Quit PowerProducer to close the program.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Create a DVD Folder Creating a DVD folder conveniently stores all the files that make up a movie in your hard drive so that it is ready for burning. To create a DVD folder, do this: 1. Check the Create a DVD folder option. 2. Click , then select the directory where you want to save the DVD folder. Note: Creating a DVD folder overwrites existing data in a directory. 3. 52 Click . The task begins immediately. PowerProducer displays the real-time progress.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc When the task is completed, a window appears, displaying a congratulatory message and offering several options to continue. Click Go to Main Window to return to the main PowerProducer window. Click Quit PowerProducer to close the program.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Edit a Disc After Burning What happens if you shoot additional video that would complete your production perfectly? Do you have to erase your entire disc or burn a new one? Not necessarily... After you burn your production onto a rewritable disc (i.e.: in -RW/VR or +RW/VR format), you can go back and edit the content at a later time. To edit a disc after burning, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Edit Disc. 3. Insert your target disc.
Chapter 2: Produce a Movie Disc 6. Make the desired modifications in the PowerProducer program, then click . 7. Click . See Final Output on p.47.
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Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc You can burn video content from a DV camcorder, HDV camcorder, TV, webcam, or VCR directly onto a DVD without the intermediary step of first writing to your hard drive. This can save you a lot of time when you want to store video on a disc. In the simplest scenario, you could burn video content straight onto DVD, then immediately play your movie on a DVD player or save the content for future projects.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn Video from a DV Camcorder to DVD DV camcorders are popular among video hobbyists, as they record in a digital format that does not require conversion before being used on a computer, and often provide a number of advanced recording options. Note: You must have a DVD burner to use this function. To burn video from a camcorder to DVD, do this: 58 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Right-to-Disc. 3.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc 4. Select a recording speed in the Maximum speed drop-down list, then click . 5. Select DV from the Recording from drop-down list. Note: Be sure that your DV camcorder is set to VCR mode. 6. 7. Select the duration of your DV tape under the DV tape length drop-down list. Set the TV format (NTSC or PAL) by selecting the location where you want to play your disc.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 • Click the Settings tab to display disc and video settings. 8. Click to start burning. PowerProducer displays the realtime progress of the task. Note: The burning process may take at least a few minutes, depending on the length of your video and your computer’s processing power. You may preview the video you have burned to DVD using the controls in the preview window.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc Burn Video from a HDV Camcorder to BD HDV camcorders are also quite popular among video enthusiasts, as they record in a digital format that does not require conversion before being used on a computer, and often provide a number of advanced recording options. Note: You must have a BD burner to use this function. To burn video from a HDV camcorder to BD, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Right-to-Disc. 3.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 4. Select a recording speed in the Maximum speed drop-down list, then click . 5. Select HDV from the Recording from drop-down list. Note: Be sure that your camcorder is set to VCR mode. 6. 7. 62 Select the duration of your HDV tape under the HDV tape length drop-down list. Set the TV format (NTSC or PAL) by selecting the location where you want to play your disc.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc • Click the Settings tab to display disc and video settings. 8. Click to start burning. PowerProducer displays the realtime progress of the task. Note: The burning process may take at least a few minutes, depending on the length of your video and your computer’s processing power. You may preview the video you have burned to BD using the controls in the preview window.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn Video from a TV to DVD You may wish to store segments from your favorite TV programs for use in your movie production, or simply burn other segments for different uses. To burn video from a TV to DVD, do this: Note: You must have a DVD burner to use this function. 64 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Right-to-Disc. 3. Insert your target disc and ensure that the correct drive is selected.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc 4. Select a recording speed in the Maximum speed drop-down list, then click . 5. 6. 7. Select Tuner from the Recording from drop-down list. Select the channel you want to record. Set the TV format (NTSC or PAL) by selecting the location where you want to play your disc. You may also set other options at this time: • To burn a specific length of video, check the Auto-recording duration option, then enter a time in the entry box.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 • Click to open a window containing TV settings. Select your TV in the Video device drop-down list. Select your audio device in the Audio device drop-down list. Select an audio source in the Audio input drop-down list. Video source: select Antenna if your TV has an antenna, or Cable if you have CATV. • Select the channel you want to record. Click to start burning. PowerProducer displays the realtime progress of the task. • • • • 8.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc Burn Video from a PC Camera to DVD PC cameras (also known as webcams) are inexpensive, handy video cameras that you can use for simple video capturing. Note: You must have a DVD burner to use this function. To burn video from a PC camera to DVD, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Right-to-Disc. 3. Insert your target disc and ensure that the correct drive is selected.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 68 4. Select a recording speed in the Maximum speed drop-down list, then click . 5. 6. Select PC Camera from the Recording from drop-down list. Set the TV format (NTSC or PAL) by selecting the location where you want to play your disc, and select a video quality. You may also set other options at this time: • To burn a specific length of video, check the Auto-recording duration option, then enter a time in the entry box.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc • Click to open a window containing PC camera settings. • Select your PC camera in the Video device drop-down list. • Select your audio device in the Audio device drop-down list. • Select an audio source in the Audio input drop-down list. 7. Click to start burning. PowerProducer displays the realtime progress of the task. Note: The burning process may take at least a few minutes, depending on the length of your video and your computer’s processing power.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn Video from a VCR to DVD If you have video that is stored on VHS tapes, you can burn that video content directly from your VCR to a DVD. You may wish to later edit your DVD to create a movie production or simply find storing your video on disc is more convenient. Note: You must have a DVD burner to use this function. To burn video from a VCR to DVD, do this: 70 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. Click Right-to-Disc. 3.
Chapter 3: Right-to-Disc 4. Select a recording speed in the Maximum speed drop-down list, then click . 5. 6. Select Analog video from the Recording from drop-down list. Set the TV format (NTSC or PAL) by selecting the location where you want to play your disc, and select a video quality. You may also set a number of other options at this time: • To burn a specific length of video, check the Auto-recording duration option, then enter a time in the entry box.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 • Click to open a window containing VCR settings. Select your VCR in the Video device drop-down list. Select your audio device in the Audio device drop-down list. Select an audio source in the Audio input drop-down list. To specify the type of video your VCR uses, select Composite or S-Video under the Video source option. Click to start burning. PowerProducer displays the realtime progress of the task. • • • • 7.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities In addition to its production, editing, and disc burning functions, CyberLink PowerProducer offers a number of other utilities for managing your discs, your disc image files, and your DVD folders. This chapter contains the following sections: • PowerProducer’s Disc Utilities on p.74 • Erase a Disc on p.76 • Copy a Disc on p.77 • Defragment a Disc on p.79 • Make a Disc DVD Player-Compatible on p.80 • Burn a Disc From a Disc Image on p.82 • Save a Disc Image on p.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 PowerProducer’s Disc Utilities PowerProducer contains a number of utilities for managing disc content and format, disc image files, and DVD folders. Use these utilities to prepare your discs for burning and to organize your media files for further editing or burning to disc. To open PowerProducer’s disc utilities, do this: 1. 74 Open PowerProducer and click Disc Utilities.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities 2. Select the utility you want to use: • Erase Disc: click this icon to erase all content from a disc. For more information, see Erase a Disc on p.76. • Copy Disc: click this icon to make a copy of a disc. For more information, see Copy a Disc on p.77. • Defragment Disc: click this icon to move the content of a disc to one location in order to increase the amount of free space on the disc. For more information, see Defragment a Disc on p.79.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Erase a Disc If you are using a rewritable disc, you can erase content that has been previously recorded onto it. This allows you to reuse the same discs over and over without the need to continually buy new discs. Most manufacturers suggest that current -RW/+RW rewritable discs can be written to about 1,000 times. DVD-RAM discs can be written to 100,000 times. To erase a disc, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Erase Disc. 4.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities Copy a Disc CyberLink PowerProducer allows you to make an exact copy of a disc of any format. However, you must copy the disc onto another disc of the same format. (You cannot, for example, copy a CD onto a DVD.) To copy a disc, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Copy Disc. 4. Insert your source disc into your drive. • Click to refresh the display of your drive. • Click 5. to open your disc drive door.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 78 6. Select the burning options you want: • Select a recording speed. • Enter the number of copies you want to make. • Keep the Enable buffer underrun protection option checked in order to avoid errors during copy. • The On the fly option burns directly to disc without the intermediary step of first burning to your hard drive. Use this option if you have two disc drives. • Check the Create disc image option when using one disc drive for the copy function. 7. Click to start.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities Defragment a Disc Defragmenting a disc moves all of the content on a disc to one location so that the total free space on a disc is available for burning video. If unused space is scattered on the disc, video burning software is unable to access it, resulting in a loss of recording capacity of the disc. The Defragment Disc utility allows you to recover this lost space. Note: The Defragment Disc utility is only available for DVDs. You may not defragment a blank disc.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Make a Disc DVD PlayerCompatible PowerProducer can convert DVD-VR discs to the DVDVideo format, which can be played on most DVD players. You must have a DVD burner to use this utility. To make a DVD-VR disc DVD-Video compatible, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Make Compatible. 4. Insert your source disc into your drive. • Click to refresh the display of your drive. • Click to open your disc drive door.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities 6. Select the burning options you want: • Select a recording speed. • Enter the number of copies you want to make. • Keep the Enable buffer underrun protection option checked in order to avoid errors during copy. • The Keep DVD folder option retains a DVD folder on the disc if one is encountered while converting the disc format. 7. Click to start. PowerProducer displays the real-time progress of the task.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn a Disc From a Disc Image A disc image is the collection of all of your movie content and settings that is compressed and saved to disc in .RDF format for storage so you can work on it at a later time. A disc image is saved in the file structure that is destined to be burned to disc. To burn a disc image, do this: 82 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Burn Disc From Image. 4. Insert your disc and select your drive.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities Save a Disc Image If you have previously burned a disc image to a disc, you can save that image onto your hard drive. This function is useful for backing up your disc onto your hard drive for future burning (for example, if your computer does not have a burning drive installed). To save a disc image, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Save Disc Image. 4. Insert your disc and select your drive.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Burn a Disc from a DVD Folder If you have created a DVD folder that contains all of the media files for your production, you can burn this folder to a disc for storage. (Burning a DVD folder to disc is similar to burning a disc image, but does not employ compression, and therefore has no compatibility issues.) To burn a disc from a DVD folder, do this: 84 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Burn Disc From DVD folder. 4.
Chapter 4: Disc Utilities Export to File Using the Export to File function, you can export DVD-VR files that are stored on disc to your hard drive in MPEG format, then use them in your movie production. To export DVD-VR files to hard drive, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3. Click Disc Utilities. Click Export to File. The Export to File window opens. 4. Insert your disc and select your drive. • Select a playlist from the drop-down box, if necessary. • Click to open your disc drive door.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Finalize/Unfinalize a Disc If you wish to view your DVD-RW disc on a player, you must first finalize the disc. (Unfinalized discs cannot be viewed on a player.) When you finalize a disc, no further data can be added to it, even if the disc contains sufficient space. However, you can unfinalized a disc in order to perform further editing functions (such as appending video, adding chapters, etc.). To finalize or unfinalize a disc, do this: 1. Start CyberLink PowerProducer. 2. 3.
Reference This chapter contains reference information to help answer questions you may have about the digital movie production process or about using CyberLink PowerProducer. This chapter contains the following sections: • Technical Support on p.88 • FAQ on p.90 • Disc Types & Video Recording Formats on p.96 • Formats & Qualities on p.100 • Glossary on p.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Technical Support Before asking CyberLink Corp. for technical support, please refer to this user's guide or online help for more information. You may also contact the distributor/dealer where you bought this product for help. If your problem is still not resolved, the following sections provide ways to obtain technical support. Web Support Technical support is available 24 hours a day and at no cost at our support web site: support.cyberlink.
Chapter 5: Reference Telephone Support You are welcome to call the CyberLink's Technical Support Hotline at: • (886) 2-8667-1298 Phone support hours are: • Monday to Friday • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (GMT +8:00) Taiwan local time, excluding holidays.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 FAQ Answers to the most frequently asked questions concerning CyberLink PowerProducer are listed below. If you require further information, see Technical Support on p.88. 1. What is PowerProducer? PowerProducer is a software program for producing movie titles and photo slide shows in formats such as DVD/VCD/SVCD. With video editing and menu customization capabilities, PowerProducer allows you to add the finishing touches to your home movies. 2.
Chapter 5: Reference Video recording functions: • DVD-VR disc protection • DVD-VR title protection • DVD-VR title export to file • DVD-VR play list export to file • CPRM detection Menus: • Video thumbnails • Customizable video duration • Alpha menu frame • Alpha thumbnails • Rotated thumbnails • Drag and drop menu authoring Burning functions: • DVD-9 (Double Layer) support • Blu-ray disc support UI improvements: • Menu-based authoring • Large preview window • Scalable frame-stepping • Motion menu preview
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 4. How do I know if my hardware is supported by CyberLink PowerProducer? Check the hardware approval sheet in the readme file. An updated version can also be found on CyberLink’s website. Just click Products > CyberLink PowerProducer, then click a device type under Supported Devices in the left-hand column. There is information on the following types of devices: • • • • • • 5.
Chapter 5: Reference entire disc. The disc can be played on a standard DVD player after editing. 8. What is the difference between CyberLink PowerProducer and CyberLink PowerDirector? CyberLink PowerProducer is mainly for users who want to turn their home videos saved in their computers or in DV/HDV camcorders and digital cameras into movie titles on DVDs or CDs and share with friends and family. Without spending too much time on learning how to operate a movie authoring software.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 10. Commercial DVDs often contain up to 3 hours of video. How can I use PowerProducer to make a DVD that long? Change the video quality setting in the Select Your Disc page. When you select a video quality, the detailed attributes of that quality setting are displayed at the bottom of the PowerProducer interface. For more information, see Video Qualities on p.101. 11.
Chapter 5: Reference 14. What's Video Recording Format? Depending on the disc type you choose for your production you will be able to select different video recording formats. Video recording format determines how the video is burned into your disc. Choose a video recording format that will be compatible with the player you will be using to playback the disc.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Disc Types & Video Recording Formats This section describes the different disc types and disc formats that you can use in CyberLink PowerProducer. Disc Types In broad terms, discs are divided into CD (which, being the earlier technology, is more widely supported) and DVD (which holds many times the amount of content, but requires a different drive). Following is a brief description of the different disc types supported by CyberLink PowerProducer.
Chapter 5: Reference DVD Types DVD is a high capacity disc that holds anywhere from 4.7-17 GB of data, or from roughly 2-8 hours of video (depending on the type of DVD and the video quality setting). Using the High Quality setting, you can expect to be able to record 1-2 hours of video. DVDs can be played on DVD players and computers equipped with DVD drives. For more detailed information on DVD-R/RW formats, see www.dvdrhelp.com/dvd or other web sources.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Blu-ray Discs Blu-ray discs (BD) are optical discs developed to enable burning and playing High-Definition video (HD), or to store data. BDs are burned using different technologies from CDs or DVDs, but can be made compatible with the appropriate hardware. BDs can be single-layer (2 hours HD/25GB of data) or dual-layer (4 hours HD or 50GB of data). PowerProducer supports burning to rewritable, single-layer Blu-ray discs.
Chapter 5: Reference VCD VCD (video compact disc) is a CD video format that uses MPEG compression. VCD contains audio and video of a quality about the same as that of VHS, and also contains menus and chapters like a DVD. VCD can be played on a PC with VCD/MPEG playback software and on most stand-alone DVD players. DivX DivX is a video file format based on MPEG-4 technology.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Formats & Qualities When you burn video to disc, you must take into consideration not only the quality you want to use, but also the TV format of the country or region in which you want to watch the movie disc you burn. The section below offers information on both of these topics, allowing you to burn video discs that suit your playback capabilities. Video Formats The two video formats (NTSC and PAL) have been adopted as standards by television broadcasters around the world.
Chapter 5: Reference Video Qualities The different video quality settings (HQ, SP, LP, and EP) available in CyberLink PowerProducer result in a final picture of higher or lower quality and a movie file of larger or smaller size. Better quality video also demands more from your computer and limits the video duration you can burn to disc.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 Audio Formats The table below illustrates the availability of audio formats when using different video formats.
Chapter 5: Reference Glossary The glossary provides definitions of terms used in this user’s guide that you may find unfamiliar. In addition to this glossary, CyberLink offers i-Help definitions on the PowerProducer program interface. (To use i-Help, click the icon.) album The building blocks of slide shows. An album may contain one or more slides (with a maximum of 256), and a slide show may contain one or more albums (with a maximum of 1,980 VCD/SVCD discs).
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 clip A piece of video or a slide show album that appears in a movie production. codec Software used in compressing/decompressing video. defragment a disc Defragmenting a disc moves all of the content on a disc to one location so that the total free space on a disc is available for burning video. If unused space is scattered on the disc, video burning software is unable to access it, resulting in a loss of recording capacity of the disc.
Chapter 5: Reference DVD+R A DVD format that allows you to write once. It is a competitor product to DVD-R, and is therefore not compatible with that format. Some new DVD writers can write in both DVD+R and DVD-R, and most DVD players can read both formats. For more detailed information, see www.dvdrw.com or other web sources. DVD-ROM A read-only DVD format commonly used for distribution of movies (which are more specifically referred to as DVD-Video) and computer games.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 106 Favorite file A file (in .fl format) used by PowerProducer to remember your favorite styles for disc menus. A disc menu style includes a number of stylistic and layout options. HDV HDV or High Definition Video refers to the capturing, manipulation and storage of high definition video in standard digital formats. The HDV format is an international standard for consumer use created in 2003 by a consortium of companies.
Chapter 5: Reference PAL (Phase Alteration Line) The standard video format for television broadcasts in Germany, Great Britain, South America, Australia, and most of Western European and Asian countries. PAL has 576 horizontal lines of resolution and a frame rate of 25 fps. production A movie or photo slide show that can contain background music and other settings. render To compile a video production from its component video, audio, photo, and settings parts.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 VCD (Video Compact Disc) A CD that contains audio and video of a quality about the same as that of VHS. VCD can hold up to 74/80 minutes of video on a 650/700Mb disc, and can contain menus and chapters like a DVD, as well as slide shows with background audio. VCD uses the MPEG compression standard, and can be played on a PC with VCD/MPEG playback software and on most stand-alone DVD players.
Index A AB Cut 30 acquiring content 18 from digital camera 28 from DV camcorder 22 from DVD 21 from file 20 from HDV camcorder 23 from PC camera 27 from TV 25 from VCR 26 adding background music to albums 33 background music to disc menu 42 images as menu backgrounds 39 photos to an album 32 playlists 45 slides to albums 20 albums adding background music to 33 adding photos 32 adding slides to 20 applying transition effects 34 creating new 32 modifying name 32 number of slides allowed in 20 previewing 36 v
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 C customizing menu pages 39 camcorder burning to DVD 58 capturing from 22, 23 capturing from digital camera 28 from DV camcorder 22 from HDV camcorder 23 from PC camera 27 from TV 25 from VCR 26 CD types 96 vs.
Index importing scenes from 21 vs.
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 L languages supported 93 location 10 LP (Long Play) 101 M Make Compatible 80 mark in 30 mark out 30 menus adding background music 42 Button Layout 40 Button Style 40 Buttons Per Page 40 customizing 39 editing text 41 first play 42 Frame 40 Template 39 merging clips 31 mixing video and photos 18 modifying name of an album 32 modifying disc menu adding background music 42 Button Layout 40 Button Style 40 Buttons Per Page 40 editing text 41 Frame 40 Template 39 move a thumbnail 35
Index R pre-production disc production 4 ready to burn 4 Preview pane 36 previewing albums 36 clips 36 disc content 37 DVD structure 37 production 36 production summary 37 while importing DVD content 21, 45, 85 while importing video files 20 producing movie discs 15 production flow 3 functions in PowerProducer 2 pre-production 3 summary, viewing 37 project file, opening 6 project files 6 properties albums 32 clips 36 Save as disc image 50 saving disc images 83 Favorite files 41 scene detection 43, 94 sel
CyberLink PowerProducer 3 capturing from 25 U unfinalize a disc 86 upgrade your software 8 utilities 73 V VCD 17 VCR burning to DVD 70 capturing from 26 video editing functions 2 video files, importing 20 video qualities 10 video quality hint on selecting 101 HQ 101 LP 101 SP 101 Video recording format 17, 95, 98 video thumbnail 9 viewing album properties 32 clip properties 36 production size 38 114 W webcam burning to DVD 67 capturing from 27 welcome 2 what’s new in PowerProducer 3? 90 working directo
