Authoring Software--Is there one that really works?

[lynnsabcs]

Everything I can read about Ulead, Pinnacle and other authoring software packages here and on Amazon.com's buyer's reponses makes me think I don't want to buy any of them!!

I bought a decent authoring book that included a DVD with samples of DVDit, Pinnacle 8, Ulead and a few others, and I can't find one package that shines.

Anybody recommend an affordable home-movie software that will let me edit, add titles, menus and all the other stuff that won't crash everytime I use it?

LynnsABCs

[DeleriumMDK]

I really like TMPGEnc DVD Author. Very easy to use, never tried making my own menus really, I like a few of the pre-made ones they included, good stuff.

[tjborwn101]

I've looked at a few tools and found that ULEAD DVD Movie Factory V3 seems to be the best tools for my needs.

I tried Pinnacle (too slow, wants to re-encode compliant vids, audio sync problems, ect); TMPEG DVD Author, not fancy enough backgrounds, motion menus, etc; DVD XMaker (321).... Too Slow.... ; Roxio DVD Creator V5 -- wants to re-encode compliant vids;

I'm sure there are a lot more out there and I'm sure many members of this forum will no doubt chime back with their 3.5 cents as to why MF3 is NFG. Anyhow... it seems ot work well. Doesn't re-encode compliant vids, nice motion menus, (I even downloaded some PAL / NTSC MPEG files and converted to MPEG2 L2 files and use them as intro's. Granted the AC3 non-support is an issue... but for converted home movies (Analog and DV) the MPEG L2 Audio or PCM is fine.

I've burned 75 movies so far and only one coaster (my fault there)

TJ

[northcat_8]

Well there are several that work and work well. And it seems that for everyone of them some people get them to work and some people can't.

Ulead makes a very simple product.

DVD Movie Factory and DVD workshop. - the difference between the 2 is basically workshop gives you more flexability as far as menu's, text, motion menu's and some other things.

Sonic DVDit or myDVD can't remember the name exactly...came with my burner. It is comparable with DVD movie factory. Very restricted with options and flexability.

Pinnacle Studio 8 - is the only software in the mix that is also a video editing software. Studio 8 is a great concept, capture, clip, transtions, sound, voice overs, slow motion, and you can output to AVI, MPEG, MPEG-2, rm, wmv and DVD. Problem is I think the program tries to cover too much and doesn't do any single part REALLY REALLY well. Don't get me wrong, I have and use S8 for capture, edit and rendering finished video files. But I cannot get it to make a DVD. You should know before you buy this software that there is no support from Pinnacle. They will tell you to uninstall and re-install the software and that's about it.

TMPGEnc DVD Author - I just got this software and I love it. Worked for me just like it is suppose to. Motion Menus, were no problem, everything went well.

DVD-LAB - interesting software, looks great. I have version 1.3 but I can't get it to import some of my menus that I have made in photoshop. I keep getting a "DVD-LAB out of memory" error. DVD-LAB does seem to be the most flexible of the softwares out right now.

I started in the Ulead line, I have Ulead DVD factory 2 (I think) and DVD workshop and I used Workshop to make my DVD's until TMPGEnc DVD Author came out.

Right now my process is capture with Pinnacle Studio 8, edit with S8, render video to DV-AVI. Then I use TMPGEnc Plus to demux the video and sound. Then I use TMPGEnc DVD Author to make my DVD. I have TDA write a ISO file and I burn with DVD Decrypter.

I am suppose to be able to have S8 output a MPEG-2 file and it will...occasionally. TMPGEnc plus does it everytime.

I wish I would have never bought Studio 8, but it came with the capture card and it is an easy software to use but it is very buggy and now version 9 is out...

You are not going to find a software that is universally excepted by everyone and everyone will always have some difficulties with some softwares. Even with the DVD workshop, and TMPGEnc DVD Author...some people experience audio sync problems...I have not experienced those yet...I don't know why I haven't or why they have.

I know if I were buying it, I would go with TMPGEnc DVD Author...and I did.

[beingfunny]

I'll put in another vote for TMPGEnc DVD Author.

I tried Pinnacle Studio 8 for an all-in-one deal, but found it does an "ok" job on each phase. After a bunch of trials on different software, I found TMPGEnc DVD Author to be the best for authoring (for what I use it for - simple menus with an easy user interface).

[housepig]

Anybody recommend an affordable home-movie software that will let me edit, add titles, menus and all the other stuff that won't crash everytime I use it?

I would advise you to find a dedicated editor, a dedicated encoder, and a dedicated authoring application, rather than an all-in-one box.

by doing so, you add some extra steps*, but you gain flexibility, power and customization.

(* and in many cases, you're not adding steps, you're just bringing into the open what the all-in-one application is hiding from you.)

yes, it may also cost more money up front - but may save you in the long run. for example, the stuff I use:
- iuVCR for capture ($25, I think)
- Virtualdub for basic edits (free)
- Vegas for titling & composite work (a few hundred, but you could use Screenblast for most of what I do, for about $70-100)
- TMPGenc for encoding ($50)
- DVD Lab for authoring ($80)
- Nero to burn (free w/ burner)

total = $255. and if you substitute VirtualVCR for iuVCR, and Magix Audio/Video or MovieXone Free or Zwei-Stein for Vegas / Screenblast, you come down to about $130.

So if you buy an all-in-one that costs $99, but doesn't allow custom bitrates, so you can't do acceptable quality and still fit 100 minutes on a disc? Or you can't use anything but stock templates for backgrounds in your authoring? Or you want to mix some background music or sound effects, but you only have 1 audio track? You end up buying another authoring app, editor or encoder, and that $99 didn't get you very far.

Even worse, you may find (as I did with NeoDVD) that the video your all-in-one produces is not 100% standard, so no other authoring app or editing program will import it...

so try it from the dedicated-app side - everything I use (except maybe Vegas) can be downloaded for a free trial. you may find it worthwhile to break out of the all-in-one box....

[MrMungus]

I really like TMPGEnc DVD Author. Very easy to use, never tried making my own menus really, I like a few of the pre-made ones they included, good stuff.

Ditto. I tried DVDLab and Ulead's authoring setup and opted for (just purchased) Author because it works the way I want it to.

[PhreakPhish]

Pinnacle 8 or TMPGenc DVD Author - i still need to try ULEAD DVD Movie Factory - i heard good stuff

TMPGenc has good menu options but I wish it was like P8 -
P8 will ONLY let you make a dvd with an MPEG that is around 2.5g - which sucks for home video editing -

I use TMPGenc DVD Author for big files and P8 for small - the sync prob with P8 sucks too - i found out it was with capturing - then i fixed that - i hate that it re-renders, but if the specifications don't change from capturing i am pretty sure it wont re-render - i think that was the other part where my sync prob was comming -

[PhreakPhish]

i just watched the demo on ulead dvd movie factory - i am goign to d/l the trail - looks veerrryyy ggoooddd!!!

[FulciLives]

Another vote here for TMPGEnc DVD Author

Yes the menu design is not as flexible as DVD-Lab but DVD-Lab has far too many "bugs" or "issues"

TMPGEnc DVD Author is rock solid and works like a champ. It is easy as pie to put custom chapters points EXACTLY where you want them too. Big bonus there.

Plus if you must you can do some simple cut editing without destroying audio sync.

A nice option for those that capture direct to MPEG-2

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[jjbodean1970]

put me in for TMPGEnc - not a single problem yet for me in over 50+ authors

[snogger]

I posted this above in the "what are using" thread, but here it is again:

Am I the only one using PowerDirector from Cyberlink??

http://www.gocyberlink.com/english/products/product_main.jsp?ProdId=45

The newest version seems to have everything you would need and for under $100..

Been using it since Version 2 and version 3 is even better with Timelines, PiP and all the Transitions/effects/titles and DVD Authoring options..

I would recommend this to anyone that wanted 1 product that captured, edited, produced and burned DVD's.

[snogger]

Anybody recommend an affordable home-movie software that will let me edit, add titles, menus and all the other stuff that won't crash everytime I use it?

So if you buy an all-in-one that costs $99, but doesn't allow custom bitrates, so you can't do acceptable quality and still fit 100 minutes on a disc? Or you can't use anything but stock templates for backgrounds in your authoring? Or you want to mix some background music or sound effects, but you only have 1 audio track? You end up buying another authoring app, editor or encoder, and that $99 didn't get you very far.

Even worse, you may find (as I did with NeoDVD) that the video your all-in-one produces is not 100% standard, so no other authoring app or editing program will import it...

so try it from the dedicated-app side - everything I use (except maybe Vegas) can be downloaded for a free trial. you may find it worthwhile to break out of the all-in-one box....

Just wanted to give my 2 cents that Cuberlinks Products seems to me at least to do everything you talk about here.. I have also produced a Movie in Cyberlink and than when I was testing other apps had no problems using that exact movie in those apps.

http://www.gocyberlink.com/english/products/product_main.jsp?ProdId=45

[LisaB]

DVD-Lab is nice - I've used it many times. But, DVD-Lab puts everything in one VTS, so everything must be the same resolution and aspect ratio. DVD-Lab still has little support for MPEG-1.

I vote for TMPGEnc DVD-Author, which has great clip editing capabilities, is multi-VTS, and now has a very flexible menu creation system. You can even author SVCD-resolution MPEG's if you use a tool like DVDPatcher.

Lisa B.

[marshalljames]

TMPEG DVD Author love it,never had any problems,takes mpeg1 and 2 files and doesn't complain,no brainer to edit commercials from captured material.And makes beautiful menu's,love the motion menu's and ability to design your own.
Pinnacle 8 is the worst piece of garbage I've ever seen.it came bundled with my burner,used it once..GARBAGE..forced gestapo syle registration,grade school GUI and Non-Resizable windows..what a turkey...

[northcat_8]

housepig wrote:

I would advise you to find a dedicated editor, a dedicated encoder, and a dedicated authoring application, rather than an all-in-one box.

Absolutely

True menu design is not as flexible as with DVD-Lab, Lab is so full of bugs right now that it's unreal. I couldn't import any menu yesterday...I got the out of memory error. Today I could import the menu but the importing the video crashed the program....

I do think LAB will be the best when they get it all ironed out...but then again maybe it crashed because my menu was a photoshop document (psd) with 14 transparent layers

PhreakPhish

~good luck~
Maybe version 3 is better than the past versions but in the past you had no control over chapter points or maybe it was chapter order...I forget...it's been a while.

[toronto098]

I tried few different ones (eg. Ulead MF 2 SE, Roxio 6, Tmpgenc DVD, etc) and found that it really depending on what you want to acheive. That said, I sometimes even use the regular Tmpgenc to encode it to mpg-1 or mpg2 before using any of the DVD author tools mentioned above.

I have also noticed that Ulead MF 2 SE always forces the conversion to 4x3 Letterbox mode even if the source is 16x9 wide mode. Any one knows anything about this

[richdvd]

Ok..Can someone explain to me how to do Motion Menus in TMPGenc DVD Author???

thanks
t.shafter

[randytsuch]

I am probably going to end up using DVD Moviefactory 3, but it comes down to personal preference.

Tmpgenc's DVD author is nice, but I did not like the way the menu's come out it it. The selected thumbnail is all yellow, and hard to see. I did see there was a way to make the selected clip another color, but it looked like a PIA, so I didn't try it.

DVD lab was really flexible, could make any menu you wanted. Problem I had was I could not figure out how to make motion menu's with it.

So, I am using MF3. I use tmpgenc to encode, and MF3 does not re encode. Menu's are easy, and look nice.

I also tried pinnacle 8, movie producer and roxio, but those weren't as good, IMHO.

All of these have free 30 day trials, so my advice is to try them, and see what suits you. Have yet to see the perfect, under $100 program, so you need to see what works for you.

One other thing. There is a difference in the rendering ability of these programs. I compared power producer, roxio, MF2 and tmpgenc, and tmpgenc looked the best.

Randy

[andkiich]

Al the "issues" that most people have with DVD-Lab can be cured by using the guides found on the DVD-Lab website.

As of version 1.4.1, DVD-Lab can create multiple VTS, so that is no longer an issue.

Creating motion menus is as simple as dragging and dropping an MPEG2 video and audio file to the menu.

[duhmez]

Tmpgenc DVD Author looks ot be quite nice, but one aspect which causes me much pain. Moving the selection to thumbnails of clips it yellows out the whole thumbnail. I would prefer if it highlighted the outside of the thumbnails in the menus. It's a small downside, but I find it to be very aggrivating; I have these l33t thumbnails made up, and when selecting a thmbnail I can't see it anymore.

Other than that it's pretty neat.

A q: Does DVD-Lab have nice standard templates like tmpgen, or does it all have to be manual? I like the ease of the premade tmpgenc ones which normally suit my needs but sometimes I may want to dive deeper intot he creation.

[donpedro]

P8 will ONLY let you make a dvd with an MPEG that is around 2.5g - which sucks for home video editing

I posted this already and not once, but it is not true. What is true is that it does not like too much MPEG2 files encoded by other software especialy when VBR is used.... It has it' own calculation to figure out how much will fit. Which I hate by the way

[PhreakPhish]

correct - i was the one that had that conversation with you - the problem is i capture it with P8 - not other software - i thank you for helping me out save 30 min b/c of my 8000 to 6000 problem, but still it wont load that big of mpeg files -=[

[housepig]

A q: Does DVD-Lab have nice standard templates like tmpgen, or does it all have to be manual? I like the ease of the premade tmpgenc ones which normally suit my needs but sometimes I may want to dive deeper intot he creation.

well, if you go through the process once manually, you can save your work as a template.

and I'm still on version 1.1 of DVD Lab, which suits me fine, no crashes, bunged imports or other problems.