4. MovieFactory 6 Plus' Main Interface

Using the Corel launcher, clicking “Video/Slideshow Disc —> New Video Project” opens Corel’s main DVD interface. In addition to DVD, Corel DVD MovieFactory also enables burning to HD DVD discs, and to the VCD (Video CD) and SVCD (Super Video CD) formats. These latter formats are handy for users who have computers with CD-only burners, and they work fine in most set-top DVD players.

The first step in DVD MovieFactory is similar to that in Home Video Maker—it’s used to import video from hardware such as video cameras, or from your hard drive. You can also import DVD-VR (editable DVD-Video). DVD MovieFactory supported my QuickTime files without any problems, but refused to import any video format from other computers on my network, something that was not a problem when using NTI Media Maker.

The first step also provides access to a wealth of editing options, by clicking Edit Room. The Edit Room enables you to select a theme for each of the individual video clips, set Mark In and Mark Out points, add text (yes, there’s a centering option), insert background music (default music is provided with each theme), record voice over audio, and select transitions.

The Mark In / Mark Out option also provides the ability to “Multi-trim” the video, which means setting multiple Mark In and Mark Out points. For example, if you wanted to remove the middle of a video, you could set a Mark In point at the beginning, a Mark Out point where you want to start deleting, another Mark In point where there’s video that you want to keep, and a final Mark Out point at the end of the video.

It’s also noteworthy that Corel’s themes look more professional and polished than NTI’s, and that Corel offers a great deal more transition options. The transitions are divided into 11 categories: Build, Clock, F/X, Film, Peel, Push, Roll, Rotate, Slide, Stretch and Wipe. Each category in turn contains 3 or 4 transitions, and some, such as F/X, contain well over a dozen. Many of these are the same effects found in Corel’s Video Studio (a non-linear video editor), and its now discontinued GIF Animator. It’s very likely that Ulead, the original creator of the transitions, capitalized on them by adding these impressive transition libraries to DVD MovieFactory.

The second step in Corel’s process is to select a main menu template for the DVD. There are a variety of menu types available, and once again, they have a polished look and feel. You can also edit the main template, by changing the background image, using background video, editing text, adding background audio, and applying motion settings to the main menu.

There’s also a Customize Menu option that lets you customize the number and placement of chapter buttons on the main menu, the frame surrounding each chapter button, and the color and shape of the navigation buttons. You can also add effects to the menu, such as lens flares and spotlights. As with the transition effects, these menu effects seem to have been borrowed from another Ulead program, most likely the PhotoImpact Creative Lighting animation filter, or Cool 3D Production Studio (a video titling program). As with the transitions, Ulead and Corel have made the most of their investment by adapting these effects for DVD MovieFactory.

The third and final step in DVD Movie Factory is to burn your project to DVD, a step that provides for some additional options, such as creating an ISO disc image and normalizing volume. You can also access a “Burning Options” dialog that enables you to set burning speed—this is particularly useful on older computers, where the DVD burner may try to run faster than the computer can handle. From here you can also add copyright information, the DVD MovieFactory project file, and any folder from your computer’s hard drive(s) to the DVD.