Hey all...here's a simple question for you guys: Which Mac-friendly software are you using for DVD slideshows AND WHY? I've checked for other threads on this topic, but didn't find anything. I've used iMovie and ProShow Gold (in the dark PC days). iMovie allows a lot of creative control, but can be time consuming and the image quality on a television is less than wonderful (maybe I just expect too much?). So, before I throw my hard-earned cash at another software company, I thought I'd ask around...long live the OSP!

...another wildly successful post by ellabluestudio

Hi Ella,

You've got two basic choices in DVD software:

DIY software... or Send out services.

Send out Service: The ShowIt DVD service is covered extensively in other threads -- so you can do a search for that.

There are a couple of basic programs on the mac that will do this for you: iPhoto +iDvd can make a basic slideshow. There are several other programs with more bells and whistles over the basic iPhoto way.

I use and recommend FotoMagico combined with either iDvd or Toast. This link has some great tutorials for sale on his site about FM, and you can order the software at the same time.

What I like about FotoMagico:
*lots of export variety options... iPhone ready, web ready, standard TV, HD etc.
*You can set custom "to your own beat" timing (very similar to how ShowIt Web does custom timing of slide transitions...),
*You can set to the same length as the audio...
*You can use multiple songs in one show
*Add title slides with custom text

Hope this helps

*Like most Mac software it's pretty easy to use.

Thanks Troy...I appreciate your input!

I use iphoto since I tend to keep my slideshows fairly basic. It's free and it works great. I would try it and then upgrade to fotomagico if you want to get all fancy-schmancy.

I actually make mine in iDVD. It's super easy!

FotoMagico. Just the best.

Fotomagico.... great control ... easy and straightfrward... Much like Proshow Gold for the MAC

Imovie image quality can be great if you select the professinal quality.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Hey Everyone, Don't worry I'm not gonna start a fight about DIY vs Outsource ... In the next version of Showit Web we are planning for some more export options (which I know will make some of you very happy) so I'm curious to know for those of you who like to do this process yourself how do you handle your order fulfillment.

Do you take the orders over the web using credit cards? By phone? Cash payments?...or do you give away the DVD with your package?

Awesome DJ!!! I can't wait for the next version of ShowIt web with some more export options. I personally have ShowIt Web and Fotomagico, and think both are excellent programs. I end up using ShowIt web about 95% of the time, but I do love both programs.

I personally don't want to have anything to do with order fulfillment for client slideshows, so the ShowIt DVD service is amazing. And to me, the ShowIt slideshows are way better on the web. I just could never get a slideshow out of Fotomagico that worked for me on the web, it took forever to load, and just didn't look as slick on the web.

I do however like to make personal slideshows and presentaion slideshows to project and show full screen on my 23 inch cinema display, and Fotomagico has been awesome for these. I do these way less than online slideshows, but I do like having a tool to be able to do it.

If ShowIT will import higher res files and be able to meet this need so I only have to use 1 slideshow program, I'll be soooooo stoked!! Thanks for listening to the community DJ and bringing us the features we'd love to have!!

I like using iDVD to make my slideshows. I included the DVD in my package when I first started. It worked great because I got referrals. The first DVD was free and I charged for extra copies. I accepted cash and checks.

I was reading a pretty positve review on ProShow Producer on Rangefinder. Is anyone using it? I really don't want to go back to windoze...but I can use it just for this software if it's as good as they say it is.

Just an update on FM... the new version can output in HD (has been able to do so for quite a while)

If you have the latest version of toast, they claim to be able to burn HD disks in a regular DVD burner.

HD output of slide shows in your current Mac.

Wow!

LOL... are you serious... HD is a dead format??? Why would you want to burn to HD?Showit Web and Showit - DVD are going Bluray.

Rock on! ... all that is great to know and we will keep listening so just keep letting us know what you want and we'll do our best to make it!

Dude... I was using HD in a generic sense. Until a month ago the HD wars weren't decided, and only one side had a catchy new-age name. So HD was an easy way to specify "high definition" output.

Check out the first paragraph on this page

That's pretty awesome about Toast...I'll have to try that...I'm still on Toast 6 and it refuses to burn dual-layer DVDs without an error on my MacBook Pro!

Anyway, just to add another program, I've used Final Cut Express before to do slideshows, and it's awesome. Gives you total control over everything, but, I think for most projects it's probably overkill. SIW is much more user-friendly! I've also heard people mention Motion Pictures, which comes with Toast (or at least it did...), but I've not used it yet.

I had the same problems...and then when I would get it burned certain DVD players wouldn't play it. I used to use Toast and Motion Pictures and a few others. Checkout this post from 2004 when I recommended it...but then as there became more and more DVD burners and DVD players it just became a nightmare to try and make everything compatible.

Rock on! Yea - we're all about friendly.

I just whipped out a short slide show of a wedding album for a bride. I made a quick tutorial video and dumped it on YouTube.

Pardon the screen size of the thing. This was my first YouTube Upload. I'll get it sized correctly next time.

Total vid time is 5 min for a open software to compiling Quicktime vid for DVD -- and I was talking during that, so I was a bit slow due to explaining stuff.

Hey Troy - Nice tutorial and did you know that iPhoto also has a great sync feature that will create a slideshow just like that one so be sure to give that a try sometime too.

Naw... iPhoto is too amateur-ish. I deleted it from my Mac. Bridge does everything I need in a Photo Cataloger.

I barely hit the functions of FM in this. And, of course, FM still uses High Res files, and doesn't downsize them until you do the video compiling. That way you use the largest possible file for each output.


Here's a cool link to a G4-Tv clip about FM with Jim Everett and Leo Laport -- it's a bit wrong about the audio track usage, but it's still a good show.

this video on You Tube shows how cool of a show you can make, just setting custom audio markers for transitions.

We do all of the above.

Me too. I used to include a DVD slideshow in some packages when I first started out, but they were kind of a pain in the butt to make and I was never thrilled about it. When I got showit web, I very happily deleted the DVD slideshow from my packages and instead worded it as "online slideshow" included or something like that. I do still offer the DVD slideshow if anyone asks (but I don't push it), because showit is so easy to use I'd rather just do it online.

However, I would LOVE to be able to burn my own DVD slideshows from showit and offer them for sale or add them to certain packages. That would be an awesome option for me. I just don't have many clients that would pay what the showit fulfillment option charges for what sometimes is only a 4 or 5 minute slideshow (like, from an e-session or whatever). Honestly, I don't blame them.

Also, self-fulfillment DVD as part of showit would be great because I could burn my own to include in vendor packages, client info, etc. That alone would make it worth it, whether I ever offered one to a client or not.

I have been offering full DVD Slideshows in most of my packages for the last several years. These slideshows have included ALL of the images from the wedding, not just a selection, that most of you seem to do.

I would break up the titles into "Getting Ready", "Ceremony", "Location", "Family", "Reception" and "Collection".

These slideshows, more recently done in Fotomagico, would take me 1 - 2 days. I have made a decision recently to cut them from all my packages except the top two. It is an added extra they pay for if they want in a cheaper package.

I really like the look of ShowIt over others for the main reason of the music syncing. I am a mucisian as well, and I am very concious of the slides corrolating to the music, and changing at the right beat. To do this on Fotomagico is a pain, as I have to do it manually, and it is very fiddly. I was at one stage working out equations (I hate maths by the way) to ensure that the slide timing would fit to the tempo of the music!

Ok, so if ShowIt with it's timing feature, and ability to save timing for certain songs, was able to be output to DVD, fantastic!!

I am in Australia, and don't want to order the DVD myself. Also it's more than one slideshow, so that's awkward. I want to do what I've always done. Create the Hi Res (HD) movie files. Create a menu in IDVD to suit the couple, and burn however many copies I want. Then print to the disk using my standard disk layout that flows with the rest of my corperate image. Then provide them as I see fit, in the package, as an extra etc.

So DJ, if you can possibly ad that Export to Mov file, or however you are going to do it, I will buy ShowIt Immeadiatly, with both online slideshows of the "best of" images, and ability to output to DVD it will be the best program (for macs) on the market.

I am also going to start showing slideshows at the reception like many of you do, and would like to use show it for that. Is there a good way of doing this, full screen preview?? I've only played around with the demo a bit.

What's the timeline on this feature DJ??

Awesome! I agree the timing makes the slideshows stand out so much more! Now that everyone can create slideshow on their computer we as professionals need ours to stand out and we need to still be able to make them fast!

We're just finishing up Showit Sites and as soon as we launch that we are gonna crank on Showit Web V3 so later this summer...

Rock on,
DJ

Fantastic! (So later our winter). Should be ready for going into the high season over here!

Mind my ignorance.... What's Showit Sites?

*Edit - just looked it up, looks great.

Also wondering, if I was to buy ShowIt 2.6 do I have to pay for 3.0 or is it just an update. I assume it's a total upgrade price...