Making VCD/AVI

How do I get here?

From Main Menu, click Open button below the show thumbnail. You will be directed to Opening Show Window. Click Make VCD/AVI/DVD

Overview

This feature offers you ability to create a Video CD or an AVI file. Video CD is playable on a computer, VCD and DVD player. While AVI file is good for advanced user who wants to edit it later in other video editing tools. How different Video CD compare to interactive CD? An Interactive CD can contain more shows than a Video CD and it lets user interact with your show (clicking on show buttons, clicking on sound, play with interactive clipart, etc). However Interactive CD is only playable on computer while Video CD is playable on computer, VCD and DVD players.

InAlbum will always enable the automatic jump when making a VCD/AVI.

Making VCD/AVI

To make a VCD/AVI, follow these 4 simple steps.

1. Selecting video settings

Choose the CD type you want to make:

Works on all VCD player including the very old one (1995 model) but the quality is moderate. Also works on most DVD players and computer.

Works on most VCD player, all DVD players and computer. The quality is very good.

Only works on computer. The quality depends on the type and CODEC settings you choose.

Choose the video system. Most recent VCD/DVD players support both systems.

       Most VCD/DVD player can play both video system

Choose what type of animation you want to produce.

The video will be made exactly the same as your show. All animation (including animated clip art), sound, voice , music and their timing will play exactly like when you play your show.

This process takes longer than export as a slideshow.

The video will be made as a sideshow. All animated clip art will not animate and all sound and voice will play instantly at the start of each photo.

This process takes quicker than export with full animation.

Set Safety Zone margin (only available when making VCD/SVCD/DVD

Safety Zone margin is a black border added around your final movie. When TV plays VCD/SVCD/DVD, it show the picture a little bit larger than your movie dimension thus there are some part of the movie around the border that is not visible as they are outside your TV screen. This area is called a safety zone. To compensate this problem, InAlbum let you add black border around your movie and render the movie content inside the border area to make sure that they will all be visible when playing on TV.

You can adjust this border by clicking on Setup button. By default it is set to 6% of the movie dimension.

Note that every TV has different safety zone dimension.

When you finish, click on Next button to go to Selecting show to be included into VCD/AVI.

2. Selecting show to be included in VCD/AVI and reordering shows

InAlbum lets you put more than one show into a VCD. The left window showing available to be put into a VCD while the right window showing the show will be included in a VCD. By default the currently opened show is included. To include a show to a VCD, double click on the show thumbnail on the left window.

The Current CD space used information above the right window tells you how much space already used in the VCD.

When making an AVI, you can only select 1 show and the result will not be burt into a CD, instead it will be an AVI file in your hard disk.

Excluding show from CD

To exclude show from CD, double click on show thumbnail on the right window.

Including all shows

Click Add All button

Excluding all shows

Click Remove All button

Reordering shows in CD

Click and drag show thumbnail on the right window to reorder it and drop it at the desired location

Giving a CD title

Type in Title text box. CD title will be used as CD volume

When you ready to make a CD, click Make CD Now button.

3. Choosing temporary folder

If you are making an AVI file, the next window will ask you where you want the AVI file to be created. If you are making a VCD, the next window will ask you where the intermediate files will be placed before they are burned into a VCD. There is also information which tell you how much space will be required and how much space available on that drive. Remember this is only an estimate so it is advice you actually provide more free space than the amount asked. You can change the location of the intermediate/output file by clicking on Browse button.

Tips (when making a VCD)

When you check delete temporary file check box, all temporary files during the creation of VCD will be deleted. The temporary files created will be an MPG file, a BIN file and a CUE file. User who wants to burn the MPG or BIN/CUE file directly to VCD using his/her CDR software such as Nero can use this file. This feature is also useful when your CD Writer is not supported by InAlbum (very rare case) so that you can use other software to do so.

Why sometimes I cannot play the VCD in my PC?

In order to play the VCD in your PC you need a special software. Please check http://www.inalbum.com/howto/video.html

4. Start making VCD/AVI

Click OK to continue burning the VCD or to make the AVI.

Warning

Now InAlbum will capture images from your show. InAlbum window will be maximized. Do not obstruct the application window as they will effect the quality of the resulting video. It would be better to leave your computer for a while during this time. The time completion estimate is provided at the end of the progress bar at the bottom of the window.

When making a VCD, after the capture process finished, a burning window will show up with your CD Writer drive automatically selected. Insert a blank CD into your CD Writer and click Burn. Burning process will take a while depending on your computer and CD Writer speed. It is advised not to run a heavy process during this time.

To view the resulting Video CD, simply insert the CD into VCD or DVD player and play it as normal VCD/DVD.

To view the resulting AVI, simply double click on the AVI file.

Note

Even though InAlbum does not create DVD movie directly, you can make a DVD movie out of your show. Please check

http://www.inalbum.com/howto/createdvd.html