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Getting started:
This section provides everything you'll need to know about getting started with GFD (after successful installation of cause). For this very short introduction (the first example will need only a few mouse clicks to create a DVD!) the following is assumed:
- You have elementary DVD compliant video and audio files (check Notes to the source material if unsure)
- The 'authoring engine' is set to dvdauthor (with MuxMan as authoring engine it is pretty much the same, if the video streams are 100% DVD compliant; only the log is complettely different)
- The path to the dvdauthor binaries is set correctly (the button 'CreateDVD' is enabled; if not, check here)
- The DVD should be created with the video norm 'PAL' (for NTSC, look here BEFORE you do anything else!)

Ok, the first thing to do is choosing the path to your video:
(Navigation in the directory list box with double clicks!)

Select the video file in the source window and pull it on the menu background by drag& drop (holding the left mouse button pressed).
After releasing the mouse button the 'Video and Audio Files' dialog opens:


Here you may set up the audio file(s) for your selected video (if an audio file with the same name as the video is found, with the extensions .ac3, .mp2, or .mpa) it is loaded as the first audio automatically. You can also check the properties of your video (and audio) files. Additional audio files (up to 3) may be chosen for multi language DVDs (as well as subtitle streams). Now the only thing we do, is to select the language from the drop down list.
Then we add some chapters: Click on the marked edit button...


Autocreate # Chapters:
Here you can set a number of chapters, whereby these are distributed evenly over the running time of the film (start = 00:00:00.000 counts also as a chapter!).

Create A Chapter for each ## minutes:
Thus all ## minutes a chapter mark is created up to the end of the film.

You may also edit the chapters 'by hand' (in the format hour:minute:second.milliseconds, whereby only hour and minute are mandatory),  but usually people use either a fixed number of chapters, or a fixed spacing. If you want to set your chapters 'visually' you can use the extended chapter editor ChapEditGFD. For this simple example 4 chapters are created (with the 'Go!' button in the 'Autocreate # Chapters' frame).
Close the dialog with OK and you are back in the 'Video and Audio Files' dialog with the chapters shown in the chapters line:


Close the 'Video and Audio Files' dialog with OK
A button is now added on the menu with the title of the video:


That's all... You can click on to start the authoring process.
During the run of the dvdauthor binaries the main window is hidden and the Batch run log window is shown:



If the program seems to hang at this point, that's 'normal' as mplex (which multiplexes the video with the audio files) has no 'progress indicator'.
Finally you should see something like this:



Some things you may want to know now:
- Where is the 'DVD' ?
It is in a folder which may be selected in the first card of the default settings (the default depends on where you have installed GFD):

Within the chosen 'Output directory' a subdirectory named 'DVD' is created which itself contains two other subdirectories: VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS. The AUDIO_TS folder is always empty (and not necessary for usual dvd players). The VIDEO_TS folder contains the created vob, ifo and bup files which are the 'DVD'. You may burn the VIDEO_TS folder with any DVD burning program that supports your burner. GFD may be used to start burning with nerocmd (a command line version of nero) if nero version 5.5.10.7 or higher is installed or with imgburn. But GFD needs to know where nerocmd or imgburn is installed. You may set the path (and the letter of your burner drive) on the 'Permanent' card in the default settings. More about burning: Burning (using NeroCmd/imgburn)

Further reading:
DVD Preview
Single VTS Example
Help Index


NTSC:
As GFD is mainly used in Europe ('PAL' countries), it starts up with PAL as video norm. If you want to use NTSC, click on
and check the radio button 'NTSC' in the General Settings on the card 'Project' within the above shown dialog. Then save this setting with the 'Save' button in the right bottom corner of the dialog. Back to start