Section 17.7. Buying Sound and Vision | iMovie 6 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

17.7. Buying Sound and Vision

Let's face it. iDVD has a lot of nice themesbut they're not always the right themes. Life isn't limited to theaters, road trips, and weddings. There are other holidays, other life events, other styles. If you're celebrating Christmas or Valentine's, graduation day, or a new home, or if you're just looking for a different look, then you might want to think about going commercial. With some money to spend , you can expand the way your iDVD projects look and sound.

17.7.1. Motion Backgrounds

If you're looking for a way to kick up your DVD productions a notch , then consider buying some commercial video loops for your menu backgrounds. Dozens of companies sell royalty-free video clips for use in movies and television. The price varies from barely affordable to "they've got to be kidding." Section 17.4.1 describes how to add a motion background to your iDVD project for a professional flair.

Among the least expensive are Ulead's Pick-a-Video and Pick-a-Video Pro lines (www.ulead.com/pav_pro), which, at $60 per disc, cost a fraction of what you'd pay through a normal royalty-free video clearinghouse like FotoSearch (www.fotosearch.com).

A typical Ulead disc contains about eight motion backgrounds with coordinating still images (ideal for submenus) and video overlays (great for iMovie and Final Cut, not so great for iDVD). The CG Festivities disc (volume 20), for example, has ringing bells , floating balloons, flying stars, streaming ribbons , rotating hearts, and gift boxes, among others.

17.7.2. Stock Art

Don't overlook commercial graphics when customizing your themes. Stock art (professional photos and illustrations that you can buy) can add a professional look to your menus without costing a lot of money. As Figure 17-7 shows, the right stock image may look better than the snaps you took with your digital camera.

Figure 17-7. Stock photos are available individually and as collections (at www.istockphoto.com, for example), but you may already own more art than you think. Check out the software CDs in your library. Many, especially graphics programs, come with sample images that you're free to use in your projects. These "extras" don't always get installed along with the programs, so take time to review the discs themselves .

17.7.3. Audio

When you buy songs at the iTunes Music Store, you also buy the right to use them in any iLife creations for your personal use. Why settle for the mayhem of the Travel audio track, when you can throw a buck at Apple and pick the music you really want?

Tip: Stop by www.freeplaymusic.com for a vast collection of free, royalty-free music. (It's free for personal, noncommercial use.)