Turn MP4, MKV, MOV, and AVI videos into DVDs. Trim clips, add subtitles, personalize the menu, and burn a disc or save an ISO image or DVD folder.
Choose the DVD task you need: load and arrange videos, trim a clip, add subtitles, personalize a menu, or create a disc, ISO image, or DVD folder. Use the four-step tutorial for your first DVD, or jump directly to an individual adjustment.
Follow four steps from source videos to a DVD disc, ISO image, or DVD folder.
Use Load File, Load Folder, or the source-file drop area.
Add more clips, check playback, and put entries in the intended order.
Open Easy Cutter, Joiner, or another tool, then import its finished video.
Use the separate Text workspace for supporting media, not clip-overlay text.
Set orientation before crop, effect, watermark, or subtitle adjustments.
Choose the retained range in Cut and preview its Start and End points.
Adjust Top, Bottom, Left, and Right, with Keep Aspect Ratio as needed.
Compare Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and effect choices in preview.
Check the subtitle file, Vertical Position, Font, and line color.
Use Watermark > Add Text and set when the label appears.
Use Add Picture in Watermark and review placement and transparency.
Personalize DVD Menu Settings and check the resulting layout.
Choose the menu audio separately from each video's sound.
Use Add text for a menu title or label, not a video subtitle.
Set Chapters per Page and check all visible destinations.
Choose No Menu when the project should not display navigation.
Match the target player and check 16:9 or 4:3 framing.
Review DVD Disc Type, project length, quality, and the output label.
Select the recorder, review Write Speed and Copies, then use Start.
Choose ISO image output and a destination for the finished disc image.
Keep the complete authored folder structure, including VIDEO_TS.
Test navigation, picture, sound, and subtitles before making more copies.
This creates a DVD playback structure with the chosen menu, rather than a data disc containing loose video files. Review the project before creation and test the finished output on the equipment your viewers will use.
Open Video to DVD, choose Load File or Load Folder, and select your videos. In the DVD authoring window, use Add Files for more clips, review the list, and arrange the playback order before making the menu.
Open Video to DVD and load source files, or review and arrange the imported list.
Select a clip and open Cut to set its Start and End points. Preview the retained section, then apply the edit. Complete any rotation, cropping, effect, subtitle, or watermark changes before finalizing the DVD menu.
Use the individual tasks for rotation, trimming, cropping, subtitles, and on-screen text. Set orientation first because rotation resets other clip adjustments.
Open DVD Menu Settings and choose the Background, Button Style, and Frame. Set Chapters per Page, add menu music or text as needed, review the pages, and select OK to return to the DVD project.
Open the task for menu appearance, menu music, menu wording, or page navigation.
Review the DVD Disc Type, Volume Label, PAL or NTSC standard, and aspect ratio. Choose the disc, ISO image, or DVD folder in Output Type, select the recorder or save location, and select Start. Test the completed output before making delivery copies.
Follow the separate instructions to burn a DVD disc, save an ISO image, or save a DVD folder, then check the completed output.
Open the DVD creation tool for your videos. The separate Video and Text workspaces are optional tools for preparing source material.
Start GiliSoft Movie DVD Creator and choose Video to DVD in the launcher sidebar.
Choose Load File for individual videos, Load Folder for a source folder, or drag files into the indicated area. Review the imported contents rather than assuming every file in a folder belongs on the DVD.
Preview the picture and sound. The workspace lists formats including MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, WMV, FLV, VOB, and MPG. Keep the source files so you can revise the DVD later.
In the authoring window, use Add Files to add more videos. A physical disc needs a DVD writer and suitable blank media; ISO and DVD folder output only need enough drive space.
Review the final source list before designing the DVD menu so the navigation matches the videos you intend to include.
Use Add Files in the authoring window. Select each clip and preview its beginning and ending; check the intended audio and subtitle source where the list offers those choices.
Use the list's Up and Down controls to arrange entries, and remove unwanted project entries. For example, put an introduction before the lesson videos or arrange event clips chronologically.
Check the order and total running time. Use recognizable wording for menu entries where editing is available, then open DVD Menu Settings.
The pictured authoring window is empty, so Start and the clip-editing tools are not yet active. The earlier populated example shows the video list, ordering controls, and menu preview.
Use a separate preparation tool when a clip needs more work than the DVD editor's basic changes.
In the launcher, choose Video. Open Easy Cutter, Batch Cutter, Advanced Cutter, Joiner, Crop, or Filter&Effect for the task you need.
Complete that tool's edit and save its video result. Play the actual saved file to check its picture, sound, and duration before using it for the DVD.
Return to Video to DVD and load the finished video. Replace an older project entry if necessary; a separate tool's saved edit should not be assumed to update an already imported clip.
For a simple start/end trim, use Cut inside the DVD clip editor. The Video tool collection is optional, not a required stage for every DVD.
The Text workspace contains separate tools for supporting material. It is not the editor for wording drawn onto a DVD video.
In the launcher, select Text. The screenshot shows Doc To Video, Text to Video, Subtitle Extraction, and Text to Audio.
Open the tool you need and follow its own input and output controls. Review the saved result; a generated audio file, extracted text, and a video are different kinds of output.
Load a prepared video into the DVD project. For words on the playing picture, use Watermark > Add Text; for menu wording, use DVD Menu Settings > Add text.
These extra tools are optional. The launcher screenshot identifies the available entries; it does not show their individual export settings.
Correct the orientation first. The Rotation panel warns that changing it resets other clip adjustments.
Select the clip in the DVD list, open its video editor, and choose Rotation.
Under Rotate Angle, choose No Rotate, 90, 180, or 270. Compare the preview with the orientation you want viewers to see.
Use Apply or OK as appropriate. Recheck Crop, Effect, Watermark, and Subtitle, because the pictured panel says rotation resets these settings.
Keep the section between the clip's start and end points, removing material before and after that range.
Select the intended clip and open Cut in the video editor. Check that the preview belongs to the right video.
Drag the range handles or enter Start and End times. Play the selection and check the beginning, ending, and retained duration.
Choose Apply or OK as appropriate and review the project entry. Use Reset to reconsider the range before applying, or prepare separate segments in a dedicated cutting tool.
The shown Cut controls define one retained range. Do not treat that range as a command to remove an arbitrary middle section while automatically joining both sides.
Crop removes picture content at the edges. Check the final DVD shape before cropping simply to eliminate borders.
Select the video and choose Crop. Check Original Size and Crop Area Size alongside the preview.
Change Top, Bottom, Left, and Right. Use Keep Aspect Ratio if the crop shape should stay constrained.
Play representative sections and check faces, labels, and important edges. Apply the change, then review the result with the DVD's 16:9 or 4:3 output shape.
A portrait clip may need borders to preserve its full picture in a landscape DVD. Filling the frame by cropping can remove important content.
Adjust a clip's appearance while watching the preview rather than choosing an effect without checking the scene.
Select the clip, open the video editor, and choose Effect.
Adjust Brightness, Contrast, and Saturation. The pictured effect list also includes options such as Black and White and Old Film.
Check bright and dark parts of the clip so the changes do not hide detail. Use Restore Defaults if you want to start over, then choose Apply or OK when satisfied.
Load the subtitle file that matches the selected video, then set how the words appear on the picture.
Open Subtitle for the intended clip and use the file selector. Make sure Remove the Subtitle File is not selected when you want the subtitles included.
Set Vertical Position, choose Font, and review Subtitle Line Color. Keep the text readable against both light and dark scenes.
Check several lines at different points, not only the opening frame. Apply the settings and check again after rotation or other changes that can reset clip adjustments.
Use a subtitle file that is already timed for this video. The Subtitle panel is not the launcher's automatic-caption tool, and it does not show a control for shifting every subtitle time.
Use Watermark to place a title, date, name, or other label on the playing video.
Select the clip, open Watermark, and choose Add Text. Enter the wording and select the resulting item for adjustment.
Review Font, the preview position, and Transparence. Set Start and End under Duration for when the label should appear.
Check the label at its beginning and ending, keep it clear of subtitles, and apply the change. Recheck the label if you later rotate the clip.
Watermark > Add Text changes the video picture. Add text in DVD Menu Settings changes a menu page instead.
Add a logo or picture inside the clip's Watermark panel, separately from the DVD menu background.
Open Watermark for the intended clip and select Add Picture. Load the image you want to overlay.
Select the added picture, review its placement in preview, and set Start, End, and Transparence as appropriate. Avoid covering faces or subtitle lines.
Play the relevant section and apply the result. To remove an overlay you added here, select its entry and use the trash control; this is not removal of a mark already embedded in the source video.
See Add Picture, the overlay list, and the trash control in the Watermark screenshot.
Match the DVD output to the intended player and display, not simply to the source video's file extension.
Review Output Settings in the DVD authoring window. The earlier output example shows this button beside the disc and output controls.
Set PAL or NTSC according to the recipient's equipment. Choose the intended 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio.
Review clips and menu framing after the change. Check borders, crop, stretching, and subtitle readability; source files with different shapes may not all fill the DVD frame without losing content.
DVD-Video is standard definition. Authoring HD or 4K video into a DVD does not preserve its original resolution, so retain the original high-resolution files.
Choose the intended DVD capacity and output label, then check that the project fits at an appropriate quality.
Review DVD Disc Type. The current authoring screenshot shows DVD5 (4.7GB); choose the supported type that matches the planned media or saved output.
Review the total project length and available quality settings. A small compressed input file does not necessarily produce a small authored DVD. Trim unwanted material or divide a long collection if needed.
Enter the intended Volume Label and recheck capacity before creation. This identifies the disc or saved output; use Add text to change wording displayed on a menu page.
See DVD Disc Type and Volume Label in the current authoring window. After changing clips or output quality, review the capacity estimate again.
Write the authored project to a physical DVD, then test it on the player that will be used.
Connect a DVD writer, insert suitable blank media, and select the recorder in Output Type. Match DVD Disc Type to the disc.
Check Write Speed and Copies, along with the output standard, frame shape, and menu. Select Start when the project is ready.
Keep the writer connected until creation finishes. Test the menu and clips on the intended DVD player before producing the remaining copies.
A finished video DVD is different from a data disc containing loose MP4 files. If burning fails, test ISO output or DVD folder output to help separate authoring problems from disc-writing problems.
Save the authored DVD as a single disc-image file for review, storage, or later burning.
In Output Type, choose Save as Image (.iso) or the ISO image option displayed by your installed version.
Use Browse to set the output path and filename. Check free space and the project settings, then select Start. Blank media is not needed for this output.
Mount the completed ISO or open it with software that supports DVD images, then test navigation, clips, and sound. When making a physical disc later, burn the disc image rather than copying the ISO onto a data DVD as one file.
For a focused example, see create a DVD ISO from video files.
Save the authored DVD structure as a folder on a drive without writing blank media.
Choose Save as DVD Folder or the equivalent DVD folder entry in Output Type.
Choose a location with enough working and final storage space, review the project settings, and select Start.
Preserve the complete generated DVD folder, including VIDEO_TS. Open it as a DVD with suitable playback software; one isolated video file does not test the menu or full navigation.
Do not rename or remove individual files inside the authored structure. Keep source videos separately for later editing. See create a DVD folder from video files for more detail.
Check a complete sample before delivery, including the opening behavior, every menu entry, and representative parts of each video.
Open the finished disc, ISO, or DVD folder with DVD-capable playback software. For physical delivery, also use the intended DVD player.
Open each menu entry, inspect a later section of each clip, listen to the audio, and check subtitles and labels. Confirm the frame shape and playback order.
Use the checks below to identify whether the issue concerns source preparation, menu design, output settings, or physical writing. A successful completion message alone does not verify playback on the recipient's equipment.
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| DVD will not play | Confirm you authored a video DVD rather than copying MP4 files to a data disc. Check the player's supported media, PAL/NTSC setting, and the completed disc. |
| Wrong or missing menu | Check the menu mode, Background, page count, and preview. No Menu intentionally omits navigation; a correct menu preview should be followed by a finished-output test. |
| Black bars or stretched picture | Review the output's 16:9 or 4:3 shape and clip rotation and crop settings. Preserve the whole frame when removing borders would cut important content. |
| Missing subtitle or text | Check the correct clip, file, timing, placement, and color. Recheck settings after rotation, and use Watermark > Add Text for words on the video rather than the separate Text tool collection. |
| Project exceeds capacity | Match DVD Disc Type to the media. Review total running time and quality, remove unwanted sections, or divide a long collection across discs. |
| Burn fails or stalls | Check the recorder connection, suitable blank media, free working space, and whether another app is using the drive. Create ISO or DVD folder output to help isolate authoring from physical writing. |
| Wrong or missing sound | Preview the intended audio for each source clip and check the authored output. Menu background music does not replace or repair a video's own audio track. |
Not by itself. Copying MP4 files creates a data disc, which works only on players that support those files. Use Video to DVD to author a DVD playback structure, build its menu, and create disc, ISO, or DVD folder output. Test a physical DVD on the intended player.
Choose the standard supported by the recipient's DVD player and display. Set it in the project's output settings before creation, together with the intended 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio. The source filename or file extension does not determine the correct DVD standard.
DVD-Video is a standard-definition format. A video DVD made from HD or 4K sources does not retain their original resolution. Keep the original files as your high-resolution masters and review the authored DVD for picture quality, framing, and subtitle readability.
Chapters per Page sets how many navigation entries appear on each DVD menu page. It is not a time-interval setting for inserting new chapter points inside a video. Check each visible menu entry in the project preview and verify that it opens the intended content.
The source frame and the DVD's 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio may differ. Review the project shape and each clip's crop and rotation settings. Keeping the full frame can leave borders; cropping fills more of the frame but removes picture content. Preview the result before output.
Select the intended clip, open Subtitle, load its matching subtitle file, and confirm that Remove the Subtitle File is not selected. Check timing, Vertical Position, Font, and Subtitle Line Color in preview. Repeat the check after rotation or other edits that can reset clip settings.
An ISO saves the authored DVD as one image file. DVD folder output saves the DVD structure as separate files and folders, including VIDEO_TS. Both can be created without blank media. Preserve the full output structure and test it with DVD-capable playback software; copying the ISO as one data file is not the same as burning its disc image.
Confirm the writer can burn DVDs and that the blank media is supported by both writer and player. Review project capacity, PAL or NTSC, aspect ratio, and Output Type. Test an ISO or DVD folder to separate authoring problems from disc-writing problems, then verify a physical test disc on the intended player.
A Windows trial download is available. The Buy Now buttons in this guide show the lifetime license for 1 PC at $39.95 and link to the official purchase page. Check the installed trial screen for its current limits and choose the intended license at checkout.
Use Watermark > Add Text for wording on a playing video. Use Add text in DVD Menu Settings for a title or label on the menu page. The separate Text workspace contains tools such as Doc To Video and Text to Audio; it is not the clip's text-overlay editor.
The illustrated Rotation panel warns that rotation resets Crop, Effect, Watermark, and Subtitle settings. Set orientation first, then apply those adjustments. If you rotate later, recheck the affected settings and preview the clip again before DVD creation.
Do not assume that it will. Save the prepared video from the separate tool, play the saved result, then load that result into Video to DVD. Replace an outdated project entry as needed and review the menu and output settings again.
Bring your videos together with GiliSoft Movie DVD Creator. Trim the clips, prepare the menu, and create a playable disc or save an ISO image or DVD folder.
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