File size predicting while exporting/converting

[ninja8618]

hi there,
I just exported a 26min movie using the quicktime movie setting, keeping the current setting and making it self containeed.This version was to be put on a dvd. the file came out to be 20plus gigs.

my question is twofold:
a) does anyone have recommendation/favorites for export settings for movies to be put on a standard DVD-R (4.7gig) that is to be played in computers and DVD players?
b) is there some way to see in fcp what size (estimated) a file going ot be before exporting?

thanks.

 

[Alex H.]

You're off on the right foot by exporting a QuickTime movie using current project settings, but you are missing one, very important step: compressing for DVD.

DVD video requires properly formatted media, and doesn't simply burn from whatever file you may have. Exporting from FCP using QuickTime Conversion is slow, clunky, and unreliable. So the best bet it to export a full-rez video as you have done, and then compress it outside of FCP. What, by the way, are your project settings, just out of curiosity?

Your next step should be to pull that file into Compressor and use both presets (one is for video, one is for audio) in the folder for "DVD: best quality 90 minutes." Once you've done that, you can pull the new video (.m2v) and audio (.ac3) files into DVD Studio Pro to author your DVD.