Apple iDVD revisited, Part 1

Tags:Apple iDVD, Key Featuresb ,Exchange Apple logo, Modify and create new iDVD themes, Education, Teaching.

When Apple released iLife 11, there were major upgrades and changes to iMovie and GargeBand but very little, if any, changes in iWeb or iDVD. (see: iLife 11). This caused an outcry from some in the Mac community. To them, I respond, using a wise old saying,"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The upgrades to iMovie, especially to audio controls, have created a very solid video editor. The changes to GargeBand have made a good program even better. iWeb will probably never move from the "toy" category. This only leaves iDVD. This is my question, "When is iDVD going to become as professional as iMovie or GargeBand?"

iDVD burns DVD disk as well as any program on the market. The DVDs play well on almost any DVD player. Two problems, both visual, hamper iDVD — the semi-transparent Apple logo which appears in the lower left corner of the video window and the limited number of buttons and themes.

Let's begin with the Apple logo. iDVD preferences allow this logo to be turned on or turned off, but that is not really a great option. When you view commercial broadcast video their logo appears in the corner of the production. So let's try to create a custom logo and replace the Apple logo.

A few of the major networks change the color of their logos to contrast with its surroundings but most have a simple semi- transparent white logo.

Before beginning this project, please install the X code which is located in the optional installs folder on the system install disk which came with the Apple computer. This will install Quartz Composer which is necessary to complete this project.

• In an imaging editing application, such as Adobe Photoshop, open a new file of approximately 250px X 250px, at 72dpi with a transparent background. Keep the file square or it will distort the final image when it is inserted into iDVD.
• Design a simple logo using either large text or a symbol. Remember to keep it simple as the final will have to be reduced in size. It may be in color or B & W. To make the logo translucenct go the the layers pallad and decrease the opacity to about 85%.
• When finished, reduce the size of the logo to approximately 50px X 50px and Save. Apple saves in TIFF format, but I have found that any image file format will work, so i usually save as a PNG format because it is much smaller that a TIFF and it is just as "clean."
• To install the new logo into iDVD, navigate to the iDVD application icon. Control click or right click the icon. Go to Show Package Content. Click Content > Resources > Watermark.qtz. Double click the Watermark.qtz to open it in Quartz composer.
• In the dark gray program window click the small Watermark image window. Go to the upper right on the program toolbar and click the Patch Inspector button.
• At the top of the Inspector window is a pull down menu reading Input Parameters. Pull down to Setting. Click the Import From File button. Navigate to the new icon. Open the new icon. Save and then close everything.

Open iDVD. Create a New Project. The watermark in the lower right should be your new Logo.

The Guggenheim Museum Elevates YouTube to "Cultural Icon"

Every large city has its cultural centers. Denver, for example, has the Denver Art Museum, the Colorado Heritage Center and others are being built.

If you were going to visit New York's cultural art centers, you would visit the Whitney (The Whitney Museum of American Art), MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art), the Met (the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and the Guggenheim (The Guggenheim Museum). If you visited the Guggenheim this past fall, you may have the answer to three questions—1. What is the place of video/digital media in the arts and music world?, 2. What is the place of art and music in digital media world? and 3. What real place does YouTube play in art, music and/ or digital media?

The exhibition, "YouTube Play," began in the early Summer of 2010 with a request by YouTube for entries for a major show of on-line video. The response was overwhelming, YouTube received more than 23 thousand entries.

These videos were initially judged by the staff at the Gugginheim who reduced the number to 125 finalist. This short list of videos were then presented to an internationally known jury for consideration. The "YouTube Play" jury included musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson; musical artists Animal Collective; visual artists Douglas Gordon, Ryan McGinley, Marilyn Minter, and Takashi Murakami; artists and filmmakers Shirin Neshat, Apichatpong

There were a wide range of videos, from experimental or abstract work and mashups, to animations, music videos, and narrative short films. The 20 videos included submissions from students, video artists, photographers, filmmakers, composers, video game programmers, a comedy improv group, an American women's chess champion, a Swedish rock band, a South African hip-hop group, and an Australian electronic music producer, among many others.

The opening weekend of "YouTube Play" was at the Guggenheim museums in New York City, Berlin, Bilbao, and Venice; but the main event took place in New York. The exterior of the museum was used to project many of the videos but the best were projections on the interior of the museum.

1.

Inside, the walls of the Gugginheim were covered with flat screens so that museum goers could view all of the videos. The walls were used to project many of the works. The opening became part introduction of the artist, part musical concert, part video viewing and all performance piece art work. On October 21, the opening, was live streamed to a worldwide audience at 8 pm (EDT) on YouTube.com/play.

Most videos and exserts from this event are posted on YouTube. There is also a 1 hour + video of the complete opening night which is could be used in class. If you would like a copy of this, you may download it here.(This is a large download of 0f 2.44 GB s, so it may take some time).

With this exhibition, the Guggenheim offered a unique opportunity to investigate the shifting sands of visual culture. It posed many questions and it began to either answer or further blur the line between these questions.

1. Sunday Morning. CBS: KCNC, Denver, 30 Oct 2010. Television. 11 Nov 2010.

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