In this tutorial I show how to burn a simple DVD or Blu-ray Disc with no Menus, directly from the Sony Vegas Pro timeline.
There are many different ways you can create DVDs or Blu-ray discs using Sony Vegas Pro and DVD Architect Pro. The method I show in this tutorial is the simplest of all. This is the best method to use when you are not interested in making fancy DVD or Blu-ray Menus for your disc. Since we are not going to create Menus, there is no need to use DVD Architect Pro at all. Everything can be done within Sony Vegas Pro 13.
If you do want to actually burn a DVD or Blu-ray Disc that does have Menus, you will have to follow a different tutorial here.
Step 1 - Import your Videos
Import your Videos into the Vegas Pro timeline.
As soon as you import your first Video into the timeline, Vegas Pro may open up a new window that says: "Do you want to set your Project Video Settings to Match this Media" ?
If this window does pop up, please say YES. This will automatically set your Project Properties for you.
If this window does not open up, do not worry. This normally means your Project Properties already match the media you have just imported. However you should not assume that this is always true. In the next step I will show you how to check that everything is set correctly.
Step 2 - Check your Project Properties and Match Media Settings
Look above the Preview Window and press the Project Properties button to open the window.
If the pop up window from Step 1 did not appear for you, press the Match Media Video Settings button which is marked with the red arrow below. Now navigate through your computer and select the same video you imported into your project above. If you imported more than one video, you only have to do this process once. This will automatically match your original videos properties to be the same as the Project Properties for the entire project.
The advantage of doing this, is that it should give you much smoother playback in the Preview Window while you are edting and also make sure you will be outputting to the correct video type for your DVD or Blu-ray Disc.
While you are in this window, make sure to also set the Full Resolution Rendering Quality to Best.
Then go to the Audio tab and make sure the Resample and Stretch Quality is also set to Best.
Step 3 - Create your Project
Edit and create your project as you normally would.
Step 4 - Burn DVD
If you want to burn a Blu-ray Disc, skip this step and go directly to Step 5.
Once your project is complete and ready to turn into a DVD, remember to do one final Save As.
Then go to Tools in the top menu - Burn Disc - DVD. Burn DVD window will open up.
Selecting the correct Video Format for DVD
If you set your Project Properties correctly using the Match Media method, Vegas Pro will automatically choose the best Video Output Format for you. There are six options in the drop down list. Three are for the older 4:3 Aspect Ratio styled video and three are for 16:9 Widescreen Aspect Ratio video. Most people in 2014 will be using 16:9 Aspect Ratio.
Here is a list of different video frame rates that correspond to the main three video format options.
- If your original video was shot at 29.97fps, 30fps, 60fps or 120fps, you will be using 720x480-60i (NTSC)
- If your original video was shot at 25fps, 50fps or 100fps, you will be using 720x576-50i (PAL)
- If your original video was shot at 23.976fps, 24fps or 48fps, you will be using 720x480-24p (NTSC)
Estimated size of project and compatible writable DVDs
Just before you press OK to create your DVD, make sure to check the Estimated Size which tells us how big the total file size for the DVD will be. This will help you decide what type of Writable Disc you can use to burn your DVD. If the estimated size is larger than the disc capacity you have, you will have to use a different method for burning a DVD.
If everything looks good you can now press OK. Vegas Pro will render the Video and Audio and then go straight into Burning the DVD.
Step 5 - Burn Blu-ray Disc
Selecting Correct Video Format for Blu-ray Disc
Once your project is complete and ready to turn into a Blu-ray disc, remember to do one final Save As.
Then go to Tools in the top menu - Burn Disc - Blu-ray Disc. Burn Blu-ray Disc window will open up.
Keep the first Operation setting on option one.
Blu-ray supports two different Video Formats. So you can choose MainConcept MPEG-2 or Sony AVC/MVC. The choice is yours. Mainconcept does support a higher Bit Rate, so that is what I normally use.
Next you need to select a Video Template. Vegas Pro should automatically set the best option for you. The main thing to check is the frame rate setting. So use the same information I shared when talking about frame rates for DVD.
The Audio settings only have two options. You can use Dolby Digital Pro or Sony Wave 64.
If you added Scene Selection/Marker Points to your project, make sure to select "Insert Chapter Points at Markers".
Remember to check the Estimated Size value. There are two types of Writable Blu-ray Discs you can use. 25GB Single Layer and 50GB Dual Layer.
If everything looks good, place a writable Blu-ray Disc into your computer and press OK. Vegas Pro will automatically render the Video and Audio and then burn the disc for you.
About Derek Moran
Derek Moran is the author of all articles on Movie Studio Zen.
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