Taking the Work Out of Your AVI-to-DVD Conversions

Converting AVI files to DVD is a very common operation, and is most commonly encountered when moving footage from a digital video camera onto your computer. But once you get that file onto your computer, then what do you do with it?

Edit Your Movie

Once you transfer that AVI file to your computer, you will in all likelihood want to edit it. There are plenty of capable software packages available to assist with this chore, and they cost anywhere from $50 to $500, depending on the capabilities of the software. For most home movie needs, you can find a very capable editor in the $70 to $100 range.

Editing software will enable you to split and join clips, add transitions, titles, and effects, create DVD menus, and convert your edited movie to multiple file formats, including DVD.

Burn Your Movie to a DVD

There are a fair number of simple conversion tools available that will enable you to convert that AVI file into the structure required for DVD movies. Once you have that structure, you can use a DVD burning program like ImgBurn or Nero to create your DVD.

Play Your Movie on a Portable Device

Often, you’ll want to view your movie through a device other than a DVD player. For example, many new media devices support video, so a further option you have is to convert your movie so that it plays on iPods, PSP’s, Zunes, and other portable media players. That’s an additional consideration when learning how to convert AVI to DVD format.

There is no such thing as the perfect software for each of these tasks. The fact is that what is right for one person might not be right for you. To determine the best software for you, first determine exactly what your goals are for your software, and choose accordingly. As a guideline, video editing software is large and requires a lot of processing power. The more you expect your software to do, the more complex you can expect it to be. Conversely, simple utility programs, while not particularly complete, are simple and inexpensive to use.