How to Create DVDs in 2025 using DVD Studio Pro

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Table Of Contents
  1. Hardware & Software Requirements
  2. Setting Up Your macOS Environment
  3. Preparing Video for DVD Studio Pro
  4. Author Your DVD in DVD Studio Pro
  5. Helpful Resources
  6. Conclusion

Creating DVDs may feel like a blast from the past, but physical media still has its place in 2025—whether for archiving, events, or personal distribution. This guide walks you through producing DVDs using DVD Studio Pro 4, a classic yet powerful authoring tool, even on modern systems.

Hardware & Software Requirements

Hardware

  • Mac Mini A1347 (Mid-2011 or compatible)
  • 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core
  • 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
  • Apple USB SuperDrive
  • An x86 machine (Mac or Windows) for video conversion

Software

  • macOS Mountain Lion (10.8)
  • Apple Final Cut Studio v3 (includes Final Cut Pro 7 & DVD Studio Pro 4.2.2)
  • FFMPEG (for video/audio conversion)

Note: DVD Studio Pro requires a valid serial number and is no longer available for purchase from Apple. I recommend checking eBay for a copy of Final Cut Studio v3, and be sure that the listing includes a valid serial number.

Setting Up Your macOS Environment

To use DVD Studio Pro 4 in 2025, you’ll need a compatible macOS environment—specifically macOS Mountain Lion (10.8) or earlier. I do NOT RECOMMEND using DVD Studio Pro on any later version of macOS beyond Mountain Lion 10.8. DVD Studio Pro was last included in Final Cut Studio 3, which only runs on older Mac operating systems like Mountain Lion. Here’s how to prepare your system:

Step 1: Create a Bootable macOS Mountain Lion Installer

If you have access to a Mountain Lion Disk (typically obtained from Apple or an archival backup), you can create a bootable USB installer following Apple’s official guide:

For a step-by-step visual guide, follow this YouTube tutorial:

Watch: How to Create macOS Mountain Lion Bootable USB on Mac (YouTube)

Official Older macOS Disk Images from Apple:
Create a bootable installer for macOS

You’ll need:

  • A USB flash drive (at least 8 GB)
  • A Mac that supports OS X Mountain Lion

Once the installer is created, restart your Mac and hold down the Option (⌥) key to boot from the USB drive. You will proceed on installing a fresh copy of macOS.

Step 2: Install DVD Studio Pro 4

After successfully installing Mountain Lion:

  1. Insert your Final Cut Studio 3 installation disc or access the installer package.
  2. Follow the prompts to install Final Cut Pro 7 and DVD Studio Pro 4.
  3. Ensure you activate the software using a valid serial number.
  4. Update to DVD Studio Pro 4.2.2 if needed, using any available offline Apple updates or archived resources.

Note: DVD Studio Pro will only run on Intel-based Macs with compatible macOS versions (10.6 to 10.9). It does not run on Apple Silicon Macs.

Once this setup is complete, your system is ready for authoring DVDs using a legacy, yet powerful, professional workflow.

Preparing Video for DVD Studio Pro

Step 1: Export Your Video

Before jumping into DVD Studio Pro, make sure your video is exported at 480p resolution (standard DVD resolution). If you’re using a modern editor like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro X, export your file using a standard format (e.g., .mov or .mp4).

Step 2: Convert Video for DVD Studio Pro

DVD Studio Pro only accepts MPEG-2 video and AC3 audio. Modern exports often use unsupported codecs, so you’ll need to convert them using FFMPEG on an x86 system.

Install FFMPEG

Download and install the latest FFMPEG build for your platform from FFMPEG.org.

Conversion Commands

Use the following commands in your terminal or command prompt:

# Step 1: Convert audio to AC3
ffmpeg -i "<INPUT FILENAME>" -acodec ac3 -ab 384k -y "<OUTPUT FILENAME>.ac3"

# Step 2: Convert video to MPEG-2 (first pass)
ffmpeg -i "<INPUT FILENAME>" -target ntsc-dvd -aspect <4:3 or 16:9> -an -y "<OUTPUT FILENAME>.temp.m2v"

# Step 3: Finalize MPEG-2 video (second pass)
ffmpeg -i "<OUTPUT FILENAME>.temp.m2v" -vcodec copy -y "<OUTPUT FILENAME>.m2v"

Source: https://gist.github.com/reidransom/1448871

You should now have:

  • A .m2v video file
  • A .ac3 audio file

Please copy over those files on a flash drive and paste them on your Mac with DVD Studio Pro installed.

Author Your DVD in DVD Studio Pro

Creating a New Project

  1. Open DVD Studio Pro and create a new project.
  2. Import your .m2v and .ac3 files into the Assets tab.
  3. Create a new track and drag in your video and audio files.
  4. Add chapters or markers as needed.

Importing Chapter Markers from a Text File

For complex DVD projects, importing chapter markers from a plain text file can save time and ensure consistent navigation points throughout your video.

  1. Create a Marker List
    Use a plain text editor like TextEdit (in plain text mode) to write your chapter markers and save it as a .txt file. Each line should include:
    [Timecode] <tab> [Chapter Name]

    Example:
    00:00:00:00 Intro
    00:02:15:10 Section One
    00:04:30:00 Conclusion
  2. Open Your Project in DVD Studio Pro
    • Load your assets and ensure your video is added to a track in the Track Editor.
  3. Import the Marker List
    • In the Track Editor, Control-click (or right-click) in the dark gray marker area of the timeline.
    • Choose Import Marker List from the shortcut menu.
    • Select your .txt file (e.g., ChapterMarkers.txt) and click Import.
    • DVD Studio Pro will confirm the number of markers imported.
  4. Navigate and Preview
    • Use the Down Arrow key to move the playhead from one chapter to the next.
    • You can also use Ctrl–Right Arrow or Shift–M to move between markers during setup or preview.

Tip: If your project uses timecode starting at 01:00:00:00 (as is common in Final Cut Pro exports), consider adjusting DVD Studio Pro’s time scale.
Go to: View > Timescale > Asset-Based to align your chapter points.

Source: Instructions adapted from Setting Chapter Markers | Setting Up a Simple DVD in DVD Studio Pro 4, published by Peachpit Press as part of the Apple Pro Training Series: DVD Studio Pro 4.

Menus

  • To create a button, drag a selection box in your menu workspace.
  • To add text, double-click within the menu area.
  • To change font, go to: Format > Font > Show Fonts.

Build or Burn Your DVD

To create a disk image:

  1. Go to Build & Format.
  2. Choose Image as the output type.
  3. This creates a .img file (Mac-compatible).

To burn directly:

  • Click the Burn button at the top of the project window.
Optional: Convert .img to .iso for Windows

If you want to burn the DVD on a Windows machine, convert the .img to .iso:

hdiutil convert <INPUT.img> -format UDTO -o <OUTPUT.iso>

This will create a file ending in .iso.cdr. Rename it to remove .cdr so it’s just .iso.

Then use a tool like ImgBurn on Windows to burn the ISO to disc.

Helpful Resources

Check out this beginner-friendly playlist on YouTube:
DVD Studio Pro Tutorials for Beginners

Conclusion

Although DVD Studio Pro is long past its prime, with the right setup and tools like FFMPEG, it’s still completely possible to create functional and professional DVDs in 2025. Whether for nostalgia or necessity, this workflow will keep your DVD projects alive.

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