Are you wondering how to burn your iMovie project to Blu-ray or DVD on your Mac? Whether you’re creating a wedding video, travel vlog, school project, or home movie masterpiece, backing it up on a physical disc lets you share it with friends and family, or archive it permanently in high quality.

Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t offer a built-in Blu-ray or DVD burning option in iMovie, and iDVD was discontinued years ago. But don’t worry—there are simple ways to export your iMovie project and burn it to a Blu-ray or DVD on your Mac.

Part 1. How to Export Video from an iMovie Project on Mac

Before you can burn your project to Blu-ray or DVD, you first need to export your iMovie project into a video file.

What is iMovie?

iMovie is Apple's free video editing application, pre-installed on all modern macOS systems. It offers a user-friendly interface with powerful editing features, allowing users to trim, split, add transitions, apply effects, and even insert music and voiceovers. Many users rely on iMovie to create professional-looking videos without needing complex software like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere.

Once your project is complete in iMovie, you need to share or export it as a video file (usually in .mp4 or .mov format). This exported file is what you'll use to create your Blu-ray or DVD disc.

Steps to Export Your iMovie Project

Follow these steps to export your iMovie project into a burn-ready format:

1.Open iMovie and load your project.

2.Click the Share button (a square with an arrow pointing upward) in the top-right corner.

3.Select File from the list of sharing options.

4.In the dialog box, choose the following:

• Title: Name your project.
• Description: Optional.
• Format: Usually leave it as "Video and Audio."
• Resolution: Choose the resolution based on the disc format (e.g., 1920x1080 for Blu-ray or 720x480 for DVD).
• Quality: High or Best (ProRes).
• Compress: Better quality for Blu-ray, Faster for DVD.

5.Click Next, choose where to save the file, and click Save.

Your video will now be rendered and saved as a .mov or .mp4 file on your Mac. Once completed, you're ready to burn it.

Part 2. How to Burn iMovie to Blu-ray on Mac Easily

Since iMovie doesn’t support Blu-ray burning directly, you’ll need third-party software. One of the best and most Mac-friendly tools is Yuhan Blu-ray Creator.

Yuhan Blu-ray Creator for Mac

Yuhan Blu-ray Creator is a powerful, user-friendly Blu-ray authoring tool that’s fully compatible with macOS, including both Intel and Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) chips. It allows you to create high-quality Blu-ray discs from iMovie exports and offers customization features like menus, chapters, subtitles, and multiple audio tracks.

Key Features:

• Support for 1080p and 720p Blu-ray output
• Fully customizable menus (30+ templates)
• Support for adding external subtitles (.srt, .ass, .sup)
• Multi-audio and subtitle track support
• Hardware acceleration for fast encoding (Intel/Nvidia/Apple M-series)
• Output options: Blu-ray Folder (BDMV), ISO, or direct burn to disc

How to Burn iMovie Project to Blu-ray Using Yuhan Blu-ray Creator

Before we start, we need to download and install Yuhan Blu-ray Creator. If your computer is Windows, you can click the button on the left below to download it. If your computer is Mac, please click the button on the right below to download it.

Step 1: Import iMovie Videos

Open the program and click on the "Blu-ray" tab. Then click the "Add Video" button to import .mp4 or .mov files exported from iMovie. You can also add external subtitle files (SRT, ASS, or SUP) and select multiple audio tracks for each video as needed.

Step 2: Select a menu template and customize it

Click the "Select Menu" button to open the menu settings window. Start by selecting a template from the list on the right, then customize it to your liking. You can set a background image, add background music, and choose from four scene display modes to control how your chapters or files are presented.

Step 3: Set Output Options

You can save the Blu-ray as a BDMV folder, an ISO image, or burn it directly to a disc. Additionally, you can customize settings such as the disc label, default audio track, default subtitles, and more.

Step 4: Burn Your Blu-ray

Click “Start” to begin the encoding and authoring process. The software will take advantage of hardware acceleration if supported.

Part 3. How to Burn iMovie to DVD on Mac Easily

If you prefer burning your iMovie project to a DVD instead of Blu-ray, there are two excellent options: Yuhan DVD Creator and DVDStyler.

Option 1: Yuhan DVD Creator (Mac Version)

Yuhan DVD Creator is the DVD counterpart to the Blu-ray software mentioned earlier. It supports all the essential features for DVD authoring, including menu design, subtitles, and audio track selection. It’s ideal for beginners and pros alike.

Features:

• Supports all common video formats (MP4, MOV, MKV, etc.)
• Fully customizable menus with over 30 templates
• NTSC and PAL support
• External subtitle support
• Burn to DVD disc, ISO file, or VIDEO_TS folder

How to Burn iMovie Video to DVD with Yuhan:

Before we start, we need to download and install Yuhan DVD Creator. If your computer is Windows, you can click the button on the left below to download it. If your computer is Mac, please click the button on the right below to download it.

The operating steps for Yuhan DVD Creator are identical to those of Yuhan Blu-ray Creator. Simply launch the software and click on the "DVD" tab at the top to switch to DVD creation mode. From there, the process remains exactly the same as creating a Blu-ray.

Your DVD will be ready to watch on any standalone DVD player.

Option 2: DVDStyler (Free)

DVDStyler is a free, open-source DVD authoring tool available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s not as polished as Yuhan, but still a great choice for basic DVD creation.

Pros:

• 100% free
• Simple and lightweight
• Allows custom menu creation
• Drag-and-drop interface

Cons:

• Fewer advanced features than paid tools
• Occasional stability issues
• Limited subtitle and audio support

How to Use DVDStyler to Burn iMovie Video:

1.Download and install DVDStyler for Mac.

2.Open DVDStyler and create a new project:

• Set DVD capacity (4.7GB for DVD-5)
• Select NTSC or PAL format

3.Choose a menu template or create a custom one.

4.Drag your exported iMovie video into the title set.

5.Customize the button layout, title, and background image/music if needed.

6.Click Burn and choose output:

• Burn directly to disc
• Create ISO
• Create VIDEO_TS folder

7.Insert a blank DVD and click Start.

It may take a while depending on video length, but once completed, you’ll have a fully functional DVD that plays on any standard DVD player.

Part 4. Conclusion

While iMovie doesn’t support Blu-ray or DVD burning natively, it’s still easy to get your iMovie projects onto physical discs using the right tools on your Mac.

To summarize:

• Export your iMovie project in .mp4 or .mov format.
• Use Yuhan Blu-ray Creator to burn high-definition Blu-ray discs with custom menus, multiple audio tracks, and subtitles.
• For DVDs, Yuhan DVD Creator offers a seamless and customizable experience.
• If you're looking for a free DVD burning option, DVDStyler is a good basic alternative.

Whether you want to archive your iMovie projects, give them as gifts, or simply enjoy your creations on the big screen, these tools make it easy to convert and burn your videos with professional results—right from your Mac.

If you want to learn more about Yuhan Blu-ray Creator, please click: https://yuhanmedia.com/bd-creator

If you want to learn more about Yuhan DVD Creator, please click: https://yuhanmedia.com/dvd-creator

If you want to download and try it for free, please click the button below to download it.