Wondershare DVD Creator Review: Features, Pros & Cons

Wondershare DVD Creator — Simple Steps to Burn DVDs FastWondershare DVD Creator is a widely used program designed to make DVD creation quick, simple, and accessible for users of all experience levels. Whether you want to burn home videos, family photo slideshows, or compile media for presentations, this software provides straightforward tools and templates to produce playable DVDs with minimal fuss. This article walks through the essential steps to burn DVDs fast, highlights useful tips for improving output quality, and explains common settings so you can get reliable results every time.

Why choose Wondershare DVD Creator?

Wondershare DVD Creator strikes a balance between simplicity and useful functionality. Key reasons users choose it include:

• Easy-to-use interface: Drag-and-drop media import, clear menus, and an intuitive workflow.
• Wide format support: Accepts common video/audio/image formats like MP4, AVI, MOV, WMV, MKV, JPG, PNG, and more.
• Built-in templates and customization: Ready-made DVD menu templates, background music, and basic editing tools (trim, crop, rotate).
• Fast burning process: Optimized encoding and burning options that can speed up disc creation on modern hardware.
• Preview before burning: Real-time preview lets you check menus, chapters, and playback order before writing to disc.

System preparation: what you need

Before you start, ensure you have:

• A computer with a DVD burner (internal or external).
• Blank DVDs (DVD-R, DVD+R, or DVD-RW/DVD+RW for rewritable discs).
• Sufficient free disk space for temporary files — video encoding can require several GBs.
• The Wondershare DVD Creator installer downloaded from a trusted source and installed.
• Optional: an external USB DVD drive for laptops without a built-in burner.

Step-by-step: burn DVDs fast

1. Launch Wondershare DVD Creator and choose “Create a DVD Video Disc” (or equivalent).
2. Add your media:
   • Click “Add Files” or drag-and-drop video, audio, and image files into the project window.
   • Arrange files in the desired playback order by dragging thumbnails.
3. Edit and set chapters (optional):
   • Use the built-in editor to trim unwanted portions, crop frames, rotate clips, or add text overlays.
   • Create chapters for easier navigation by splitting videos where needed.
4. Choose a menu template:
   • Select from the provided menu templates. For faster results, pick a simple, clean template that requires no extra editing.
   • Customize title text, thumbnail images, and background music if desired — keep edits minimal to save time.
5. Adjust output settings for speed:
   • Select disc type (DVD-5 or DVD-9) depending on capacity needs.
   • For faster burns, choose a lower encoding quality if acceptable; otherwise keep the default high-quality settings.
   • Set burning speed to the highest stable option supported by your DVD burner and the blank disc (often 8x or 16x). Very high speeds may cause errors with lower-quality discs.
6. Preview the project:
   • Use the preview function to verify menu navigation, chapters, and playback order.
7. Burn the disc:
   • Insert a blank DVD into the burner.
   • Click “Burn” and monitor progress. The software will encode the project then write it to disc.
8. Finalize and test:
   • When burning completes, test the DVD in a standalone player or another computer to confirm proper playback.

Tips to speed up the process

• Work with source files that are already close to DVD-compliant formats/resolutions to reduce encoding time (e.g., standard-definition files).
• Close other CPU-intensive programs while burning to allocate resources to Wondershare’s encoder.
• Use higher-performance hardware (SSD, multi-core CPU, plenty of RAM) for faster encoding and temporary file handling.
• Keep a small number of simultaneous projects open; finalize one disc at a time.
• Use reliable, higher-quality blank DVDs rated for faster burn speeds.

Troubleshooting common issues

• Burn fails or disc unreadable: Try a different brand of disc, lower burn speed, or clean the drive lens.
• Video playback stutters: Re-encode using a lower bitrate or use a different source file with fewer corrupt frames.
• Menu buttons unresponsive in some players: Stick to basic menu templates and avoid overly complex scripting.
• Long encoding times: Reduce output quality slightly or convert source files to a more encoder-friendly format before importing.

Alternatives and when to use them

Wondershare DVD Creator is ideal for users who want a quick, guided DVD authoring experience with menu templates and basic editing. If you need advanced authoring features (complex menus, professional chapter markers, multi-angle, subtitles in multiple formats), consider professional tools like Adobe Encore (discontinued but used historically), DVD-lab PRO, or TMPGEnc Authoring Works.

Final checklist before burning

• Verify source files play correctly.
• Confirm disc type and capacity match your project.
• Choose an appropriate burn speed for your blank discs.
• Preview the menu and playback order.
• Ensure enough free disk space for encoding.

Wondershare DVD Creator simplifies the DVD burning process with an approachable interface and helpful templates. By preparing your system, choosing sensible output settings, and following the steps above, you can produce high-quality DVDs quickly and reliably.