72 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown
# iTunes Extras Template
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This project provides a convenient way to generate custom iTunes Extras for your Movies. The template looks very similar to the new (online) iTunes Extras however with some drawbacks:
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- Chapters do not work. It would be possible to show chapters in the extras but since iTunes 12 starting a chapter will start the main movie from the beginning.
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- There is no connection to the iTunes Store. There is no *Related* tab.
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## Prerequisites
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The iTunes Extras template uses [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) for its compilation mechanism. You need to have a [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) instance on your system in order to successfully compile the extras. To install the required packages navigate into the root folder of the project with a Terminal and run `npm install`.
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## Tutorial: Creating iTunes Extras
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#### Step 1: Tagging the Movie
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1. Firstly you might want to create your movie file (in mp4/m4v format). The movie file should be tagged as usual including the movie title, artist, description etc.
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2. Add the `content ID` tag to the movie and assign it a unique 9 digit number. Normally a random 9 digit number will be sufficient.
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3. Add the `XID` tag to the movie. The XID has to be formatted in the following way:
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```
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TEST:uuid:<UUID>
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```
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where `<UUID>` is a valid UUID. You can generate a UUID using the `uuidgen` command line app.
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The `content ID` and `XID` are used to link the iTunes Extras to the movie file.
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#### Step 2: Tagging your Extras
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Open the `data.json` file and edit it as follows:
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- Add the movie's metadata to the `"meta"` part of the file. This may include the movie's `"title"`, `"artist"`, `"description"`, `"longDescription"`, `"genre"`, `"releaseDate"`, `"year"`, `"studio"` and `"sort-name"`.
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- Change the `"XID"` to the XID you previously assigned to the movie file.
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- Change the `"movieID"` to the movie's `content ID`.
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- Change the `"extrasID"` to a different 9 digit number (this is the content ID of the iTunes Extras).
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- Optionally you may adapt the `"extrasVersion"` and/or `"extrasBuildNumber"` to a value of your liking.
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#### Step 3: Adding Features (Extras)
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Features (extras) are probably the reason for you creating a custom iTunes Extras. First create `*.m4v` files and a preview image for each of your features. The `*.m4v` files may contain chapter markers however the chapters can only be selected while playing a feature. The preview images should be in `*.png` format. It is unneccesary to tag the extras (name, artist artwork etc.) since those tags will not appear in iTunes.
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Add your features to the `assets/videos` folder and the preview images to the `assets/images` folder. The filenames should be URL friendly, that is not contain spaces, umlauts or other special characters. The order of the features in the folder does not matter. The filenames of a feature and its preview image may be different (however it is recommended to use the same filename).
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#### Step 4: Tagging Features
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Now your features will be included in the iTunes Extras but there is no way yet to start a feature. In order for the features to appear in the *Features* section you have to add an entry like the following to the `"features"` array in the `data.json` file:
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```
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"title": "A Title",
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"description": "A (short) Description",
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"src": "feature01.m4v",
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"imageName": "feature01.png",
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"duration": "43:03"
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```
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The value for `"src"` is the filename of the feature (in the `assets/videos` folder) and the value for the `"imageName"` is the filename of the corresponding preview image in the `assets/images` folder.
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The order of the items in the `"features"` array in `data.json` determines the order of the features in the iTunes Extras.
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#### Step 5: Finishing Touches
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Your iTunes Extras should now work, however they might not look that pretty. To improve the experience you can add the following:
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- Add a PNG formatted file `iTunesArtwork` to the `assets` folder. Note that the file does not have a file extension (it should however be in PNG format).
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- Add a `background.png` image to `assets/images`. This image will be used as a background image for your iTunes Extras.
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- Add a `background.m4a` audio file to `assets/audio`. This audio will be used as background audio for your extras. The audio will be played in a loop.
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#### Step 6: Compiling the Extras
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To create a iTunes Extras file from the data you provided just run the `compile.sh` script. This will create an `iTunes Extras.ite` file that you can import into iTunes. It is recommended to import the actual movie before the iTunes Extras. |