Can I do a Mac formatted CD rom disk on a PC? How do I format a CD on a Mac?

[drabbat]

I would like to enter a wedding photo contest, but it necessitates

that I have to send in my entry on a Mac formatted CD Rom disk. I do

not have a Mac. The only way I think I'd be able to access one is

to go to my mom's school and use hers, but I still would not know

how to format it. Is it possible to do this on a PC? If I can get

access to a Mac, how do I do it?

 

http://pdnonline.com/photodistrictnews/photos/2005/01/PDNWeddingConte

stCFE2005.pdf

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks!

[Ed_Ingold]

ISO-format discs can be read on either Mac or PC computers.

[drabbat]

What is an ISO format disc? I'm sorry, I wish I knew more! I read the rules a little more closely and they say, "Provide a Digital File for reproduction a Mac formatted CD Rom disc at least 5x7 at 300 DPI TIFF." How do I do this on a PC (if possible)?

[clauder]

lets begin the other way around... a standard TIFF file (as I say, standard, stay away from compression and other not so basic stuff, like layers, alpha channels etc, even though they should be comaptible as well) is compatible between the 2 systems (MAC and PC) so that is no problem already. Then the CD's... CD's are not really formatted like disks are... they have a TOC (table of content) that normally describes the format used (and where to find the data), and if that is the normal ISO format, it is compatible too... Which application would you use for bruning the CD? Most burning software uses the ISO standard as their default anyway, so you wouldn't have any problems...

[tholos]

A TIFF can be a little-endian (PC) or a big-endian (MAC) file. If you are using photoshop or other similar software, it should have the option of saving to a pc or mac which will automatically save the right endian-ness. Some programs can read either pc or mac TIFFs, but many cannot.

 

This whole big/little endian mess has to do with how the two kinds of computers store numbers - most significant digit first, or least significant digit first.

 

As for the CDROM, you can make a cd on a pc and it should read fine on a mac. The other way around is not always the case.

[mdickerson]

Danielle -- Looking at the PDF, it sounds like the most likely explanation is that whoever wrote the rules didn't really know what they were talking about. There isn't really such a thing as "formatting a CD" so I would just make a TIFF file like they requested, burn it on a CD using whatever computer you have, and not worry about it.

 

Aside for nerds .. Actually it is possible to make a "Mac formatted CD" by burning an HFS filesystem onto it, since I did this once by accident, but it is a pretty useless thing to do.

[dai_hunter]

IF you are working on a PC with Win2K/NT/XP you can burn a CD directly from the OS via the WinMedia application. This will ISTR be a Joliet formatted disk (Win long file names) and may not be openable on a Mac which will generally not "see" long Win file names + the Win file extention.

 

You need to use external/stand-alone software to create the CD - such as Adaptec or Nero. However, if you don't have such software, here is a free solution - ABSOLUTELY NO AD-WARE OR SPYWARE IN THIS ONE:

 

CD Burner XP Pro

 

http://www.cdburnerxp.se/download.php

 

Compatable operating systems: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003 Server;

App will: Burn and create ISO-files (ISO9660-1 w/8+3 file names or ISO9660-2 with extended file names) For creating an ISO9660-1 disk you MUST name the files in the source folder on your PC with 8 or fewer characters... any longer file name will be truncated to 7 alpha chars + the char "~" + the 3 char Win file extention "jpg" or "tif" ect.; which is how the ISO 8+3 name format works. The 8+3 name convention is really a backward compatable DOS name convention that became the ISO standard. Macs will "see" those names.

 

MORE:

 

The PDF you referenced in fact can be found here - the link as seen in your orig msg does not open (?) apparently because of the blank space and st chars between the word "Conte" and "CFE..."

 

http://pdnonline.com/photodistrictnews/photos/2005/01/PDNWeddingContestCFE2005.pdf

 

Submission Requirements

"Entries must be submitted as a print or slide for judging. No materials will be returned. Also provide a digital file for reproduction on a "Mac-formatted" CD-Rom disk; at least a 5x7 at 300dpi CYMK tif file."

 

I think they are really asking for a "Mac readable" disk - which then would mean an ISO "format" if the disk is created on a PC to be opened on a Mac; as I don't believe that a Mac will open the Joliet format.

 

Whoever wrote that, and it is a surprise especially as it is PDN and a professional photography specific website, actually mis-specified the resolution in "DPI" where it should have been "PPI"... sigh!

 

Hunter

[Karim Ghantous]

Here are the settings that have provens successful in my case. The Mac OS screenshot shows a simple radio button in Toast. The Windows screenshot shows a Nero 5.0 dialogue box - note the multiple options.

 

In both cases long file names, long file extensions, lower case letters and compatibility are preserved.<div></div>

[steve_singleton3]

Follow the advice given, then have your mom open the disk on the Mac at school to check your work.