Audio & Video Editing Books

Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop

Tom Wolsky

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Music -> Audio & Video Editing
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Go beyond the mechanics of Final Cut Express 4--learn how to edit with it! More than a button-pushing manual--this workshop give you firsthand experience with the art and technique of editing. You develop a working knowledge with nineteen tutorials that cover each and every essential, including:
* setting up your system and understanding the interface
* ingesting and organizing your material including drive-based and disc-based camera data
* slicing, dicing, and organizing clips
* editing to build and trim a sequence of shots
* adding transitions
* using sound to refine your edit
* titling with FCE and Photoshop
* animating images to create engaging scenes
* adding special effects filters
* compositing to enhance your projects
* outputting your material
The companion DVD contains project media, demo software, and free plug-ins for your use.

* Nineteen tutorial lessons give you firsthand experience with the art and technique of editing
* Covers every essential activity from system set-up to outputting your material
* The companion DVD contains project media files, demo software and plug-ins

iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

David Pogue

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Apple -> iMovie + iDVD
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Whether you consider yourself a pro or a hobbyist, you have to admit that Apple's iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 are amazing right out of the box. Unfortunately, the box doesn't include much of a user's guide, so learning about these applications is another matter. iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual gets you up to speed on all of the themes, motion graphics, titles, effects -- everything that lets you turn raw digital footage into highly creative video projects. You get crystal-clear and jargon-free explanations of all the iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 features, including the new video library, how to view transitions, titles, and sound in real time as you add them, and ways to publish your creations directly to YouTube. Renowned author David Pogue -- tech columnist for the New York Times -- uses an objective lens to scrutinize every step of process, including how to: Work on multiple iMovie projects at once and drag & drop clips among them Output your creation to a blog, its own web page, or as a video podcast with iWeb Use "Magic iMovie" to import your video and make a movie for you Integrate with other iLife programs to use songs, photos, and an original sound track And a whole lot more From choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs, posting it online, or creating versions for iPod and iPhone, iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual zooms right in on the details in a concise and understandable manner. The book also provides a firm grounding in basic film technique so that the quality of your video won't rely entirely on magic.

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design

Flint Dille, John Zuur Platten

Amazon Price: $13.57 List Price: $19.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Lone Eagle Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $10.69

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> Graphic Design -> General AAS
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> General
Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Design & Decorative Arts -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design balances the artistic and the technical sides of writing smoothly. The incorporation of writing exercises throughout coupled with examples in the back allows the fledgling writer to evaluate their own writing compared to the author's. The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design starts with basics for an beginning writer, continues with the nitty gritty of game specific writing, and finishes with a valuable look into the business aspects of writing for video games. Over all The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design is a comprehensive, easy-to-use tool for the first time writer and a great resource for the veteran as well.

Editorial Review:

• Authors are top game designers
• Aspiring game writers and designers must have this complete bible

There are other books about creating video games out there. Sure, they cover the basics. But The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design goes way beyond the basics. The authors, top game designers, focus on creating games that are an involving, emotional experience for the gamer. Topics include integrating story into the game, writing the game script, putting together the game bible, creating the design document, and working on original intellectual property versus working with licenses. Finally, there’s complete information on how to present a visionary new idea to developers and publishers. Got game? Get The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design.

The Muvipix.com Guide to Adobe Premiere Elements 7: The tools, and how to use them, to create great videos on your personal computer

Steve Grisetti

Amazon Price: $24.95 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Steve Grisetti

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Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Digital Music -> Audio & Video Editing
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Pearls for sale, only 10 cents each 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

My work consists mainly of creating "music videos" (slide shows set to music) that I output at WMV 720p using Photoshop Elements.

My limited use of Premiere is chiefly for the conversion of my WMV 720p slide shows to MPEG 1080i 30 format (MPEG2) either to play from my HDD on my HD monitor and TV, or, I use the MPEG2s to burn Blu-ray DVDs.

Despite the fact that I only skimmed those parts of Grisetti's book that are not currently relevant to my workflow (the chapters on Themes, Effects, Transitons, Titles, The Propeties Panel and Keyframng), I still found PLENTY of "pearls of information" to highlight with my yellow Sharpie.

Specifically, I counted more than 250 yellow highlights on the 161 pages, which works out to less than 10 cents a "pearl" (the book sells for $24.95).

Grisetti's previous "In a Snap" books were task-oriented, while this book is tool-oriented, that is, it covers how to use each of the many tools that are available in Premiere 7.

Now that I have both his task-oriented and his tool-oriented books by my three computers, I feel more capable than ever of "wow-ing" my clients with my music videos.

If you use ANY of the versions of Adobe Premiere Elements, whether 2.0 or 7 or one of the "in-between" versions, I would suggest that you get both this and his previous books. I currently use Premiere 4.0 while I'm waiting for my copy of Premiere 7 to arrive, nevertheless, I found both his older and his newer books to be packed with information that helps me use 4.0 more effectively.

Editorial Review:

Making great movies from your home videos on your personal computer has never been easier, or more fun, thanks to programs like Premiere Elements. Steve Grisetti, host of Adobe's Premiere Elements user-to-user forum and founding member of videomaker support site Muvipix.com, shows you all the tools in the newest version of Adobe's popular video editing software and how to use them to create movies that are as much fun to make as they are to watch. Special features include tips for making most efficient use of the program and your computer's resources and pointers to great tools in some not-so-obvious places.

Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 6 (Apple Pro Training)

Diana Weynand

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Very useful book especially for beginners. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn FC Pro 6. Without incurring a lot of money and time at a training facility one can learn the essentials of NLE at one's own pace.

Editorial Review:

Cut a scene from the USA Network television series Monk, create a promo for Seaworld’s Belief documentary,  and master filters and effects as you edit a segment of  BBC Motion Gallery's Living Colour documentary. Completely revised for Final Cut Pro 6 and featuring all-new footage, this best-selling, Apple-certified guide provides a strong foundation in all aspects of video editing. Renowned author Diana Weynand starts with basic video editing techniques and takes you all the way through Final Cut Pro’s powerful advanced features. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of video editing and finishing, using actual broadcast footage. After marking and editing clips to create a rough cut, you’ll learn how to trim and refine the cut before moving on to complex tasks such as mixing sound, adding titles, creating transitions and motion effects, applying filters, real-time color correcting, and working with multi-format and multi-camera footage.

Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training

Todd Perkins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training is the latest, updated version of the highly acclaimed publication from the leaders in training at lynda.com. In this book, readers will find carefully developed lessons and exercises that teach readers to create interactive Web sites and rich media, with the latest version of the Flash authoring tool. Given the extensive changes to the Flash interface and function, the step-by-step approach is much needed to help present things to a beginner in a very clear, easy-to-follow way. In it, they ll learn how to use the full set of creative drawing, animation, and interactive tools including drawing and color tools, animation basics, symbols and instances, motion, bitmaps, buttons, movie clips, sound, components and forms, and video. Not only that but readers will learn how to use the new powerful integration features with Photoshop and Illustrator and discover new Shape Primitives (expanding your ability to use and manipulate shapes), a new Pen tool that functions like that found in Illustrator, a new ability to convert animations to ActionScript 3, a brand new unified interface matching that of others in the Creative Suite, and much more. Accompanied by a CD-ROM loaded with classroom-proven exercises and QuickTime training videos, this book ensures ensures readers will master the key features of Adobe Flash CS3 in no time. PUBLISHER NOTE: We have received some complaints from readers about the quality of the binding of Adobe Flash CS3 Professional Hands-On Training (ISBN: 0-321-50983-8). We have checked all copies of the inventory in our warehouse and found just a few copies with this problem. If you have received a defective copy of this book we recommend that you return it to the bookstore/reseller from which you purchased it.

Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express 4 (Apple Pro Training)

Diana Weynand

Amazon Price: $29.69 List Price: $44.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peachpit Press Amazon Marketplace: 41 new & used starting at $24.99

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Subjects -> Arts & Photography -> Photography -> Cinematography
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Apple -> Final Cut
Subjects -> Computers & Internet -> Apple -> Desktop Publishing

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

It worked for me . . . 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It takes some time to go through the exercises but I'm up and going now editing my own films. A typical guy, I hate reading directions but sometimes it is necessary. What negative feelings I have about this product are due to the fact I hate the necessary learning curve in learning a "substantial" software product. If only the old iMovie HD product had added an extra video track and kept its wonderful characteristics. I would be happy as a clam. It seems to me that FCE is like Photoshop in that one can accomplish the same task in a number of different ways. Learning all these options takes time. No way around it. Also, like photoshop, one can get competent on FCE without using ALL it offers. Anyway, this manual does explain things well although laboriously. As I start editing my own movies I find the manual very helpful when I forget something. I can go back and reread the chapter I need and move on. I have accepted that only time and repetition will make me competent on FCE and that, at some point, I will love this software. But, at this point I need a how to manual to get started. This training product did what it promised and will be near my computer in the near future as I edit my movies and need to refresh my knowledge base.

Editorial Review:

The only Apple-certified guide to Final Cut Express 4, this book delivers the techniques you need to make movie magic with DV, HDV, or AVCHD footage. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of video editing and finishing, with hands-on projects to complete as you go. All the files you need are on the included DVD-ROM. You’ll learn how to make effective edits and adjust them precisely; create polished transitions and sophisticated composites; add audio tracks, titles, and speed and motion effects; then color-correct and finish your video for export to DVD or the Web. Whether you’re a student, a devoted amateur who’s serious about digital video, or a professional who needs a comprehensive editing program, you’ll find everything you need to learn Final Cut Express 4 within the pages of this book. DVD-ROM includes lesson and media files for over 20 hours of training.

Adobe Premiere Elements for Dummies

Keith Underdahl

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Adobe Premiere Elements offers amateur and home moviemakers the opportunity to work with editing tools as powerful as those packed into Adobe Premiere Pro, one of the top tools on the market. Adobe Premiere Elements For Dummies offers these same users not only a guide through all the how-to steps of using the software, but also a valuable reference on how to best apply the tools to a great video project.

Author Keith Underdahl, also author of Adobe Premiere Pro For Dummies, is an experienced video editor who understands what new Premiere users need to know and how to best explain the topics. In this book, Keith describes:

• Best practices for shooting quality video
• Picking the clips you want to keep and getting them into your computer
• How to use Premiere Elements’ editing tools to add an opening credits page, transitions between clips, sound, music, and ending credits.
• Adding special effects using only computer trickery
• Putting your finished project on a DVD, videotape, or the Internet

Covering more ground than the typical expanded users manuals you find in bookstores, Adobe Premiere Elements For Dummies is the book you need to get you through your first video-editing project as well as to return to whenever you hit rough spots and need instant help.

Final Cut Pro 6: Visual QuickPro Guide (Visual Quickpro Guide)

Lisa Brenneis

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Any Final Cut Pro mysteries left? Get his book? 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.

The guys at the Genius Bar in the Apple Store in San Francisco recommended this to me, and I'm happy they did. It's simply excellent!

I love Visual Quickpro Guides 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Like so many others, I'm self-taught in Photoshop, InDesign ... and now I'm tackling Final Cut Pro.

Visual QuickPro Guides are quickly becoming my "go to" books for technical learning. I have found them to be:

1. Packed full of information;
2. Easy to read (the pages are set up perfectly for us visual learners);
3. Well indexed to find information.

Lisa Brenneis' FINAL CUT PRO 6 guide is quickly becoming well-worn as I learn the ins and outs of final cut.

If you're teaching yourself Final Cut like I am, this book is a must-have.

Enjoy!

Editorial Review:

Newly updated for Final Cut Pro 6, this Visual QuickPro Guide is hands-down one of the most sought out books on Apple’s non-linear editing system. An undisputed master of the digital video medium, Lisa Brenneis once again demystifies the complexities of the program with her straightforward approach that uses tasked-based, step-by-step instructions and loads of visuals and time-saving tips. Busy professionals and newcomers alike will appreciate that they can quickly find and learn tasks specific to their needs, benefiting from the award-winning Visual QuickPro style. Topics covered include essential editing tasks and media-management strategies, transitions, effects and filters, rendering options, and much much more. This is a must-have reference for anyone wanting to learn to use Final Cut Pro, whether they are new to the program or are upgrading.

The Little Digital Video Book (Little Book)

Michael Rubin

Amazon Price: $17.99 List Price: $19.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Peachpit Press Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $1.97

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Its a Beginning 4 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This can by no stretch of the imagination be considered a comprehensive guide to digital video. It cannot even be considered an adequate "operator's manual". It serves a much different purpose. It helps one who knows nothing or practically nothing to get started, to learn the right questions to ask and to determine if this is really a field of interest after all. For those purposes, it is excellent.

In addition to some very basic general priniciples, this book also contains a lot of practical advice and entry level explanation. Why is time code important? Why should tapes be logged? What is the best way to capture the kids' birthday party and not completely bore everyone? Each of these questions, and others, is important but their importance may not seem at all obvious to a beginner. This book answers question like that so that people who will take this hobby further will get started on the right track.

The place I see this book as particularly valuable is for someone considering the purchase of video equipment. It will provide insight as to what is involved. Someone who has already bought some expnesive equipment might be better served by a book that is a bit more advanced.

Editorial Review:

Congratulations! You've got a brand-new digital camcorder. Now what do you do with it? Before you shoot a single frame of tape, pick up The Little Digital Video Book. This friendly guide to the basics of digital video will teach you how to shoot well, organize easily, and quickly edit your own footage. For new camcorder owners, it's the ideal--and affordable--introduction to the exciting world of quality digital filmmaking.

The Little Digital Video Book is not some dense, jargon-filled reference tome. Instead, it focuses on practical shooting and editing techniques, and shows you how to start (and actually finish) that video project you have in mind--in less than a day. You get a thorough grounding in the basics of digital video, from how to get a good close-up shot and how to add a sound track to your video to how to organize your videotapes. The Little Digital Video Book is platform- and software-neutral, truly making it the guide for the moviemaking masses.