Video Editing Books

This book is not very well layed out for people making more professional DVDs. I have used these visual quick pro guides before and have been able to find answers but this book is pretty messy. It is especially frustrating if you are using it with Final Cut Pro. The book will begin to tell you how to perform a task such as exporting encoded video with chapter markers from FCP and then it will never follow through with how to see these markers in DVD SP or connect chapters to menus or tracks. I was able to lay my DVD out fairly easily but it had a lot to do with the fact that DVD SP has a pretty logical layout system. The book is very vague and leaves out a lot of pertinent details that may have you searching for answers somewhere else. It's not all bad but it has left me in the dust enough to convince me to get a better book that, at least, gives the impression that the author has actually used the program. I would advise getting a different book for this software.

This book is not very well layed out for people making more professional DVDs. I have used these visual quick pro guides before and have been able to find answers but this book is pretty messy. It is especially frustrating if you are using it with Final Cut Pro. The book will begin to tell you how to perform a task such as exporting encoded video with chapter markers from FCP and then it will never follow through with how to see these markers in DVD SP or connect chapters to menus or tracks. I was able to lay my DVD out fairly easily but it had a lot to do with the fact that DVD SP has a pretty logical layout system. The book is very vague and leaves out a lot of pertinent details that may have you searching for answers somewhere else. It's not all bad but it has left me in the dust enough to convince me to get a better book that, at least, gives the impression that the author has actually used the program. I would advise getting a different book for this software.

These "visual" books are great. It's simple, you want to learn something, these books show you. This book isn't filled with a bunch of nonsense, it gets right down to business and shows you how to use the application. Want to make a DVD with DVD Studio Pro? Then, buy this book!

I have been using Macs for over 15 years and have always wanted to be an amateur filmmaker. I started to build my studio a few years back and now I have all the pieces in place: PowerBook G4, Final Cut Pro 3, Panasonic AG-DV1000 deck, DVD Studio 1.5.1, and a FireWire DVD-R. I can now create and edit my video and then use DVD Studio to make professional DVDs for my friends and family. I was able to make a DVD after going through Apple's DVDSP manual and tutorial, but the DVD lacked professional functionality. This book bridges the gap from a functional DVD to a professional DVD.

I recommend this book to any FCP user who wants to make the jump to DVD.

Thanks..

If you own and use DVD Studio Pro you will benefit
(greatly) from the information contained in this book.

It is clear, thorough and easy to follow.

This book is very good, especially if you have some previous experience with Premiere. The only thing I regret about it, is that there is not a version to cover Premiere CS3 (yet). I am not going to explain any further about this book's qualities since all the other previous positive reviews cover everything already. All I can say is that I can recommend this to anybody who is not a complete novice on Adobe Premiere.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with very little or no Premiere experience.
This book covers all major topics on video editing with PPro. It also gives you an insight in video post production, basic camera setup, lightning and special effects.
I would recommend using this book as a reference, not as step by step guide. Keep practicing.!

Maybe Premiere Pro is too complex for average users, so this book could not cover it all. But I wish the book started by follow one example in steps, the explain in details of some special features in additional chapters.

This book is not organized in a way to teach you how to use the software, rather just some special features, not very complete on all the features, either. But this is the only book about Premiere Pro..

This book is great for the beginner. It will start you out by teaching you the basics of file management and setting up your computer to handle video editing and will lead you through a series of 'projects' to teach you the basics of video editing.

It also includes media with video clips to use in case you don't have any to begin with.

It's great book if you have never done any editing, or if you have never done editing with Premiere. Even one version behind on the software version, it is still a very useful book.

Jacob Rosenberg's Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0 Studio Techniques is great whether you're a Premiere newbie, or a seasoned vet.

I myself fall somewhere between those two, so it worked out perfectly. Jacob writes in a way that makes you feel comfortable - you can easily tell he is an avid user of Premiere Pro (not to be confused with an Avid user...video editing humor, anyone?). From his thorough yet laid back instructions to his various real-world examples, it's clear that he's not just authoring a paint-by-numbers look at some new piece of software. Jacob has been with Premiere from it's early stages of life, and in some cases has even had a hand in its evolution.

I specifically wanted this book for its insight on editing workflows, especially in regards to 24p and 24p HD projects in Premiere Pro. The included companion DVD has chapters devoted entirely to his experience onlining the HD feature documentary, Dust to Glory, with Premiere Pro on a PC...so this book was a no-brainer!

I was even able to contact the author himself and meet face to face to discuss the various intricacies of conforming an offline edit to an online all within Premiere Pro for a feature I'm currently working on. He was/continues to be incredibly helpful, and is truly the most knowledgeable person on Premiere Pro that I've ever had the pleasure to meet.

Bottom line, buy this book if you want insight on Premiere Pro.

I've owned this book for over a year, but I am just now realizing how fabulous it is. I'm a graduate student in film school working on a documentary and it was required reading in my first year. Now I'm smack in the middle of the writing stages of my first feature length film and this book is saving me from insanity. It is my go-to source when I feel like I've hit a brick wall and it gets me back on track. I highly recommend this book!

I have about 20 books in my room and this one is one of them and it's seriously the best I've ever read, regardless of genre.
I don't even write much screenplays these days but sometimes I still re-read some chapters and sitting there nodding "yup, that's so true".

The examples are so good, I thought that probebly a book like this would just make examples from boring drama movies and discard action as garbage, but the examples vary from Robocop to Beverly hills cop.

My favrouite chapter is about the Hero, finally I can explain for real why I don't like Harry Potter, becouse for me he is not a hero, and this chapter analyses what a hero is so I can make sure that in my screenplays ppl will actually hope that the hero will sucseed unlike in movies like Harry Potter where I'm hoping the evil wizard will kill his ass.

This book is amazing... I have Dona Cooper for class at the North Carolina School of the Arts and she is amazing. What a wealth of knowledge she has to share, and has shared in this text. A+++ Read!!!! A Must-Have for any screenwriter...

When writing for television and film some people may think that all you have to do is come up with an idea and write the screenplay. The reality is that there is a lot more to it according to Dona Cooper, the author of the best-selling book, Writing Screenplays for Television and Film. The major theme that she continuously uses throughout the book is the two-dimensional roller coaster theme. The roller coaster analogy is to help "capture the sense of thrust, power, build, and intensity that a good story experience must have." This book targets readers who are more advanced and are ready to market their screenplays as soon as everything is together versus a beginning writer who wants to learn the basic steps of writing a screenplay. The majority of this book is written with strong structure. She develops key concepts and backs the structure of the different types of roller coasters that can be incorporated in many story elements. She writes with the idea of not telling the reader first you need to do this step, instead she lets the reader explore the different possible directions they can take. Her advice allows the reader to develop their own way of writing and their own sequence of writing. Beginning writers may want to gear away from this book. For the more advanced writers this would be a great book to purchase.

You should definitely own a copy of this book. While it is not aimed at total beginners, intermediate and advanced writers will find it invaluable.

With the advances in High Definition and HDV, staying ahead of the learning curve might seem a daunting task. "Working with HDV" is a god-send. Seven chapters of technical wizardry, yet it's incredibly approachable; allowing even the most novice of film makers to grasp it. This is a MUST HAVE for any one considering whether or not to shoot on HDV for your next project!

Chuck Gloman has definitely helped me,a non-technical person, understand the basics of working with HDV. I have begun my project with a new confidence, and he has showed me this can be real simple.

I am just starting to explore using HDV and purchasing some equipment. The book "Working with HDV" was a great introduction to HDV but the overal quality of the book was very mixed. The author did seem very knowledgeable about the subject matter and parts of the writing were excellent. The first few chapters which provide a historical perspective and overview of HDV was really excellent with the right balance of technical detail. the middle portion on HDV production techniques was marginally useful as it did not go into enough detail to be really helpful. The last portion on post production and delivery was awful. It seemed like the deadline was approaching and the last few chapters were just thrown together. It was just a bunch of disjointed information on various options without any flow to it whatsoever. Some sections seemed incomplete and without any clear purpose in the text (e.g. some of the case studies). Maybe it was because there are so many software and hardware products on the market it was not possible to go into any detail. One of the problems was several terms were used which were not defined unlike the first chapters which explained everything thoroughly. There were also a fair number of editing mistakes which I found a bit annyoing (example: page 59 second paragraph last sentence should read "384-Kbps").

Overall I found the book useful and the first few chapters alone were worth the cost...but barely.

This is an excellent book. It covers the topic of High Definition very thoroughly.
It is copyright 2007. At the time of this review (July, 2007) it seems very much up to date.
It reviews ALL the high definition cameras on the market today. It covers the best video editing programs (Sopny Vegas, Adobe Premiere Pro2, Avid Xpress ProHD, Apple Final Cut Pro HD 5, Ulead Media Studio Pro 8).
Dr. Pescatore does a masterful job of describing the various Digital Video formats. (Did you know that you can have digital video without it being High Definition)?
Chapter 5 deals with shooting with HDV, and could have used a few more rewrites. It seems to lack coherence.
HDV is the wave of the future, and you need this book to prepare you for this technology

I am a computer professional, and bought this book to learn how to get started in HDV. To my dismay I found numerous errors when the authors referred to computing. e.g. in one place they call RAID, Random Access Internal Drives, yet in the glossary they correctly call it Redundant Array of Independent Disks. They claim that USB 2 is faster than Firewire (not true, although the theoretical maximum speed in USB is higher, in actual use Firewire is much faster for sustained data transfer, such as one sees with digital video.) They also say that Mac files cannot be accessed from Windows. This is also not, strictly speaking, true (although it is not easy).

If I ever get working copies of the two DVD-ROMs included with this book, I look forward to actually starting to use it and giving a better rating. But so far, it has taken weeks of emails to receive ONE of the two replacement discs, with no explanation or indication of whether I will be receiving the other one. Apparently there is occasionally a bad batch of discs, so check as soon as you get yours that all the files copy across to your computer correctly.

The book presents a really useful range of techniques structured in an appropriate sequence that builds skills. The overall quality of the book is very good. Highly recommended.

This is not just another "how to" book it goes beyond the technical to cover the why of editing. The author uses actual feature film footage to convey the decision process for the art of editing.

I haven't exactly read this book yet, but I do own one and love it. It's so helpful. If anyone is interested in editing these are great books to read.

This extraordinary book/dvd set is much more than a simple "how-to" manual. And, in its own way, it's all really more than a book on editing. It really addresses the entire film making process, albeit from the POV of an editor. Possibly it is most valuable in its emphasis on tone and genre. The exercises are truly instructive, in every sense of the word. My own method of getting through the lessons was to read the chapter all the way through, first. Then go back, at the computer, with the footage loaded and follow, step-by-step. One word of warning - this really is an advanced program. I don't suggest getting this book as a primer for first time users. Get it if you already have some proficiency with the basics of FCP. Otherwise I think it'll be a bit overwhelming. For me, this way actually better than sitting in a classroom learning from a live teacher (something I've done, as well). Highly recommended.

Watch Mama's Family? Like to learn from one of the masters of writing comedy? Gene Perret is one of the best and this book helps you learn what he knows: comedy writing takes practice.

Persevere and complete these exercises and pretty soon, what first seemed "impossible" becomes doable and then, fun.

This book gives a lot of writing exercises, tips and tricks of the trade that you can use to write funny. A very good buy!

Don't be fooled by the release date of December 1990. The actual date of the book is 1982. He talks about Happy Days and MASH and comedians we don't here of any more such as Phillis Diller. If you can handle comedic examples from past TV shows etc. then the book is good. The actual exercises are first class and he does have good advice for the beginner. May you be funny! (or June)

I just finished Gene's book and I have to say I came back impressed. You certainly learn a lot about how comedy is truly thought out and there isn't as much 'ad-lib' as you think out there. The only thing I found wrong with this book was how dated it was. The book is abound with references to late 70 and early 80's comedians like Bob Hope and Phyllis Diller, and Gene writes the book from a joke writer's stand-point - somebody who writes jokes to sell to the big-time performers, a practice that is hardly utilized today; therefore, some of the advice on how to sell you jokes can be skipped over. However, as dated as the book is, the method of comedy writing really doesn't change, whether writing for someone else or writing for your own stand-up act (like me). Sure, styles may change - Bob Hope and Dane Cook are FAR from similar - but the method behind the madness really doesn't change that much. Gene very seriously goes into what makes a joke funny and gets you to actually THINK about a joke instead of waiting for it to come to you, which is impossible. Definitely a good read from a master.

Don't be fooled by the release date of December 1990. The actual date of the book is 1982. He talks about Happy Days and MASH and comedians we don't here of any more such as Phillis Diller. If you can handle comedic examples from past TV shows etc. then the book is good. The actual exercises are first class and he does have good advice for the beginner. May you be funny! (or June)

This book generates good ideas...but you have to do the exercise to be creative. Published in 1982 but it still provides basic principles of comedy writing in year 2002 and beyond.

This book is exactly what I needed. It goes further than just saying " click this and this then do this " . His explanations are shorts and clear. I really appreciated his movie production and his shooting tips. I think the title should be " Everything you need to realize a good movie ". Althought I wouldn't recommend it for uncle John going to make their vacation video, since there would be too much uneeded information.

Got me up and running in record time, and does not spend ages on to much detail in the beginning. Also offers those important tips that keeps your production from looking like a beginners, and warns you about the slight bugs and problems with Adobe Premiere and how to solve them. Also asks the important question: Is this logical? Several times and points out the ilogical aspects of Premiere.

If you've ever wondered what all those hundreds of buttons and do, the ones you've never found a use for, this book will explain it all in great detail. The author dissects Adobe Premiere - in fact, a better title for this book would have been 'Inside Adobe Premiere 6.5'

Teach yourself Premiere in 24 hours - as Einstein once said, Time is relative. If you just bought a digital camcorder and you want to splice some clips together, then move on with life, consider a different book such as Adobe Premiere for Dummies. This book makes a great reference manual, but lacks the basics for beginners. This is targeted more towards the advanced video editor with some past experience.

Video effects add 'spice.' Consider the 'meat.' A few fades, cut-away's, and a touch of transition is all it takes to edit quality raw footage. This book covers video and audio effects in great detail and provides a lot of insight into movie making. He does get a little pompous, so don't let him push you around e.g. A/B editing. This book, as well as Adobe Premiere for Dummies, insist you use single track editing. Don't be intimidated. If you understand Adobe's concept of 'layers' in Photoshop, you will find A/B editing more intuitive and easier to use.

You can use this book for Premiere 6.0, as well as 6.5 - unless you're really big on 'titles'. For authoring DVD's, most authoring programs provide mpeg2 encoding, something to consider before spending the money on the upgrade to 6.5.

The book gives you the essential knowledge to quickly ramp up on Premiere 6.5. You learn of the fundamental importance of the transitions palette. It acts as a backbone to your video. One remark by Sengstack is worth repeating. Make the transitions palette full screen. Its elements are an excellent overview of the most important Premiere elements. Like the Clock Dissolve, which lets you dissolve from one image to another. A highly used method.

But the book is more than just a recital of Premiere methods. Equally valuable are the author's suggestions of good usage. Perhaps the main thing to beware is not to use a fancy special effect for its own gee whiz sake. The narrative should always make sense, and within this, you can sparingly use special effects.

If you need to get up and running quickly, this book is for you. It's concise and to the point. Like other books in the 24 Hours series, it is a place to start. Finish it, then start reading the more in depth books on Pemiere and non linear editing.

My only complaint is: the book has black and white illustrations that are small and hard to read.

I only wish I had more time to spend with this book. I am fortunatly busy editing! Everytime I sit down with this thing it changes the way I edit. It is clearly written and takes you through good editing techniques as well as how to use FCP to accomplish them. Best $35 I ever spent.

Dan S.

iPeace.tv

A very clear definition of how to do nearly everything in FCP4. Having only the knowledge of how to do a simple cut, I was able to follow the book and understand it. I'm still in high school, so you know if I can do this, you can as well. The book contains with it a DVD that offers 8.3 gigabytes of lessons that you give you all the shots you need, and then you open the book and the book explains what to do with the shots given to you. Depending on your current skill level, you can skip any lessons that you already know. The book does require some knowledge of the interface, like the canvas, viewer, browser, and timeline, and how they all function. I recommend the book to anyone that wants to learn FCP4 very well.

I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about using special fx, filters, motion, compositing, titles, or "sound track" in final cut pro, but to those who'd rather do all of this in after effects and would like to know more about codecs, HD, workflow, audio mastering, encoding, compressing, formats, and delivery in Final Cut Pro, I'd have to guess that there's probably something better out there. It would be unfair to say that this book ignores these subjects, but it certainly does not concentrate on them. I'm not dissappointed in my purchase for I certainly learned a lot, but I did expect a bit more. Good for what it's worth, but not great.

I'm sold on the Apple's Pro Training series for Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, offer training very economically. If you work independently and learn well from text books, these two offer clear instructions that can be trusted and followed with confidence. By following them carefully, I accomplish complicated tasks, such as animating titles, easily. Although, there are a few misplaced characters there aren't any missing words. By following Apple's lesson plan, I learned how to use tools in FCP. Some of them are so clever they're difficult to comprehend. The slip edit tool, for instance, lets you change which portion of the source file will be shown in a clip without lengthening the sequence. It took awhile before I could understood what was going on. It wasn't like anting I'd encountered before. How to operate the levers, buttons, and bells is important but these two books also teach how to make movies. For example, Final Cut Pro 4 describes how to slip the video into synch with the audio tracks rhythm pattern: how to finesse the leopard to move his head at a specific time in the music. After completing many tutorials in these books, I appreciate documentaries more. I've heard it referred to as a mid-range video editor but I can't foresee needing more power to edit my DV. At first I wondered why LiveType came bundled with Final Cut and why it took up so much room on my hd. After building the example projects, in chapters 19 and 20 of Final Cut Pro Advanced, however, I don't care how much room it needs. My motion titles impressed everyone saw them. Even experienced FinalCut Pro users may learn something about LiveType by reading this book. These books cover color correction, working with film, project management, nesting sequences, multi-track trims -- I'm reminded of the jingle about a good spaghetti sauce, the answer to every question, 'it's in there! I'll be using these two books, Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, for a long time. Tip: The lessons will go smoother if you read ahead.

Also recommended: Final Cut Pro 4 and Color management in OS X

I found several mistakes in the book. In one chapter it is recommends that you apply the 3 way color correction filter, when in fact you needed to use the normal color correction filter. I was able to figure out what was actually intended, but it baffles me why Apple as well as Peachpit Press would put out a book like this without a quality assurance check. This was not the only issue with the lessons. In my copy, on lesson 21 it asks you to modify the auxillary 24fps timecode of a clip, but I was unable to do so with the file that was included in the DVD.

If Final Cut Pro was as buggy as this book was, I would have switched over to Premier a long time ago. I am concurrently teaching myself Shake with Apple's Pro Training series for that program and haven't noticed anywhere near the mistakes that I have with this one.

I do have to admit I learned a hell of a lot from this book, WHEN THE LESSONS WORKED, but next time they should have someone do a QA check on the files as well as fact check on the lessons.

BTW, Peachpit has not addressed any of my emails regarding these problems. Not Good!

Luckily I bought this book used and paid very little for it.

The content of the book is good and I keep it on the shelf as reference, it's nice to be able to look up specific topics and the sections are usually short and to the point.

My major complaint is that the much touted DVD that comes with the book is, for all intents and purposes, USELESS. In the book he references a file or where that file is on the DVD... and there is no such file or folder on the DVD. After my third attempt at looking for a file I realized this and had I not paid so little for the book I would have returned it instantly.

As I said, the content seems good but the disk makes you crazy and neither the author's website nor the publisher's make any attempt to apologize for this or give you the option to acquire the files on-line. I would only purchase this book used if at all.

I'm about 2 thirds through the book and am finding it very easy to read and very informative. I'd recommend it to newbies and olderbies.

Glad I picked this one out of all the possibilities!

Excellent DVD authoring guide for DVD authors and non-authors. Simple to follow guides and diagrams. The key to the book is it's simplicity. Easy to follow instructions plus all the technical DVD stuff that you may need for reference in the future. Also the enclosed DVD is packed with goodies and extras. We also get to see Bruce explaining things to us on camera. Buy this book!!!

This is a great book. Well written with accurate information and the content included applies to DVD Studio Pro 2, 3, and DVD authoring in general. If you are authoring DVDs, you should have this book.

There is NO doubt in my mind, that Bruce Nazarian is literally the world's best lecturer, seminar leader, tutor, and evangelist for authoring DVDs, especially done on the video-geeks platform of choice: the Apple G5. If you have never attended one of his widely available seminars about how to author DVDs, you MUST find the time and money to do so... its a life affirming experinece.

Otherwise, THIS, his latest publication, DVD-SP2 is the next best thing to being there.

Why? because unlike anyone else whose job it is to take average folk from ignorance to professional competency, Bruce has that magical personality to put himself in YOUR shoes, to see the issues, problems and questions from YOUR perspective. NOT as some sales-puke trying to push something on you in a 30 minute presentation, but as a friend (and I consider him a good friend).

Specifically about this book... it is LOADED with screen capture pictures, more than I have ever seen in a "how-to" for DVD authoring.. Beyond the pictures, is his massive use of short paragraphs with very descriptive titles on almost every thought. The titles of each concept are often put in the format of a question that YOU would be asking yourself... I am certain that give the massive experience Bruce has had on the DVD authoring-training circuit world wide, he has heard them all. So READING this book, is almost like having a conversation with Bruce. TOTALLY UNIQUE.

Beyond that, the damn text is actually readable, even though the facts to be learned are about what DVDs are and how they can be used and what the details are for each of the authoring functions of SP2. I am a certified Illiterate. I have NEVER read a book, cover to cover, that was not required reading to pass a course. But when I cracked this three pound, 540 page boat anchor, I could NOT put it down... NOT because I needed to know what was in it, (since I have been playing in this sandbox since 1976)... but because of the common language style and very clear, errorless choice of words. The man has a gift. I know most of you who are considering to buy this book have almost NO time to read an "epic" on the subject, and you have other options which include turning on your computer and grinding through tutorials (both supplied by Bruce and Apple).

BUT... This book was a joy to review. I even learned stuff that I did NOT want to learn... and that brings me to another issue that should put this acquisition at the top of your Christmas list (but don't wait til then). Every page has some comment, that shows a personal viewpoint with judgement calls that come from his years of experience mastering the hardware and software from Apple and that of their competitors. The man has an attitude... it jumps off the page. ITS NOT BORING. He is never irreverent, but always truthful, even about those little hidden details that keep people, doing DVDs, awake nights. A straight shooter, no crap. Its surprising that this book ever got published.

And finally... the book, like others, has a DVD in it with all those extras that they cannot put on paper... Those alone are probably worth the purchase price... But the kicker is that what you get is to see is Bruce-on-screen... talkin to you as if you were a client or a new employee... Very much in command of the subject matter and of his own talents at doing all this. What you will see there is a personality that will make you want to get to this guy's next two day intensive seminar (or whatever is your opportunity). I have seen him perform in front of hundreds of people, playing the crowd like Sir Stevie Jobs... and when his time is up, usually a crowd forms around him to ask questions and to get to be a real industry associate of his. You are going to want to know this guy... and this DVD and book will get you half way there.

And a final "finally." I told him.. "rather than make them read this book (and the updates he is already working on)...you really should put out a DVD series so they can put Bruce on their $29 Apex DVD player next to that monster G5, and have you talk them through all the features of a "professional" authoring tool." Yes, with Bruce as your co-pilot... you TOO will be able to land this 747 sized task of making serious money off of Apple's ambitions to dominate the Video editing and DVD authoring world.

And for any of you who might question: who the hell I am. I am called: (by a few thousand people who know me as well as I know Bruce) DA Godfather... A title I have given myself for having spent the last 29 years trying to bring Erasable Optical Recording to the world in order to eliminate paper, film and that evil VideoTAPE that has preceeded DVD-RW type media. If you ever see some Yahoo, walking down the aisles of NAB, CES, COMDEX, etc... looking like a dirty old Chicago Mafiosi... with a black hat.. that's me (be nice to the guy if its NOT me, you want to keep your kneecaps)... I would be happy to meet you and tell you more about Sir Bruce and why I consider him Apple's greatest Evangelist for what you are about to learn.

Enjoy IT,... I certainly did.

Da Godfather
(sorry about any typos...two of my fingers are shorter than they should be...shades of the International DVD-Mafia convention in Japan a few years back. :-)

As a "rank beginner" I was very impressed with the author's ability to convey the information. He covered Final Cut Pro 3 in a wonderful step by step process. Along the way he made sure that each process was clearly stated. Since I have no prior knowledge of working with Final Cut Pro 3, I appreciated the approach that was taken.

If you are in the market for a FCP3 book, give this one STRONG consideration.

A wish that other software books would be as this... beyond Final Cut it cover many aspects of video editing and is a great source of tips of any kind, very useful for beginners (but also good for experienced video editors who have forgotten some aspects about their work).

The design layout and color images of the book are very nice too.

The book has many great techniques and explains every function in FCP very well with step by step guides and suggestions. Unfortunately, many of the examples are not tailored for real world editing (the chroma-key section for example). Would have preferred that they use some real world situations for their examples.

And I can't help but concur with everyone else about the quality of the book. Within the first few minutes of reading, the book was falling apart and pages were dropping out of the book. Shoddy workmanship by the publisher!

This is a great book with the exception that the construction of the book is defective. It is not sewn and the long rectangular shape caused my copy to fall apart in spite of my careful handling. Too bad because I love the book. But it is literally now all over the place and pages are stacked together . A definite problem with construction of the book.

The authors do a bang up job of covering Final Cut Pro. The content of this book is only surpassed by the excellent execution of its design. Content is well-written, clear and easily understandable. As if this weren't enough, the authors outdo themselves by using a design concept for their FCP3 topics that make already clear explanations, crystal clear. It's obvious that much of the book's high price is due to the high quality screen shots and illustrations all of which are in color. Color makes all the difference, especially when talking about FCP3 where color in the application itself conveys information to the user. The screen shots chosen by the authors to illustrate their explanations make this book a perfect choice for beginners or intermediate users. An excellent book, an excellent buy.