Audio and Video Clips Books

After several trips to car shows with my husband, I had lots of beautiful photos sitting in iPhoto ready to print. I thought a DVD would be more useful and enjoyable for him, and tried to make a DVD project - NOT! Having already used The Missing Manual books, I promptly went out and bought this one. Great choice, as it filled in the blanks and gave me lots of ideas also. I am a photographer, not a tech person, and am pretty clueless when it comes to creating projects on the computer.

This series suits me perfectly and the book is highly recommended - with the aid of the book I sat down and promptly made a beautiful DVD, with lots of lovely effects, great music, and best of all it was easy. My husband was very happy with his DVD and watches it often.

The manual is clear, concise, easy to read and enjoyable. Unlike so many texts, it is not dry or overly technical. Anyone can make a great DVD easily with this reference. Next project - a video. Ready.....

This is the book you really want if you use iMovie at all!

I had recently started using a Mac at work, and suddenly I was put in a position to work with video on the Mac. Mr. Pogue's other books had been very helpful to me as I began to learn my way around the Mac, so I thought I would pick up this one to help me with my video work. I was very glad that I did. You see, iMovie HD has tools that help your movie look professional, but the iMovie HD help files are very tedious to go through. There is a great deal of referencing, cross-referencing, and nothing is smoothly laid out. This book is another story, as it is very well laid out with clear instructions and illustrations. It is very long, but since these applications are powerful, it would be expected that any clear explanation of them is going to require some space.
What is particularly good about this book is that the author doesn't assume you are a professional video author, and he spends part one of the book helping you learn how to shoot videos and shares tricks that will make you good at it. Part 2 is dedicated to iMovie, and shares not just how to use the application, but the little extras that will make your video special - transitions, effects, titles, captions, and even how to work with sound in your movie. Part 3, on finding your audience, was another unexpected treat. There the author shows you how to move between iMovie and Quicktime, and how to post your movie to your phone and to the web. Part 4 of the book is on iDVD. I particularly liked the chapter on iDVD secrets, where the author shows how you can use AppleScript to customize iDVD itself.
It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't even know how to use a Mac, and now I am quite the fan, especially when it comes to multimedia applications. I notice Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:
Part 1: CAPTURING DV FOOTAGE
1. The DV Camcorder
2. Turning Home Video into Pro Video
3. Special Event Filming
Part 2: EDITING IN IMOVIE
4. Camcorder Meets Mac
5. Building the Movie
6. Transitions and Effects
7. Titles, Captions, and Credits
8. Narration, Music, and Sound
9. Still Pictures and QuickTime Movies
10. Professional Editing Techniques
Part 3: FINDING YOUR AUDIENCE
11. Back to the Camcorder
12. From iMovie to QuickTime
13. Movies on the Web - And on the Phone
14. QuickTime Player
Part 4: iDVD5
15. From iMovie to iDVD
16. iDVD Projects by Hand
17. Designing iDVD Themes
18. iDVD Secrets
Part 5: Appendixes
A. iMovie HD: Menu by Menu
B. Troubleshooting
C. Master Keyboard Shortcut List

Very informative AND entertaining! If you feel you are even the least bit interested in breaking into digital film making this book is fantastic. I have been using iMovie for several years now and have a camcorder. However, I thought this book might help me kick things up a notch. It certainly will. I have only gotten through the first fifty pages, but I've already learned enough justify this purchase.

When I first received this rather intimidating 450+ page book I thought I would use it mainly for reference. Well, that was before I started reading it. Now I find it hard put down. It is very well written and arranged by areas of interest.

This book is great for everyone, from beginner to expert. It will undoubtedly prove to be a very valuable reference book in the future, but for now it's a great read.

If you're a heavy user of iMovieHD and iDVD, this book is a must. Most questions that users have about both software can be found in this manual (though he doesn't read like a boring manual). Pogue not only provides all the how-tos for learning the software, he also helps you troubleshoot problems that will crop in movie and DVD productions. There's hardly no aspect of either software that I didn't find covered in this book.

All around, yet another hit from the Missing Manual series!

I'm well versed in most things computer, so computer books often either are way under my interest level or are very technical in nature. This is a great mix of advanced techniques taught in a quick and understandable way.

I'm actually using iLife '06, but haven't hit any major roadbumps between the content in the book and the '06 apps.

Great stuff - now I'm drooling over the iPhoto specific book - I want to dig even deeper into that app now that I understand the basics!

iLife '05 is the fifth Missing Manual I've purchased. I find them helpful, informative, and fun to read. The chapter layout is logical and fluid, the index is thorough, and the entire manual is chock full of color (!) illustrations.

The first few chapters will walk the beginner through iTunes and the iTunes Music store. There is even a chapter on managing your iPod.

Next is iPhoto, Apple's image browser-librarian-editor. Like Apple's software, there is more than first meets the eye in these pages.

Section three covers iMovie, from working with your camcorder through producing something worth burning to DVD...leading seamlessly to

Section four, exploring iDVD. Both general concepts and insider-like tips abound.

Section five covers GarageBand. All the above sections are much more accessable and thorough than Apple's Help system. This Missing Manual closes with more than 50 pages of troubleshooting tips for the 5 software titles, and an excellent index.

The whole book is a pleasure to read, browse, or just to hold in the hand (though it's heavy--nothing skimpy about it). I find myself reading some sections completely and diving in for a just a few pages in others. A must have if you own iLife '05--whhich can be had for a song now that iLife '06 is out.

David Pogue's iLife 05: The Missing Manual covers all the major features and functions of iLife: iTunes, iPhoto 5, Garage Band 2 and more. These are all key cornerstones of the Mac's popularity and here are revealed by a weekly computer columnist for the New York Times who is himself a Macintosh author. From producing polished music recordings with no prior experience to using information panels, effects panes, film rolls and other features of iLife 05, you simply can't be without this book if you own the program. The full color screen examples packed throughout make it hard to mess up.

Do you need to harness cutting-edge technology for your own creative expression and entertainment? If you do, you're in luck! Author David Pogue, has done an outstanding job of writing a book that doesn't require you to be a professional working for a media conglomerate to read it.

Pogue, begins by discussing how to use iTunes 4 for managing, playing, buying and sharing digital music. Then, he discusses how to use the iPhoto 5 program for downloading photos from your digital camera, and organizing, sharing, and printing them. The author continues by describing how to use the iMoves HD program for editing footage from a digital camcorder, adding effects, sound, and credits, and then presenting the result. Next, he details how to use GarageBand 2 for composing and recording terrific-sounding songs of your own. Then, the author provides an overview of how to use the iDVD 5 program for burning DVDs containing the movies, music, and photos from iTunes, iPhotos, iMoves, and GarageBand. Finally, he explains how to troubleshoot the preceding programs.

This most excellent book packages iDVD 5, iTunes, iPhotos, iMoves, and GarageBand come in a single package called iLife '05. In other words, if you've mastered all of the preceding information, you have all of the technical background you need to enjoy iLife '05: The Missing Manual.

This is a good book for understanding all of the applications included in iLife 05. Note, however, that iLife 06 has been released with a host of new features, and thus depending on whether or not you intend to upgrade, this book may have a limited lifespan of usefulness at this point in time. As of iLife '06, iLife consists of six components: iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, GarageBand, and iWeb. However, if you intend to stick with iLife 05 for awhile, you couldn't ask for a better guide. Basically, what the author has done is condense his Mac missing manual series of books- iMovie&DVD, iPhoto, iTunes&iPod, and GarageBand - into one volume. I have some of the missing manuals for the individual applications, and I compared the individual books with the applicable sections in this book, and they seem to be equitable in quality. The only thing you are really missing is some of Pogue's insight into using the applications - for example, some pointers on film-making in the case of the iMovie&iDVD book versus this book. There also seem to be more advanced user and customization information in the individual "Missing Manual" books versus this book, so perhaps power-users would be better off buying the individual missing manuals on the applications. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here for the purpose of completeness:
PART 1: iTunes
1. Getting Music into iTunes
2. Getting Music out of iTunes
3. Managing Your Music
4. The iTunes Music Store
5. The iPod Connection
PART 2: iPhoto
6. Camera Meets Mac
7. The Digital Shoebox
8. Editing Your Shots
9. The iPhoto Slideshow
10. Prints and Books
11. Photos Online - and Your Network
12. iPhoto File Management
PART 3: iMovie
13. Camcorder Meets Mac
14. Building the Movie
15. Transitions and Effects
16. Titles, Captions, and Credits
17. Narration, Music, and Sound
18. Still Pictures and Quicktime Movies
19. Finding Your Audience
PART 4: iDVD
20. From iMovie to iDVD
21. iDVD Projects By Hand
22. Advanced iDVD
PART 5: GarageBand
23. Setting Up the Garage
24. Loops
25. Regions
26. Software Instruments (MIDI)
27. Recording and Editing Live Audio
28. Effects, Guitar Amps, and Instrument Models
29. Mixing and Publishing
PART 6: Troubleshooting
30. Troubleshooting iTunes
31. Troubleshooting iPhoto
32. Troubleshooting iMovie
33. Troubleshooting iDVD
34. Troubleshooting GarageBand

The Missing Manuals series has had it's hits and misses. This one is definitely a hit. The first section on of the iMovie portion of the book teaches practical movie making technique, including a 22 shot guide to shooting a wedding. This is what I love about the quality of O'Reilly books. The understand the audience. In this case, amateur movie makers looking to make good movies that won't get them laughed out of the living room. This book has practical insights to get you there.

The manual portions of the book are fine. They provide a step by step walkthrough with screenshots and a menu reference in the appendices.

There is certainly a lot more here for iMovie than iDVD. Of the roughly 500 pages almost 350 are on iMovie. The iDVD section also contains some questionable content, like how to develop on iDVD using the developer's toolkit, which I think is overkill for your overage user.

Small quirks aside, this is a great book. Well worth the money for anybody looking to get the most out of iMovie particularly, and iDVD secondarily.

I've been a fan of iMovie from the first release on Mac OS 9. It made taking home movies fun. The great thing about this book is it goes beyond just a how-to or tips and tricks. A lot of the book is devoted to the dos and don'ts of creating home movies in general. Just as with still photography, the hard work is when your taking the shot, not afterward. The better your movie is at filming, the less work you'll have to do when you get it into iMovie.

The book is packed with a 450+ pages of information. Some examples: how to get your old VHS movies into iMovie, sending movies to your cell phone, creating better looking "title cards", and modifying iDVD itself. If you liked David Pogue's iPhoto 4 Missing Manual and/or GarageBand Missing Manual (both of which I have), this book is a must have.

Anyone who has a Mac should know David Pogue. He's been writing for the Mac community for years. His latest book, iMovie 4 & iDVD, displays all his hallmarks. It is exceedingly well written; it is completely useful and thorough; it is fun to read and funny.

Pogue hits the nail right on the head in the introduction. IMovie 4 and iDVD are simple but not simplistic. Unlike some other Apple programs like AppleWorks or the new OS, you will need this book if you want to make the most of Apple's wonderful new video software. Pogue and his co-author Erica Sadun get you up and burning in no time. Moreover they have created a Missing Manual web site with all the shareware and freeware programs and documentation you'll ever need.

As with his other Missing Manual books, Pogue has done everyone a great favor. Now do yourself a favor and buy this book. You won't regret it.

I was fortunate to attend Macworld in July 2004 in Boston and attend the Mac User conference. Dave Pogue was the seminar leader for the iMovie 4 module.

I previously reviewed Pogue's iMovie 2: The Missing Manual. Now, I had the opportunity to see David Pogue in action and to further learn his Missing Manual secrets in Movie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual.

This Missing Manual is divided into five parts:

Part 1, Capturing DV Footage
Part 2, Editing in iMovie
Part 3, Finding Your Audience
Part 4, iDVD 4: The Missing Manual by Erica Sadun
Part 5, Appendixes: A- iMovie 4, Menu by Menu and B- Troubleshooting

My Favorite Page Turners

Page 16 - Figure 1-1: The evolution of the modern camcorder. The photo shows the full-sized VHS camcorder, the 8 mini/Hi-8 camcorder and the modern DV camcorder. This is the type of camcorder you need to work with iMovie.

Page 17 - Figure 1-2: The various sizes of tapes. The miniDV tapes required by most DV camcorder.

Page 20 - Three camcorders not to buy. You should select only Firewire connectors for miniDV camcorders.

Page 23 - Using the FireWire connector. You must have the FireWire connector to use iMovie and other DV software. Figure 1-3: Analog imputes and S-video connector for connecting to a VCR, old 8 mm camcorder.

Page 25 -  Use the camcorder's eyepiece viewfinder instead of LCD panel. This is very useful on bright sunny days and saves your camcorder battery's shooting power.

Page 32 - Special Effects. Avoid using your camcorder's built-in camcorder effects-instead use your iMovie's Special Effects when you do your computer editing.

Page 33- Apple's "Supported camcorders." Review the list on the www.apple.com website for supported camcorders.

Working with Pogue's Missing Manual

I like the Keyboard shortcuts that Pogue mentions in the manual. Using the Command-E, you can switch between the timeline and clip views in iMovie 4.

You have the choice of adding color to black clips (created by dragging a clip rightward in Timeline view). This greatly expands your options for title backgrounds. Also, you can use them for fading to any color other than black or white. When your project requires a gradient fill for the clip, you can create them in Apple Works, Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Pro Reaction

The section of 22 Shots for Wedding Video is worth the price of the book. Pogue showed me how to use the rewind and fast forward that are the missing buttons in the iMovie program. Page 104- Phantom "Save as" Command show you how to create various versions of your saved digital iMovie files.

You need the new parts of the manual before starting your iDVD projects. Pogue lists 17 changes in iMovie4 and ten in iDVD4, making the updated book worth your time and money.

Con Reaction

Page 7 should have been titled: 'Quick Table of Contents' in the book. The manual's white print on gray backgrounds is hard to read and underline. Page 93, figure 4-4, does not have an important sub -headline telling you that are in the edit mode in iMovie.

Final Notes

Movie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual is well written and illustrated for you, the Mac Video editor. With the manual you learn the secrets and tips for using iMovie and iDVD. Also, you can use the powerful Quicktime Pro for adding special effects and for your quick editing of your small movies.

iMovie 4 & iDVD: The Missing Manual is a solid primer and resource especially focusing on step-by-step video editing techniques for use on the Macintosh. Chapters address forming seamless transitions and effects, the ins and outs of QuickTime Pro, iDVD secreets, and much more. An absolute "must-have" for getting the most out of iMovie 4 and iDVD software, highly recommended for amateur and professional moviemakers and movie editors working on the Macintosh.