Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
- ISBN13: 9781584502005
- Condition: USED – Very Good
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Product Description
With recent advances in technology, the exciting realms of digital editing and DVD authoring are now within reach of most graphics professionals. Until now, editing and rendering animations to fit on VHS and compressing digital images for delivery meant sacrificing quality. But with Apple Final Cut Pro 3, DVD Studio Pro, and the practical guidance found in this book, designers and animators can edit and deliver their creations with excellent results.
Written for graphics professionals, animators, video artists, and users of Final Cut Pro and other popular video packages (iMovie, iDVD, Premiere), the Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook provides hands-on practice for the entire digital editing process. The book is broken into two main parts. Part One provides an in depth look at FCP and basic cinematography and editing concepts. It includes a detailed review of non-linear digital video editing (NLDVE), outlines the technical specifications for DVD, and provides a comprehensive overview of Final Cut Pro 3. From there the book delves into the process of editing and delivering media productions. Using raw video files from the book’s companion DVD, users work through every step of the editing process, from importing and editing media, to audio techniques, effects, outputting FCP data, and exporting to DVD. In Part Two, users learn how to use the core features of DVD Studio Pro, such as creating compressed media, importing streaming media, designing still and motion based menus, adding fully functional interactivity, and integrating subtitles.
Highlights!
* Provides a practical guide to using both FCP 3 and DVD Studio Pro
* Teaches FCP editing techniques through concise tutorials and raw video files
* Guides users through the fundamentals of DVD Studio Pro
* Includes a companion DVD (Mac) with raw video footage and the support files for all the tutorials in the book
On the DVD!
* Tutorial files for each chapter, including all of the media files
* FCP and DVDSP files from the tutorials for further investigation
* All of the figures from the book in full color for closer examination and use
The book is a tutorial which depends on media files from the included DVD-ROM. Unfortunately, many of the files & folders discussed in the book are missing and/or have very different names on the DVD, making it impossible to do the tutorial. Since that’s about all there is to the book, it’s rendered worthless.
Unlike with many technical books, the publisher’s website does not have an errata section that might have helped fix this mess.
It’s really too bad, because the book is otherwise well-produced, the author’s writing style is clear & interesting, and the subjects covered would make an excellent combination. I hope that this book will be re-issued with the correct DVD.
The final “gotcha” is that the DVD’s sealed sleeve contains a warning that the “package” is not returnable if the seal is broken. But you can’t know if you have a flawed DVD until you break the seal…
Rating: 1 / 5
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
In my initial review of this book (8/23/02, just after it shipped), I noted that the included DVD’s contents didn’t match the tutorial in the book, making the package “worthless”. The publisher has now posted on their website a list of corrections to the filenames & organization, and the author has sent me a replacement DVD with all of the problems fixed. I can now justify giving the book the five-star rating that it deserves for its clearly-written, interesting and useful content.
Rating: 5 / 5
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
This book is badly structured, verbose and chatty. A seasoned editor could have reduced it by at least 20 percent. More important, the book omits crucial features in FCP 3/DVDSP, such as using Markers to indicate Chapters. As a matter of fact, the subject of Chapters in DVDSP isn’t even touched upon!
Further, in spite of the title, the book is heavily biased to FCP, with just a few scant chapters on DVDSP.
I’m very disappointed and consider this book a waste of money.
Rating: 1 / 5
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
Overall, I found this book and accompanying DVD to be an excellent value. The writing style was very accessible and the tutorials were exactly what I needed to get a handle on the technology. The only bad news is that the DVD installs in such a way as to mislable and poorly organize files needed for the tutorials. The good news is that the publisher provides a file that downloads instantaneously and clearly shows how to overcome the file labeling/organization issues in very short order. Again, very high value for the money and time I invested. Can’t wait for Watkins’ next book.
Rating: 5 / 5
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook
All the previous reviews people are talking about things like the labels on the clips. You need to write those labels in yourself. That was designed from a teaching stand point. You have to start working right from chapter one with the tutorials. They all build on each other.
All I can say is this my second time though the book. A lot of the things people are unsatisfied about, are missed due to hasty studying. You have to label those clips yourself, right from the start! That book has helped me tremendously. I made the same mistakes the first time through the book. Final Cut Pro is very complicated, first time through you are going to miss things.
You are getting taught with this book. Making it though the book is not easy,however once you do make it. You will have a very good skill. This author is a teacher! The way he writes makes you think! He really takes you through at a good fast pace, and it is tough for the student(reader) to keep everything staight. There are so many details. Everyone tends to think that it is the author who is incorrect, I can tell you from experience that it is the reader, not the author or the book. I get that, Ohhhhhhhhhhh Yes, now I get it. But it took me the second time through.
This book gets you rolling. This book will get you right into it. You will learn extremely fast. If you take the free downloaded manual from Apple with this book you are set. Even better is Lisa Brenneis’s and the DVD studio Pro manual too. I had these manuals for a year and did not get anything going. Then I got the Watkins book. I thought the same thing hey these clips are not labeled, I was in chapter four or five, I thought it was the author. No NO No you have to lable the clips yourself. And chapter stops are on page 289. You finish Adam’s tutorials you will be able to take the book, computer, camera hook them all together and get very nice work accomplished. It is not an easy study it takes effort. Once you learn it, you can do a big project. You learn a lot from Adam Watkins, he is good teacher. I would easly buy this book again, I would only buy it sooner.
My past I used imovie for two years. I bought FCP and did not due a project for a while. Then I got Adam’s book and started to get my hands dirty right away. I am not afraid to do anything with final cut pro. I learned a lot. The tutorial is great, good beat beat sound to set clips to. I can match sound and a clip together. I learned an awful lot from this book.
Rating: 5 / 5
Final Cut Pro 3 and DVD Studio Pro Handbook