Customer Reviews

Adobe Encore DVD In the Studio (O'Reilly Digital Studio)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very will written guide that covers all of the basic operations of Encore. The author starts with the basics of DVDs, then takes you through projects, timelines, menus, links, and into burning DVDs. He also demonstrates how to use Encore in conjunction with other Adobe applications.

I was very impressed with the quality of the book. The illustrations are beautiful and very effective. The text is readable, but doesn't pander like a step by step book. Screenshots aren't used in an overwhelming way.

Given the introductory level of the book I would have liked to have seen a chapter on DVD examples. This would give us some inspiration in what we build and not just cover the how-to aspect. But this is a minor gripe and the book gets along very well without such a chapter.

Adobe has spent considerable effort to make DVD authoring as easy as using Photoshop. Dixon goes through and shows in copious detailed text and diagrams how you can author your own DVDs. Photoshop users will see some familiar features here, like layer sets to build compound images. Still, Photoshop knowledge is not a prerequisite.

Quite aside from authoring, you should peruse Chapter 2. A nice explanation of the various DVD formats and their history. Good overview of what a DVD really is.

Now as far as authoring goes, the book does show a tight integration with Photoshop. Perhaps the greatest benefit is that Encore can deal with layer sets, as mentioned above. So Photoshop images do not have to be flattened. Which means that Encore is not faced with a flat bit image. Giving you easier control.

Those of you into game programming should consult the last chapter. It talks about special features like secret item menus (Easter eggs) and invisible or inaccessible buttons. Very cool stuff.

The power of this book can be enhanced by hardware developments still unfolding. Like Blu-Ray. This promises to make DVDs of even greater capacity than the current maximum of 18Gb. If so, the methods of this book may give you more creative freedom.

This has to be the best companion I have found todate for use with Encore. The book is very well organized and is useful as a step through guide when creating your DVD project. Somewhat familiar with the product, this was a better companion than the information and help files that came with Encore. The book is used constantly to check on items, see the process of how to implement what I want and reference to see if there is alternative to the process I am employing.

This is pretty dry stuff and not really a book one cozy's up to on the couch, but it certainly works to answer in depth the questions one invariably has in any video project.

After looking at a few other Encore books, this one is a cut above. Shoots straight, no padding, answers clearly and in-depth.

In computer terms, this is like the King James Version!
How about a new book on this 2010 CS5 software? This is almost useless!