Apple Pro Training Series: DVD Studio Pro 3 [Paperback]

Adrian Ramseier (Author), Martin Sitter (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321256107 | ISBN-13: 978-0321256102 | Publication Date: September 3, 2004 | Edition: 1

There's no better way to learn to author professional, interactive DVDs than this self-paced, Apple-certified guide to DVD Studio Pro 3. This revision of the best-selling first edition is fully updated to take advantage of the software's new transition styles, superb HD-to-MPEG-2 encoding, and brand-new graphical view. Master trainers Adrian Ramseier and Martin Sitter begin with the basics of DVD authoring and--in a new advanced section--take you all the way through DVD Studio Pro's most powerful features. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of DVD creation and finishing, with hands-on projects for you to complete as you go. After learning how to storyboard your DVD and plan its interactions, you'll set chapter markers, build still and motion menus, and add subtitles and Web links. You'll also learn sophisticated techniques for juggling multiple audio tracks and camera angles, creating smart buttons and custom transitions, and scripting. Finally, you'll encode professional-quality audio and video and build, format, and burn the DVD. By the end of the book, you'll have created four full DVDs, each geared to a different audience and using different navigation schemes and effects.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adrian Ramseier is the founder and principal of All4DVD, an award-winning DVD authoring and production house that also specializes in training and curriculum development. Adrian is the author of the previous version of this guide.

Martin Sitter is a veteran audio producer, multimedia artist, and author specializing in track-based video and audio applications. Martin is the author of LiveStage Professional 3 for Macintosh and Windows: Visual QuickStart Guide, DVD Studio Pro 2 for Macintosh: Visual QuickPro Guide, and Apple Pro Training Series: Logic 6. When not writing or producing DVD-Video, Martin teaches DVD Studio Pro and Logic Platinum as an Apple Certified Trainer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 736 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (September 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321256107
• ISBN-13: 978-0321256102
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,353,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Resource, September 30, 2004

By 

Sean Foushee (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: DVD Studio Pro 3 (Paperback)

I've used DVD Studio Pro since version 1 and when our company upgraded from version 2 to 3 I decided to buy this book to see how to utilize the new features in my DVD productions. Not only was I happy to find easy to read instructions and tutorials on the new features of DVD Studio Pro 3 (all in color), but this book has taught me some new tricks for some of the older features as well. One chapter that caught me off guard that was a pleasant addition was a detailed account on how to create you own custom presets for Compressor, including a great description on how MPEG-2 compression works (excellent for beginners and advanced). I'd recommend this book for anyone using DVD Studio Pro 3, even if your an advanced user this makes a great resource for your desk.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, but not flawless, January 21, 2005

By 

JK (TKY, JPN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: DVD Studio Pro 3 (Paperback)

First of all its actually 4.9 stars out of 5, but since the book is not flawless it cannot get 5 stars.

Apple Pro Training Series -- DVD Studio Pro 3 (with a DVD attached to the inside back cover) is a great book for the novice DVD Studio Pro 3 learner. (I am referring to ISBN 0-321-25610-7 Copyright 2005 by all4DVD and Martin Sitter)

The Book
There is no doubt, that you will learn a lot from this book, and if you are a novice in this area, do not waste your time looking any further: This is the book you want and need. I am a novice myself and therefore cannot say how helpful it may be to the Pro.

The entire book is in color (with the usual "Apple Blue" for certain text parts) and full color graphics (compared to the same-series Final Cut Pro HD book, where all graphics are in b/w)

The DVD contains:
My_Projects (that folder is empty, so you can save your lesson file here) 0MB
Media (contains all the files you need for your lessons) 3.45GB
Lessons (contains start- and finish lessons) 32.8MB
Appendix A (contains a PDF with a lesson: "Creating a Motion Menu in Final Cut Pro" which is not covered in the book) 4.6MB

There are some flaws, which may or may not make you angry while going through the book and by the book. Some drove me nuts, while others made me smile. You decide for yourself.

The Flaws (after reading the first 225 pages (total: a little over 720 pages)):

Page 31, Step 15, 2nd Paragraph
"As you select each button, it should turn red." Well, it does not turn red. Apple must have changed the appearance. But do not worry, it is working anyway.
[angry]

Page 45, Keyboard Shortcuts
Cmd-P Burn (It should read: Cmd-Shift-F Burn)
The Cmd-P (Command-key, also known as the Apple-key, plus the P-key) is usually opening the Print-Dialogue Window.
[angry]

Page 80, Step 1, 1st Paragraph
" . . . double-clicking the DVD Studio Pro icon in your Dock . . . "
A single click is enough for the Dock.
[smile]

Page 104, Step 1, 2nd Paragraph
Cmd-Option-O should read Cmd-Option-0 (Cmd-Option-zero)
[smile]

Page 194, Step 13, 2nd Paragraph
""Main Menu" should appear . . . "
That's correct: "should", but it does not, since it is not mentioned, that you will have to switch back to English Subtitle first in order to make this work.
[very angry, took me quite a while to figure this out]
And the next step after "Step 13" should be "Step 14" and not again "Step 13".


So and now I can't wait to continue with my lesson.

Good luck to you in becoming a pro -- this book will help you a lot.


One final advice for overseas orders: I ordered this book via Amazon.com to be shipped to Tokyo/Japan via "via DHL Express (averages 2-4 days)". It actually took 8 days to arrive. You may not waste your money on DHL's Express [loughing out load] Service.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In tutorial form, You'll burn four movies., November 19, 2004

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: DVD Studio Pro 3 (Paperback)

Apple And Macintosh Graphics And Sound, Computer Animation, This is the official Apple Pro training course for DVD Studio Pro 3, so it's clear that this is the book you need to get. The nice thing about is that it's also very well written. If you have the earlier versions of this guide, you'll know what I mean.

The approach used in the book is to go produce DVD's. In fact after just a few pages of introductory this is what we're going to do stuff, you get started making a DVD. The first DVD is planned to take about one hour to make, it includes getting started with learning your way around the Studio Pro authoring window, making a title page and a simple menu. At the end of the hour you should have a burned DVD ready to play.

Having hit the ground running, from here the projects get more and more complex, and in each DVD you have to repeat some of the steps of the earlier one, this kind of repetition makes it familiar. By the end of the fourth project you've used basically all of DVD Studio Pro.

The format of this book is a directed hands-on tutorial. It's neither a cram for the test nor a general reference manual. But after working through the course material in this book, you can become a certified Apple Pro by taking the certification exam. You will have been exposed to and practiced everything you need to know.