Customer Reviews

Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro HD

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I consider myself to be a "seasoned user" of Final Cut Pro. I have been editing with FCP since the original release of version 1.0 and have worked on numerous documentaries, features, commercials and episodic television.

I learned about this book from the Apple website. This is the official textbook used for Apple Pro Certification (FCP Level One). So I decided that I would "forget" everything I already knew and begin with Lesson 1. I'm very happy I adopted that attitude because there are so many neat little tips that I picked up in the first few lessons. Now I wonder how I ever survived without them. Those tips have already saved me a lot of time. I have only completed one-third of the lessons thus far and I can already see an improvement in my productivity.

Every chapter of the book is a "hands-on" lesson. The files and media for each lesson are provided on a DVD-ROM (included). You will first copy those files to your hard drive and then open each lesson file and then follow the step-by-step instructions in the book.

I'm looking forward to getting my Level One certification with the help of this book, and I can't wait to continue onto the Advanced Level certification with the second book.

Please note this is essentially the same book as the the "Final Cut Pro 4" book. The DVD is the same and so are the exercises. I had a chance to compare both and noticed only only one minor detailed (a detail is now circled on a screen shot) and, of course, there could be some that I missed. Even so, the back cover of the book acknowledges...

"This book was previously published under the title "Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 4. If you previously purchased this book, there is no need to purchase this revision: All the project files and exercises in the previous edition can be used with Final Cut Pro HD."

Bottom-Line: Newbie or Pro? It doesn't matter! This is a GREAT book to own if you use FCP.

I just completed each lesson in this book. I use FCP for my video editing and purchased two other books to learn the software. The first two books were editing nightmares that only frustrated me.

By the time I bought the Apple Pro Series I was desperate. I went through the entire book and now feel I have a pretty good understanding of the program. In fact, many people now send me their videos to edit and they are very happy with the final product.

This book is very well written. It only has a couple of very minor editing issues, and not until after chapter 10. I'm not talking about issues that leave questions unanswered, I'm talking about guiding a beginner through a process, having them open certain pages and then going on to another topic without telling the to close the pages and continuing with the lesson. Very minor problem, but can stump a beginner for a minute until they figure it out on their own. This only happened a couple of times in the whole book.

The CD has all the lessons and the book follows in an easy to understand format that any beginner can comprehend. By the time you finish this book, you will feel very confident in your ability to edit.

I highly recommend this book for learning Final Cut Pro, especially after experiencing the other trash that is out there.

I have passed the Apple Pro Certification Exam for Final Cut Pro (level 1) today, thank to this fantastic book. A part from that, it is an excellent tool if you want to discover all of the program's features and, especially, you have the opportunity to learn by doing (very important thing).

After several attempts at learning FCP, it was this book that did the trick. Each lesson is clear and concise. Not to mention, the book follows a logical progression in what it teaches you. In the end, I recommend this book without any reservation.

I have spent a lot of time checking out books from the library on Final Cut, but often disliked the organization of the books. The manual for FCP certification is great, and teaches you little tips that I haven't seen anywhere else. The author gets right to the work you need to do for editing. The writing style is clear and concise, with no fluff as you'll find in a lot of the training books with the conversational tones. Although I've edited on Final Cut before, I found this book to have something new to learn in each chapter. Another excellent aspect of the book is that it builds upon the knowledge you have learnt in the previous lessons. I wish the author could have spent more time on exporting to web. Still, highly recommended.

This was my first Apple Training Series book, and it was a very good experience. Going into this I had never learned a software package, let alone a complex one, almost completely from a book, and this experience proved it possible for me. It's no-nonsense, as comprehensive as I would want as a beginner, with very few errors, and user friendly - much more so than the tutorial that came with my software. At times it was very challenging, but that's the complexity of the s/w. Pictorials may not be as colorful as in other books, but this quickly becomes a non-issue as they are more than adequate and offset by the clarity of the text.

I've been using Adobe Premier Pro on a PC and after my recent switch to Mac (an iMac G5), I decided to start using Final Cut Pro for my video editing. That meant getting a good book on the subject.

Apple Pro Training: Final Cut Pro HD (Apple Pro Training) is an outstanding book on the subject. It can be used as a reference and it can be used as a series of lessons that you read from front to back. The style is easy to understand without making the reader feel like a "dummy (TM)" yet it's also very complete and covers even the most advanced topics.

A DVD is included that contains all the test footage and audio material referenced in the lessons.

I wish all techical books were written this well. Bravo!

I've been through a few tut books now and this book has to be one of the best ones yet. It ships with a DVD containing all the tutorail and video files needed to complete each lesson.

Every step and every file reffered to work out perfectly and there are no grey area's when it comes to instructions, what they tell you is what you do and it works. It also has the odd creative tips that help especially for people who have not edited before.

Its a book for beginners and cover everything you'll need to know to become a fully fledged FCP editor. I'm very pleased with it and I feel like I know and understand FCP.

I would reccomend it to anyone who is a beginer with FCP, you'll start out as a beginer but after the book, you will most certainly not be.

Like the rest of the series, it gives basic how-to information for newbies. It's well written and concise.

Lets start this review with the fact that I have been an Avid Editor for 3 years.

Mac is solid. If you want to learn FinalCut, this book is for you. If you have never edited before, FinalCut is so intuitive that this book will be easy to follow and learn every function in detial, and quickly too. FinalCut will soon be neck to neck with Avid in functionality and workflow. Most edit suites have both. I encourage editors everywhere to learn FinalCut. This book will help!