Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express [Paperback]

Diana Weynand (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 032120039X | ISBN-13: 978-0321200396 | Publication Date: September 29, 2003 | Edition: 1

Whether you're a student who's serious about digital video, an event videographer, a small business owner, or a digital video enthusiast who needs a comprehensive editing system for your home computer, you'll find everything you need to begin using Apple's Final Cut Express software in Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express. Written by master trainer Diana Weynand, this comprehensive course is both a self-paced learning tool and the approved curriculum for all Apple-certified trainers.

Each chapter in this hands-on guide represents a complete lesson--with a project to complete, a review section, and bonus exercises to reinforce the lessons. Diana takes you through every aspect of editing with Final Cut Express: working in the timeline and viewer, making and adjusting edits, adding audio, creating transitions, and more. Work through the entire book, or pick just the sections that interest you most: Either way, you'll find just what you need to begin making movie magic.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Whether you're a student who's serious about digital video, an event videographer, a small business owner, or a digital video enthusiast who needs a comprehensive editing system for your home computer, you'll find everything you need to begin using Apple's Final Cut Express software in Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express. Written by master trainer Diana Weynand, this comprehensive course is both a self-paced learning tool and the approved curriculum for all Apple-certified trainers. Each chapter in this hands-on guide represents a complete lesson—with a project to complete, a review section, and bonus exercises to reinforce the lessons. Diana takes you through every aspect of editing with Final Cut Express: working in the timeline and viewer, making and adjusting edits, adding audio, creating transitions, and more. Work through the entire book, or pick just the sections that interest you most: Either way, you'll find just what you need to begin making movie magic.

About the Author

Diana Weynand's training company, Weynand Training International, provides authorized training for Apple and Adobe products as well as curriculum development for emerging entertainment-industry technologies. She has written numerous books, including Peachpit's Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors.

Product Details

• Paperback: 600 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (September 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 032120039X
• ISBN-13: 978-0321200396
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,523,075 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Weynand is an award-winning producer, director, editor, and co-founder of Weynand Training International (www.weynand.com), an Apple Authorized Training Center and a leader in training and curriculum development for emerging technologies. Diana was supervising editor for The Barbara Walters Special, director and co-producer of the Emmy nominated PBS series, Cinematic Eye, and online editor for Real World. She is the author of four best-selling books on Final Cut Pro (including Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors and Final Cut Express HD), and the co-author of Secrets of Videoblogging and How Video Works. A well-known columnist, she also writes on High Definition production.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST INSTRUCTIONAL BOOK I'VE EVER READ!!!, March 20, 2004

By 

Brent Sippel (Santa Clarita, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express (Paperback)

This book makes learning Final Cut Express extremely easy and fun. It takes you step by step and shows you just how cool and intuitive the program is. The author explains things so clearly, it seems like she is sitting beside you, walking through every move. I have read 3 books on Final Cut Express and this book is by far the easiest way to learn it. You MUST get this book! It comes with a DVD which includes all the video files you'll need to work through all of the excercises. I plan to use all of Diana Weynand's books as I go on to learn Final Cut Pro 4 and the advanced version...and any other book she writes. Thank you Diana!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book - needs some updating, December 6, 2006

By 

Nameless Faceless User (Holbrook, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express (Paperback)

This book covers every button, every adjustment, and every feature in Final Cut Express 3.5. If you are looking for a quick, easy read to get your video onto DVD, there may be other books out there. This book is designed for "Power Users" - that is, if you want to know every shortcut and keystroke in the program to shave off a few seconds off your editing then you have arrived at the right place.

The book needs some updating. Apple has released Final Cut Express 3.5.1 and OS X. Apparently, these updates change some of the keyboard shortcuts and the interface is just slightly different. A few of the buttons have been moved to a different location or look and behave a bit differently. The author will instruct the reader to press F10, for example, which will not work as expected and leaves the reader searching for the equivalent function in the pull-down menus.

After a week of reading and editing, I was anxious to burn my first DVD; but, the book abruptly ends. This is more of a reflection on Apple. At the time I am reading this book, after you finish editing your video, the road to DVD authoring ends at a cliff's edge with the bridge still under construction. There is no mpeg2 encoder (compressor) in Express. There is one in the Pro version, now known as "Studio" which includes DVD menu authoring and mpeg2 encoding. For the rest of us Express users, there's iDVD. Works great for vacation flicks, but just forget about professional editing.

If your final target is a professionally authored DVD, be prepared to look into third-party non-Apple software to pick up where Final Cut Express leaves us hanging. If your final target is a .mov or .mpg file, this book does not delve into codecs, bitrates, streaming, and video compression. You will need to know about this for web publication and be at least more familiar with these topics for DVD authoring.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, November 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Express (Paperback)

This book really got me started...I now feel like I can really edit using the program...the step by step guide was terrific...it was easy to understand, simple instructions to follow and bingo you're editing.