Customer Reviews

Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4

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Rarely have I come across a book or manual that has been as infomative as this one. The book covers in detail and clarity of how to do accomplish the most basic and most advanced functions that final cut 4 has to offer. In addition, all the pictures and illustrations are great and easy to understand.

I'm sold on the Apple's Pro Training series for Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, offer training very economically. If you work independently and learn well from text books, these two offer clear instructions that can be trusted and followed with confidence. By following them carefully, I accomplish complicated tasks, such as animating titles, easily. Although, there are a few misplaced characters there aren't any missing words. By following Apple's lesson plan, I learned how to use tools in FCP. Some of them are so clever they're difficult to comprehend. The slip edit tool, for instance, lets you change which portion of the source file will be shown in a clip without lengthening the sequence. It took awhile before I could understood what was going on. It wasn't like anting I'd encountered before. How to operate the levers, buttons, and bells is important but these two books also teach how to make movies. For example, Final Cut Pro 4 describes how to slip the video into synch with the audio tracks rhythm pattern: how to finesse the leopard to move his head at a specific time in the music. After completing many tutorials in these books, I appreciate documentaries more. I've heard it referred to as a mid-range video editor but I can't foresee needing more power to edit my DV. At first I wondered why LiveType came bundled with Final Cut and why it took up so much room on my hd. After building the example projects, in chapters 19 and 20 of Final Cut Pro Advanced, however, I don't care how much room it needs. My motion titles impressed everyone saw them. Even experienced FinalCut Pro users may learn something about LiveType by reading this book. These books cover color correction, working with film, project management, nesting sequences, multi-track trims -- I'm reminded of the jingle about a good spaghetti sauce, the answer to every question, 'it's in there! I'll be using these two books, Final Cut Pro 4 and Final Cut Pro Advanced, for a long time. Tip: The lessons will go smoother if you read ahead.

Also recommended: Final Cut Pro 4 and Color management in OS X

A very clear definition of how to do nearly everything in FCP4. Having only the knowledge of how to do a simple cut, I was able to follow the book and understand it. I'm still in high school, so you know if I can do this, you can as well. The book contains with it a DVD that offers 8.3 gigabytes of lessons that you give you all the shots you need, and then you open the book and the book explains what to do with the shots given to you. Depending on your current skill level, you can skip any lessons that you already know. The book does require some knowledge of the interface, like the canvas, viewer, browser, and timeline, and how they all function. I recommend the book to anyone that wants to learn FCP4 very well.

I found several mistakes in the book. In one chapter it is recommends that you apply the 3 way color correction filter, when in fact you needed to use the normal color correction filter. I was able to figure out what was actually intended, but it baffles me why Apple as well as Peachpit Press would put out a book like this without a quality assurance check. This was not the only issue with the lessons. In my copy, on lesson 21 it asks you to modify the auxillary 24fps timecode of a clip, but I was unable to do so with the file that was included in the DVD.

If Final Cut Pro was as buggy as this book was, I would have switched over to Premier a long time ago. I am concurrently teaching myself Shake with Apple's Pro Training series for that program and haven't noticed anywhere near the mistakes that I have with this one.

I do have to admit I learned a hell of a lot from this book, WHEN THE LESSONS WORKED, but next time they should have someone do a QA check on the files as well as fact check on the lessons.

BTW, Peachpit has not addressed any of my emails regarding these problems. Not Good!

I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about using special fx, filters, motion, compositing, titles, or "sound track" in final cut pro, but to those who'd rather do all of this in after effects and would like to know more about codecs, HD, workflow, audio mastering, encoding, compressing, formats, and delivery in Final Cut Pro, I'd have to guess that there's probably something better out there. It would be unfair to say that this book ignores these subjects, but it certainly does not concentrate on them. I'm not dissappointed in my purchase for I certainly learned a lot, but I did expect a bit more. Good for what it's worth, but not great.

This book was great. I have never used an editing program (although I have a background in film), and after reading this book I feel quite confident. The book takes you step by step, with all the material needed on the dvd-rom. It helped me because I learn by doing, and the book makes you actually create thing as you learn. I had a lot of fun learning and experimenting. The book includes clips to work with shot by professionals and by the end you feel like a professional as well.

I only wish I had more time to spend with this book. I am fortunatly busy editing! Everytime I sit down with this thing it changes the way I edit. It is clearly written and takes you through good editing techniques as well as how to use FCP to accomplish them. Best $35 I ever spent.

Dan S.

iPeace.tv