The Avid Handbook: Basic and Intermediate Techniques for the Media Composer and the Avid Xpress [Paperback]

Steve Bayes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0240803477 | ISBN-13: 978-0240803470 | Publication Date: April 2, 1998

The Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress are the most widely used nonlinear editing systems by professionals in the film and video industries. Based on his experience teaching countless seminars around the world on the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Stephen Bayes has written the most comprehensive manual for nonlinear digital editing on these Avid editing systems.

Written for the reader who already has a basic knowledge of the editing systems, this book moves beyond an introduction to the Media Composer and Avid Xpress and focuses on strategies, techniques, and troubleshooting. The Avid Handbook covers the basics of working with effects, rendering, and graphics and discusses the more abstract issues of workflow and organization of different types of editing projects. The book also discusses frequently made mistakes, common technical problems and how they can be avoided.


· For anyone with some experience with the Avid Media Composer or Avid Xpress who wants to expand their knowledge
· A guide to strategies, common problems, and techniques while editing nonlinear digital video or film
· Answers the more abstract questions of workflow and organization on a nonlinear project

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Written for the reader who already has a basic knowledge of the editing systems, this book moves beyond an introduction to the Media Composer and Avid Xpress and focuses on strategies, techniques, and troubleshooting. The Avid Handbook covers the basics of working with effects, rendering, and graphics and discusses the more abstract issues of workflow and organization of different types of editing projects. The book also discusses frequently made mistakes, common technical problems and how they can be avoided. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Bayes is the Product Manager for Final Cut Pro at Apple. For 8 years he was the Principal Product Designer for Media Composer, Symphony and DS Nitris at Avid Technology. Steve has specified the design of Avid products based on his years of editing, instructing and interviewing Avid users. He is the author of the book "The Avid Handbook: Basic and Intermediate Techniques for the Media Composer" which will have a 4th edition in December 2003. Steve also spent two years as Senior Instructor for Avid Educational Services, teaching Avid students and instructors in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He has also written and developed several advanced Avid classes including the Master Editor Workshop. Previously, Steve was Senior Editor at several production companies in Boston, Massachusetts and edited in the New England market for ten years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press (April 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0240803477
• ISBN-13: 978-0240803470
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,943,240 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book for clarification & explanation. Poor organization, May 17, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Avid Handbook: Basic and Intermediate Techniques for the Media Composer and the Avid Xpress (Paperback)

This is a great book for the beginner or intermediate Avid user. It may fill in pertinent details for those that are stumbling around and trying to understand concepts about technical issues with the Avid and video.

While this book is a good companion and reference book it IS poorly organized and could improve the general layout. No summaries, few headings and sometimes cursory information on points which need exta-clarification. It presents a large amount of information without a clean and thoughtful approach to breaking that information up and making it digestible.

The handbook, however, is the only book which presents a large amount of information on subjects which concern an Avid editor.

I recommend buying it. I learned some things I didn't know and the beginning/intermediate user could benefit from the information on interface and technical issues

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Authoritative and Up-to-Date Manual on Avid Editing, August 9, 2000

By 

Joe Beirne "Joe B." (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Avid Handbook: Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Third Edition (Paperback)

This is an always useful, comprehensive, interestingly opinionated and well-written guide to Avid's industry-dominant editing products. Steve Bayes was a venerated Avid editing instructor and is now one of the people closest to Media Composer/MCX/Symphony's design and their future within the company. Bayes gives insider-quality instruction on the applications themselves as well as good rule-of-thumb advice about the editing process. If you buy one Avid book as an editor make it this one.

Note: I have seen this book prove surprising helpful for long-time Avid editors.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Avid Handbook, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Avid Handbook, Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress (Paperback)

Fanstastic book for a learning AVID user who understands the basics involved in how to make the machine work, but is ready to broaden thier understanding of what it is capable of. Easy to look up or index specific issues, and also up to date.