Customer Reviews

Editing Digital Video : The Complete Creative and Technical Guide

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let's face it, most people doing digital video are self-taught. Sure, there are some who've been to film school or have lots of experience with film but of all the DV camera owners, they're in the minority. The result: hours and hours and hours of weddings, school plays, birthday parties and... well... tripe. This book can help turn that tripe into gold because it covers the black art of editing.
Editing is one of those subjects that seems to be hard to teach through a book and, therefore, hard to learn. The solution employed by the authors is to include a CD containing three video clips for the reader to edit. The overall process is described in the text.
There's a wealth of other good information, some quite basic, some fairly advanced - a perusal of the table of contents will be informative to you.
Pros:
* Platform and edit system neutrality
* Video clips to edit
* Tour of all the important concepts
* Simple terminology

Cons:
* No finished professional edit of the project
* More detailed info on professional techniques would be nice

This is an amazing book that is a must-have for anyone that is in the industry, interested in being in the industry, or just plain interested in the world of digital video. Editing Digital Video by Robert M. Goodman and Patrick McGrath is an exceptionally well-written book that covers techniques in craft and theory about editing that can benefit the novice home video editor to the professional feature film editor. The authors complete the daunting task of covering all of the many different digital editing interfaces by stripping them down to the essentials. They also cover the many different kinds of formats, such as narrative, documentary, commercials, music video, etc. I found the Keyboard Shortcut Cross Reference exceptionally handy. This book also covers recording DVDs, EDL formats, and details about exporting graphics. Being an editor initially learning editing techniques by physically cutting film and graduating to digital video editing, I very much appreciated this book that respected editing as a craft and art.
The fundamentals about storytelling and editing are definitely worth reading. Some of it might be a bit too Editing 101, but surprisingly, held some gems. The "Films to Watch" chapter with films that have been recommended for different genres of editing to lists of Eddie Award Nominees and Oscar Nominees is an added bonus.
Written in a very readable and likeable prose, Editing Digital Video is an absolute joy and a must for any editing enthusiast, whether in trade or in hobby.

This is an amazing book that is a must-have for anyone that is in the industry, interested in being in the industry, or just plain interested in the world of digital video. Editing Digital Video by Robert M. Goodman and Patrick McGrath is an exceptionally well-written book that covers techniques in craft and theory about editing that can benefit the novice home video editor to the professional feature film editor. The authors complete the daunting task of covering all of the many different digital editing interfaces by stripping them down to the essentials. They also cover the many different kinds of formats, such as narrative, documentary, commercials, music video, etc. For the expert, I found the Keyboard Shortcut Cross Reference exceptionally handy. This book also covers recording DVDs, EDL formats, and details about exporting graphics. Being an editor initially learning editing techniques by physically cutting film and graduating to digital video editing, I very much appreciated this book that respected editing as a craft and art.
The fundamentals about storytelling and editing are definitely worth reading. Some of it might be a bit too Editing 101, but surprisingly, held some gems. The "Films to Watch" chapter with films that have been recommended for different genres of editing to lists of Eddie Award Nominees and Oscar Nominees is an added bonus.
Written in a very readable and likeable prose, Editing Digital Video is an absolute joy and a must for any editing enthusiast, whether in trade or in hobby.

Chapter 3, "Beginnings, Middles and Ends" is my favorite chapter. Not only does it start with teaching editing, but it makes an very good introductory effort to communicate the aesthetic concepts involved with the craft of editing. It starts appropriately with the tradition of storytelling and goes on to discuss different editing workflows (bricklayer vs. sculptor), the concept of the montage, techniques for continuity editing, Pace and Rhythm, and offers "Five Guidelines of Editing".

Overall I was amazed at not only how much was covered in a single book, but at how valuable the information was that was provided.

I recommend this book. I can see it as a text source for video editing instructors, and for anyone that wants to get started in the craft of editing.

"Editing Digital Video" is a good overall review of editing. The book tries to touch on both the creative and the technical. It may be hard to teach the creative in these short pages, but it at least points you in the direction. Although it was in depth in teaching the basic of the basics of editing, such as "What is a shot?" it lacked when it came to describing more technical terms such as "What is 16:9?" It also gives an overview of all editing systems, nothing in depth on specific ones, such as Avid or Final Cut Pro, granted many have conformed to the same operations, it would have been nice to have subtle differences pointed out.
Overall, I think this book is a good book for beginner's and for advanced editor's that occasionally have brain freezes when working.

I have been using entry-level NLEs (e.g. Vegas Movie Studio, Pinnacle Studio, Magix Movie Edit Pro) for about four years. Any progress in my editing skills came from the traditional 'trial and error' approach, and from learning by watching other amateur-produced movies in a video club that I belong to...

"Editing Digital Video" helped me learn new techniques and approachs to editing my movies. Suggestions on how to get organized, good definitions & explanations of editing jargon, and the included footage for an editing exercise all help you take your editing up a notch to produce better movies.

The book is text-heavy---I would like to have seen more illustrations, and possibly a professionally editing version (or two) of the editing exercise. Highly recommended.

The title of this book really says it all. It is an excellent combination of creative and technical tips and explanations.

As a writer and producer who has been editing (mostly offline now) for 23 years, I was able to get information at a level that was appropriately technical without talking down to my well-honed creative side. Like Goldilocks said - this book was "Not too hard. Not too soft. It's just right."

A well thumbed copy will be on my reference shelf.

Chris Jones

Independent writer/producer/director

Editing digital video gave me a good insight into the baiscs of digital editing. The last time I edited video it was on a linear system and I found some other texts a little confusing. This book enabled me to use my NLE system with confidence.

If you are considering entering the world of digital video this is a great book to help get you started. It will help guide you in the right direction for making educated decisions on the proper hardward and software that you will need.

You will be able to learn the terminology used in the industry along with technological applications that you might not get with your software manual. This book has been written so the most basic entry level person, like myself, can read it and have an understanding of what your next step will be.

I purchased this book thinking it would help me craft my editing skills somewhat better. I'm a bit self-taught when it comes to video editing, so it mainly shared theories and facts about editing than general problem solving. I did like learning about the differences between the slip and slide tools, and advice for lip syncing and tips on when it's best to place edit points. Some of it seems like common sense, but it's always good to get a refresher.

I would have liked a more in depth look at composition. It really only touched on the theory rather than how you can incorporate it. I also thought the appendix was extremely long and filled with recommended sources to watch that I likely wouldn't watch. Unless it provides an actual case study about each recommended video, considering this book is supposed to be for beginners, I would imagine a lot would go over a new editor's head and it would just be a waste of time.

I do like that they supply you with a DVD that you can use to edit a sample video. The only problem is that it's hard to know if you did it right. I mean, I THINK I did it right. I can understand that there may not necessarily be a right since no one person will edit the same way.

The book is certainly invaluable in reiterating certain points that you may forget when editing as well as some organizational tips, but I almost wonder if I understand it better because I had been doing it myself. I think someone that is fresh to editing could find all of the points a little overwhelming at first.