How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder [Paperback]

Dave Johnson (Author), Rick Broida (Author), Todd Stauffer (Author), Chad Fahs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 007223069X | ISBN-13: 978-0072230697 | Publication Date: December 9, 2003 | Edition: 1

Wow! This great guide is packed with juicy tidbits on cameras and video techniques. Get updates on new camera models, new software, new imaging technology, and new buying recommendations. Learn tips and techniques for taking great pictures whether you�re a beginner or a pro. Includes new projects, special effects and techniques for editing and using digital photos.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Whether you aspire to produce award-winning documentaries, shoot a television commercial for your business, capture the kids for all eternity, or just whittle your Hawaiian-vacation video to a tolerable length, you've come to the right book. With technical savvy and user-friendly language, authors Dave Johnson, Todd Stauffer, and Rick Broida show you the essentials of operating digital camcorders and using software to perform remarkable feats of moviemaking. You don't need a Titanic-sized budget, a degree in film production, or even a lot of technical know-how. You just need a camcorder, a computer, some video editing software, and a copy of How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder.

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• Capture beautiful digital video .
• Find the right video editing software for Windows or Macintosh .
• Prepare your computer for digital video production .
• Convert existing analog video for use in your computer's video editor .
• Grab still images and animate stills with pans and zooms .
• Trim and reposition your clips, split scenes, and add transitions and visual effects .
• Learn professional techniques to modify your shots and improve visual interest .
• Add sound effects and a soundtrack to your movie .
• Show off your production by exporting to many popular formats, including DVD, StudioOnline, and QuickTime .

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About the authors:

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Dave Johnson is the author of the best-selling How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera and three-dozen other books. He writes for PC World magazine and is editor of Mobility Magazine.

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Todd Stauffer is the best-selling author of all three editions of How to Do Everything with Your iMac, the author of Get Creative! The Digital Video Idea Book, and the originator of the How to Do Everything series. He's also worked as a cable television host, writer, and producer.

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Rick Broida is the author of several How to Do Everything series titles, including How to Do Everything with Your GPS. He is also the founder and editor of Handheld Computing, a magazine for users of PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, and other handheld devices.

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About the Author

Chad Fahs is the co-author of MacWorld DVD Studio Pro Bible and a contributor of several chapters for Flash for TV and Video. In 1998 he began Avid Editing Studio in Chicago, working with established artists and producers to create exciting video and interactive forms of art and entertainment. Chad has also worked as a producer at one of the top Internet sites, training and working with clients from companies in the U.S., Japan, and the U.K. Currently, Chad writes, directs and produces for a variety of projects, including an Apple certified training course, an e-learning project for Adobe, instructional material for Ulead, and video projects for a band on Geffen/Interscope..

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (December 9, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 007223069X
• ISBN-13: 978-0072230697
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,297,119 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Practical, informative, useful book for..., June 7, 2004

By 

Stephen Armstrong (Hadley, Ma USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder (Paperback)

...beginners and intermediates.

I found this book very useful, full of technical details and practical information. It covers items from preparing your computer to preproduction (story boards, etc.), editing, using slideshows, sound, titling, and post-production. Information about the technical qualities of digital video cameras was also very helpful.

After a year, this book may be out of date, but for right now, I think it will help beginners and intermediates. I found it more useful than Ed Gaskell's The Complete Guide to Digital Video, because Johnson et al. were more practical and direct.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For Extreme Newbies Only, April 1, 2007

By 

Gregory Forest "BAKslider" (Red State, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder (Paperback)

More fluff than content and they are using a product that is popular I guess but hardly video editing standard. If you know anything about digital video you don't need this. If you are a complete newbie and using Pinnacle products, I recommend reading your manual before you buy this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A little bit dated, March 10, 2007

By 

Geoffrey Brown (Taconic, CT United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder (Paperback)

I didn't notice that this book was two years old when I ordered it to learn about DV camcorders.

Sadly, there's almost nothing in the book about DVD Camcorders -- which I bought before I found that there were more desirable formats out there. It mentions Adobe Premiere, but spends most of its time on other video software products.

Mac users may like this book a lot as it devotes several chapters to Mac movie making -- which is not what I do.

The "Dummies" book on the subject is more current -- I bought it at the same time and started reading it after I finished this one -- and I have learned more from half of the Dummies book than this entire volume.

In summary: it needs updating.