Customer Reviews

Final Cut Pro HD Hands-On Training

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

 

 

This Book Is a superlative "Must Read" for FCP users of all levels. I am Apple Certified in FCP 4.0 and have an insatiable appetite for new books on the subject. Larry Jordan's book is by far, one of the very, very best on the market. There are many good FCP books written by talented film editors and fine authors. Larry is both, to be sure. But, he is also one of the most gifted teachers on the subject as well. This may be what makes his book stand so far apart. The way the material is presented draws on his many years of practical editing experience and is personalized by his unique way of bringing the subject matter to his students. He presents you with easy to follow QuickTime movies which prep you for the full-bodied step-by-step versions set forth in the 500+ page book. The student lesson media which is included on the accompanying DVD is robust and exactly fits the needs of the tutorials. I might add that even if one skipped the lessons (which would be absurd!) what one would gain from the many tips and sidebars would be well worth the price of the book. This book boasts that it will take you from organization through editing to professional output using Final Cut Pro HD. And it does! The only thing that might top having this book would be to have Larry teach you the subject in person and, as I understand it, that too is possible.

Larry Jordan has recently published Final Cut Pro, Hands on Training. Because Larry Jordan publishes a monthly (free!) newsletter about FCP, he is very much aware the problems a user might encounter (whether novice or more experienced) and that shows in his book.
His book is without doubt the only book one needs to learn FCP or to enhance one's ability to use all the many facets of FCP HD. The book explores in detail all the nooks and crannies and it contains a veritable cornucopia of problems a user might encounter and he gives solutions.
The book is written in a very readable style, at times funny, like a good teacher.
In addition the DVD with the book contains 11 Quick time movies in which Larry Jordan illustrates some of the contents of the book chapters, next best thing to have Larry Jordan as a private teacher.
This is the only book one needs to become a very efficient and knowledgeable user of FCP HD.
My only complaint is why Larry Jordan did not publish this book earlier, before I bought all the books that claim to teach FCP. They will now gather dust on my bookshelf.

I am new to FCP. I actually got FInal Cut Pro 5, but since FCP 5 books are scarce as of July '05, I decided to buy the HD version instead. No problem there, as everything that worked in FCP HD works in FCP 5.

I have to say that this book is great for anybody wanting to learn FCP. It doesn't assume you are an expert, but you don't get the feeling that you are being talked down to, either. The videos on the DVD are great for visualizing what Larry is talking about. The lesson files are key in understanding the concepts as you go through the chapters. I am a newbie coming from iMovie and this book got me to change many things in my digital lifestyle workflow. Now, someone needs to write a DVD Studio Pro H-O-T book!

I got this as my text book for a class in college, and I still use it. I can't say that about really any other of my text books from school. This book is easy to understand and made learning Final Cut much easier. I had previously taught myself enough to use the program enough to do little projects on my own, but this book basically taught my class (more than the teacher) and taught me to use the program properly and hone my abilities. This is a great book wether you need it for a class or not.

I started with iMovie to edit videos as a hobby, but about two years ago, I decide to move on to Final Cut Pro (FCP). I first tried using the included manual. That was very slow and difficult. It great as a reference, but not as a trainer. I then ordered another book on Amazon, which was much better than the manual, but after I finished it, I still felt a little awkard with FCP. This book, Hands-on Training, is much better. The footage is very cool, and the training movies are excellent! The writer is down to earth and really helps you to feel comfortable using this advanced, but very cool program.

I purchased this book used, but in excellent condition, along with the CD that was suppoed to be included.
I find this Author to be one of the absolute best teachers on the subject of FCP and editing, and am happy I purchased this book!!

Note: For Mac users only. But then again, most of the people wanting to do things like edit movies are using a Mac already.

Final Cut Pro HD, is the latest version of the Final Cut program. HD stands for High Definition, and this version is indeed capable of editing HD video. But like with a lot of other software packages, the basic tools that you will use every day form the basics of the package, and they can be learned in a short time. Then as you reach points where you want to do more you can go back to the book to catch up on each point as you need it.

Final Cut is suitable for editing the movies showing your new baby, or if you really want to you can use it to get just about as sophisticated as you need for that feature length film you are making with your A-List actor friends.

After you read the book you'll want to go to the author's web site (given in the book) and subscribe to his newsletter on Final Cut. It's free (a very good price) and filled with information on what's going on with the program.