Customer Reviews

Final Cut Pro On the Spot, Second Edition: Time-Saving Tips & Shortcuts from the Pros (On The Spot {Series})

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I like the forrmat of this book! the information is in small, concise nuggets, and it's a great mix of some of the more obscure features of FCP, practical tips on how to use features of the progam to make your work look and sound better, system tips, and ideas about your creativity and workflow.
The fact that it's not just about "where are the buttons in FCP" makes this a much more valuable book. The authors are obviously familiar with real-world post-production situations. It's a keeper.

What a breath of fresh air! What we're seeing here is the first of a new breed of books for more advanced users of FCP. As Certified Apple Instructors of FCP, (Richard is also the author of the excellent book, Photoshop for NLE editors) it is obvious that these guys know their stuff. However, delivering the material with wit and humor as they do, makes it a breezy yet informative read, indeed.

You can either go through the book from cover to cover or in bite sized pieces between renders. Amongst all my FCP books, "Final Cut Pro 4 On the Spot" is quickly becoming one of the most dog-eared! I highly recommend this book for folks that are motivated to take their knowledge of FCP to new heights.

Bravo Gentlemen!

Kevin Monahan
Author-"Motion Graphics and Effects in Final Cut Pro"
Apple Certified Instructor, Final Cut Pro
Co-Chair SF Cutters, San Francisco FCP User Group
www.fcpworld.com

In whats becoming a crowded field of Final Cut reading options, this book stands out. This book is a must have for FCP users of all levels. A clever combination of practical tips in combination with power user and even system troubleshooting that will keep your FCP sessions purring. Kudos to the Authors!

There are few technical books that, once read, leave one wishing for even more... "Final Cut Pro 4 On The Spot" is not only a tome of superb hints and tips for using Final Cut Pro 4 to its utmost, but also packages together suggestions for those "rare" times your Macintosh decides to present you with various problems. Everything from the PRAM bustle to the use of the Unix command FSCK is presented to the reader, enabling you to correct many of the minor problems that can afflict your work, your OS and your machine.
This book presents all of the information in bite-sized, easily digestible and well-written, concise paragraphs. With topics that run the gamet from learning how to set-up your own FCP 4.0 interface, to establishing user settings that'll save you time and agony, to creating titles and transitions that are truly amazing, this book does it all. Included are sections on how to manage your media, how to export your videos, enhancing and troubleshooting your audio mixes... this book is worth FAR more than the price of entry.
In fact, Apple Computer should consider packaging this book in with the FCP software itself, it's that competent in its serving of knowledge. As an ex-Apple employee, and a publisher with dozens of magazines and books to my credit during my chequered history, this is one of the finest techincal books I have had the pleasure to read and employ in gaining a better understanding of Apple's superior NLE, FCP 4.0.
CMP Books should certainly continue to access the talents of authors Richard Harrington and Abba Shapiro for their future DV Expert Series publications. If you work with FCP, purchase this book and learn how to truly professionalize your work with some amazing tips and shortcuts. "Final Cut Pro 4 On The Spot" is definitely an award-winner, in and of itself.

I am a high school teacher that uses Final Cut Pro on a daily level in and out of the classroom (the class produces weekly programming). Looking for printed materials for FCP usually brings HUGE step-by-step manual-like books. This new book brings a refeshing look at Final Cut Pro. It offers insightful, useful tips, and instructions I can use and share with my students. It reminds me of the Photoshop WOW books. Since I have shared this book with students, three purchased it immediately. Other reviews offer great details about this book; I HIGHLY recommend this book. It is a must have in your FCP library.

Wow! I've been working on FCP for over three years and thought I had a pretty good handle on it, but I learned so much from this book. Every other editing book I've bought feels like a basic intro to editing. This book actually gives more advanced tips and some great ideas for working with effects. And the presentation is lighthearted and easy to read through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who already has experience with Final Cut Pro.

This book is full of tips and tricks for getting the most out of FCP 4. Whether I'm editing on the minimum required or have the latest hardware, this book has made me a faster editor. Numerous tips, tricks, and shortcuts to make my life easier. Thanks Abba and Richard for spending the time to write a book that will make me more money!!!

Even the authors are quick to say in the Introduction of this book, that it is not intended for the beginner user of Final Cut Pro, but for the one who is already comfortable with non-linear editing... the intermediate or veteran editor. Harrington and Shapiro have 20+ years of combined editing experience, 40 years of combined Apple usage, have read every tech document on the Web, every version of the program's manuals from start to finish, attended all Apple FCP certification courses, hung out with all the usual Final Cut Pro geeks, as well has have made friends with Apple's own Final Cut Pro Team. Along the way, they have picked up a gazillion handy tips and shortcuts that save editors time and hassle. They know that the average user is too busy working or living their daily lives, to uncover all of these gems, and so they have combined the cream of the crop, the best of the best into this book, for reference on the fly. It is designed to help "unlearn" the bad habits most users have picked up through experience. You know how some programs have a "Tip of The Day" that pops up, every time you launch the program or their website? Well, this book is akin to a mini bible of Final Cut Pro "Tips of The Day." And it's small and light enough to be carted around by the person with the mobile setup, keep it handy but out of the way in your normal setup, or who otherwise wants to carry it around for mini tip lessons in your spare time. 350 tips, to be exact. It's like having someone from Apple's Final Cut Pro department come to your house/facility, being available for personal house calls for specific tasks.

I myself, am a beginner with Final Cut. I'm primarily a musician (former film student with 8mm and 16mm experience, but have never edited on a digital system), seeking to create my own music videos, short films, and other content, and that's pretty much the extent of my plans for Final Cut Pro. I bought the book anyway, because I also have supplemental materials specifically designed for beginners, such as the wonderful "Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 4" by Diana Weynand (also avaialble for other versions of FCP, and released as a handy beginners tutorial, by Apple). Weynand's book is what I consider the Beginner's Steak, with everything one needs in order to start making sense of the program and editing right away, plus get a well-rounded level of experience with more detailed tasks... where "Final Cut Pro 4 on the Spot" is what I consider the Steak Sauce for ALL users... enhancing the experience, whenever you need it. Whether you want your steak well done or medium rare, before putting the sauce on, is entirely up to you, how fast you learn, or what your personal needs are. You may only like a little sauce on your steak, or a heaping river of sauces, but the point is, that the sauce is available. In more plain terms, everyone goes at a different pace in learning programs such as this, and even some people who can cut together something in Final Cut, may have missed or forgotten little bits of details along the way. However, this book is written and constructed in such a way that it can be used however YOU want it to be used, and as little or often as you need it. It makes no sense to try and read it start to finish, as it's not so much of a book that needs to be read, but instead *referred* to. You thumb through it for new ideas to spice up your productions, or go directly to specific chapters or tips when you come to a specific "stumper" while editing. There's plenty of troubleshooting tips and fixes here, along with the plentiful "Hey, this is a neat trick to speed things up/make it look better" sort of tip.

Hammond and Shapiro's book, at least to me, is a great tool to have around in the beginners stage as a "just in case," because it clearly has answers to questions I already know I'm going to need to do, such as working with audio quickly, color correction, better transitions, and I'm very big on using shortcut keys, instead of moving the mouse around to click every menu option. Depending on the project, I may need more or less information about how to do certain tasks more efficiently... why not already have the information accessible on my bookshelf? I plan to share this with friends who have editing experience already (but unfortunately have been too busy to show me anything). I hear them run across little roadblocks all the time, but even though they either figure them out or find another way around them, I've spotted things in this book, that would have saved them much time.

The book consists of 15 chapters, and within each are a collection of tips, in alphabetical order, pertaining to that chapter. It is written in such a way that you can easily hop around, as you need to and when you want to. There's plenty of both black and white as well as color photographs FOR EVERY SINGLE EXAMPLE/TIP (!), and probably 99% of the book is written in casual verbiage, easy to understand. Some tips are only brief paragraphs with pictures or even just a sentence or two, and the more involved ones are written out step-by-step. You can't go wrong with this thing. Only on occasion, does some terminology pop up that I'm not yet familiar with, but again, I imagine I'll either learn what those things are from a beginner book, or will eventually figure it out in context - and may only need to know - after I've already had a little bit of experience. And still, even that's not a big deal... the authors are showing you visually and telling you what you need to do, and what the end result will be. And that's the most important thing... so you can take it or leave it. As I've learned from using various audio programs, I don't always have to know what the terminology means, but just like that I get the results I want.

Anyway, if you already use or plan on using Final Cut Pro with any frequency at all, even if just occasionally, you would be wise to have this book in your library. Experienced users will certainly enjoy all the handy tips from people who know the program inside and out. Beginners, on the other hand, can keep it handy for when you either feel more comfortable with the program, find yourselves stumped on specific tasks or during the process of learning how to the use the program, want to see if there's a way you can cut down on some of the tasks that have way more steps involved.

Everyone wants speed, efficiency and tricks, but a program with as much to offer as Final Cut Pro... there are simply no "Instant Final Cut Pro!" resources that are going to tell you every single thing you will ever need to know to do every single thing you will ever need or want to know, without an investment of time. It's not like having a new DVD player or MP3 player, where you've mastered most of the functions in 5 minutes. Those looking for The Miracle, to learn Final Cut in a day and who expects to make top-notch quality videos in 48 hours, are only deluding themselves, with this or any other book. Editing, unto itself, is an artform. However, after you've at least used a beginners book to show basics, or something more advanced such as having taken classes, or learned all you can through experience and trial and error, this book is the icing on top of the cake.

In response to H. Laurent's review... correct this is NOT a book for begineers. There's a whole bunch on the market, so we wanted to be different. If you click on the Look Inside feature, you can read sample pages, an index, and most importantly the back cover. We wrote this book for frustrated pros, and its labeled User Level: Intermediate - Advanced.

The book was written for expereinced editors who have hit the wall and want to know high end information fast. For those pros who have clients breathign down their neck, we wanted a fast solution. Hopefully H. Laurent will find the book useful as his expereicne grows.

If you are brand new, I suggest you start with the excellent hands on books from Apple or the Editing Essentials by the wise Tom Wolsky. FCP On th Spots will then fill you in on much more when you are ready for it.

Good luck and have fun with FCP....

I've been working with FCP since version 1 and I feel as if I have a very good handle on all the features. But, I was amazed as I flipped through this book at how well organized and concise the information was presented. It reminded me of some features that I'd forgotton about because I don't use them very often.
A Great Little Reference, and idea book. Worth keeping around and flipping through from time to time to refresh the ole gray matter.