Video Made on a Mac: Production and Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite [Paperback]

Richard Harrington (Author), Robbie Carman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321604725 | ISBN-13: 978-0321604729 | Publication Date: September 5, 2009 | Edition: 1

On a Mac, the sky's the limit for creating professional video. With all the tools available though, it can be a daunting task to decide which ones offer the best solutions for combined efficiency and high-level results. How can you effectively communicate your vision to clients and crew? How should you calibrate your camera for multi-camera and green screen shoots? Is it better to do your keying in After Effects, Motion, or Final Cut? How should you set up your edit suite for efficiency and accuracy? How do you manage large amounts of media and a multitude of formats for multiple software applications? In Video Made on a Mac, you'll learn the answers and much more. Chock-full of practical advice and step-by-step instructions, each chapter provides insight on the critical components of production and postproduction that can make all the difference when you're up against a tight budget and schedule. The accompanying DVD supplies you with project files and high-definition footage so you can follow along with the examples, as well as 50 training videos. Whether you're an advanced Mac user or just beginning to incorporate Adobe Creative Suite into your Final Cut Studio workflow, you'll learn to apply best-practice techniques to all your video projects.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard Harrington is a certified instructor for Apple and Adobe, and an expert in motion graphic design and digital video. He is a regular contributor to Creative Cow, ProVideo Coalition, and numerous industry blogs and magazines. He also owns the visual communications company, RHED Pixel (rhedpixel.com) in Washington, DC. Rich is a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals Instructor Dream Team, chairs conferences for the National Association of Broadcasters, and has written and co-written a number of books including After Effects for Flash Flash for After Effects, Understanding Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop for Video, and Broadcast Graphics on the Spot.

Robbie Carman is part of the first generation of certified Apple Final Cut Pro instructors and is certified in Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Motion, and Color. Robbie co-wrote Final Cut Pro Workflows: The Independent Studio Handbook with Jason Osder and Final Cut Studio On The Spot 3rd Edition with Richard Harrington and Abba Shapiro. Robbie is partners with Jason Osder at Amigo Media (amigomediallc.com), where he specializes in workflow consulting and color grading for broadcast and corporate projects.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; 1 edition (September 5, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321604725
• ISBN-13: 978-0321604729
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,956 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything you need to know to stay competitive., September 10, 2009

By 

Syl Arena (Paso Robles, California) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Video Made on a Mac: Production and Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite (Paperback)

I'm a commercial stills photographer. If I were a brontosaurus, I'd be the guy looking at that one twinkle in the night sky wondering why it seems to get a little bigger each night. Good news (for me) is that I've experienced the world change around me once before -- as in the days when everyone shot film and digital seemed buggy and expensive. I'm not waiting around this time. I'm doing all I can to morph commercially into a digital cinematographer (with the full expectation that my "silver screen" will be exactly the size of the latest iPhone).

'Video Made On A Mac' is a great resource for guys like me. The illustrations are excellent. There's more space devoted to pictures than words. The 16 chapters run the gamut from creative concept and pre-production through to project delivery and archiving. The text is easy to follow and gets to the essentials quickly. As an unexpected bonus, the appendix provides great insights on DLSR Video.

Even if you're not looking to edit digital video in Final Cut Pro and Adobe Creative Suite, if you are looking to shoot DSLR video, consider this a "must-read". As I've learned quickly -- it's one thing to shoot footage (at 330mb per min). It's entirely another to edit the project into a meaningful presentation. At a minimum, you'll have to be able to dialogue with your editor.

Whether you want to edit or just be able to talk with your editor, 'Video Made On A Mac' will get you going in no time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading, January 30, 2010

By 

Sue Lawson "ChicagoEdit" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Video Made on a Mac: Production and Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite (Paperback)

This book isn't just good... it's essential reading for all editor's and digital content creators.

What Harrington and Carman manage to do in fewer than 400 pages is help you sharpen your skills while providing tips and tricks on everything from Greenscreen solutions to crucial steps you must take for organization, archiving, review and approval.

A quick and easy (yet incredibly informative) read, you'll find yourself keeping a copy in your office as well as wanting one for your Kindle so they're guidance will always be close at hand. These guys are tops in their field for a reason. Whether you're working with Apple Final Cut Studio or Adobe Creative Suite... this book (and companion DVD with over 5 hours of training videos) will help you master the dark arts of "good" video creation and post-production.

I've been editing corporate videos, concerts, and indie features for over 15 years, and I still don't know it all... but these guys help me look as if I do. Again, if you make your living working in post-production, this is an absolutely indispensable tool for your arsenal.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Missing Link!, September 22, 2009

By 

Jason Osder "Co-Author of Final Cut Pro Workf... (Alrington, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Video Made on a Mac: Production and Postproduction Using Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe Creative Suite (Paperback)

Bravo! This is a much-needed resource. Video Made on a Mac will be the next best step for many intermediate media producers looking to take their work to the next level. It is an abundant virtual cookbook of video techniques bridging preproduction, production and postproduction as well as software platforms. These techniques will make your work look better and save you money and aggravation. I just jumped in to learn a specific technique in Adobe Soundbooth - a program that I had never used. EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED - easy to find and to understand. The video content on the DVD is a special bonus.