The Macintosh iLife 04: An Interactive Guide to iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, and GarageBand (Paperback)

~ Jim Heid (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Macintosh isn't meant to be a computer, really, but rather an appliance that enables you to have more fun, and enjoy yourself in novel ways (hence iLife, Apple's name for a set of hardware and software technologies primarily for home users). The Macintosh iLife 2004 combines multimedia presentations on a DVD with printed illustrations and text. The combination should enable even the most timid technophobe to assemble a new Macintosh, connect it to the Internet, then hook up a digital camera and an iPod to the system--and use the collection of devices to gather music online, edit video, publish photos on the Web, and create multimedia DVDs. The book, in short, covers everything a young family would want to do with their Mac in order to keep the folks at home up to date on the growth of a grandchild.

The printed portion of this publication (the book) uses many screen shots. There are often three or four on a single page, cropped to call attention to the important parts of each. Callouts--arrows and captions--highlight key controls and other features on each screen shot; they serve as how-to instructions. The DVD can run on a computer or DVD-equipped television, and includes both video lectures and full-motion screen captures. The DVD helpfully makes reference to pages in the book. --David Wall

Topics covered: How to use the iLife series of applications and hardware devices. Coverage touches on iTunes (music, on the Internet and on an iPod), iPhoto (editing, sorting, and publishing photos from a digital camera), iMovie (editing video), iDVD (burning multimedia DVDs), and GarageBand (creating music).

Product Description

The first and best book about iLife is better than ever! The Macintosh iLife '04 is a revised and expanded version of Jim Heid's bestselling book/DVD on Apple's personal digital media studio.

The new book is updated to cover the latest iLife '04 applications, including complete coverage of GarageBand, the iTunes Music Store (including iTunes 4.5), and the latest iPod models. Its innovative, full-color design puts everything you need to know about iLife and digital media at your fingertips -- each two-page spread is a self-contained tutorial or set of tips on a specific subject, all written in the friendly, crystal-clear style that has made Jim Heid one of the most admired writers and instructors in the Mac community.

The companion DVD-Video disc is all new, and contains two hours of video instruction on all five iLife applications -- watch over Jim Heid's shoulder as he creates iLife projects ranging from slideshows to music videos to original GarageBand compositions. The DVD also includes software, GarageBand loops, and more. Inspiration guaranteed!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press; Pap/Dvdr edition (June 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321246713
• ISBN-13: 978-0321246714
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,032,987 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #19 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Apple > iPhoto
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  #22 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Apple > iMovie + iDVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author responds: S. Brown reviewed an older edition, August 6, 2004

By	J. Heid "jimheid" (Mendocino, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm the author and host of this book/instructional DVD, and I *greatly* appreciate the kind words written by S. Brown in the adjacent review.

I just wanted to address one criticism: S. Brown said that the book doesn't cover Apple's GarageBand. I suspect he or she reviewed the older edition (also available here on Amazon), because the new edition most definitely covers GarageBand. With the DVD, you even get to watch over my shoulder as I compose and perform a song. (I'll leave it up to other reviewers to judge my musical abilities. :-)

Enough said. I appreciate all feedback and reviews of the book -- but please be sure you're reviewing the latest edition, which has "04" in its title: "The Macintosh iLife '04."

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent beginners step-by-step guide, September 17, 2004

By	Jack D. Herrington "engineer and author" (Silicon Valley, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book for those who are new to the iLife suite of applications for Macintosh and prefer step-by-step guides. Jim has done a great job distilling these feature rich applications down to their essence and teaching you want you need to know to use them effectively.

He also provides helpful tips that apply to each topic in general and not just the application. For example, in the iPhoto section he has tips on how to compose images properly. In the iMovie section he has tips on what chapter markers to use for wedding videos (and other common scenarios). This may seem like nothing but it's the practical hints that allow you to get the most out of these applications. Not just learning about which buttons to push.

The included DVD is well done and augments the book with a step by step explanation that you can follow visually.

This book is not for intermediate or expert level readers. For those folks I would start by recommending an O'Reilly book that covers your specific topic. For example photographers should try Derrick Story's excellent iPhoto 4 book. You will get more in-depth coverage of all of the features of iPhoto in that book.

O'Reilly has an intermediate level book that covers all of the iLife features that was just recently published called iLife '04. I recommend this book instead for beginners.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book with video included, August 5, 2004

By	S. Brown "Mac User" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book helped me create my first DVD of a camping trip in the California Sierra Nevada range. I was able to set up a slide show with iPhoto, a movie with iMovie, add audio to the movie and slide show from iTunes, and put it all on a DVD with little trouble. The results were good and impressed my wife and friends to no end. The DVD video included with the book gave me a visual of the process, something that is really helpful to my learning style. However, the information in the book was (purposely?) lacking and I had trouble determining how to solve some problems. Overall, however, it was very helpful, clearly written, and I highly recommend it. I am also getting "The Missing Manual" when it comes out (preordered), with the hope that it will fill in the gaps. Some of the gaps could be that my version of iLife is one generation ahead of the one that is discussed in Jim Heid's book (it does not mention Garage Band but the "Missing Manual" covers it). It's difficult to find one book that does the trick, so I recommend the two of them to complement this inexpensive, powerful set of programs.