Customer Reviews

iLife '04: The Missing Manual

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The book has reasonably in-depth coverage of the five iLife applications in iLife '04: GarageBand, iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie and iDVD. The content is not step-by-step for beginners but rather for people that understand the basics of Macintosh applications and have some experience with the applications. The text is well written and illustrations are used effectively. All of the applications, save iDVD, are covered thoroughly. But that's ok since IDVD gets short shrift in every manual.

For true beginners I would recommend buying the O'Reilly manual for the application that you are likely to use the most. For example, I think photographers will get a lot out of iPhoto 4: The Missing Manual. What's the difference? There is more exposition, which eases the learning curve, and there are more tips and tricks. But if you are a Macintosh user with a reasonable amount of experience who is looking for a book that covers all of the applications at a reasonable level, then this book should appeal to you.

For genuine beginners I would also recommend looking at Peachpit Press' "The Macintosh iLife '04".

Under the general name of iLife, Apple includes five software packages that are oriented to your creative expression and entertainment. While the programs are nifty, the documentation that comes with them is somewhat less than outstanding. David Pogue, has created a series of books called "The Missing Manual." In this manual, he provides what is missing for the iLife software, the missing manuals.

The five software packages included in iLife include: iTunes, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, and GarageBand. Mr. Pogue highlights the newest features and improvements of iLife '04, covers the capabilities and limitations of each program within the suite, and delivers countless goodies not found anywhere else: undocumented tips, tricks, and secrets for getting the best performance out of every one of iLife's life-changing new applications.