iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual [Paperback]

David Pogue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2007 | Series: Missing Manual

Whether you consider yourself a pro or a hobbyist, you have to admit that Apple's iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 are amazing right out of the box. Unfortunately, the box doesn't include much of a user's guide, so learning about these applications is another matter. iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual gets you up to speed on all of the themes, motion graphics, titles, effects -- everything that lets you turn raw digital footage into highly creative video projects.

You get crystal-clear and jargon-free explanations of all the iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 features, including the new video library, how to view transitions, titles, and sound in real time as you add them, and ways to publish your creations directly to YouTube. Renowned author David Pogue -- tech columnist for the New York Times -- uses an objective lens to scrutinize every step of process, including how to:

• Work on multiple iMovie projects at once and drag & drop clips among them
• Output your creation to a blog, its own web page, or as a video podcast with iWeb
• Use "Magic iMovie" to import your video and make a movie for you
• Integrate with other iLife programs to use songs, photos, and an original sound track
• And a whole lot more

From choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs, posting it online, or creating versions for iPod and iPhone, iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual zooms right in on the details in a concise and understandable manner. The book also provides a firm grounding in basic film technique so that the quality of your video won't rely entirely on magic.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Pogue, Yale '85, is the weekly personal-technology columnist for the New York Times and an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News. His funny tech videos appear weekly on CNBC. And with 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how- to authors. He wrote or co-wrote seven books in the "For Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music). In 1999, he launched his own series of amusing, practical, and user-friendly computer books called Missing Manuals, which now includes 100 titles.

David and his wife Jennifer Pogue, MD, live in Connecticut with their three young children. His web site is www.davidpogue.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Pogue Press; 1 edition (November 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0596516193
• ISBN-13: 978-0596516192
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #534,118 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #12 in Books > Computers & Technology > Apple > iMovie + iDVD

More About the Author

David Pogue is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. Each week, he contributes a print column, an online column and an online video. His daily blog, "Pogue's Posts," is the Times's most popular blog. David is also an Emmy award-winning tech correspondent for CBS News and a frequent guest on NPR's "Morning Edition." His trademark comic tech videos appear each Thursday morning on CNBC. With over 3 million books in print, David is one of the world's bestselling how-to authors. He launched his own series of complete, funny computer books called the Missing Manual series, which now includes 60 titles. David graduated summa cum laude from Yale in 1985, with distinction in Music, and he spent ten years conducting and arranging Broadway musicals in New York. He's been profiled on both "48 Hours" and "60 Minutes."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and indespensible resource, December 21, 2007

By 

Norm H (Gold River CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

Anyone who is shooting home movies, whether using iMovie '08 or another editor, will find a treasury of useful information in this book. The features of iMovie '08 and iDVD are explained in a thorough, straightforward and easy-to-understand way, with superb color illustrations throughout. Pogue offers excellent guidance on connecting camcorders or other devices, effective lighting techniques, sound recording, composition, editing, exporting -- all the critical aspects of video production.

Amateur shooters ought to buy this book just to read the treatise on limiting zooming and panning -- the most egregious mistake I've seen as I watched at the Acropolis, the ruins of Tikal and Yosemite Valley as people swung cameras left and right, up and down as they tried to capture the grandeur of the location. (I just hope they handed out Dramamine when they played the video at home.)

Pogue goes well beyond that, providing valuable insights into a number of hidden features, as well as very useful tips on transitions (both how to do them and when they're appropriate) titles, narration, music and sound, adding still photos and using the Ken Burns effect, exporting to iPod, iPhone, YouTube, moving to iDVD and much, much more. All are thorough and explanations are intuitive.

For those who are still tied to iMovie 6, he explains how to move back and forth to take best advantage of the features of both programs.

iMovie '08 took a lot of hits when it was released, including a particularly blistering one from Pogue himself. But with this book he uncovers the appropriateness and usefulness of the program and makes the transition a bearable -- if not pleasant -- experience. I will not even open iMovie '08 without this excellent book next to me at my computer.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for iMovie 06 and iDVD 08, March 2, 2008

By 

Skyhawk (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

The great thing about this book is that it talks about the best times to use iMovie 06 (most of the time) instead of iMovie 08.

Basically, if you want to assemble short clips to post on the Internet use iMovie 08.

For longer projects or if you want the make a DVD use iMovie 06 with iDVD 08. (Apple includes iMovie 06 as a free download to iLife 08 owners.)

The book is an excellent resource for iDVD 08 and describes the seamless integration between iMovie 06 and iDVD 08.

You will never get the full benefit of iMovie and iDVD without this book. A good resource for users of iMovie 06, iMovie 08, and iDVD 08.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good basic information for the beginner, March 10, 2008

By 

Gary Holden "10th_Rock" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual (Paperback)

I bought iMovie 08 missing manual after devouring the Leopard missing manual. The Leopard manual was a real page turner with excellent tips with each turn of the page. The iMovie '08 application doesn't have the depth that Leopard does so you won't find the quantity of tips and tricks in this book. The first sections of the book are dedicated to taking good videos and goes through some great basics of digital photography and equipment.
Personally I found little new information on iMovie that I didn't discover through trial and error before buying the book. I'm not sure if I read the book first if it would have saved me any time.

That all being said, there is a great section on Quicktime Pro that's a must read.

If you're new to video shooting and editing it's a good purchase. David Pogue is a terrific writer and walks you through the application like no one else.