Digital Video For Dummies (For Dummies (Computer/Tech))

Editorial Reviews

• Getting your computer ready to work with digital video (complete with information about FireWire)
• Choosing a camcorder, including features to look for and features that are useless
• Digitizing old VHS videotapes to preserve memories
• Purchasing other movie making gear, including audio and lighting equipment
• Shooting better video, with tips on lighting, panning, using the zoom, and recording better audio
• Creating your own sound effects such as footsteps, bones breaking, fire, thunder, insects buzzing, and more
• Capturing digital video using iMovie, Windows Movie Marker, or Premiere Elements
• Editing, including understanding timecode, organizing and previewing clips, and assembling clips in Storyboard and Timeline
• Adding transitions, titles, and special effects
• Importing and integrating video from phones and digital cameras
• Using audio rubberbands in iMovie, Premiere Elements, and other editing programs
• Adding narration, importing and working with CD audio, and adding a music soundtrack

Keith Underdahl has extensive professional video production experience developing kiosk and marketing videos for Ages Software. Realizing that you’ll want to polish and premiere your movie, he includes information on:

• More advanced video editing, including animating video clips, improving light and color, compositing video (bluescreen or greenscreen), and more
• 13 categories of video effects, ranging from blur and sharpen to transform
• Working with still photos and graphics
• Sharing your video online using QuickTime (/QT), RealMedia (.RM), or Windows Media Video (.WMV)
• Making tapes or burning DVDs in 9 steps

With a handy cheat sheet of keyboard shortcuts, a chart comparing 10 video editing programs, a glossary, and more, with this guide you’ll soon be saying “Lights, camera, action” and producing your own movie attraction.

Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review




It really is for dummies., November 10, 2008
By Big Montanna (Hollywood, CA)
This book is good if you're an absolute beginner, but I was hoping for alot more info. It mainly teaches you how to use Windows moviemaker.



This Dummies book really is only for staying dumb, August 6, 2008
By rolly
I found this book really did not provide much technical detail at all and was very disappointing. If you have even a basic knowledge of simple home electronics then you, like me, may be really unhappy with this. Of course, the title says it's "For Dummies" so I guess I should have payed attention to the warning, but instead I wasted my money.



Great reference guide for videography, October 8, 2007
By Annie B. Lawrence (Sedona Arizona)
Great reference guide for video production especially for beginners. Simple easy to read and apply!



It is the one, March 22, 2007
By C. Nguyen
If you're new to video editing, it is the one for you. It'S a good start



Very useful and reasonably up to date, March 18, 2007
By Geoffrey Brown (Taconic, CT United States)
The "Dummies" folks seem to be able to get it right pretty consistently, and they also seem to be willing to update titles with some frequency -- publish a new edition, that means.

When I bought this book, I bought another on the same topic from another publisher and neglected to check the date of publication. Well, it was antique, relatively speaking, so when I picked this one up, suddenly things started to make a lot of sense.

Also, the author seems to be able to cover three editing products without a lot of repetition. This is a good, workmanlike job.