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.
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
incite at a price, September 4, 2008
By
Nick Mace (Lincoln Land)
let me begin by indicating that i have a graduate degree and i've read books like "moby dick" and "les miserables". that aside, this book is wordy. pogue breaks down EVERY little thing that could conceivably occur before, during, and after use of imovie. look up "overkill" in the latest version of webster's, this book will appear.
admittedly, there are some bright tips. the man appears to really know this animal and how it differs from its predecessors. describing in painful detail the difference between various transition effects is not necessary. trim the freakin fat and this would be a much better, more readable, if not less expensive, work.
Always the "go-to" guy for anything Mac!, August 5, 2008
By
Susan Bready (Gray Court, SC USA)
No matter what he writes, David Pogue always makes the subject matter easy to understand for the novice user. Well written and easy to follow....and a little humor to boot!
Expert Mentor at Your Side, July 7, 2008
By
Electronic Gadgetphile (St. Paul, MN)
This book is great. I have been using iMovie '08 for two weeks and had some success in brute forcing my way through the editing process. Apple makes the program basics very intuitive so my success was more due to "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile" than skilled execution. As I got better in the editing process (stumbling upon more acorns) I would become frustrated at the "limits" of the application - such as trimming background sound tracks to pull out the sections you want to incorporate. Now, the "limits" are rapidly going away as I read the text and discover far more power and utility in iMovie than I imagined. The text is easy to read and nicely laid out to make it useful as a desktop reference.
I originally bought the book to learn iMovie '08 editing but was pleasantly surprised to find basics on how to shoot better video (great video makes the editing much easier and produces a better result). The section on iDVD was very useful as well and easily walks you through the process of transforming your movie into a DVD that will play on computers or DVD players. It was also interesting to learn about the controversy surrounding the iMovie '08 vs. '06 editions and how '08 users can get a free download of '06 from Apple to replace the deleted functions - I haven't tried this yet as I'm still discovering more of the powerful functionality embedded in '08.
In summary, this book has pushed me up the "learning curve" much faster than I would have experienced without it. I like it a lot and the people who have to watch my videos will benefit the most:>)
Love these books, June 23, 2008
By
M. RiveraI think "The Missing Manual" series are the best software guides on the market. They are easy to read, interesting, funny, and provide most of the information I want.
I could use a bit more on some complicated issues, but I think these cover 98% of what most people are looking for (myself included).
The sending the movie from iMovie to Garageband (to add Chapter Markers and background music) and then on to iDVD for burning could be a bit more descriptive in detail and why you'd choose certain options, but with this book, I figured it all out.
I own five of the "Missing Manual" series and they're all very well done. Recommended.
08 iMovie&iDVD by David Pogue, May 29, 2008
By
Anne V. Markham (Ravena, NY)
I seek out "how-to" books written By David Pogue they're wonderful and funny.
I've bought his books for years because they are clear, step by step information.
His humor is an added plus and makes the reading fly
