Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
3October 15, 2009 by Atila
Product Description
Completely revised for Final Cut Pro 7 and featuring new footage from TNT’s hit show Leverage and the international music creation event Playing For Change: Peace Through Music, this best-selling, Apple-certified guide provides a strong foundation in all aspects of video editing. Renowned author Diana Weynand starts with basic video editing techniques and takes you all the way through Final Cut Pro’s powerful advanced features.
Each chapter presents a com… More >>
Category Apple | Tags: Apple, Final, Series, Training
You dont order a book like this without knowing why, if you did… im sorry
Rating: 5 / 5
I am already reasonably experienced with video editing in Sony Vegas. When I started using FCP7 I found accomplishing simple tasks was leaving me scratching my head. I decided to order this book from amazon to see if I could get some traction with this new suite of programs.
The book is well organized and does a good job teaching a workflow without just telling you to click one thing and another and then admire the outcome. The book begins with laying out a rough cut and refining it in the following chapters through various editing techniques all the way to project delivery. It maintains interest by changing the project media at the right time. It also does a good job of demonstrating multiple ways to accomplish the same result and giving examples of why one method might be more useful in certain situations. I found the illustrations to be very accurate and helpful.
The 4 video projects on the DVD are great to work with. There are 3 documentaries (Seaworld, music and nature) and one TV series (Leverage). The quality of the media is beautiful but not so perfect that it doesn’t take a little bit of effort get results. This is one of the most effective parts of the exercises. It’s clear when you preview the project that it needs improvement but it’s the editing that makes the result satisfying not the fact that most anything shot on a Red One can look great.
I followed every chapter and performed all the exercises closely even when I already understood the concept being demonstrated. The chapters give a time estimate on how long they should take and personally it took me almost twice as long as the estimate in most cases. I think if I already new the software the estimates would be more accurate. By the end of the book I was coming closer the the stated times but it still took longer.
I thought the workflow and methodology of the book were so well organized that I have started applying the editing strategies into Vegas and learning parts of that program I never really used previously. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn editing on Final Cut Pro.
Rating: 5 / 5
The footage is really fun to work with. This book is a top-notch tutorial on FCP7; taking a powerful and complex software package and simplifying concepts and methods. It is well-written and well-organized with the learner in mind (instead of just unloading a lot of information on the reader). I wouldn’t mind a few more images, but it probably has more than most. Best to have some computer and graphics background. Even with that, it is still taking me longer than the book promises, to go through it. But it is worth every penny; this book is a great value.
To quote a concise and accurate review of the FCP6 edition of this book:
“By Vladimir Nagorniy (Hollywood, CA USA) – This book actually teaches you efficient work flows. All lessons designed in a really smart way, so your progress is well guided. Makes you learn keyboard shortcuts. The footage was fun to work with (not the usual snowboarders and surfers). Highly recommended.”
Rating: 5 / 5