| Review by
By David Pogue
4th edition August 2004
ISBN: 0596-00693-4
504 pages, $24.95
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imoviemm4/index.html
Who is this guy David Pogue? How can he know so much about so many different things? I picked up iMovie 4 & iDVD expecting a David Pogue lesson on those two programs. Yes, that was there, but also so much more.
 iMovie 4 & iDVD has an in-depth section on how to shoot good video, including lighting, sound recording and camera operating. It has a section on Quick Time Player and Quick Time Pro. It covers iDVD in depth, then goes on to discuss having DVDs replicated commercially, just like the Hollywood studios do. In short, this book is a mini film school. (Okay, a mini video school.)
Editing your iMovie is clearly explained on not only a mechanical, ‘how-to’ level, but also on an artistic, ‘how-to-make-it-look-more-like-a-Hollywood-movie’ level.
My only criticism, and I readily admit it’s not a fair one, is that I would have liked seeing the occasional comparison between iMovie and Final Cut Pro / Express. Someone like myself, with a background in Final Cut Pro, might trip over the iMovie way of doing things. (For example, iMovie can do destructive editing of video clips, as opposed to FCP’s non-destructive methods.)
One thing I’ve never understood about the computer world, and certainly Apple, is why they are so brilliant at creating programs but so inept at writing manuals. Why doesn’t Apple simply change the way they write their manuals from dry and cold to warm and thoughtful, considerate of the user, anticipating questions and answering them, etc.?
Why doesn’t Apple simply hire a David Pogue? But then if they did, could he still point out shortcomings in Apple’s programs? Maybe not, which brings us back to square one, iMovie 4 & iDVD. This is indeed “The Missing Manual”, “The book that should have been in the box.”
You will not be disappointed by this book. In four words: Far exceeded my expectations.
November 2004
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