Review

iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

iMovie 3 & iDVD: The Missing Manual
By David Pogue
July 2003
ISBN: 0-596-00507-5
456 pages, $24.95

http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/imoviemm3/

As I start to read the iMovie3 & iDVD book, memories of the first time I ever edited a home video came to mind - I used to hook up 2 VCR’s, one to record and the other to play back. Then I got creative and did a Christmas video for work, and I used a professional video editing system - it took 4 months, and this was like learning to speak a new language. Then iMovie came along and everything became easier to do, but when I needed to create certain effects I needed something like Final Cut – learning Final Cut took more time. Finally iMovie 2, 3 and now 4 has made iMovie very easy to learn and simple to create a professional looking video.

In the iMovie 3 & iDVD book, the author writes about the different tape formats (S-VHS, VHS, 8 mm, HI-8, mini-DV), explains what to look for when buying your video camera (resolution, inputs, three-CCDs, LCD viewfinder, digital zoom), and even tells you where and how to buy your camcorder. In chapter 2, the author gives a crash course on the correct way to capture video (correct shots, footage for cut-aways, zoom, camera angles, framing the shot), lighting (hard light vs. soft light, contrast), and microphones (lavalieres v. handhelds). Chapter 3 gives interview pointers and finally in chapter 4 - Camcorder meets Mac. In chapters 4 through 10 , the author explains the necessary equipment, software and cables needed to work with iMovie 3. In these chapters the reader learns about the iMovie screen, the digitizing process, building the movie, playing the clip, splitting the clip, 3 ways to trim the clip, playing the iMovie track, Ken Burns effect, transitions music and finishing the movie. You’ve finished the movie, now what - Chapter 11 - Back to the camcorder - explains how to show your finished movie in the TV, Internet, and VCR. In these last 5 chapters, everything from labeling the tape, burning your first DVD to trouble shooting is covered.

iMovie 3 & iDVD (450 pages) gives a complete course in the process of filming, editing and creating a finished project (music video, home movie, or professional video). Editing a project is like learning a new language, and you need to understand the culture before you can speak the language. This book gives you the necessary tools so that you can have that finished project. I highly recommend iMovie 3 & iDVD to everyone, even if you know how to use iMovie. This book will benefit everyone from amateur to professional.

June 2004