Description:
Final Cut Pro for Macintosh, a member of the Visual QuickPro Guide series from Peachpit Press, is invaluable for any individual learning to use Apple's digital video editing package. Every page is a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the program and how to do specific tasks. Like other books in this terrific series from Peachpit, each page is divided into two columns, one for text and one for pictures, and there are always pictures. In some cases, the pages are filled with screen shots and very little text. Every topic on using Final Cut Pro is here, from batch capturing footage from your DV camera to basic editing, adding transitions, titles, special effects, multiple soundtracks, all the way through rendering and playing the movie back to tape. There are even sections on using third-party filters and plug-ins, and creating artwork in other programs for use in Final Cut Pro. The book doesn't simply cover the use of Final Cut Pro. The opening chapter covers hardware requirements, system configurations, optimizing the system, and troubleshooting questions and answers. An appendix lists online resources and Web sites for getting additional help or finding other Final Cut Pro users. The goal of Peachpit Press's Visual QuickPro series is to publish useful books at reasonable prices, and they are certainly doing that with books like this. However, none of the books in this series come with a CD-ROM, which is unfortunate. Still, Final Cut Pro is a big, flexible program, and this book can help you digitally visualize your next motion video masterpiece. --Mike Caputo
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