looking for software and books to learn for Doing Video Audio and Special Effects. (1 Viewer)

[Don]

i'm looking to graduate from IMovie 08 and HD. any suggestions as to what to buy i'm thinking of getting the Final Cut Pro. the One for $1,299.00 what is worth doing or learning in final cut pro. and what is in DVD Pro ?

 

[Don Solosan]

Final Cut Pro gives you a huge amount of control over the whole process, from color correction to effects, titles, etc. You can have multiple layers of picture and audio. DVD Studio Pro is the same way. Create the menus, program every little detail. Is that what you're looking for?

 

[Don]

yes it is plus i'll like to learn how to properly use it.

 

[Don Solosan]

For me, the easiest way to learn something is hands on. Do you live in an area where there are classes you can take? Or know someone who could walk you through the basics?

 

[Don]

yes i was able to locate a place that has classes for it. but i dont think it will be until April. and the price for the Class is either $1,500.00 or $2,.000.00 not bad for a three day class.

 

[Don Solosan]

Something else I forgot to mention: the discussion forums at Apple can be very helpful. I used them a fair bit when I was starting out.

Apple - Support - Discussions - Forum Home

 

[Don]

i tryed going to the apple forums and can not seem where to go on there to post for the forum. any time i'm there i see messages that are already left. i'm also thinking of buying a Canon Camcorder. either the HV 30 or the HG 21 any Suggestions ?

 

[Chris Souders]

I would highly recommend lynda.com for training.
I am in medicine, but had to learn how to edit video and create a DVD with menu's etc using adobe's creative suite software. Still went through 8-12 hours of training video's and hands on stuff, but it was quite impressive. I don't think "just doing it" would have been possible.

 

[Don Solosan]

Don, you have to log in at the forums to post. Even if you don't log in, you can still do searches. Chances are the problem you're having has already been discussed.

Chris, by "hands on" I didn't mean "just do it." He already has some experience in iMovie. But the best way to learn (IMHO) would be working with his own computer and footage with someone at his side to help him along -- because there are some major differences between iMovie and FCP. Also, I recall the tutorial being a pretty helpful start to get me from cutting on a flatbad to non-linear editing.

 

[Don]

Don S i have logged in and was still unable to find the forums. i even tryed to contact apple on this but all it does is take me to a different screen.

 

[Don Solosan]

Where does the link I posted take you? Apple calls them discussion groups, not forums -- is that throwing you off?

 

[Don]

the discusion thing i see on their web site. the only thing that i'm able to do is read the discussions. i have no ideal on how to post there.

 

[Don Solosan]

Go to the discussions page. Click on LogIn. Enter your ID and pass. Once you're logged in, go to the Final Cut Pro page, for example. You should see "Post New Topic" at the upper left. Cookies have to be turned on.

 

[Don]

how do i turn on cookies or how can i be sure that they are on.

 

[Don Solosan]

In Safari, go to the Safari pulldown menu and select Preferences. Click on the Security icon. If it's set to "Never," that could be your problem. Also, on that same page, Java should be turned on.

Once those are set, you should be able to log in and have full access to the discussions.

 

[Don]

Don Thank you for the Help for getting me into the apple discussion area. and for the help here. may i ask what is the difference between final cut express and final cut studio ?

 

[Don Solosan]

Express is just the software for editing video, without some of the Pro features. There used to be a comparison guide on the Apple web site. If you were just planning to put your videos on YouTube or use iDVD, that would probably be enough. But since you mentioned being interested in DVD authoring, I didn't bring up Express. For that, you need Studio.

Studio includes: Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Motion, Compressor, Soundtrack Pro, CinemaTools, LiveType and Color grading. If you're thinking about getting into video in some professional capacity, then this is what you want.