Final Cut Pro 6 For Digital Video Editors Only Reviews

• A MUST HAVE for any interested video editor.

  
  By A26P8LNMLHAWBI on 2007-12-28
  This book is something you should have and keep with you whenever you are at the editing station. Being able to fall back on pages for review or even getting started on video editing. I find this book to be my new companion whether I'm editing at a desktop or on my MacBook Pro. You certainly will not be disappointed with these pages filled with information and exciting ways to start or improve your editing skills.
  In my opinion, get the book, then go see the guys at GeniusDV and get hands on training to get you going in this fast paced world of editing.
  
  Thumbs up all the way!!!!!!
  
  

• A must have.

  
  By A2ON4M72D13WEO on 2008-01-01
  Having worked with Final Cut Pro for a few years now, I found this book to be a necessity in my editing suite. The author cut right to the meat of the info I needed to know. Many, many great tips that have helped me be become a better editor. I highly recommend this book.
  
  

• MY GENIUS BIBLE

  
  By A28RLH8DF1RKNG on 2008-02-27
  GENIUS - an over used word...but not when talking about these guys.
  
  Several years ago I took John Lynn's FCP class at GeniusDV in Florida. I'd been a video editor for well over 20 years and thought I would never be able to make the transition from the good 'ole tape editing to digital editing. Without the talented John Lynn and GeniusDV I never would have been able to evolve from one format to the other. GeniusDV helped me become more proficient in FCP than I ever imagined.
  
  However, I realized that I got stuck doing the same things...same effects...same dissolves...same graphics same, same, same. Then I got my hands on FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson.
  
  To begin with, the large type of the book itself is a huge help. The paper it's printed on is of such quality my constant contact will never rip a page.
  
  Quite simply, the content and the written structure of Lonzell's book made me want to sit in the editing bay. Lonzell's spot-on "hit the deck running" instructions and tips showed me new ways to work.
  
  His chapter on "Accelerating the Editing process" (Chapter 3) is superior. Many times during my constant reading of this book I find myself actually shaking my head and mumbling something like "I didn't know that!" His crystal clear breakdown of tasks showed me how to tell my story in a way I had imagined; yet wasn't sure how to best produce. Even with all my editing experience, I found that the exercises gave me new inspiration and ideas.
  
  FINAL CUT PRO 6 For Digital Video Editors Only by Lonzell Watson is the first thing I reach for when I begin editing. Before I even turn on the computer the book is on the left side of my keyboard...notes and colored paper clips extending abundantly.
  
  FINAL CUT PRO 6 for Digital Video Editors Only is complete in itself. This book is the perfect link to the class I took at GeniusDV. If you are a video editor, or want to be a video editor get to one of their classes. I plan on taking another class with GENIUSDV, but until I do this book will be more than sufficient. I didn't think anything could be as helpful, instructional and enjoyable as the actual class taught by the consummate John Lynn and GeniusDV. However, Lonzell Watson's book is a masterful substitute.
  
  Lonzell Watson, John Lynn and Genius DV are worthy of the word genius.
  
  

• Expert instruction at a beginners price

  
  By A2FISTV70TDVQT on 2008-01-04
  One of the first things that grabbed me as I read through this book is the fact that you would have to buy 5 or 6 books to assemble all of the knowledge in it. This book is chock-full of lessons that, if you master them, can actually land you a job in the video editing industry.
  
  I found the exercises on how to perform effects such as the Pleasantville Effect, Ken Burns, and Filmstrip Effect refreshing and useful as the whole book shows you how to use Final Cut Pro in a functional manner rather than detailing its many tools.
  
  I particularly liked the practical approach of this book, and the way the author covers interactivity with other applications, such as how to use Adobe Photoshop with Final Cut Pro, creating titles and effects with Apple Motion 3 and LiveType, using Soundtrack Pro 2 for removing unwanted noise from an interview, and Transcoding Interlaced Video to Progressive Scan with Compressor. I also found the sections on creating HD DVD files and encoding video for the web useful in my everyday operation.
  
  Overall, the readability of this book is high and all levels of Final Cut Pro users will benefit. I will specifically look for this author again.
  
  

• Superb

  
  By ABMAIZOGS6Z3 on 2008-01-21
  I truly appreciate the approach of this book. The exercise on using
  Soundtrack Pro to create the natural soundscape for a mute scene is
  top notch. The idea of combining sound effects to create a completely
  tailored sound has proven very useful for me. It is very easy to get
  stuck in a day to day routine and never use Final Cut outside of the
  boundaries of your job. This book has given me insight as to how to
  shake things up. Bravo!
  
  
• chocked full of usefull info
  By A247SPGVOZBMCZ on 2008-01-04
  I have only had this book for a week and I can tell you it sits right next to my keyboard not relegated to the bookshelf with its peers. I probably have 15 books on the subject and its not that their not informative but they are like a PC and this book is like a Mac, intuitive and user friendly the layout is so easy to follow. I have read it from cover to cover and now I use it daily to boost the creative juices. I love the pro tips, easy to see and very helpful. I've been in the industry 30 years and editing for 5 and I sure wish that Lonzell had written this 5 years ago, the agony I would have saved. Hurray for the large type, makes it so easy to find what you're looking for. My copy is already dog-eared and has post it notes sticking out all over. I took a class from DV and this is the best of the class in a book.
  
  
• Great Teaching Tool
  By A39R1WS540GMZK on 2008-01-09
  Wow, what a great approach! I like a book that shows me up front how to do the stuff that I really want to implement in my work. Also, great exercises; I will be teaching my class from this book. I showed my students the projects and the finished examples and they were fired up.
  
  
• A must read guide for everything you needed to know and more
  By A1L7F60FXVEFUB on 2008-01-25
  This book is extremely helpful. I obtained Final Cut Pro 6 with only limited working knowledge of the software, but through this book I have quickly excelled and I can edit quickly and with the best of them. I would recommend this book to anyone who any questions about the program. The question and answer section at the end of each chapter gives a little bit of extra insight that is also incredible useful.
  
  
• Awesome Final Cut Book!
  By A25GREUS8VEVW1 on 2008-01-29
  Like one of the previous reviews, I too have several books on this subject and this is no doubt the best of the bunch. Lonzell Watson takes a different approach to his teaching by making you think about what you're editing and how you might frame the edit. There's only one trivial thing in the book that takes some getting used to and that is the (play head) being referred to as the (position indicator) I find myself constantly thinking what's he talking about position indicator?...Oh you mean the PLAY HEAD! This isn't your typical cookie cutter instructional book, well worth your attention.
  
  
• THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!
  By AIKLBT2VO4JXB on 2008-06-04
  I tore thru this book in about 4 days from start to finish and it was OUTSTANDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Lynda.com training is good, but if more booka and tutorials could follow this books example many of us would be pros in a shorter amount of time.
  
  Lonzell Watson (Writer of the book)...YOU ARE A WONDERFUL PERSON TO SHARE SO MUCH PASSION AND INSIGHT!!
  THANK YOU!!!!!
  
  
• Great Book, Great Author!
  By A25W0IPDXYR78N on 2008-02-20
  The author of this book really hits the nail on the head by showing you how to do the cool stuff and backing it up with page after page of tips, tricks and troubleshooting knowledge. The Questions and Answers section at the end of each chapter are priceless. This is one of the few Final Cut Pro books that I have read that successfully mixes basic, intermediate and advanced topics and for that I have to give much credit to this author. I have been using Final Cut Pro for one year and my colleagues are seasoned Final Cut Pro professionals, and we all learned something from this book. This book gave me a solid learning experience and made me like Final Cut Pro even more.
  
  
  
• Great Book...But I Have Some Minor Quibbles
  By A3VB0389TMWLHY on 2008-05-19
  First off I want to say that this is a fantastic book. It's not only an invaluable reference, it's also great for Final Cut newbies. Though newbies should have some basic knowledge of digital editing. But not as much as the subtitle "For Digital Video Editors Only" suggests. I think that subtitle may prevent other newbies from taking a good look at this book. What I love about this book is that you really hit the ground running, thanks to the DVD project files included. And what I also love is that the book just shows you one or two ways to achieve a desired result as opposed to the Final Cut manual which shows you literally dozens of ways of achieving the same thing. That can be daunting and overwhelming. So just use the manual for secondary reference and get this book. My only complaints are this. The book is organizes kind of weird, the author admits that it's organized atypically, and that's fine, but I think some key things should be moved around. The final chapter in the book is about the included DVD, however, if you've gotten that far into the book, you've already use the DVD. The problem with this is that no where in the beginning does it say to copy the DVD files onto your hard disc so I was having obvious difficulty trying to do the exercises off the disc. But in the final chapter it recommends doing that. There should be some kind of note at the beginning to do just that. Also, the book came out in 2008, yet it's still giving you instructions per Tiger (not Leopard) and it still occasionally references the Apple key which has been changed for almost a year to the Command Key. Like many people I switched to Mac because of Leopard, so it took me a few phone calls to friends to figure this all out. My only other issue is that some descriptions in the book are too brief. All the info is there, but often I'd have to read a paragraph a couple of times to really get something. But as the title of this review states, these are minor quibbles to a fantastic book that will have you editing like a pro in no time.
  
  
• If you edit with Final Cut Pro, do yourself a favor and get this book!
  By A3FOM5MY8H71G8 on 2008-01-02
  I will never forget when someone told me - There is nobody who knows everything about Final Cut Pro.
  Why? The program is just loaded with great stuff from tips to tricks to shortcuts. Well since receiving this book, the closest people I know to knowing Final Cut Pro is the author, Lonzell Watson, and the genius behind Genius DV, John Lynn, who together have delivered yet another must have tool for any and all Digital Video Editors. Not only does this book have so much to offer, but you will love looking at a chapter and saying to yourself - "OH Yeah! I remember that, man I could have used that on that project last year." Great Job guys and thanks for helping us move forward on the non-stop technology highway.
  Bob
  
  
• Great Resource, highlights the good stuff
  By A1TBDML3VWV23F on 2008-06-23
  When looking for a Final Cut Pro book I didn't want to read a book that was a fundamental introduction to the software or a book written like an operational manual. I wanted to edit a music video with some attention-grabbing effects and not have to rummage around the internet and through various books to get ideas on how to do so. Let me be the first to say that this is a new breed of FCP book that shows you how to do the cool stuff. This book is great for someone who wants their work to appear as if it were edited by a seasoned pro and not so great for someone who wants a dry list of button functions. I will say that the capturing section of the book does clarify many of the problems people have during the capture process by explaining functionality in a more practical sense.
  
  
• Loads of Useful Info!!
  By AOM5GZYQBESCU on 2008-06-24
  This is one of the most informative Final Cut Pro books that I own. It's a great reference for me because not only was I looking to raise the aesthetic value of my work, but I also had some lingering questions that were answered. I learned from this book and feel that it was money well spent.
  
  

• Final Cut Pro 6: Visual QuickPro Guide (Visual Quickpro Guide)
• The Focal Easy Guide to Final Cut Pro 6 (Focal Easy Guide)
• Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 6 (Apple Pro Training)
• Apple Pro Training Series: Motion 3
• Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 6 Beyond the Basics