iMovie '08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual

let me begin by indicating that i have a graduate degree and i've read books like "moby dick" and "les miserables". that aside, this book is wordy. pogue breaks down EVERY little thing that could conceivably occur before, during, and after use of imovie. look up "overkill" in the latest version of webster's, this book will appear.

admittedly, there are some bright tips. the man appears to really know this animal and how it differs from its predecessors. describing in painful detail the difference between various transition effects is not necessary. trim the freakin fat and this would be a much better, more readable, if not less expensive, work.

No matter what he writes, David Pogue always makes the subject matter easy to understand for the novice user. Well written and easy to follow....and a little humor to boot!

This book is great. I have been using iMovie '08 for two weeks and had some success in brute forcing my way through the editing process. Apple makes the program basics very intuitive so my success was more due to "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile" than skilled execution. As I got better in the editing process (stumbling upon more acorns) I would become frustrated at the "limits" of the application - such as trimming background sound tracks to pull out the sections you want to incorporate. Now, the "limits" are rapidly going away as I read the text and discover far more power and utility in iMovie than I imagined. The text is easy to read and nicely laid out to make it useful as a desktop reference.

I originally bought the book to learn iMovie '08 editing but was pleasantly surprised to find basics on how to shoot better video (great video makes the editing much easier and produces a better result). The section on iDVD was very useful as well and easily walks you through the process of transforming your movie into a DVD that will play on computers or DVD players. It was also interesting to learn about the controversy surrounding the iMovie '08 vs. '06 editions and how '08 users can get a free download of '06 from Apple to replace the deleted functions - I haven't tried this yet as I'm still discovering more of the powerful functionality embedded in '08.

In summary, this book has pushed me up the "learning curve" much faster than I would have experienced without it. I like it a lot and the people who have to watch my videos will benefit the most:>)

I think "The Missing Manual" series are the best software guides on the market. They are easy to read, interesting, funny, and provide most of the information I want.

I could use a bit more on some complicated issues, but I think these cover 98% of what most people are looking for (myself included).

The sending the movie from iMovie to Garageband (to add Chapter Markers and background music) and then on to iDVD for burning could be a bit more descriptive in detail and why you'd choose certain options, but with this book, I figured it all out.

I own five of the "Missing Manual" series and they're all very well done. Recommended.

I seek out "how-to" books written By David Pogue they're wonderful and funny.
I've bought his books for years because they are clear, step by step information.
His humor is an added plus and makes the reading fly