Digital Video For Dummies [Paperback]

Fully half of Digital Video for Dummies deals with motion-picture production values in general, computer editing and applications aside. Doucette explains how to script scenes, frame shots, capture sound, talk to actors, and apply makeup. He also demystifies camcorder technology--his fine explanation of white balance is one example of this book's excellent hardware coverage (which focuses on the Canon XL1 camera). Once he's explained how to get your scenes on tape, Doucette tells how to convert them to PC format. (He uses a Pinnacle Systems video capture card in his examples.) He uses Adobe's image- and video-editing software (especially Adobe Premiere 5.1 for Windows) in his tutorials, explaining how to get things done with a combination of numbered procedures, sharp prose, and succinct hints. The book's main shortcoming is its lack of information on producing and publishing streaming video in RealVideo or Windows Media Player format--after all, most Internet videos use one of those formats. But this isn't a Web book and it stands on its merits as a video-production and Adobe Premiere text. --David Wall

Topics covered: Preparing for video shoots, lighting, sound, scripting, capturing video to PC format, editing with Adobe Premiere, and adding effects with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe After Effects. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Well, almost with ease. Making good movies – even home movies – still requires some basic knowledge of how the equipment works, how to set up good shots, how to use the editing software, and so on. And all that can be daunting to the beginner. That's where Digital Video For Dummies, 2nd Edition, comes in. Recently revised to cover the latest advances in digital video technology, this easy-to-understand guide can get you up and running quickly on your first digital video project.

Digital Video For Dummies, 2nd Edition, covers the following topics and more:

• Understanding digital video equipment – from cameras to computers
• Starting preproduction of your movie – from scripting and storyboarding to location scouting
• Composing and lighting a scene
• Getting great sound for your movie
• Putting all the pieces of your movie together in Apple's iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or Adobe Premiere
• Transferring your digital movie to videotape, burning it to CD-ROM, or publishing it to the Web
• Top Ten lists highlighting tips for making spectacular movies, pointers for producing a great wedding video, and awesome accessories.

Digital Video For Dummies, 2nd Edition, also comes with a CD-ROM with trial versions of popular video-editing software, as well as some sample movies that you can play around with.

So whether you're new to the home moviemaking business, or you've been shooting home movies for years but want to give digital video a try, Digital Video For Dummies, 2nd Edition, can help you create home movies that you'll be proud to screen for your family and friends.