Overview

Life is full of special moments that we don't want to let pass us by. With digital video equipment and your home computer, you can capture them forever. Sams Teach Yourself Digital Video and DVD Authoring All in One will show you how, step-by-step, from selecting the best equipment, to shooting great video, to authoring your own DVDs. You will cover multiple products and technologies, so whether you use Movie Maker 2, Studio 9, Premiere Elements, Sonic's MyDVD or DVDit!, you will benefit from the lessons in this easy-to-understand book. Learn techniques for taking all kinds of videos with your digital video camera, loading them onto your computer and then trimming, splicing and adding special effects using your video editing software. You will have professional-quality DVDs that will keep your memories, special projects and documentaries safe for a lifetime. Let Sams Teach Yourself Digital Video and DVD Authoring All in One get you started.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jeff Sengstack
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Sams Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 23.40cm , Height: 3.90cm , Length: 18.80cm
Weight:   1.193kg
ISBN:  

9780672326899

ISBN 10:   0672326892
Pages:   744
Publication Date:   24 February 2005
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

Introduction. I. PRODUCTION PREPARATION: VIDEOS, IMAGES, SOUND, AND STORY. 1. Digital Video and DVDs-Getting Acquainted. Converging Technologies Digital Video Camcorders DV Camcorders-Higher Quality and Lower Prices IEEE 1394- FireWire -Connectivity High-Speed PC Processors DVD Format Adoption MPEG-2 Video Compression DVD Recorders DVD-Authoring Software Introducing Nonlinear Video Editing Multiple Methods to View Your Videos What's DVD Authoring? Making Sure Your PC Hardware Makes the Grade Enough Processor Power Windows XP-Home or Professional Edition Sufficient RAM Large and Fast Hard Drive(s) FireWire Connection DVD Recorder 3D Video Card Summary 2. Shooting Great Videos. Choosing a Digital Video Camcorder One or Three Chips-CCDs Features Worth Strong Consideration Two Features of Interest: Progressive Scan and True Widescreen Features Not Worth Considering Camcorders to Avoid Entirely Doing Some Homework Legacy Analog Camcorders Sixteen Tips on Shooting Great Video Plan Your Shoot Adhere to the Rule of Thirds Use Additional Still-Camera Composition Techniques Get a Closing Shot Get an Establishing Shot Get a Good Mix of Shots Lean Into or Away from Subjects Keep Your Shots Steady-Use a Tripod Let Your Camera Follow the Action Use Trucking Shots to Move with the Action Avoid Fast Pans and Snap Zooms Shoot Cutaways to Avoid Jump Cuts Don't Break the Plane Get Plenty of Natural Sound Shoot Enough Continuous Audio Use Lights to Make Your Project Brilliant Expert Advice from Karl Petersen Summary 3. Creating Compelling Still Images. Digital or Film Cameras-What Will Work Best for You Digital Camera Buying Tips Making High-Quality Photos-Tips and Tricks Putting an End to Blurry Images Composing Your Shots Other Photo-Taking Tips Compensating for Lag Time Importing and Scanning Images Importing Digital Images to Your PC Selecting a Scanner for Your Video and DVD Projects Explaining Scanner Settings Scanning Images Using Manual Settings Formatting Images for Videos and DVDs Editing Images with Adobe Photoshop Elements Summary 4. Acquiring Audio. Selecting the Right Mic for the Job Low-Cost Mic Solutions Stepping Up to Professional-Quality Mics Handheld Mic Lavaliere Mic Shotgun Mic Boundary or Surface Mount Mics Wireless Systems Connecting Mics to Your Camcorder or PC Making the PC Connection Upping the PC Mic/Soundcard Ante Getting the Most from Your Mics-Expert Audio Tips Building a Simple and Inexpensive Voice-Recording Area Voicing Solid Narrations Summary 5. Making Marvelous Music. Ripping Music CDs Licensing Music or Buying Royalty-Free Music Licensing Music Using Royalty-Free Music Creating Custom Music with SmartSound Movie Maestro Introducing Two High-End Music Creation and Editing Products Making Music with SmartSound Sonicfire Pro Introducing Adobe Audition Auditioning Audition and Sonicfire Pro Summary 6. Story-Creation and Video-Production Tips. Creating Your Story Overall Story-Creation Tips General Writing Tips Specific Writing Tips Story-Creation Tips from Bob Dotson Bob Dotson's Storyteller's Checklist Keep It Simple...and Short Writing in the Active Voice Mackie Morris's Writing Tips The Good Writer's Dazzlin' Dozen Storytelling with Video Stephen Black's and Henry Stern's Scriptwriting Tips Unblocking Creativity Video-Editing Tips from an Expert-John Crossman Summary II. VIDEO EDITING. 7. Capturing and Editing Video with Windows Movie Maker 2. Movie Maker 2-Pros and Cons A Minimal Run-Through Go Ahead-Give Movie Maker 2 a Try Movie Maker 2-Pluses and Minuses Overview of Video Editing with Movie Maker 2 Tour the Interface Capturing Video Gathering Other Assets Using the Storyboard to Make a Rough Draft Splitting and Trimming Clips on the Timeline Summary 8. Jazzing Up Your Video with Windows Movie Maker 2. Adding Video Effects and Transitions Give Your Clips Some Visual Special Effects Working with Titles Editing in Extra Audio Exploring Some Fun Add-on Packs Microsoft Fun Packs Microsoft Plus! Digital Media Edition Pixelan SpiceFX Exporting to DV Tape or PC File Summary 9. Capturing Video with Pinnacle Studio Plus. Video Editing: From Engineers to Artists Old-Fashioned Editing Getting Acquainted with Pinnacle Studio Plus Studio Plus Pricing and Packages Try Out Studio Plus for Free Looking Over the Studio Plus User Interface Fire It Up Fire It Up Again New to Studio Plus: An Overlay Video Track! Checking Out Pinnacle Systems Video Capture Hardware Two Video Capture Options Capturing Digital or Analog Video and Still Images Analog Video Capture Capturing Still Images from Your Camcorder Summary 10. Editing Cuts-Only Videos with Studio Plus. Assembling Your Assets Creating an Instant Music Video with SmartMovie Using a Storyboard Approach Editing Your Cuts-Only Video on the Timeline Adjusting the Ruler Timescale Trimming and Match Edits Summary 11. Enhancing Your Video with Transitions, Effects, and Titles. Using Transitions with Restraint Transitions with a Purpose What Transitions Can Do Adding Transitions Using Special Effects Checking Out Specific Effects Putting Still Images in Motion Using Supers to Help Tell Your Story Adding Titles to Your Videos Using the Shape Tools Summary 12. Audio Production with Studio Plus. Voicing Narrations and Adding Music Voicing a Narration Adding Music Making Music with Studio's SmartSound Module Adding Other Audio TV News-Style Editing To A/B or Not to A/B? Adding Cutaways Working with J-Cuts and L-Cuts Working with Audio Effects VST Effects-New to Studio Plus Adjusting Audio Levels and Surround Sound with the Mixer Summary 13. Advanced Editing Techniques, Add-ons, and Exporting. Advanced Two-Track Editing Techniques Using the Picture-in-Picture Tool Spicing Up Your PiPs Two Other Picture-in-Picture Effects Keying Out Parts of a Clip Testing Third-Party Audio Effect Plug-Ins Unlock Effects for Use in Projects Algorithmix Effects NewBlue Audio Essentials Reviewing Third-Party Video-Effect Plug-Ins Bravo Studio Packs 1 and 2 BWPLUGINS and BWPLUGINS 2 Dziedzic's Effects Packs 1 and 2 eZedia eZeMatte and eZeScreen PE CameraPOV proDAD Adorage and Heroglyph StageTools MovingPicture and MovingPicture LE Overview of Studio's RTFX Packages RTFX Plus RTFX Mega HFX Creator Exporting Your Finished Product Summary 14. Two Additional Recommended PC Editing Products. Overview of the Video Editing Market Studio Plus and Premiere Elements Raise the Bar Changed Plans Professional NLEs Touring Adobe Premiere Elements-Things Look Different Here What Makes Premiere Elements So Different Minutely Detailed Control Professional But Not Impenetrable How Do Studio and Premiere Elements Compare? Premiere Elements Charts a New Course Taking Adobe Premiere Pro for a Test Drive Demonstrating Premiere Pro's Power Exploring Premiere Pro's User Interface Looking at Layering Playing Clips Slower, Faster, or Backward Changing Video Effects Over Time-Using Keyframes Editing Audio Adding Text with the Adobe Title Designer Summary III. ENTRY-LEVEL DVD AUTHORING. 15. What DVDs and DVD-Authoring Software Can Do for You. Enhancing Your Media with DVDs DVDs Improve the Viewing Experience Delving into DVD Projects-Personal to Professional Home DVD Projects A First-Time DVD-Authoring Experience Videographer DVD Projects Using Prosumer Techniques on Personal Projects Business DVD Projects Designing a Business-Oriented DVD Commercial/Professional DVD Projects Creating Interactive DVD Fun for Children Discovering What DVD-Authoring Software Can Do for You Menu Creation and Functionality Button and Text Features Special Features Burning DVDs and Making Masters for Mass Production Compliance with DVD Specifications Overview of DVD-Authoring Products Entry-Level Video Editors with DVD-Authoring Modules Standalone Entry-Level DVD-Authoring Software Standalone Prosumer DVD-Authoring Software Summary 16. Getting Your Gear in Order-DVD Recorders and Media. Clearing Up the DVD Recording Format Confusion Dash R/RW Versus Plus R/RW Versus DVD-RAM DVD+R/RW-Better, But with a Bitter Aftertaste Selecting a PC DVD Recorder Narrowing Your Search Multiformat DVD+/-R/+/-RW Drives Single-Format DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW Drives DVD Dash R and DVD-RAM Combo Evaluating Three DVD Software Movie Players Cyberlink PowerDVD Intervideo WinDVD Sonic Solutions CinePlayer Using Sonic Solutions CinePlayer to Test Drive Your DVD Recorder Summary 17. Burning Data DVDs. Selecting Recordable Media Using Windows XP to Copy Files to a CD Burning a DVD RecordNow!-A Bundling Favorite Taking a Quick Tour of Roxio's Easy Media Creator Summary 18. Authoring DVDs Using Studio's DVD Module. Overview of Studio's DVD-Authoring Process Menu Track Characteristics Other DVD-Authoring Options What About DVD Parts? Creating a Single-Menu, Single-Button DVD Higher-Level DVD Authoring and Menu Editing Editing Menus Using Multiple-Nested-Menus Burning Your DVD Project Summary 19. Stepping Up to MyDVD 6. Introducing MyDVD 6 MyDVD Flavors MyDVD 6 Features Some Features That Are New to MyDVD 6 How MyDVD 6 Stands Up to Studio Checking Out the MyDVD 6 Interface and Feature Set Capturing Video with MyDVD Why Capture or Edit Video with MyDVD? Editing Video with MyDVD Summary 20. Authoring DVDs with MyDVD 6: Chapter 1. Assembling Video Assets Adding Part Markers Adding a Slideshow Organizing Assets into Menus Summary 21. Authoring DVDs with MyDVD 6: Chapter 2. Previewing Your Work in Progress Adding a First-Play Video and Fixing Some Links An Imperfect First-Play Methodology Editing the Menu Style Fixing Two Other Project Features Introducing Custom Templates Importing a Style Recording Videos Direct-to-Disc Burning Your DVD Project to a Recordable Disc Summary 22. Creating Custom MyDVD Templates with Style Creator. Introducing Sonic Solutions Style Creator How Style Creator Works Taking a Close Look at the Plug-in Installing Photoshop Elements Installing the Style Creator Plug-in Changing a Template Background Setting Text Boundaries and Font Characteristics Text Features Examining Button Characteristics Editing Buttons and Button Elements Working with Other Button Layers Testing Your Template Edits in MyDVD Summary IV: Intermediate-Level DVD Authoring. 23. Introducing DVDit! 5. Planning Your Project What's the Message? Who's the Audience? Presenting Your Media in the Best Light Keep It Simple Keep It Short Take It for a Test Drive Organizing Your DVD's Menu Structure Nested Menus Use a Flowchart Buttons Should Do What They Say Introducing DVDit! 5 What's Missing in DVDit! 5 Checking Out the DVDit! 5 Interface Touring DVDit! 5's Interface Summary 24. Creating Menus with DVDit! 5. Adjusting Preference and Project Settings Four Preference-Setting Categories Changing Project Settings Trimming Videos and Adding Part Points Gathering Assets and Creating a Slideshow Adding Assets in Edit Mode Adding Assets in Author Mode Creating a Slideshow Laying Out Menus and Submenus Summary 25. Editing Menus with DVDit! 5. Adding and Building Buttons Working with Text Scaling Buttons, Graphics, and Text Arranging, Aligning, and Ordering Objects Adding Drop Shadows and Adjusting Object Opacity Setting First Play and Linking Media and Menus Setting First Play Is Easy Linking Media and Menus Summary 26. Advanced DVDit! 5 Authoring Techniques. Creating Custom Buttons in Photoshop Check Your Work Cool Tips and Tricks DVD Menu Outros and Intros Creating a Chain of Videos Adding Appendix Buttons En Masse Using the Titles Details View Quickly Duplicate Buttons, Graphics, or Text Fine-Tuning Button Subpictures and Navigation Setting Subpicture Highlight Characteristics and Opacities Adjusting Menu and Media Properties Menu Button Routing Forcing a Button Selection Setting Title End Actions Adjusting Menu Types, Durations, and End Actions Adding ROM Data Summary 27. Burning DVDs and Dealing with DVD Duplicators. Checking Menu and Media Links and Project Flow Selecting Transcoding Settings Preferences-Setting Finish Parameters Project Settings-Transcode Settings CBR Versus VBR PCM Versus Dolby Digital Audio Bit-Rate Calculation Using DVDit! 5 to Record Your DVD Project Test Your DVD Printing Labels Directly on Your DVDs Going the Mass-Replication Route Walking Through the Replication Process Using Sonic Solutions's Publishing Showcase DVD Trends DVD Ubiquity Microsoft Windows XP Media Center OpenDVD Format Integration with Web High Definition TV and DVDs Long Live the DVD Format Summary Index.

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Author Information

Jeff Sengstack has worn many hats: TV news reporter/anchor, video producer, writer focusing on PC technology, high school math/science teacher, radio station disk jockey, music publisher, marketing director, and (presently) school board trustee. As a news reporter he won a regional Emmy and two Society of Professional Journalists first-place awards. He's an Adobe Certified Expert and Trainer on Premiere and wrote Adobe's Higher Education, Digital Video Curriculum Guide. He's written 300 articles and six books, including Sams Teach Yourself Adobe Premiere Pro in 24 Hours. Visit his website at http://www.sengstack.com.

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