Media Composer 6: Professional Picture and Sound Editing (Avid Learning Series)

The Avid learning series, five texts in all start with parts 1 and 2 on editing essentials and effects. These texts and accompanying lesson discs are by far the most effective training manuals I have ever used. The subject is dealt with in complete detail, not just overview points. The lesson media is interesting and well chosen. It will appeal to young at heart would be editors and is aften presented with acompanying witticisms which reinforce important points. I have used Avid as an enthusiastic amateur for about 5 years and until using the series manuals I was blissfully unaware of many of the real productive benefits of MC. Having the series on hand provides a ready source of refresher tuition as your skills develop. Very worthwhile purchase indeed.

Avid Publications have excelled in this publication. With the others in the series, it's the best Avid publication ever, and written in an easy to understand, and humorous manner. Even though it does not address the latest software, Woody Lidstone has done a superb job in presenting foundational and advanced information that the Avid Editor must know. I eagerly await the updated version for MC 7 (including I hope Interplay and more help with codecs).

Great book.

This is the best complement for reinforcing the knowlodge and skills inside avid tools

Avid software dominates the media editing field and given that this book is copyrighted by Avid, you can regard it as authoritative. Part of the official documentation for their Media Composer 6 software. The accompanying DVD has project data for exercises given in the book. Just in case you wind up with a copy of the book that lacks the DVD, the text explains how to go online go download the material.Note that you do need a valid version of Media Composer 6 on your computer, to follow along with and do its exercises. Sadly, the DVD does not come with a demo version of the package. :(The narrative appears comprehensive. It has practical tips no doubt gleaned from sometimes bitter experience. Take for example the requirement in the software when you insert a tape to tell the software the tape's name. This avoids the quandary of ending up with a box of tapes all with the same default name. You are strongly advised to always label the tapes, and never turn off this requirement in the software.Another tip is a little puzzling to me. One option is to rewind the tape. The text says tapes last longer when rewound and stored vertically?! I can see why rewinding is good, because it makes it quicker to load the tape on the next usage. But why would rewinding improve longevity? Ditto for storing vertically. I have worked with 8mm and 4mm tapes, as well as the earlier generations of large computer tapes, and I never heard this of those media.Some of the book's utility comes in the description of typical workflow. This has been optimised through long experience at editing companies, including Avid itself. You can see how Media Composer acts to guide you through such standard workflows. So it is not just the low level detailed steps in the package that are useful, but also this higher level of instruction.

MC is a serious piece of software, designed for and used by professionals. By the time I finish writing this review, the turf will probably have changed, but as of now (mid 2012) it is one of the few programs that can be considered one of the industry standards.The editors and authors of this book have decided to divide their book on MC 6 into several separate books which was probably a wise decision -- doesn't feel like a publisher's decision to squeeze more money out of a release. Several books on a program this large is more practical. Easier on the hands.What we have here is an expert, nicely-sequenced, and clear walk-through of basic to intermediate functions for MC 6 relating to picture and sound editing. It is all about real-world applications, using some fun examples in the process. It is very screen shot-y which might suit your learning style or might not.This is not the most scintillating prose you will ever encounter, and it would be a stretch to suggest that this book is inspired. However, if you are looking for something that is part reference and part "learn-to" you should probably pick this one up.

This is a huge, heavy book (519 pages). It is very much like a college textbook which is its strength and weakness.Anyone who has worked with Avid knows that it can be complex and complicated. It's not the most intuitive program so a guide like this one can certainly be helpful. One of the best things about the book is the inclusion of many exercises. You can find these in the book itself, on the enclosed dvd, and on-line. These are essential to make sure you really understand the book's content. Hopefully you're using the book in conjunction with a class and a proficient teacher.If not, the weakness of the book comes into play. It is very technical and loaded with jargon. It's easy to get overwhelmed by the terminology