Oh Gosh...Where to Start?

8

85lesabre

New member
I've been looking around these forums for a few months and its a great knowledge base for me and I'm sure for many others too. I've been using IMovie for a few years and have not been really impressed with its results...maybe it's just me? Now i have access to a computer with FCP and would like to learn the in's and out's. Typically I need to create movie's with many pictures, it usually looks powerpoint-esque, and almost a documentary like feel. I was wondering if there is a way to do this in FC while gaining a more professional look? I would also like to know of any literature that would help me in my journey into this ambitious project...any other tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
You can totally make a fake Power Point Presentation look using FCP. You'll have way more control then you would with iMovie (but maybe too much so, that it appears daunting). As for the literature, simply go to your favorite bookstore (real or online) and look for anything starting with "Apple Pro Training Series." There's an extensive line for Final Cut Pro in there (and for all the other aspects of the Final Cut Suite).

Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 5
- really the place to start

Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Color Correction and Effects in Final Cut Pro 5
- good follow up, and help you add a lot of polish, may be especially useful for your described needs

Apple Pro Training Series: Advanced Editing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 5
- focuses more on editing than tools withing FCP 5, but certainly can help further establish your skill set, and well it is simply more structured practice available

Apple Pro Training Series: Optimizing Your Final Cut Pro System
- haven't read it myself, but lots of people have been very happy with the solutions offered in it

And of course, if you have any specific questions, make use of online forums such as this one. Good luck.

cheers.
 
The books VaricamLife recommended are great, but, for me, learning through live demonstration really helps grasp programs. I've subscribed to Lynda.com for several months, and would highly recommend it to anyone. The subscription is $30 a month. With that, you can access very good tutorials on the whole FCP Studio or anything else they have in the library. Watching someone actually do what they are talking about has jumpstarted my knowledge on several programs. So, you could buy a $50 book on one specific topic, or have a personal instructor for numerous programs. Lynda is definitely worth a look.
 
if you want to learn how to do a slideshow quickly check out ben balser's photomontage tutorial (http://bbalser.com/page4/page4.html) It really helped me out, especially since I was strongly considering switching back to imovie/iphoto for my slideshows. I will now never look back to either of the previous mentioned options. I have so much more control in FCP. You should also check out the APTS books that VaricamLife mentioned with the first book being your starting place.

Best of luck to you as you start out in the FCP adventure. The secret to learning this program is to read everything on it that you can get your hands on. The APTS books are a great place to start. You may also want to check out the forum at LAFCPUG.org for more info as well.
 
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