Learning video is tough. Learning to edit video is tougher. It doesn't take long to bump up against the limits of iMovie and want to move on to a real editing application. For a Mac user, it means coming to terms with Final Cut.
Final Cut is a complex, deep program with an intimidating interface. It makes Photoshop look like a text editor. There are lots of 'gotchas' in the program, of the, if you don't do this action in this precise sequence, you're screwed.
I learned the bare basics of Final Cut at the Platypus Workshop. Hardly enough to even know how much I didn't know. Since then I've been working through the Lynda.com trainings, and Googling problems when I come up against them.
A cheaper alternative to Lynda.com ($250/year), if all you want is to get a handle on Final Cut (either Pro or Express), is Izzyvideo.com.
For $59 you get access to a video training series that takes you from abject beginner to having a clue. I will review the series more deeply once I work my way through the 6+ hours of videos. I've just begun to dig into the series. Even at the beginning, here-is-your-interface introduction, I'm learning stuff.
Full disclosure: I've got a free subscription in exchange for a review. I'l be honest in how it compares to other trainings available online. Stay tuned.
you might want to check out: Final Cut Express 4 by Diana Weynand 30 bucks at Amazon. Starts out very basic.
Posted by: Dennis Allshouse | April 25, 2009 at 02:44 PM