Book Spotlight: iMovie 09 and iDVD The Missing Manual

We've got David Pogue & Aaron Miller's popular iMovie and iDVD book here in the lab for you to use--just ask the lab consultant on duty if you don't see it on the shelf.

From Amazon.com's review of the book:

The first three chapters show how to prepare your video before using iMovie and include lots of professional filmmaking advice. The chapters on editing are the heart of the book. They systematically take you through each feature and menu--working with clips; adding transitions, titles, and sound; and saving and exporting your work. Since this isn't an official manual, Pogue is free to point out iMovie's shortcomings. In sidebars, he shows how to exploit features iMovie does have to mimic features you get only with more expensive software--for example, how to create multiple simultaneously superimposed titles (great for wild typographic experiments) or how to "pot down" the soundtrack music to allow a voiceover.

To make better choices while saving your movie, the book discusses each of the save options, as well as how QuickTime works--in detail. Also, the book doesn't just suggest what software to use to burn a QuickTime movie onto a CD-ROM, it also shows how to make a Video CD. It even includes the HTML necessary to embed your movie into a Web page. In fact, this book contains an impressive amount of info. It's easy to jump in at any point in the text and discover some idea so exciting that you just have to boot up iMovie right away and get creative.

We have iMovie 09 (the latest version) installed our workstations, but just in case you're using the previous version (iMovie 08), we've got an older edition of the book, too. So make sure you're reading the right one.

As always, we ask that you use our books here in the lab rather than taking them to other parts of the library.

How to Do Everything with Second Life

Today's featured book is How to do Everything with Second Life, by Richard Mansfield. It's available for you to read in the Digital Media Lab; just ask the lab consultant on duty. You can even sit and use Second Life right here in the lab while you peruse the book.

Synopsis

Filled with hundreds of hands-on tutorials, tips, and techniques, this is the thorough, in-depth reference that every Second Life resident needs. Learn how to create a unique avatar and then explore, build, socialize--and even earn real money. Inside, you'll find exclusive coverage of all the menus, features, and utilities. Whether you're a newbie or an old hand, this book will help you get the most out of Second Life.

• Understand all the user interface features
• Build hidden rooms, custom teleporters, secret sliding panels, and more
• Shop for cool stuff and find the best values
• Master the Maps, Inventory, Appearance, and Search dialogs
• Start scripting with help from step-by-step tutorials
• Control lag and find lost items using Preferences and the hidden Client menu
• Visit exotic lands, travel in time, and enjoy roleplay
• Create beautiful objects using expert texturing techniques
• Earn money in ways that best suit your talents
• Find land bargains, a bit of privacy, a great house, and lasting friendships

Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies

Today's featured book is Dreamweaver CS3 for Dummies by Janine Warner. We're big fans of the Dummies books here at the Vitale Digital Media Lab. They're great for beginners, as well as for more experienced users who need a refresher, or who need a complicated topic explained in a simple manner. Our books don't circulate outside the lab, but you can use them while you're here.

Do you want to create a sophisticated Web site that's easy to develop and maintain? Whether you're a beginner or an experienced Web developer, this friendly guide shows you how to utilize Dreamweaver's newest enhancements to build and manage state-of-the-art, professional Web sites quickly and easily.

• Set up your site and create new pages

• Work with text, graphics, and links

• Define and apply styles using CSS

• Add audio, video, and Flash® files to your site

• Use Dreamweaver'sdatabase features

Photoshop CS3 Extended for 3D and Video

Today's featured book is Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended for 3D and Video, by Chad Perkins. Ask the lab consultant on duty if you'd like to use it. Our books don't circulate outside the lab, but you're welcome to use it while you're here.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended can do things that Photoshop has never done before, such as importing and editing video, and animating any object in a file. Here is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the new features for 3D animation and video in Photoshop Extended. Author Chad Perkins, an established video presenter and classroom instructor on Photoshop, video, and 3D, brings the creative potential of these new features into focus. This book is a valuable resource for Photoshop users who want to learn about video and 3D using their favorite application, as well as video producers and 3D artists who want to incorporate Photoshop into their work or use it more effectively.

• Learn to move, rotate, and scale 3D objects within Photoshop Extended
• Understand and work with lighting and camera angles
• Create special effects like glowing silhouettes and drop shadows on 3D objects
• Use layer masks with 3D objects for special effects
• Modify textures applied to 3D objects seamlessly within Photoshop
• Edit bump maps and patterns for more realistic 3D objects
• Import, edit, compress, and export video (with audio!)
• Use Photoshop to animate images.

New Book: Switching to the Mac

We've noticed that most of the users of the Digital Media Lab are using Macintosh computers for the first time. If you're new to Macs, too, then we've got just the book for you.

Switching to the Mac, Tiger Edition, by David Pogue.
2nd Revised Edition, October 2005. ISBN 0596006608

Editorial Review from Amazon.com:

"Covering the latest in Mac OS X v.10.4 "Tiger," Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition explains the hundreds of innovative new features to the Mac OS and how you can understand and make the very most of each."

"Whether you're a novice or a power user, Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition, teaches you how to smoothly and seamlessly replace (or supplement) your Windows machine--in a refreshingly funny and down-to-earth style--with a mighty Mac."