Whether you consider yourself a pro or a hobbyist, you have to admit that Apple's iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 are amazing right out of the box. Unfortunately, the box doesn't include much of a user's guide, so learning about these applications is another matter. iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual gets you up to speed on all of the themes, motion graphics, titles, effects — everything that lets you turn raw digital footage into highly creative video projects. You get crystal-clear and jargon-free explanations of all the iMovie 08 and iDVD 08 features, including the new video library, how to view transitions, titles, and sound in real time as you add them, and ways to publish your creations directly to YouTube. Renowned author David Pogue — tech columnist for the New York Times — uses an objective lens to scrutinize every step of process, including how to: Work on multiple iMovie projects at once and drag & drop clips among them Output your creation to a blog, its own web page, or as a video podcast with iWeb Use Magic iMovie to import your video and make a movie for you Integrate with other iLife programs to use songs, photos, and an original sound track And a whole lot more From choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs, posting it online, or creating versions for iPod and iPhone, iMovie 08 & iDVD: The Missing Manual zooms right in on the details in a concise and understandable manner. The book also provides a firm grounding in basic film technique so that the quality of your video won't rely entirely on magic.

The New York Times technology columnist introduces iMovie 08 as a nonlinear video editing software program for home videos shot with a digital camcorder or still camera. After noting the "difficult birth" of this Apple product, Pogue covers all the essentials for turning home movies of everyday and special events into more professional-looking ones. The last several chapters treat how to preserve these movies on home-recorded DVDs. Appendices include a summary of the commands in iMovie's menus, troubleshooting rules, list of keyboard shortcuts, and visual cheat sheet to iMovie's features. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)