Customer Reviews
Very useful book especially for beginners. 
2008-08-25
Excellent. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn FC Pro 6. Without incurring a lot of money and time at a training facility one can learn the essentials of NLE at one's own pace.
Great Book and a Great Learning Experience 2008-08-05
After struggling for a few weeks trying to learn Final Cut Pro from the 4 volume set of books that came with the software, I was almost ready to call it quits and dump $900(USD) into one of the 3 day Final Cut Pro certification courses. After learning that this is the book that is used with those courses, and having heard Great things about Peach Pit Press, and after reading the reviews here, I decided to get this book and give it a go.
First let me say that I am not a typical 'learn from the books' kind of learner. I usually (especially with software) just hack around and figure things out. Final Cut is pretty complicated, and I need to know how to operate it pretty quickly (changing computers and software for editing, Win->Mac). I have learned most of what I need to get going on some projects after just going through the first 4 lessons! I am not going to stop there, I plan to finish this book, and probably look into additional volumes from this series for things like Soundtrack Pro and Motion.
Sure the Sea World footage and especially the music is cheesy, but you are encouraged to do additional work at the end of each lesson, to reinforce what you were just taught. This is where it gets fun! I found myself taking some music from my collection and replacing the awful Sea World song, and cutting footage to that instead.
I did not experience any problem with any of the projects opening (I took a peek).
If you are wanting to get to know this software, this is a great book to start with!
Great Book - Couldnt do the last 4 lessons though 
2008-04-17
Concise and to the point. Lessons well laid out, will give you a good working knowledge of FCP.
Would give this book a 5 except that I am unable to do the last 4 chapters -- titles, motio and filters -- as some of the media refuses to reconnect due to inaccurate start/end points on the clips.
So, the 2/3 of the book I WAS able to do were excellent.
Excellent 2008-04-16
There is no better book for beginning editors. I recommend it to all those trying to learn the basics (and some moderately advanced workflow things) of Final Cut Pro 6.
Final Cut Pro 2007-12-11
The book is actually really awesome even when you take the FCP class. The book walks your through a lot of things that may not be straight forward.
Sound examples and good tutorials.
Superb! 2007-12-04
Cut a scene from the USA Network television series Monk, create a promo for Seaworld’s Belief documentary, and master filters and effects as you edit a segment of BBC Motion Gallery's
Living Colour documentary. Completely revised for Final Cut Pro 6 and featuring all-new footage, this best-selling, Apple-certified guide provides a strong foundation in all aspects of video editing. Renowned author Diana Weynand starts with basic video editing techniques and takes you all the way through Final Cut Pro’s powerful advanced features. Each chapter presents a complete lesson in an aspect of video editing and finishing, using actual broadcast footage. After marking and editing clips to create a rough cut, you’ll learn how to trim and refine the cut before moving on to complex tasks such as mixing sound, adding titles, creating transitions and motion effects, applying filters, real-time color correcting, and working with multi-format and multi-camera footage.
An updated version of a must-have for FCP Editors 2007-10-27
Final Cut Pro 6 is the latest update to Diana Weynand's comprehensive text on editing with Final Cut Pro.
In its latest incarnation, Final Cut Pro 6 has been updated with new features and workflows, as well as a great deal of hands-on practice in every aspect of using FCP, including editing scenes from the USA TV Series "Monk".
This is the third version of this title that I have owned, and keep upgrading as I find it a valuable reference and key to unlocking new features with every Final Cut upgrade.
Not just interface overview 2007-10-21
This book actually teaches you efficient work flows. All lessons designed in a really smart way, so your progress is well guided. Makes you learn keyboard shortcuts. The footage was fun to work with (not the usual snowboarders and surfers). Highly recommended.
A very good jump start 2007-10-13
When it comes to learn how to use an editing software, the most important thing you need is... footages! And that's where the DVD included in the book comes handy. For each lesson there is a project to load in FCP. The project lessons and the book together make the learning experience fun and, most importantly, very efficient.
This book is the one you need if you are very serious about editing.
A last word: I believe you need a little software editing experience prior to start this book otherwise it will be a little hard and discouraging.
Very good book - slow shipping 
2007-10-13
I bought this book for a video editing class I am taking. It has very good tutorials (this book is mostly tutorials) and I feel this is giving me a solid learning experience. I did not end up using the CD as all the lessons were already stored on our class computers. I wish it had a pull out cheat guide for all the short cuts. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering them and it is hard to find them going back.
I was a little annoyed that I paid for two day shipping but it took five business days instead. I did get an email saying that it would be later (no clear explanation why) but I feel they should have refunded the extra money spent for faster shipping.
