Why Buy This Book?

There are dozens of books on digital video related topics.  What separates Jan Ozer’s PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video from the pack?

The book integrates technical and aesthetic skills to help readers produce more “watchable” video.  At the end of the day, readers want to know more than how to operate their camcorders or burn a DVD.  Their real goal is to produce videos that friends and family enjoy watching or footage that appears professional in a small business setting.

To help readers in this pursuit, the book features a 32 page chapter on the Basics of Shooting, which first describes what is “watchable” video, and then teaches the reader how to create it.  Ozer describes how to optimally place subjects in the video frame (framing the shot), how to smoothly handle camera motion like pans and zooms, how to create basic scripts and how to “shoot to edit” so readers can later weave multiple shots into shot combinations that dramatically improve the perceived quality of their video.

The aesthetics of producing “watchable” video also permeate the book’s production chapters.  For example, rather than simply describing how to insert transitions and special effects, Ozer describes which effects to use and when.  In addition to describing how to insert audio menus on DVDs, Ozer instructs the reader to avoid using music tracks shorter than a minute or so, which “get repetitive, then boring, then irritating.”   

Ozer teaches fundamental skills as well as advanced techniques, which helps readers across a diverse range of projects.  For example, readers casually videotaping a family outing will simply shoot better looking video, with properly framed subjects and much less motion.  On the other hand, for special occasions like birthdays, weddings or graduations, readers learn how create a basic script, shoot the required footage and craft it into a highly polished production with sophisticated effects.   

Provides essential information for diverse classes of readers.  Second, the book is very accessible, offering multiple pockets of significant value to a diverse range of readers.  Those brand new to shooting and video production get a soup to nuts explanation of what to buy and how to use it.  In addition, readers new to DVD production get separate chapters on choosing an authoring program and DVD recorder, and four chapters on producing DVDs, including one on converting VHS tapes to DVD. Compare this to less than one complete chapter on DVD authoring in competing books like Digital Video for Dummies.

In addition, the book contains separate chapters on purchasing camcorders and video editors, including an extensive comparison of prosumer editors like Adobe Premiere Pro and Pinnacle Edition. Uniquely, in chapters on DVD production and video editing, the book describes the operation of the category leading software programs, like video editors Microsoft Movie Maker 2, Pinnacle Studio and Ulead VideoStudio, and authoring programs Sonic MyDVD, Ulead MovieFactory and Pinnacle Expression. Users of these programs get application specific instruction, while those using other programs get multiple examples to learn from.   

Insightful reviews and technical discussions improve readers’ buying decisions.  The third unique value of the book lies in the quality of the technical and product discussions. Ozer has worked in digital video since 1990 and has reviewed hundreds of products for PC Magazine.  As a result, comparisons of camcorders, video editors and DVD authoring programs are contextual, rigorous and revealing, and the technology descriptions educational and informative. Readers learn how to intelligently discern between the available products and purchase the best product for their budget and skill level.  

Superb instruction quickly gets readers productive and efficient.  Finally, the “how to” discussions are superb, speeding the reader’s ability to quickly start producing high quality videos.  Ozer has taught courses on digital video since 1994, today instructing for the University of Wisconsin Department of Continuing Education. Ozer also writes program specific instructional books on consumer editing and DVD authoring programs which enjoy average ratings of 4.8 out of 5 on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.  

Ozer’s teaching experience is evident in his discussions of filming and editing technique, which are logical, cohesive and easy to understand, even for beginners. When it’s time to put technique into action, Ozer’s workflow descriptions are highly detailed, accessible and richly illustrated.  Readers can quickly master the techniques described, and will rapidly become very proficient with their production tools.  

More than any other book, the PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video integrates the art and technology of shooting and editing to enable readers to create higher quality, more entertaining videos.

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Reviews of The PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video

Book Info
Guide provides everything you need to know about digital video, such as which camera to choose and why, how to shoot the best footage, how to capture the best sound, how to get the video from the camera to a computer, and more. Softcover.

About the Author
Jan Ozer has worked with digital video since 1990, originally as VP of Marketing for Iterated Systems, a video compression developer, and thereafter as contributing editor to PC Magazine and E-Media. Since then, Jan has written three books on digital video and has instructed two- and three- day video compression seminars, most recently for the University of Wisconsin.

Book Description
What does it take to make great digital video? The right equipment, the right skills, and Jan Ozer's advice.

Chapter Summary:

Chapter 1 - Choosing a DV Camcorder

DV, Digital 8, MicroMV, DVD-RAM cameras, Features to Consider, Three chip vs. one chip, Comparing lens features and quality, LCD Panel, Lux Rating, Maximum still image resolution, Optical zoom, Zebra patterns, Progressive scan capture, Analog capture, Accessory shoe, Manual and programmable settings, Support for external microphones, Optical vs. digital image stabilization.

Chapter 2- Getting Video To Your Computer

Buying a DV-based Capture Solution, Plain Jane 1394, When to go real time, Buying an Analog Capture Solution, Features to look for in an analog capture product, When to go MPEG-2, Internal options, External options, Looking forward – hybrid options for capturing analog and DV

Chapter 3 - Buying Your Video Editor

Your Free Options, Movie Maker 2, Entry Level – Consumer/Corporate, Pinnacle Studio, Ulead VideoStudio, When to Step up to Prosumer Packages, Adobe Premiere Pro, Pinnacle Liquid Edition, Sonic Foundry Vegas, Ulead MediaStudio

Chapter 4 -   Choosing a DVD Authoring Package

Converting tapes to DVD, Pinnacle Express, Sonic MyDVD, Ulead MovieFactory, Basic Authoring in your Video Editor, Pinnacle Studio, Ulead VideoStudio, Corporate Level Authoring Tools – When to Step Up, Ulead DVD Workshop, Adobe Encore

Chapter 5 - Choosing a DVD Recorder

Navigating the Standards (DVD-RW/+RW/RAM), Choosing a Burner, DVD Recordable Compatibility Issues

Chapter 6 - Upgrading and Preparing Your Computer

Minimum System Requirements, Operating system, Processor, RAM, Disk space and configuration, Graphics, Monitor, Getting and Keeping your System Ready, Defragmenting your drives, Removing memory resident programs, Rules to live by

Chapter 7 - The Basics of Shooting

The Basics of shooting, Calling the Shots, Managing Motion, Storytelling, Shooting to edit, Movie Making, shots and shot combinations

Chapter 8 - Capturing Good Audio

Understanding camera microphones, External Microphone alternatives, Monitoring audio while shooting. 

Chapter 9 - Shooting for Digital Distribution

Shooting for compressability, Shooting for small screen delivery

Chapter 10 - Capture for Video Editing

DV Capture, Connecting for DV capture, Manual capture (Movie Maker 2), Working with scene Detection (Pinnacle Studio), Batch capture (VideoStudio), Analog Capture, Connecting for analog capture, Tuning your video input (Pinnacle Studio), Tuning your audio input (VideoStudio), Scene detection options (VideoStudio)

Chapter 11 - Basic Editing Techniques

Working on the Storyboard, Working on the Timeline, Meet the Tracks (Video, Title, Overlay, Background, Narration), Trimming Your Videos, In the Trim Window, On the Timeline, Adding Transitions, Inserting transitions, Customizing transitions, Adding Titles, Animating your titles.

Chapter 12 - Adding Audio

Recording a Narration, Hardware setup, Scripting and recording basics, Ripping CD Tracks, Adding Background Music with SmartSound, Adjusting volume, Track by track, The Audio Mixer, Fixing Audio Problems, Normalization, Background noises.

Chapter 13 - Working with Still Images

How Different Programs Work with Still Images, Preparing Digital Images for use in Video Projects, Creating Slide Shows, Overlaying Images, Preparing Images for Overlay, Overlay techniques, Animating images

Chapter 14 - Advanced Editing Techniques

Color Correction – Fixing Your Shooting Mistakes, Video Overlay, Basic still image overlay – logos and watermarks, Blue screen effects, Special Effects

Chapter 15 - Automatic Movie Generation

Movie Maker 2, muvee autoProducer

Chapter 16 - Rendering Your Project

What's a Codec? When do I Use Them?, Outputting into AVI Format, Outputting into MPEG, Outputting into RealVideo, Outputting into Windows Media, Outputting AC3 Audio

Chapter 17 - DVD Production Basics

The Production Process, Menus and Content, Chapter Points, Linking, Previewing, Encoding and Production

Chapter 18 - Converting Tapes To DVD

One Step Products (MovieFactory, MyDVD, Pinnacle Expression)

Chapter 19 - DVD Production

Capturing, Creating Basic Menus, Motion Menus, Motion Buttons, Creating Nested Menus, Creating a Slide Show, Linking Assets to Menus, Previewing Your Project, Rendering Your Project, Size and space considerations, Minimizing your compatibility risks, Burning Your Disks

Chapter 20 - •  Advanced DVD Production

Multiple Audio Tracks, Multiple text Tracks

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PC Magazine Guide to Digital Video