Going Visual Alexis
Gerard Bob Goldstein 2005 Wiley
A significant book on a topic about which I'm very passionate - otherwise I wouldn't
be running multimedia courses to train people to use digital recording devices
in the course of their work. This book ought to be chapter and verse about how
and why we should supplement our endless stream of text and numbers with some
images. The book provides casestudies from one proprietor businesses to large
companies who have started to use digital cameras as a fundamental way of working
and have also built an image archive on the company server (very prudent). My
reservation is that they get carried away with their own rhetoric. A picture
isn't actually worth a thousand words - not if it isn't at all clear why the
photographer took it. And faced with the practical difficulties of illustrating
a book they have printed black and white visuals next to the text and colour
visuals of the same images bound together in the centre. Which I understand but
which illustrates dramatically both how much information is lost without high
resolution and a caption. Colour photos look a little lost - black and white
photos are downright misleading. What they don't confront is that images are
even more ambiguous than words - so going visual without a clear theoretical
framework may actually make things worse. There's a chapter on videoconferencing
using some of the new kit from MIT which I have to admit is a little more natural.
But they completely fail to address the factors which have inhibited video conferencing
from its earliest days to the present where large numbers of us can video conference
by mobile phone - but don't. So a promising start - yes you should go visual
in your work - but lots more work to be done. Its about captions as well as capturing.
I haven't read
this but I shall soon. I'm already dipping into it. One of the gaps in
the multimedia side is an accessible introduction to audio. The books which
are out are aimed at pro and semi pro musicians which isn't a lot of use
for people trying to do something useful with their first interviews recorded
in digital audio. Now podcasting has become huge. For those who haven't
heard of it podcasts are audio recordings rather like radio programmes
which people make at home and post on websites and blogs. So this book
tells you everything you need to know about creating your own broadcasts.
Which makes it an ideal primer. Even though podcasting is a Mac preoccupation
the instructions cover both Macs and PCs - its very accessible and is ideal
for people making their first steps in this area. The altnernative of course
is to come on one of my multimedia training courses!
Adobe
Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere Elements Classroom in a book collection
Adobe 2005 Richard
Riley 2002 PC Publishing
Official classroom in a book 2005 OK I haven't got this one. But I include it
because the multimedia course I teach covers both Premiere and Photoshop elements.
In fact we give the software away within the cost of the course. So if people
want to get into both programmes here is a very easy way to do it. You get 30
day trial versions of both software programmes too. One good thing about these
two is that they work with each other passing pics and image in either direction.
I would expect the teaching to take account of this.
Adobe Premiere Elements Classroom in a book, Adobe 2005
Official classroom in a book 2005 I am a little ambivalent about books produced
by manufacturers teaching you how to use their software. Why isn't a) their software
easy enough to use without this and b) why don't they give this basic instruction
away free with the product? Griping aside I've read this and done the course.
I know Premiere and wanted a swift introduction to help me adjust to the entry
level Elements version of the software which this did. Its very straightforward
- I did 2 lessons a night and was done by Friday night. Shame to have to pay
for it but more of a shame to have software sitting on your machine which you
have paid for and don't know how to use. You get a 30 day trial version to play
with while you're learning so you don't even have to buy the programme while
you are making up your mind.
Audio Editing with Cool Edit, Richard Riley 2002 PC Publishing
If you're not a techie then apologies for posting these kinds of books but if you DO want to edit digital audio on your PC or Mac then Cool Edit is one of the easiest and most powerful sound editing packages available, it doesn't cost a lot and you can try it free for a month. Check out the Gadgets page for more details. This book really gets into the guts of Cool Edit and covers way more than you need for editing the odd vox pop, depth or group. But if you are interested in Cool Edit this book is a must have.
Quick Guide to Digital Audio Recording, Ian Waugh 2000 PC Publishing
For those of you who have discovered that you can now take your research material, edit it and drop it into your Powerpoint presentations this is a very accessible introduction to digital audio though inevitably it is oriented towards the home based musician
The Little Digital Video Book Michael
Rubin 2001 Peachpit
A very accessible introduction to Digital Video. Though this isn't just about DV camcorders and non linear editing (what?!) It also covers project management and good camera technique as well. Very accessible even if I think he's wrong about timecode - which is laid down once and once only.
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