CREATESPACE Final Cut Pro 10.3 - How it Works: A different type of manual - the visual approach

I have found this to be a very useful reference book for Final Cut Pro. It's not the sort of book I would read from cover to cover but rather something to be used as a reference. I read the sections that are relevant to my current project.

Step by step with diagram makes easy understanding what to study. I was satisfied to buy FCPx. Very good

Working through the book

This is MORE than I'll ever need, as I am a novice to editing. I went through the lessons once and got to page 125, at which point I found myself in over my head. Then I started again and made it to about page190. I still haven't arrived at a place in the book where I can learn some basic ways to control the audio. or apply transitions and titles.I could skip to those chapters, but the lessons are very sequential, and if ALL the work has not been performed prior to a lesson, it's unlikely the average user can perform the required steps found later in the book. At least I couldn't!It is a very good book, and the directions are very clear, but because of the sophistication of the software, it gives the average consumer more information than he/she will probably ever need and overloads the Just-Getting-Started Learner. I do wish there was a book that took a user through the program, showing how to construct a video story using all the elements (clips, images, sound, b-roll, music, titles, and transitions) at the most basic of levels. Then this book could act as the next step, or serve as the perfect reference book when the user was ready to advance.Maybe Mr. Rothermich could be talked into writing a baby version.

This is going to sound silly, but the book format (large scale workbook style) just irritates the heck out of me. I have been reading and writing computer manuals since around 1980 and the format of this book confounds me. My workstation does not have enough room for my computer and peripherals, assorted other “stuff” and this book. I can’t sit in front of the TV and casually peruse the sections and be comfortable. It just too big and heavy. The Brenneis books from the dark ages of FCP were laid out better, had much better indexes, and her “visual approach” was better for me. The size of the books were also such that I could have one at the workstation or at least have it on my lap while I worked. Casual use of the book was better too. A critical problem I had with this GEM manual was the inability to sit there with three fingers holding a place in different sections of the manual while I coordinated different definitions or cookbook style sections, again either casually or while working. I was told by other video editors to forget my way of working when moving from FCP6 to FCPX and I was hoping that this manual would help me. It did not. I’m not writing this to be snarky. Since this book is so expensive and there are almost no other books that address this software-without assuming you are trying to be the next George Lucas-I feel you need to consider these things before you purchase.