If you need to get up to speed on Final Cut and new features --- this guide gives you concise information and visual backup to explain a complicated edit process minus having to wade through a typical 600-800 page manual (use the official manuals as a reference when you have time!) --- plus the size makes it portable enough to take with your laptop on the job. This is my 4th Rick Young manual --- his choices and descriptions have never disappointed me - I have referred many novice editors to his books. The feedback has been positive.

What the larger Apple manuals are great at --- is providing practice material and step by step instruction --- sometimes it's best to start from page 1 --- especially as a newbie to editing. However --- Rick Young's series of condensed guides --- serves as a tremendous handy abridgment with the MOST important details needed for most conditions when you don't have time to drag out the BIG books. His manuals are written from an editor's perspective with brevity in mind. Think of it as a "greatest hits" version of editing information. You won't be disappointed.

I hate using macs but as final cut is only on these computers, I had to learn how to use the software, this book gave a very well excuted instructions. The author did a very good job explaining this over rated software, if you have to use final cut software than this is the book for you.

I'm a video editor with 3 years of experience in Final Cut Pro. When I spotted this slim volume at my bookstore, I was intrigued and picked it up to look through - then I bought it on the spot and went home and read it. The explanations are very clear and well illustrated. The tips I picked up have already saved me a good bit of time and frustration during my editing. I wish I had found this book earlier!

This book also does a great job of going over what you need to get started in Final Cut Pro - installation, settings, etc. While this book is not a "load this clip from the CD and now push this button" type book, the examples are very clear, and can be done with any video clip on your computer.

There is definitely material here for even experienced Final Cut Pro users - for example, I'd never really understood some of the rendering and format options (AIC, ProRes 422, etc) and this explains them, and shows how to use them to your advantage. Heck, the explanation on page 24 of how to put custom buttons on your toolbars, or the one on page 85 on how to use the select track tool, have probably saved me 5 or 10 minutes an hour since I learned to use them.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I have!