Vegas Pro 8 Editing Workshop

List Price: $49.95 Discount Price: $29.92

Customer Reviews:

Not what I hoped it would be [Posted on 2008-05-10]
I've been wanting a Vegas reference book that starts where the meagre Sony documentation leaves off. So when I saw the Amazon blurbs for this book that said, "a complete handbook for new and advanced user", "exhaustive, richly detailed resource that no Vegas user should be without" and "This comprehensive guide delivers the nuts and bolts of the essential tasks" I immediately bought it.

After looking through it for several days I'm returning it. Contrary to the specific praise I quoted above, this is not a comprehensive reference book, it's more like a compilation of the author's favorite Vegas applications.

There are 90 pages on Vegas audio, many pages in two separate places talking about making video look more like film, a whole chapter talking about third party plug-ins and another chapter on using multiple cameras. But there are less than 20 pages talking about the dozens of video fx plug-ins that come with Vegas, something much more fundamental to my being able to really use this program than any of the above.

And even when the author spends time on a subject I found it incomplete for someone without prior knowledge of the subject. A perfect example is his treatment of color correction in Vegas, something I am very interested in. He presents about a dozen examples of the videoscopes and other color monitors available in the program but never explains how to read them or how to use the information they represent.

If your interests coincide with the author's you will probably find this a rewarding manual, but if you're looking for a book that explains this software in depth and in breadth you will just have to join me in hoping that somewhere someone is writing the Missing Manual for Sony Vegas.

A GREAT AND INDISPENSIBLE BOOK [Posted on 2008-05-16]
This book is a treasure trove of info. It is one of those indispensible manuals that gives so much needed info, counsel, and absolutely clear examples. This is a MUST BUY for anyone learning Vegas or video/audio editing. Excellent job. A DVD with samples, examples, and software is included. The answer you are looking for is in this book. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Coulda been a contender. [Posted on 2008-06-01]
It must first be said that Douglas Spotted Eagle obviously understands Vegas, which is the best NLE program for its price. But this book did not live up to the editorial review hype
I purchased this manual hoping for an in-depth Vegas Pro 8 learning experience, but I am somewhat disappointed. Editing mistakes within the book made some parts a bit confusing. And if a working veg file is on the DVD to follow what the book is teaching, use the same image as in the book.. But, the author did do a great job of explaining things that were previously murky to me. (Masking, for example.)
The single most important thing I gleaned is what Douglas Spotted Eagle espouses throughout this manual. EXPERIMENT. Check out every fx - every transition - every filter. Add multiple fx to events - see what happens.
The workshop is advertized as 528 pages, so I figured it would be worth the price. But a chapter touting plug-ins should not have been included. I can get that kind of info by Googling.
By the way, there are many Vegas Pro 8 user "tutorials" posted on YouTube. All free!

Very useful book [Posted on 2008-07-01]
I liked this book firstly because you can read it even without having a computer in front of you. It is full of pictures and you can read it even when you are traveling. Initially it covers all menus of Vegas one by one and gives occasionally real examples of how to use them. So it's good for the beginners. After that, covers specific methods and there is an accompanying disk containing several .veg projects. So advanced users will also be satisfied. The author appears to have deep knowledge of video and especially audio aspects. My overall feeling is that I have a book I can refer to whenever I need help in Vegas.

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