Today, I’m pleased to announce the release of my new book, Avid Agility. It’s the culmination of nearly two years of work, and represents a big fraction of what I know about about the Media Composer. Whether you’ve just upgraded to version 5 or or are still using version 4, I would humbly suggest that you need this book. There’s so much in it, so many tips and so much clear explanation, that I’ll wager that whatever your level of expertise, you’ll learn things from it that will be well worth your time. My first book became something of an underground classic in the early days of the nonlinear revolution. I hope this one will, too.
Long time Media Composer users will find detailed discussion of the new features in version 5, along with material about hidden features you may never have heard about. People who are relatively new to the system, or moving to it from Final Cut or Premiere, will find clear, straightforward explanations of basic Media Composer concepts and techniques. Fair warning: it’s not a beginner’s book, and it doesn’t cover everything. But if you’re looking to get more out of Media Composer, you should check it out.
The style is similar to this blog, so if you like the writing here, you’ll feel at home with the book. You’ll find chapters on timeline editing, visual effects, mixing, stereo audio and audio effects, trim mode, multi-camera editing, titles, color correction, film and film lists, settings, workspaces and lots more. Because so much of the MC interface is color-dependent, the book is printed in color. I’m especially proud of the illustrations, all 500 of them. Editors are by nature visual people and the images go a long way toward making the book easy to absorb and use.
In general, if you’re using Media Composer and want to get the most out of the system, this book is for you. It’s available now from the publisher, CreateSpace (a division of Amazon) and will be available through Amazon itself in a couple of weeks. I hope you get as much out of reading it as I did writing it. But most of all, I hope it helps you create work you’re proud of.
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