Products: 2004 Books of Note

It's just not possible to review the hundreds of relevant film, video, and graphics books released each year. Instead, here's a quick look at just some of the titles that landed on our desk over the past 12 months:

With the steady uptake of Apple's Final Cut Pro, it's no surprise there's a plethora of titles available. Pegged for intermediate skill levels, Editing with Final Cut Pro 4 (C.Roberts/Focal) starts out by specifying how to set up each system component and setting, then moves into using advanced editing tools, compositing, and more.

Although it was released last December, Advanced Editing and Finishing Techniques in Final Cut Pro 4 (Peachpit) garners a top spot because it's so useful. Written by DigitalFilm Tree as part of Apple's Pro Training Series, the book provides step-by-step instruction on pertinent tasks, including how to use mattes and filter effects, create various “film looks,” master complex transitions, and work with video scopes.

Millimeter's own S.D. Katz comes out with an update of this seminal Cinematic Motion (Wiese). The book uniquely helps directors create their own camera style as they master complex staging challenges. One new chapter covers how to visualize scene and staging design with the latest digital tools; the second covers how storytelling and character development influence script breakdown.

Another in Apple's series of Pro Training books, Shake 3 (Peachpit), comes from visual effects vet Marco Paolini. His clear, straightforward lessons use step-by-step instructions and photos to cover everything from workflow and compositing (basic, intermediate, film, and advanced) to working with Maya in Shake, RotoShape and keying.

Trish and Chris Meyer are widely recognized for their ability to combine their years of production experience with a clear writing style, which they regularly exhibit in how-to columns about Adobe After Effects. Their latest book, Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects (v6.5) (CMP Books), actually breaks down into two separate volumes covering basic and advanced techniques. Both books feature plenty of full-color graphics and photos to illustrate each lesson. But the real treat is how the Meyers tease out and teach complex techniques, such as track mattes and the best way to nest compositions.

LightWave 8 Killer Tips (New Riders) is chock-a-block with short, well-written tips that pull out sometimes-difficult techniques from LightWave's toolkit. Written by well-regarded industry vets Dan Ablan and Randy Sharp, the book features hundreds of beautifully printed graphics detailing settings, character tweaks, faking caustics, and more.