The Avid Handbook : Techniques for the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress

The Avid Media Composer, Avid Xpress and Avid Symphony are the most widely used nonlinear editing systems by professionals in the film and video industries. Based on his experience teaching countless seminars around the world on the Avid Media Composer, Avid Symphony and Avid Xpress, Steve Bayes has written the most comprehensive manual for nonlinear digital editing on these Avid editing systems. This handbook is now revised throughout to reflect recent upgrades to these systems and the third edition covers Symphony 2.1, Media Composer 9.1 and Avid Xpress 3.1, as well as earlier versions.

Written for the reader who already has a basic knowledge of the editing systems, this book moves beyond an introduction to the professional Avid editing systems and focuses on strategies, techniques, and troubleshooting. The Avid Handbook covers the basics of working with effects, rendering, and graphics and discusses the more abstract issues of workflow and organization of different types of editing projects. The book discusses frequently made mistakes, common technical problems,and how they can be avoided. In addition, there is an in depth explanation of Symphony color correction, 24 p and other new features and efficiencies in the latest software versions from Avid. The Avid Handbook discusses techniques for Windows NT users, including the most complete description of the offline to online workflow using Avid systems.

Bayes is the Product Manager for Final Cut Pro at Apple. For 8 years he was the Principal Product Designer for Media Composer, Symphony and DS Nitris at Avid Technology. Steve has specified the design of Avid products based on his years of editing, instructing and interviewing Avid users. He is the author of the book "The Avid Handbook: Basic and Intermediate Techniques for the Media Composer” which will have a 4th edition in December 2003. Steve also spent two years as Senior Instructor for Avid Educational Services, teaching Avid students and instructors in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He has also written and developed several advanced Avid classes including the Master Editor Workshop. Previously, Steve was Senior Editor at several production companies in Boston, Massachusetts and edited in the New England market for ten years.