Who This Book Is For

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Who This Book Is For

Avid Xpress Pro is a software program anyone can learn and, with this book, can even master. Although editors in the past practically had to be engineers to perform an edit, users new to Avid Xpress Pro can be up and editing in no time at all. I wrote this book for a variety of reasons and for a variety of readers. My first goal is to demystify the craft of editing. The process is straightforward but does take practice to understand, so if you're new to editing, be prepared to learn and experiment. If you've played around with nonlinear digital editing in the past, this book is also for you. The menus I cover and the techniques I explain are proven methods any editor can use. I even reveal shortcuts I use on a daily basis. The last group of readers I wrote this book for are the seasoned editors. If you've worked on Avid Xpress DV in the past you'll be pleasantly surprised as I explain features many editors don't even know exist.

This is a hands-on book written by an editor first and an instructor second. I'm going to assume that Avid Xpress Pro is installed on your computer, you have the appropriate dongle, and that you know how to launch your computer. Always consider Avid's home page at www.avid.com if you're having any difficulties installing the software.

One of Avid Xpress Pro's greatest features is its capability to run on Windows and Macintosh. Although the platforms certainly have their differences, the software runs practically identical regardless of which platform you edit on. You'll see that most of the screen shots in this book are from a Macintosh computer simply due to my preference of computers. Any time there is a specific difference between the platforms, I point it out.

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