From Editorial Nudes From Lens Diaries™
The only Apple-certified book on Mac OS X v10.6, this revised best-seller will take you deep inside the latest big-cat operating system—covering everything from installation to automation, customizing the operating system, supporting applications,
Rating: 
(out of 11 reviews)
List Price: $ 64.99
Price: $ 40.50
This Apple-certified guide to Aperture 3 starts with the basics of image management and takes you step by step through Aperture’s powerful editing, retouching, proofing, publishing, and archiving features. It delivers comprehensive training – the equ
Rating: 
(out of 12 reviews)
List Price: $ 54.99
Price: $ 28.70
Review by Frank E. Trinkle for Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3
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I have been a fan of Apple’s Training Series from Peachpit for some time. This book is no exception, and is extremely well written and easily understood and followed.
I was more than happy to see that Peachpit and Apple collaborated quickly to get the first comprehensive instruction manual to print and it is a winner. The learning curve for Aperture is somewhat high, but the book guides you through the learning process gradually, with each chapter logically building on the last, and reducing the time needed to learn critical functions. The writing style is clear and end-user friendly, without a lot of techno-jargon complicating the process. By the end of the book, you’ll have a very functional understanding of Aperture 3, and your processing time and workflow steps will be dramatically decreased.
The book has a companion DVD with the media files necessary to follow the course as designed. It is NOT included with the e-book (Kindle) version, but can be downloaded from Peachpit Press. This is NOT reflected in the book, though customer service at Peachpit states it should have been. The book is only marginally useful without the companion media files which are clearly designed to be used in conjunction with the chapters in the book.
The URL for the media files is listed in the comments to this review. (Amazon won’t allow full URL’s in reviews) Be forewarned… it is a 3.6GB DMG file (Macs only).
The Kindle version on the Apple iPad is STUNNING in its clarity and definition! The illustrations and pictures are phenomenal, and totally unexpected…oh so clear! This has made using the iPad for following the book next to my MacbookPro and Mac Pro a dream. It also reduces my baggage weight when traveling so that I no longer have to carry heavy manuals in suitcases to have ready reference material on the road. (I work overseas every other six-weeks). Peachpit is dedicated to offering virtually all of their books in digital form, and that’s the only way I’ll buy them in the future. The iPad makes it a perfect solution! (The book can also be viewed on a Kindle, but in monochrome which significantly reduces the value of photo-related manuals of this type)
Five stars for this book… and five more to Amazon for offering it at a discounted price in digital form! Get it!
UPDATE: See comments below for coded URL for the media files.
Review by B. Rutledge for Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3
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This book is written like a training course, and to get full value you need to take the time to work through the lessons as given. This is not hard, because the book has a DVD with sample photos and disk images that you use in each lesson. When I worked through each lesson step by step with the photos they give you, I learned a lot – more than when I watched some training videos on the web.
Review by David Katz for Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3
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This is a great instructional product that goes way beyond the manual that comes with the program. If you are a serious photographer and/or editor, and you are willing to be diligent with your studies this is the trainer for you.
I did run into some trouble with what seems to be a malfunction of the disk. It is not obvious where to go for help. Once I worked through that I was treated cordially and was supplied a new disc or download (my choice) without any hassle.
Review by B. Crossley for Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3
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I’ve been going through the book Aperture 3 by Dion Scoppettuolo, and following each lesson completely.
The lessons start falling apart around “working with stacks,” which you can kind of work around
but the wheels completely leave the bus when you get to Chapter 4.
The disc loads images on to your existing iPhoto, where you Browse and import the images from there.
Unless you have a recent version of iPhoto the “lesson” version will not import from the older iPhoto to the lessons.
Before I purchased the book, I was using Aperture 3 and had no problem migrating all of my images from earlier iPhoto versions, to
Ap. 3.
After purchasing the current version of iWorks so I can upgrade my iPhoto and get through the lessons, everything fell into place.
Ap. 3 is a tremendous tool.
Still no word from PeachPit Press on the disclosure.
Review by Henry S. Trentman for Apple Pro Training Series: Aperture 3
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Aperture is an outstanding program for photo archiving and retouching. This book helps you get the most out of it. There is a lot to learn but this program gets you throughout it.
Completely revised for Final Cut Pro 7 and featuring new footage from TNT’s hit show Leverage and the international music creation event Playing For Change: Peace Through Music, this best-selling, Apple-certified guide provides a strong foundation
Rating: (out of 14 reviews)
List Price: $ 54.99
Price: $ 34.51
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Review by W. Burke for Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
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I am already reasonably experienced with video editing in Sony Vegas. When I started using FCP7 I found accomplishing simple tasks was leaving me scratching my head. I decided to order this book from amazon to see if I could get some traction with this new suite of programs.
The book is well organized and does a good job teaching a workflow without just telling you to click one thing and another and then admire the outcome. The book begins with laying out a rough cut and refining it in the following chapters through various editing techniques all the way to project delivery. It maintains interest by changing the project media at the right time. It also does a good job of demonstrating multiple ways to accomplish the same result and giving examples of why one method might be more useful in certain situations. I found the illustrations to be very accurate and helpful.
The 4 video projects on the DVD are great to work with. There are 3 documentaries (Seaworld, music and nature) and one TV series (Leverage). The quality of the media is beautiful but not so perfect that it doesn’t take a little bit of effort get results. This is one of the most effective parts of the exercises. It’s clear when you preview the project that it needs improvement but it’s the editing that makes the result satisfying not the fact that most anything shot on a Red One can look great.
I followed every chapter and performed all the exercises closely even when I already understood the concept being demonstrated. The chapters give a time estimate on how long they should take and personally it took me almost twice as long as the estimate in most cases. I think if I already new the software the estimates would be more accurate. By the end of the book I was coming closer the the stated times but it still took longer.
I thought the workflow and methodology of the book were so well organized that I have started applying the editing strategies into Vegas and learning parts of that program I never really used previously. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn editing on Final Cut Pro.
Review by Klyde for Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
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The footage is really fun to work with. This book is a top-notch tutorial on FCP7; taking a powerful and complex software package and simplifying concepts and methods. It is well-written and well-organized with the learner in mind (instead of just unloading a lot of information on the reader). I wouldn’t mind a few more images, but it probably has more than most. Best to have some computer and graphics background. Even with that, it is still taking me longer than the book promises, to go through it. But it is worth every penny; this book is a great value.
To quote a concise and accurate review of the FCP6 edition of this book:
“By Vladimir Nagorniy (Hollywood, CA USA) – This book actually teaches you efficient work flows. All lessons designed in a really smart way, so your progress is well guided. Makes you learn keyboard shortcuts. The footage was fun to work with (not the usual snowboarders and surfers). Highly recommended.”
Review by Richard L. Purvis for Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
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This book is fantastic for anyone who wants to learn more about the Final Cut Pro program. I Learned more than I thought I would in the first chapter, it has certainly increased my productivity with the quick-ness and smooth-ness that I can now edit video into a rough final cut sequence. I’m a big Hands On learner and this book catered to that style more than any other book I have read on Final Cut Pro.
Review by Vicki Maheu for Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
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A very thorough review for the Apple beginning level exam. Includes a CD with excellent files.
Review by hoopchi for Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7
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Very impressed with the thoroughness of this training book. I’ve been using Final Cut Pro for about a year and felt that I was not progressing in ability. Within 10 minutes of opening this book I learned 5 things that have made me faster and a better editor. I highly recommend this book.
Maros 7:35 pm on September 28, 2010 Permalink
Review by Maros for Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
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As the title says, this is an excellent book.
There are some things to keep in mind, however:
This book was made specifically for passing the exam, and therefor if you wish to delve into various capabilities of things like the command line in-depth, you’ll need further resources. (Especially things like full-on scripting.) If you’re jumping into the command line “cold,” something like the O’Reilly BASH book would make a good companion.
AppleScript, it should be noted (beyond a half dozen pages in this book), is in another book in this series.
If you wish to become knowledgeable about Mac Servers and you’re not seasonably Mac proficient (esp in the ‘Apple Way’ of doing things…), you’ll need this book as the Server book alone will not do. You’ll also want the Directory Services book. (Actually, if you start working with DS in any format, you’ll want the DS book, Server notwithstanding.)
Again, it’s a sweet book and gave me the foundation so I can continue taking my skills to the next level.
Small Nitpicks: Only a few errors, but they will bite you if you don’t catch them (Which you will if you try the examples.) If it doesn’t look/work right, websearch it, try it both ways, and you’ll be good to go.
The top of the page doesn’t give you the chapter number (just name), while many pages refer to explanations of various resources in different chapters. As I’m one of those people who “can’t let it go,” (and look it up immediately) this was irksome.
The nitpicks aren’t enough to cut it a full star: 4.5, rounded to 5.
Danny S. Aldana 8:17 pm on September 28, 2010 Permalink
Review by Danny S. Aldana for Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
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If you are new to The snow leopard operating system, this book tells you every little thing that you can do with snow leopard. i’ve been using my mac for years and this book has taught me feature i didn’t know existed in snow leopard/leopard. again great for anyone that has never used a mac before.
Corey 9:07 pm on September 28, 2010 Permalink
Review by Corey for Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
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I passed the test in DEC 2009. Everything needed for the test is in this book. Nothing tricky, very straight forward.
if 9:38 pm on September 28, 2010 Permalink
Review by if for Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
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Fast, efficient service and a good price to boot. Need the book for Apple Certification so price and speed were the main purchasing factors. There is no other comparable book.
J. Scully 9:54 pm on September 28, 2010 Permalink
Review by J. Scully for Apple Training Series: Mac OS X Support Essentials v10.6: A Guide to Supporting and Troubleshooting Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard
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If you know this book then you will pass the test. The book is an easy read and to the point.