What kind of documentation comes with the package?

rayjturner wrote on 5/25/2009, 1:25 AM
What docs. come with the eval. download is completely inadaquate to utilize the software. The online tutorials are likewise. Do we get a few hundred pages of useful docs. with the purchased package? I'm willing to spend the $90, but only if the packaged is well documented. Much of the terminology used seems to be known to video experts but not "mere mortals".

Comments

massi04 wrote on 5/25/2009, 4:46 AM
The online documentation is the only reliable source of information.
In case you are a newcomer to video editing, I recommend to you to do some tests before you start your production. Learning by doing is a good approach and if you might run into serious problems, this community could always answer your questions.
All the others using this program are doing well somehow, why should you give up before you started.
swoopest wrote on 5/25/2009, 5:16 PM
Two small-format books, each 128 pages, come in the box. I purchased the product in a store, but am not having any success doing even the simplest editing...I fall into the "mere mortal" category.

It would be good if the software came with a Beginner mode, and if the tooltips worked properly (they often refuse to show), and if windows had titles (like "Storyboard" and "Timeline." The software creators already know that stuff, and they may have a hard time seeing the software through the eyes of a noob.

They tried to help us beginners with the MovieShowMaker function, which is a good start if all your video is good (nothing needs to be removed).

Some terms are puzzling, and do not appear to be defined. For example: clip, scene and take all seem to refer to different types of short video segments, but don't bother looking in the Glossar [sic] for useful definitions.

In summary, this is powerful software but probably not the best choice for a beginner.