The latest versions of iMovie HD and iDVD 5 are, by far, the most robust moviemaking applications available to consumers today. But whether you're a professional or an amateur moviemaker eager to take advantage of the full capabilities of these applications, don't count on Apple documentation to make the cut. You need iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual, the objective authority on iMovie HD and iDVD 5.

Even if you own a previous version of iMovie, the new feature-rich iMovie HD may well be impossible to resist. This video editing program now enables users to capture and edit widescreen High Definition Video (HDV) from the new generation of HDV camcorders, along with standard DV and the MPEG-4 video format. iMovie HD also includes "Magic iMovie" for making finished movies automatically. The feature does everything in one step--imports video into separate clips and adds titles, transitions, and music. The finished video is then ready for iDVD 5, which now includes 15 new themes with animated drop zones that can display video clips across DVD menus, just like the latest Hollywood DVDs.

This witty and entertaining guide from celebrated author David Pogue not only details every step of iMovie HD video production--from choosing and using a digital camcorder to burning the finished work onto DVDs--but provides a firm grounding in basic film technique so that the quality of a video won't rely entirely on magic.

iMovie HD & iDVD 5: The Missing Manual includes expert techniques and tricks for:

• Capturing quality footage (including tips on composition, lighting, and even special-event filming)
• Building your movie track, incorporating transitions and special effects, and adding narration, music, and sound
• Working with picture files and QuickTime movies
• Reaching your intended audience by exporting to tape, transferring iMovie to QuickTime, burning QuickTime-Movie CDs, and putting movies on the Web (and even on your cell phone!)
• Using iDVD 5 to stylize and burn your DVD creation