Aharon Rabinowitz is one smart fella. He has a knack for teaching that comes through in his tutorials in such a way that even the rank amateur can understand and learn his techniques easily.
His latest offering in the Creative Cow Master Series of DVDs, “Creating Web Video: Internet Killed the Video Star” is nothing short of amazing. In it, Aharon takes us through the process of creating video for the internet, producing perfect Flash video, and authoring Podcasts with explanations that go far deeper than other instructional information that I’ve seen. There's even a final “tell all” section where he explains exactly how he produces his tutorials in the first place.
If I were an economical man, my review would be as follows;
BUY THIS DVD
I might go so far as to make the letters a different color and even throw in a blink command, but the upshot would be direct and to the point. Seriously, open your wallet and buy this DVD.
Each time I see one of Aharon’s productions, I am impressed by the quality and tightness of the production. Aharon works in the television industry, so perhaps it’s that need to be precise that carries over into his tutorial series. In any case, there is no wasted time and each subject is presented in a clear and concise manner that is not only easy to follow, but enjoyable to watch as well.
Figure 1- Aharon Rabinowitz has created another excellent video tutorial. Squeeze, Flash, Camtasia, Podcasting and more are all covered in this CREATIVECOW Master Series DVD.
I am continually amazed at how much I DON’T know. When I get stuck on a project, I usually jump right over to the Cow and look for an answer. More times than not, Aharon Rabinowitz has written a tutorial on the exact subject that I’m struggling with.
In this series, you will spend several hours with Aharon who, while explaining the intricacies of compression, will make you feel right at home.
I need to stop here for a minute and reflect on something. If you spend any time watching tutorials at CreativeCow, you will notice one thing and that is that the teachers ALL make you feel as if they are your personal friend who just stopped over to lend a hand. Aharon has this ability in spades and makes the time fly by without even realizing it. (Yes, I was late for several appointments scheduled for while I was watching this DVD.)
I am as guilty as the next guy when it comes to not paying close enough attention to my web based video. I usually compress it right out of my NLE and bang it up on my server for my client to look at. Sure, I have the programs to convert it to flash, or squeeze it into a more manageable format, but what’s the difference?
Well I’ll tell you, the difference is HUGE!
The problem is that I’m basically a very lazy guy and don’t’ have the time to read manuals on how to use the software that I have. Enter Aharon Rabinowitz who cheerfully takes me (and you) by the hand and not only explains what he’s doing, but also why and how. The beauty of it all is that when you take his instructions and apply them, your work MAGICALLY GETS BETTER! Yes, it’s true, for the paltry sum of this DVD; your clients will think that you somehow got smarter overnight. They'll be right.
Aharon breaks the DVD down into 4 sections, each of which could have been a DVD tutorial that could stand on its own. The table of contents is as follows;
Section 1- Video compression
- Cooking Light for Video Compression
- Weapons of Mass Compression (pt.1)
- Weapons of Mass Compression (pt.2)
- Advanced Compression Tools
- Audio for Compressed Video
- Streaming vs. Progressive Download
- Compression Settings and Presets
Section II – Flash Video
Here, Aharon presents 7 more sections that go into detail on creating flash video with several different programs. Camtasia, Flash, and Squeeze. He also shows us how to add player controls to our flash as well as the easiest way to add flash to a website.
Section III – Podcasting.
This is one of the best, if not THE best discussion and tutorial of how to create a Podcast that I’ve ever read. PERIOD!
Aharon covers specs, encoding the video, creating and working with RSS, and advice on distributing your Podcast when it’s done. This is so timely and to the point that it too could stand on its own.
We wrap up the DVD with Aharon giving away the store so to speak. In the final section, he discusses, explains and demonstrates exactly how he creates his tutorials, how he makes them flow and how to avoid common pitfalls that will make your production look bad.
In short (too late for that Harvey!) buying this DVD will be the best money you’ve laid out this year. Well, unless you spent $2 on a raffle ticket that got you a date with that Brazilian Super Model and the use of a Bugatti Veyron for the week.
But as that’s not a likely scenario, spending a few hours with Aharon on this DVD will make you smarter and enable you to charge your clients more money for your incredible new found talents. If you do that enough times, you can buy your own Veyron and the Super Models will come flocking around you anyway.
Aharon Rabinowitz is one of the most prolific contributors to Creative Cow. But more than that, he’s incredibly talented and willing to share his knowledge. He has never disappointed with any of his DVDs and this is another Prime Cut.
5 Cows no question about it.
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