This book is written for those who need to create professionalquality web video or podcasts. We set out to write a book that would offer expert-level advice on all aspects of web video. We realize most of you reading this will have diverse backgrounds, so we will attempt to deliver information at two levels.

The body of the book presents you with the most essential information, richly illustrated, with straightforward advice. Interspersed throughout the book you'll find several tips and sidebars. This information serves two purposes. It either offers advanced information to let you go deeper on a topic or points out additional resources if you lack experience with a topic.

Whether you are a video enthusiast, a multimedia developer, or a communications professional, this guide is written to help you. We wanted to create a book that addressed the diverse requirements of web video. We also wanted to straighten out several misperceptions and bad practices that we have encountered. If you like your books to be based on real-world experience, this is the book for you.