Digital video editing is one those infuriating technology propositions. Everyone wants to make home movies that look like they could be shown in your local multiplex, but often a multitude of problems crop up on the way to finishing your masterpiece. From equipping your PC to shooting good footage, editing it and then making DVDs, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Hence, titles like this one.

How to Do Everything with Your Digital Video Camcorder is aimed at beginners who don’t want to spend masses of time to make their videos. That said, important sections like getting your PC ready for digital video are not detail-lite — they provide useful info like installing a new hard drive. In another example, the two-page coverage of codecs would be just right for someone not interested in the politics and technical intricacies.

Sometimes the jokey style can be overly jolly but this is a minor annoyance. Overall, this basic guide is well suited to beginners and features easy-to-access content and useful extras like the ‘what to pack in your camera bag’ list on the inside back cover.