Take a quick look at iBooks Author, the new tool from Apple that lets you create textbooks for the iPad. You can design and layout pages like in iWork Pages. You can also add special elements like photo galleries, quizzes, 3D objects and interactive images.
Related: MacMost Now 662: Reading Textbooks With iBooks 2 For iPad, iBooks Author vs Adobe InDesign, MacMost Now 381: iPad iBooks App, MacMost Now 398: Creating Forms In iPad Numbers, MacMost Now 660: Magic Move and Anagram Transitions In Keynote.
18 Responses to “MacMost Now 661: iBooks Author Overview”
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Great overview. Thanks.
Want to get the most out of my iMac and appreciate your way of making understanding different aspects so much easier for this grand mother. I have been using my Mac to create all kinds of memories for my children and grandchilren with iPhotos and iMovies.
Now I am wondering about continuing to use iBooks Author for doing a personal book of memories, using my page documents and photos.
I have for this past week been transferring the beginning of many page documents in my personal journal of 40 some years, along with photos inserted to document as the years go by, to iBook Author and have a good start going there.
Thank you for the extra hints in your overview of iAuthor yesterday, however I am wondering if I will have the available memory to continue and complete this large endeavor. I am thinking of publishing it as a PDF for family only, rather then printing out the many pages that would be required. It would also be a very heavy book.
Even though some of my grandchildren have iPods and iPhones, I am the only one to have an iPad at this time so that is why I am considering the PDF route.
Sorry for being so wordy but would appreciate any suggestions that you can offer.
Sounds like a wonderful project!
The only suggestion I would have is to think about using Pages instead of iBooks Author. iBA is really meant for textbooks. The special features it has that Pages does not are things like the glossary, quizzes, 3D objects, etc. Things that you would not be using because of the nature of your project — and because they wouldn’t export to PDF anyway.
I think Pages would better suit any project that was going to result in just a PDF. I would only use iBooks Author for projects that either were meant for iBooks on the iPad, or to be sold in the iBookstore.
But that is just a suggestion. I can’t think of a reason why you need to switch at this point if you have already begun.
Thank you Gary. I did do a short trial with pages but found that it was easier for me, to work with inserting and captioning the photos anong the words, so have opted to stay with iBA.
What export setting should people use to add a video to iBook Author?
For example, should we export to a mobile size video from iMovie to our desktop and drag and drop it in?
Thanks in advance!
Try different ones to see what you like. I’d imagine that “mobile” is too small. I would try something larger.
I am writing a book in pages, how do you transfer to iBook author? Thanks for your help.
Should I be doing this is the proper way to do it?
It depends. Pages is a much more versatile tool. iBooks Author is really just for textbooks. Pages is for all sorts of things. Unless I was writing a textbook specifically, I would use Pages.
Nice video, very helpful! I am using iba to create a textbook and though I have some familiarity with Pages I’ve usually just used blank pages rather than templates. Is there a way in iba to insert a new page between existing pages? What does you do, if you get half way through your book and realize you need to add some material to a previous chapter? Thanks for your help!
There are many ways to insert pages. In fact, there is a whole Insert menu at the top in the menubar. You can also control+click and select Insert Page.
Yes, but I haven’t found a way to insert anywhere except at the end of my document. I’ve tried to insert a page between pages 4 and 5 for instance but it always appears at the end. I know that pages can’t be dragged in the book pane. You are supposed to be able to drag sections but I just tried creating a section page, a preface, and was unable to drag it to the front of the book. I probably haven’t set my book up properly and am having problems as a result.
Thanks.
When I control+clicked on page 1 of a section, and chose Insert Page, it put the new page after page one and shifted all the rest down.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I think I see my problem. I haven’t created any sections, just pages. I guess you really have to use their format of pages within sections and sections within chapters.
I have started a new textbook with iBooks Author for a class I will be teaching. Any ideas on how to print the book out for students who don’t have an ipad?
Printing is definitely not what Apple had in mind when making iBooks Author — it is for interactive iPad books. But they did include a File, Print menu command in the usual place. Is that what you mean?
You can also save it out as a PDF and then students can read it on a variety of computers and devices as well as the iPad.
Hi Gary,
I just bought an IMac and iPad 2 and I am in the process of writing a textbook in iBooks Author. I am learning hands on because I’ve been on a PC for the last 15 years. Your videos are extremely helpful. Thanks!
I am having some difficulty when I edit my text in for the textbook to be read in the horizontal view. It seems to mess up the text when the iPad is turned to the vertical view.
This doesn’t happen in the sample textbook by Prof. Wilson. Is there something I’m doing wrong. I am just learning all the word processing techniques for a Mac since I was strictly a Word guy for so long.
Thanks,
Tom C.
Just a matter of playing around with it and learning how to use all of the features. I’m not writing a textbook with it, like you, so you are way ahead of me — most people probably at this early stage.