Teaching Yourself Adobe Software...

There are lots and lots of free tutorials online for Adobe products (not necessarily CS3, but they should still work). That's how I learned everything.

creativecow.net is great for some video tutorials, too.

Take a look at the Classroom in a Book series, very informative and walks you through a lot of the features. Also do some searches online, there is a wealth of information out there.

Peachpit's Visual QuickStart Guides are the quickest ways to become familiar with the applications and they're only half the price of the Classroom in a Book series they also publish.

Once you have the basics, you can move to their RealWorld series and eventually to the Wow! series.

The Lynda.com tutorials and books seem worth it, also.

I agree Lynda.com does have some good video tutorials.

Simplesimon101 said:

Hi,

i'm studying Graphics at Uni

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....and they don't teach Adobe Creative Suite?

Play... play... PLAY! - With photoshop and illustrator.. after effects as well- the key things to do were just grab some imagery/footage and just play with every and all menu feature you can find. Cmd. + Z is your friend, use it! Of course there are more advanced aspects to the programs that you wont even know is possible due ot it being hidden in some panel within some menu... but if you get acquainted with testing and discovering every menu feature and palette tool there is, when you start to read or watch tutorials on the software, you will know exactly where it is, and how you find what they are talking about. good luck to ya!

Simplesimon101 said:

i think they're more interested in teaching us how to think creatively and critically...

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which is more important than learning software by a factor of about a billion to one in design education. (not sarcasm, im serious.)

i learned with the classroom in a book books, personally. i hear good things about lynda.com tho.

The video tutorial DVD that comes with the master collection is excellent too. make sure you check it out and don't just dismiss it!

shecky said:

which is more important than learning software by a factor of about a billion to one in design education. (not sarcasm, im serious.)

i learned with the classroom in a book books, personally. i hear good things about lynda.com tho.

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Personally, I am of the ilk that says these things cant be "taught." Basically what a University graphics program does, is takes a raw talent and shape it into something that the profs deem "acceptable." The lines aren't there to show a boundary, they're to tell you where to cross.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything bad about Uni programs, I just think 99% of profs are locked into their own way of thinking and doing, thus "shoehorning" the student. Also, before someone calls me on it like I'm trying to hide it, I am entirely self taught. I never spent a day in an art class of any kind in College. But something you do learn in Psychology, which WAS my field, is everyone is basically the same in how they respond and process things. Every prof I ever had "shoehorned" me, so I highly doubt Art professors would be any different.

Back on subject, yeah, the Lynda.com stuff is good. There are also some decent tuts on youtube believe it or not. Everything I know about the dreaded Pen tool, I learned from youtube. Mainly cause the guy doing the tut was funny and not so dry and serious about it all.

For After Effects, try out http://www.videocopilot.net. They have amazing tuts there! Super easy but awesome results.

Simplesimon101 said:

yer they do a bit.

... i think they're more interested in teaching us how to think creatively and critically... which is sortof fair enough really?! (that's harder to learn that kind of thing from books!)


thanks again for advice guys

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Thank god for that.!! It really frustrating when students just want to learn software that could be out of date within a couple of years. Learning fundamental skills and such as concept development, cultural/critical awareness, typography, layout etc are skills that you can use for many many years to come. software comes and goes. Sound like you could be on a good course, where are you going to study?

I've taught myself Photoshop and DW, and started a business and began teaching web design at the college level without a class or a book I just design until it doesn't look bad

The key is experience and time at the computer.

Abraxsis said:

Personally, I am of the ilk that says these things cant be "taught." Basically what a University graphics program does, is takes a raw talent and shape it into something that the profs deem "acceptable." The lines aren't there to show a boundary, they're to tell you where to cross.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything bad about Uni programs, I just think 99% of profs are locked into their own way of thinking and doing, thus "shoehorning" the student. Also, before someone calls me on it like I'm trying to hide it, I am entirely self taught. I never spent a day in an art class of any kind in College. But something you do learn in Psychology, which WAS my field, is everyone is basically the same in how they respond and process things. Every prof I ever had "shoehorned" me, so I highly doubt Art professors would be any different.

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well, as someone who did go to design school, and as someone who now teaches at design school, i can tell you that your comments are basically incorrect, good art/design school programs have almost nothing to do with limitation and "shoehorning" either intentionally or otherwise. vocational programs may be a different story.

shecky said:

well, as someone who did go to design school, and as someone who now teaches at design school, i can tell you that your comments are basically incorrect, good art/design school programs have almost nothing to do with limitation and "shoehorning" either intentionally or otherwise. vocational programs may be a different story.

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There are some things that can be taught, technically such as how to use tools and in what situations. But god given talent, you can't teach.

I've taught a web design class for three years (college) and saw only a few people in those years I can see having a successful future in the field (and I hired them all ). On the other hand, everyone who took my class could successfully create web page because of the technical aspects we covered in the class.

true, but what a good design program can do is develop the talent that is already there. and it does that by exposure, critique and experimentation.