it2go Episode 56 – Efficient Video Editing Workflow
On this week’s episode, we’re talking about several webinars coming up, including the Efficient Video Editing Workflow session happening on April 1st.
Archive for the 'Adobe' Category
Got Illustrator skills? Get more!
Adobe Illustrator CS6 is an awesome tool for making vector graphics. It’s probably the vector creation software of choice for most graphic designers and other professionals who create graphics for a living. Like all Adobe products, it’s packed with features, and comes with a steep learning curve. I learned how to use Illustrator at a rudimentary level in two Indiana University IT Training Workshops, “Illustrator CS6: The Basics,” and “Adobe CS6: Pen Tool Basics.” Now that I’m somewhat comfortable with the software, I practice on my own. My skills are improving a little, but if I’m going to become really good at Illustrator, I have to seek out some more training resources. (See the post I wrote for the Tips Blog about taking the skills you learn in a workshop to the next level).
- Random Illustrator objects.
There are a lot of Illustrator tutorials out there. I’ll share some of them with you now.
- Adobe Illustrator on Adobe TV. Learn the software from the source.
- Check the Adobe Illustrator Blog for more tutorials and tips.
- Vector Tuts+ has a lot of content including tutorials, articles, tips, and resources. Premium members can access features such as online courses and an ebook library.
- Astute Graphics’ blog has a quite a few free tutorials, tips, and tricks.
- Chris Spooner’s Spoon Graphics offers free Illustrator and Photoshop tutorials. You can find more content on his Facebook page too.
- An excellent source for technology training is lynda.com. Most lynda content is available to paying subscribers only, but if you’re serious about learning, it’s probably worth the expense. IU students, facutly, and staff get lynda for free!
I think those are enough resources to get you (and me) started. I’m collecting Illustrator tutorial resources on Pearltrees, check there once in a while to see if anything new shows up.
it2go Episode 55 – Adobe Days 2013
In this episode, we’re back! After a long hiatus, the IT Training podcast has returned with an episode about Adobe Days and the events surrounding it on Feb 28th, and March 1st.
Learn more about Photoshop with Photoshop CS6 Extras webinars
If you have attended IT Training workshops in Photoshop and still want to learn more, sign up for our monthly webinars, entitled “Photoshop CS6 Extras.” These sessions are free to anyone–and the best news is, we will be posting recordings of them here.
Here is what we have so far:
Disappearing act 2/1/2013: Learn to extract one person from a group of people and make the absence look seamless. Learn how to add a new background to the image of the extracted person.
Change that foreground/background 2/22/2013: Learn four new ways to change a background–even around fine, blowing hair– and learn two new ways to add and modify a foreground item so it blends in perfectly. With Layer Comps, you can experiment with many versions of an edited image.
Create a 2001-style HAL computer – 3/22/2013: Create the whole thing: red eye and shiny surface.
Video: Working with Edge Animate – Learn More From Adobe on 2/28
In this video, I’m taking a quick look at Edge Animate, the new program from Adobe that helps you create complex, professional animations very quickly. These animations are commonly used for HTML5 pages, and DPS publications, which are viewed on tablet devices.
IT Training is hosting Tim Plumer, Senior Solutions Engineer from Adobe Systems Incorporated, as he presents workshops on Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite and new Edge application. These sessions are part of the Adobe Days 2013 promotional event being offered at IU Bloomington on Feb. 28-Mar. 1, but both topics are being taught online and in-person.
To read descriptions and register for the sessions you want, go to:
Learn Edge and Digital Publishing Direct from Adobe This Week!
This week at IUPUI, Tim Plumer, Senior Solutions Engineer from Adobe Systems Incorporated will present workshops on Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite and Edge tools. These sessions are part of Adobe Days 2013 at IUPUI on Feb. 14-15.
These topics will be taught online and in-person at IUPUI. To read descriptions and register for the sessions you want, go to:
- Feb: 14: Digital Publishing Suite: Creating Your Own Folio
- Feb. 14: Edge: The Product Family
- Feb. 15: Create the Web for Designers (Deep dive into Edge Animate, Typekit/Webfonts & CSS)
- Feb. 15: Create the Web for Developers (Deep dive into Edge Code, Edge Inspect, & Phonegap)
Tim Plumer will be available for Q&A at the Stump the Expert table. Bring your projects and/or your questions from noon to 1:30 p.m.
These sessions will be repeated at IU Bloomington in a couple of weeks, so check the schedule then as well.
For more information about Adobe Days, including upcoming events on the IUB campus, please visit http://adobedays.iu.edu.
Captivate 6 for Video Demos
One of the best ways to teach people about something is to show it to them. If you’re teaching about software, and you don’t have the luxury of having all of your students seated in a classroom, make a video demo. There are lots of products on the market that you can use to create video demos. Here’s a link to a blog post that describes five of them.
I’ve used TechSmith’s Camtasia Studio for several years, and I like it a lot, but IU’s agreement with Adobe makes Captivate 6 the more attractive option because I can get it for free. Camtasia used to be the obvious choice for making full motion video recordings of your screen. That’s what Camtasia is designed to do, and it does it well. Full motion recording in previous versions of Captivate was not the greatest. Full motion is better in Captivate 6, not perfect, but better. By the way, Captivate 6 doesn’t refer to full motion recording as full motion. It’s called Video Demo mode. You can begin your project by choosing the Video Demo option, or choose Video Demo when it’s time to start recording your screen. The interface changes a little when you start the project in this mode. You can learn more about it in this Adobe TV video. Skip to 02:06 on the timeline. (more…)
InDesign: quickly switch to another tool from the Type tool
Do you use keyboard shortcuts to activate tools in InDesign?
If so, you know that just typing the letter that appears in parentheses when you hold the pointer over any tool (called the tool tip) works nicely — except if you are currently working with the Type tool. In that case, when you press any key you simply type the letter. This can be frustrating if you are trying to work quickly and efficiently.
To quickly switch to another tool when the type tool is active, press the Escape key and then type the letter of the tool you want to activate. If you want to switch to the Hand tool, press Alt with the h key.
Episode 51 – Discussing Adobe Connect
On this week’s episode we’re talking about the Adobe Connect online meeting software.
eLearning with Captivate 6
Adobe Captivate 6 is eLearning authoring software, and broadly speaking, eLearning is learning online or via some electronic device. It’s a different experience than you would have sitting in a classroom and taking notes as a lecturer gives you information. For some, the experience is better, and for others, it’s worse. Whatever you think of it, it’s here, so why not get involved? Here’s an infographic to give you some insight about the trend in online education in the United States. It’s trending upward! Recently, IU announced a major new online learning initiative called IU Online. Check out the press release to learn more.
So, back to Captivate 6. IU students, faculty, and staff can download it from IUware free of charge. You can’t beat that! Captivate 6 gives you features like:
- Rapid eLearning content development
- More effective collaboration
- Interactive eLearning experiences
- Rich multimedia to attract learners
- Easy quizzing
- Delivery virtually anywhere
- Scoring, tracking, and reporting
You’re itching to learn all about this cool tool aren’t you? Luckily, IT Training has a Captivate 6: The Basics workshop planned. It’s an online workshop (imagine that), scheduled for Tuesday, December 4th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. In the meantime, go ahead and download Captivate 6 and start playing around with it. You can also find Captivate 6 training on lynda.com.
If you’re an educator you may be called upon to create some online learning content, so learn how to do it and impress your boss. If you’re a student you can surely use Captivate to put together some pretty nifty class projects. There’s something for everyone, so start learning today.
Captivate 6 opening screen
