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Doing It Your Way
Review Date: November 2005
Reviewed By: Tom Piper
Product Reviewed: Total Training for Acrobat 7 Professional
TIME ... where does it go? ... there never seems to be enough of it! ... when do you effectively learn how to use
new software, particularly if you've made a major investment in any of the advanced design, audio/video and offi ce
productivity products? Classes are available, but they are located anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours away, and even
then you are part of a group, seldom with individual attention. Tutorials on tape, CD and DVD are a great way to control
your time, choose your learning opportunities, and get individual attention.
Total Training, Inc., based in Carlsbad, CA, is an innovator in video-based training for leading creative design, digital
video, and offi ce productivity software programs. Among their assets is a strategic partnership with Adobe including the
distribution of its customized tutorials inside many of Adobe's software packages.
Those of us who use such A/V tutorials range from casual hobbyists to the most seasoned professionals, learning new
software applications and broadening our knowledge of programs currently used. Narrated in an entertaining format by
industry experts and leading authors, these CD and DVD-based software training titles are critical tools for any of us
wanting to learn tips, techniques, and best practices from the most respected names in the business: Deke McClelland
(Photoshop Bible), Brian Maffi tt, Steve Holmes, Jacob Rosenberg, Laurie Ulrich Fuller (How to Do Everything with
Offi ce), and Tim Plumer, Jr.
In preparing this review, I have used “Total Training for Adobe Acrobat 7 Professional” (4-DVD pak) and “Total Training
Masters Collection for Advanced Adobe Photoshop CS2” (1-DVD). There is no need to read anything up front, just insert
and double-click on “Launchpad”, then click INSTALL (this is a one-time install of the TT application, a check that the
most recent QuickTime program is already installed, and addition of a few fi les specifi c to this software).
After this two-step process is complete (about 2 minutes), you click on START, and the video begins with animation,
movie and sound (a very upbeat beginning). Tim Plumer, in rich color, briefl y presents his introduction and overview
of the lessons, then immediately jumps into creating a PDF and making modifi cations. You immediately note that this
tutorial is for both Mac and PC users because the narrator will tell you about the specifi c commands in each when they are
different for a certain action. Other nice features are the button and slider controls at the bottom that allows one to stop or
go back whenever needed (like when the phone rings).
The viewing window is great because it's simple, intuitive and easy-to-use. The top bar tells you what subject you are learning, what part you are in, and the instructor. the right-hand bar informs you of what chapter you are in and TT contact info, and the bottom bar provides normal “player” controls with the progress slider (including time expended and to-go in this session), the volume control, and a note area highlighting the features currently being presented on the center screen . The area in the middle is a movie with moving cursor showing how the program is being used to describe the action being presented . . . all very easy to understand and change as needed. Clicking on the “?” at the lower right of the screen proves a detailed reference (see below).
The contents of the overall Adobe Acrobat tutorial include:
- Creating Adobe PDF Files & Building a Document
- Searching, Reusing & Reviewing a PDF File
- Creating Forms, Security & Optimization
- Advanced Acrobat
Each of these DVDs has detailed chapters and lessons within that easily transtion one into another. I found the experience interesting, educational, occasionally entertaining and valuable. The Acrobat and Photoshops tutorials were each over 8 hours in length, and packed with easy-to-understand information. This is an amazingly effective and efficient way to learn.
There is so much more I could say, but it's enough to say that I'm a believer in this type of learning, and have found this company to be excellent, and highly recommended.
View original at appleJack Mac User Group
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