Text is an important way of getting across a message. Without adjustments it can easily get boring, but with some online training it can be as exciting as you want. Many programs allow you to alter or distort text, but few have the power and depth of Adobe Illustrator. With some Adobe training it will be easy to learn the basics of text effects and pick the one that suits your needs.
For now, focusing on 3D, folded and wrapped text will help you get an idea of what's possible. All of these options can add heft and style to what you are hoping to convey and imbue your words with new significance, with each offering unique possibilities as well.
Folded text
Folded text is a great way to add a strong graphic design emphasis to your message. Using it can transform your words into the perfect logo or T-shirt slogan. Illustrator's rotation and lasso tools make it easy to select certain segments of the text and adjust the plane they are on to give your words a unique folded feel.
Text in three dimensions
3D text is great for titles and signs. Using Illustrator, it's simple to add heft and power to your words. The software allows you to shade and slant text to make it pop off the page.
By adjusting the lighting on different faces of the letters, Illustrator allows you to craft a word or phrase that looks like it belongs in the real world and not just on a page.
Wrap it up
Similar to folded text, words that are wrapped appear to slide and slither around specific pivot points. With some online training it is easy to use Illustrator's Object tools to create spaces in the text box to wrap the words around.
By using these types of text, adding style to your words is easy.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
What's the best editing software for 48-hour film festivals?
Every year, cities across the world host their own versions of a growing trend in cinema: the 48-hour film festival. This May, it's Washington D.C's turn. The rules are simple - incorporate a specific genre, line of dialogue, prop and character into an original short film - but, of course, the execution is not simple.
If this sounds like fun, you're going to need some lightning-quick editing skills and a familiarity with some of the best video editing programs available. If you think you have the creativity and directorial chops, but you're a little behind on the software angle, a little online training might help you on your quest to be the next Scorsese or Hitchcock.
What program is right for you? Stuff.co.nz has a useful list of some of the best bets to use in a fast-paced festival, such as Windows Live Movie Maker, Power Director 10 and Adobe Premiere Pro. Each has its own set of strengths, according to the news source, so it's best to take some online software courses to determine what will be the best fit for you. After all, when the time comes, you won't want to waste time on learning the basics.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Changing your outlook: customizing Microsoft Outlook for productivity
No matter how much you have to do, the day stays the same length. Therefore, the more we get piled on our plate, the more crucial it becomes to find ways of organizing our lives in an effort to increase productivity.
Microsoft Outlook is one of the most powerful tools you can employ to help you stay on task. With help from some Microsoft training videos and a slight investment of time to establish a system, the program can help you get - and stay - on track.
Embracing customization
The most useful place to start is by understanding how to customize the program to fit your schedule and needs.
The view from the top
How do you like to view your information? Do you look over the most important pieces first or review data in chronological order? Whatever your answer, Outlook is able to meet your demands, simply click Change View in the Navigation panel on the left side. From there you'll find a helpful assortment of view options.
Stay alert
Instead of constantly checking Outlook for that email you're awaiting, it's easy to set alerts to notify you when it arrives, which will keep you from interrupting what you're doing to check your inbox.
To set this up, all you have to do is find the Email Options button in the Preferences tab and select how you want be notified when "new items arrive in my Inbox." For a subtler reminder you can have Outlook briefly change your mouse cursor. Alternatively, you can have an envelope appear in the notification area.
To-do or not to-do
Outlook is much more than a mailbox. If you want to make sure you stay on top of your agenda, get some online training and learn how to utilize your to-do bar to incorporate your calendar. This way, you can focus on your tasks without worrying that you're missing an important appointment.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Fade to black: Mastering the fade in ProTools
Sometimes the most satisfying part of a song is the subtlest: an elegant and smooth fade. Without a full mixing board, this can sometimes be hard to achieve - unless you have Pro Tools and the time for some online training.
Conveniently, the program keeps fades saved as a separate audio file in the Session folder called Fade Files. From here, it is easy to select the duration and degree of the fade.
Fine-tuning the fade
Once you master these basic mechanics, you can begin to fine-tune the fade to get it exactly as you want it after checking out some online software courses. Do you want it to fade evenly or slowly and then quickly? Using Pro Tools' collection of preset shapes, you can toggle between them to pick various shapes to fit any fade need.
Once you have a portion that sounds good, use the trim tools to slice it to the perfect length. The Equal Power button can help you ensure consistency throughout the fade in this situation.
If you're feeling confident with these tools, it's a good time to move on to the crossfade.
Exploring the crossfade
A crossfade is essentially two fades coming from opposite directions to replace one sound with another. If you have a decent grasp of fades, creating a crossfade is straightforward. Pick the spot you want with the selector tool and then pick the shape or shapes you'd like. Typically, it is a good idea to have constant output throughout the crossfade to keep the volume of the music stable. One way to achieve this is by using the Equal Gain button to avoid a "bump" at the point of connection.
With these tips and some free software training tutorials, you'll be on the right track to seamlessly combine different musical sections.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Combining an iPad and Microsoft Office
Now that the iPad can access the Microsoft Office suite via the subscription-based Office 365, it is important to get some online training to ensure that you are fully utilizing both Office and your iPad.
The first important step is to understand SharePoint. Knowledge of this program will allow you to work on or edit documents directly from your iPad and store them online when you're done. Maintaining an organized portfolio of your documents is integral to getting the most out of your software and tablet.
Next, it's helpful to familiarize yourself with the formatting settings. Switching between devices can make retaining uniform layouts a little tricky, but this will be easy with some Microsoft Office training. By understanding the different ways that your tablet and PC display documents, you will be able to effectively switch smoothly between them.
Finally, if collaboration is crucial to you, a solid understanding of Microsoft Lync will help you a great deal. Accessing Office on your iPad means you can use Lync to work on a shared Office document anywhere you want (as long as you can access an internet connection).
With these things in mind, accessing Microsoft Office through an iPad can be easy and useful.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Ditch the travel agent and use Microsoft Publisher to plan your vacation
This summer will likely be one of the busiest yet for American travelers, but it need not be one of the costliest. According to a new study conducted by Harris International, almost 20 percent of Americans plan to travel more this summer than last. Another increasing trend, however, is these potential travelers' devotion to value - nearly 90 percent listed it as an important part of their plans. How can you travel more and spend less?
One of the easiest ways to tighten your belt is to pass on the travel agent. Are you worried that this might throw your trip into chaos? Luckily, Microsoft Publisher - coupled with some Microsoft training videos or simple online training - can replace a travel agent nicely.
Using Publisher's array of templates, you can pick a presentation that will make it easy for you to stay organized wherever you are. Also, because Publisher helps you easily combine text and pictures, using multiple types of media makes recognizing your hotel or other destination simple. A photograph of a famous museum, for example, will make finding it on a crowded street a lot easier than tracking down a street number.
Using the software's intuitive graph and chart interface, designing a daily schedule is easy, meaning you won't have to worry about staying on track. Organizing your calendar by time and place - or importing a train, bus or plane schedule - can allow you to focus on the sightseeing and not on the checking your watch.
Finally, by using a translation program, you can have ready access to important foreign words and phrases if you are abroad. Mastering these few simple steps can make you feel comfortable wherever you are headed, especially if you decided not to splurge on a travel agent.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Making a brochure for your business in Microsoft Word
Sometimes all your business needs to realize its potential is a little bit of promotion. One of the best ways to accomplish this happens to be one of the most established marketing methods: the brochure.
Making brochures can be complicated in some situations - you can make them particularly eye-catching using the new adobe cs6 and some cs6 training - but you can also accomplish the task simply and painlessly by using Microsoft Word and a little Microsoft Office training.
Plan your brochure by hand
The best way to start is with your computer turned off. Take a piece of paper - a standard 8 ½ by 11 works best for printing - and fold it twice so it has three sections on each side. Decide what you want on the front and back and the interior panels. Once you have it drafted, it's time to start designing it in Microsoft Word.
Selecting the right template
Luckily, Word makes this process easy. There is a preloaded brochure template in the "brochures and booklets" section on Microsoft Online that has the standard layout - three equal sections, back and front. Feel free to peruse the other available options to see if something else catches your eye.
Go freehand as an alternative
If you want to work without a prefabricated template, Word makes this easy, as well. First, go to the Page Layout tab and select three columns. Next, choose Landscape under Orientation in the Margins Tab. This will ensure that your brochure is displayed horizontally.
Finally, because Word automatically includes a half-inch gap between columns, you should set the top and bottom margins to .5 and left and right margins to .25 to center your text and images.
Start customizing your brochure
What do you want on the cover? What is the information - typically the most important element of the brochure - that you want displayed in the middle section? Using the template's pre-loaded content and some online training, it's easy to fill the brochure with your customized text and pictures and move them around into an attractive arrangement.
For text, simply select the sample text and select Delete. For pictures or graphics, go to the Illustrations group, find the Insert tab and click a picture or piece of SmartArt or drag a photograph in from another folder. Make sure to format it by clicking Text Wrapping so that the photograph fits snugly in the column and within the text.
Eye-grabbing design
To make sure that your brochure gets noticed in a sea of similar items, it's important to pay attention to design. Choose different fonts - as well as different different sizes and colors - to differentiate between sections and headlines.
If you have a photo, make sure it is striking and gets across the message you intend to convey about your business. Also, put it in the top third of your cover so it can be seen quickly and from a box. If you want to make a truly memorable impression, use some Photoshop online training to transform a photo into a stunning image.
Start sharing it
Now that you've created the right brochure, it's time to start using it to promote your business. Pick places to distribute it that you think will attract people interested in your business and watch as the brochure you made simply and quickly brings you new customers and clients.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Getting your voice heard: Some simple tips for starting your own podcast
It used to be that getting your voice heard across the airwaves meant paying your dues with years of coffee-fetching, mixboard-cleaning and ladder-climbing. However, with the advent of podcasting, all you need is a computer, some quick online training and a voice.
Before your first soundcheck, though, there's a few things to keep in mind.
Pick a topic you're passionate about
If your topic doesn't get your blood flowing, why would anyone else want to listen? A topic that excites you, on the other hand, or one that you find yourself talking about to anyone who will listen, is sure to attract followers.
"There will be people who want to hear and learn about what you do because they love to do it, too," said Jason Van Orden, author of Promoting Your Podcast. "If you share your experiences, your knowledge and your passion, people will listen."
Get the right hardware
There are very few things you need to start recording your podcast, but a few simple tools can radically improve the quality of your podcasts. Although many computers have internal microphones, many podcasters find that buying an external microphone can lend your voice a sonorous quality.
And you're not limited here, as there are many options, such as standard desktop microphones, hands-free microphones or, as Macworld points out, portable mics for iPhones and iPods to record Podcasts while you’re on the go.
Additionally, using a pair of headphones allows you to hear exactly how you'll sound to your listeners.
The lowdown on software
There's plenty of ways to record your voice out there, but two of the most popular are also two of the simplest: Audacity and Garageband. Either of these should make it easy to upload your voice in the digital world.
When it comes to editing, the new version of Audition in Adobe cs6 gives you professional tools at your fingertips. With a little Adobe training and patience you can learn to scrub audio, quickly align dialogue, alter pitch and speed, as the provider's website notes, and get your podcasts perfect down to the millisecond.
Uploading your podcast
After you've got your idea, your equipment and your recorded podcast, it's time to open up to your friends, family and the public. Luckily, iTunes makes this easy. Simply open iTunes, click on the store (which is in the left column), find and click the Podcasts tab and click on the "submit Podcast" link. From there, broadcasting your podcast is a straight shot, although you will need an iTunes account.
Finding a larger audience
Once you've got the basics, it's time to keep honing your content. Keeping an eye on the comments section of your podcast feed is a great way to see what your listeners' thoughts are. Also, listening to related podcasts is sure to help generate ideas.
What about getting your podcast noticed? One way is to become "featured" on iTunes, which showcases some of Apple's favorite podcasts. Although it takes some work, it is possible.
Apple's website notes that they are always searching for original or novel podcasts, ones with a unique angle or podcasts that simply capture their interest. When they do, that's when they like to feature them.
If you make it that far, you're doing quite well. Until then, a little inspiration, a bit of dedication and some simple online software courses will help get you on your way.
It's a lot easier to get your voice heard than it used to be.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Top five benefits of using WordPress as a content management system
Whether you are a small business owner or someone with an opinion to share, WordPress can help deliver your content to the World Wide Web. The program is an easy-to-use and affordable online solution for those seeking to create a high-quality website. Consider investing in the development of a modern website with online training. It can accurately show you how to best use this content management system (CMS).
Here are the top five reasons to use WordPress as a CMS:
1. Price. Do you have a computer and an internet connection? That’s all you need to start a WordPress account and craft a web presence. There are a number of free or affordable themes available for a beginner user who is intent on breaking out into the online market. If you own your business or wish for something a bit more personalized, you can work with a developer to design a website to fit your needs. This can be something to look forward to in the future.
2. Increased sharing ability. There’s never been a more in-tuned content management system on the market. WordPress allows you to use a wide variety of plugins and practices that lets you link your content to a number of devices and services and share it with anyone.
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The dashboard, plugins and all-in-one SEO pack that come with WordPress makes it one of the most search friendly CMS platforms on the market, according to Barton Consulting. The higher your rankings in search engines, the greater number of clicks your website will receive. For an ecommerce site, this can translate into an increase in sales. In addition, a blogger may find their content considered an authority on a topic or an internet sensation.
4. Tags, categories and dates. To further increase your website’s rankings, WordPress prompts people to fill in categories and tags (dates are automatic) in order to better grab the attention of search engine algorithms. Each time you correctly add a post or service to a set category, it becomes easier to find. The more descriptive the tags, the greater use you will get out of them. However, make sure to not make them too specific, because content may be misplaced or rarely added to a category.
5. Community. Due to its popularity, WordPress’ users have created a culture of sharing, commenting and conversation. Regardless of what topic or service you are offering, there will be a group of fellow users willing to share quality content via social media or linking it on their own site, which opens up the chance to impress a wider audience. The modern person’s online network is vast, and every link counts as a recommendation.
Become experienced in the ins and outs of the world’s most popular platform with online training. Learn how to create pages and posts, include media or integrate some of your favorite applications like Photoshop, Dream Weaver or Illustrator. By learning how to use this exceptional CMS, you can take advantage of the right tools and implement tips and tricks to achieve a higher ranking in online searches.
Use the tools that can help promote your website to the best of your ability. WordPress offers the best integration on the market for a reduced price, and its easy usability is unparalleled by any other program.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.
Branding essentials: Create an exceptional logo for your business
If you’re about to start your own business or are thinking about modernizing one you already have, consider starting with the essential company logo. This image is a business' face and represents everything that the organization accomplishes. Every company - from the small local grocer to mega corporations such as Coca Cola and Apple is associated with that image.
Therefore, you may want to give serious consideration to what your logo says about your company. Developing this first point of distinction can set you apart from the pack of small startups and transform your services into a household name brand.
Consider investing in graphic design software and online training materials, such as Adobe InDesign and Adobe Photoshop. They can be used to create lasting images.
While you are developing a concept for your business’ logo, keep in mind the three basic types of logos – indicative, which illustrates your company’s service, graphics or text. According to WebMosaics.com, these three categories make up the majority of all brand logos. In addition, in order to create a lasting professional logo, the design should contain characteristics such as longevous style, attractive, simple, descriptive, expressive and representative.
Consider using online training to create a new logo for your business that contains these characteristics. The competition for success is great, but by crafting a professional logo with the right tools, you may be able to stand out of the crowd and gather a stable client base.
Total Training is the leader in software training solutions, offering video and interactive instruction on leading software products from Adobe, Microsoft, Apple, and more. Click here to learn more about Total Training and see how it works.