Online courses are a wealth of knowledge and an easy way to get to know some of the amazing programs available to you. Class On Demand has done a terrific job of creating easy to use training for nearly every bit of software we microfilmmakers will ever get our hands on. In "Getting Started with Adobe CS5 Production Premium" users are given overviews on each of the 12 powerful programs within the creative suite as well as some info on 3rd party plug ins, stock footage, and recommended hardware.
Instructor Tim Kolb leads the training.
Comprehension
This set of training videos is clear and concise, led by Tim Kolb and his knowledgeable team of instructors. Each video is only as long as it needs to be, not set to specific time parameters or slowly chunking along for no reason. You are able to glean all of the information on each of the 12 CS5 programs without any extra fluff to slow you down.
It's important to note that this is not a complete training for CS5, which does exist within the Class on Demand website. If you are expecting a step by step 'how to' on each of the programs this is not for you. This training program gives a basic overview of each piece of software while highlighting some of the new features and creating a sample project.
Using the rotobrush in AfterEffects.
Depth of Information
Most of the videos give you a fairly basic understanding of the various CS5 programs which is all you really need. The video about photoshop is possibly a little too brief, but it certainly gets you started. It mainly focuses on the new tools rather than giving you a true fresh start. I could say the same thing for the Illustrator training video, but I noticed it more for Photoshop since I'm not particularly great with it to begin with. It would probably be smart for me to take a Complete Training for Photoshop course, but so far I've skated around needing to use it.
The Premiere Pro training on the other hand is chock full of valuable information, and is even split into two videos for those who want to skip the basics of video editing and learn more about the new interface and Mercury playback engine. This is probably the most well-thought out of all of the videos, and gives you more than just 'getting started' knowledge. Having known about the new features of CS5 for quite some time I can say that I was never really interested in Premiere Pro. However, learning on this training series how Dynamic Link can be used between the suite has certainly changed my mind. If you ever need to do precision timing with FX work, it could be your saving grace.
Reusability
I'm not the type of person that would normally watch all of these videos from start to finish unless I have to write about them. Having the ability to go back and watch a video that explains each of the programs when I need to know what they are all about is great. I also find that the sample projects usually showcase some technique that I think is cool, but can never remember the details of when I decide I want to use it. Coming back to the videos to check out those techniques once again is very helpful.
Learning how to use Premiere Pro.
Value Vs. Cost
The "Getting Started" training pack is $149.95 which isn't bad, but it is also available in the Adobe Super Class Pack for $569.95. Both are good value, but if you want serious training I highly recommend the Super Class. It will give you hours of in-depth training on the important Adobe programs as well as Trapcode Particular which can be difficult to manipulate without training.
Final Comments Know your tools. They are much more powerful than you realize. Class on Demand is much cheaper than a college degree and you'll get so much applied learning in each session that you can literally put it to work immediately.
Comprehension
9.0
Depth
of Information
8.0
Interest
Level
8.5
Reusability
8.0
Value
vs. Cost
9.0
Overall Score
8.5
A.J. Wedding is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has won festival awards for his first feature film, "Pop Fiction". As a writer/director, he has won several awards for his short films, and recently garnered worldwide distribution for a feature film titled “The Disappearance of Jenna Matheson” releasing this year. His hit web series, “Infamous” created an instant fanbase, and spawned interest from networks to create a tv series based on it. A.J. currently works with The Production Green, directing and editing commercials as well as developing his next feature film, "Junior Crew."
