<p>I have been using Microsoft Publisher 2007 and Word and PowerPoint to make my flyers and brochures and newsletters to date (for the past 7 years). I just installed Adobe Creative Suite 6 and am trying to figure out where to start learning how to use it for my small non-profit and potentially other uses. Would appreciate anyone pointing me in the right direction. I am mainly interested in making flyers and some brochures, as well as being able to touch up and fix photos.</p>
<p>Thanks to anyone who can provide a place for me to start, preferably one that is free or I could borrow at the library.</p>
<p>I think the youtube advice is good. The high end Adobe products (and even the scaled back consumer versions) are not exactly the easiest and most intuitive to use, largely because they are so rich in features. I would recommend some “self-teaching” by attempting to do some simple exercises where you just try to do some very simple things, and just look up in help or use google to get over the spots that give you trouble.</p>
<p>The photoshop programs are quite rich, and non intuitive to use, IMO. I would fiddle around with some experiments like removing unwanted parts of photo images where you are just really experimenting and not trying to create a masterpiece. Learning to crop and resize photos is valuable too, and not all that hard to master. </p>
<p>Most of this stuff is time consuming though, and it is frustrating to realize that an expert can sometimes do what you need done in under 10 minutes, while it takes you (me) an hour to figure out how to do it. </p>
<p>If you have a small budget, you might find it useful to farm out a couple of projects via elance or similar sites. Amazing what you can get for 2o to 50 dollars out of Bulgaria or Romania. The output could become your templates. It all depends how much you value your own time. I wasted way too much time on Adobe before getting wiser. It does take time to direct the freelancers. </p>
<p>Thanks for all of these thoughts. I did work with our webmaster/graphic artist last night and today. He was willing and able to help me meet my deadline for a brochure we are printing tomorrow–2750 pieces. He’s MUCH better than I, but I really don’t want to take advantage of his good nature and can’t really afford the amount I should be paying him.</p>
<p>I also really want to learn to use some of these tools for my own enhanced skill set. I will see what our local library has to offer in training on CS6. I am pleased we were able to get the program for only $100 with a CD for my computer and one other one other one as well, as long as we aren’t running both at the same time.</p>
<p>Will hunt around more on YouTube–saw several promos trying to get you to BUY classes or videos about CS and adobe, but not much that taught me to use the basic features.</p>
<p>Your library should have a book or two on Photoshop. That program has a big learning curve, but hopefully you can get some starter hints. You don’t have to use 90% of the capability to get the basics done. If you let us know what basics you want, maybe we can get you started.</p>
<p>I think I mostly want to start with InDesign and Photoshop, since those two programs are most like Microsoft Publisher. </p>
<p>Does look like I will be needing to make a trip to the library to find a book or more on this topic too. Thanks for the suggestions. I did watch several videos last night and will wade thru a few more. </p>
<p>These tools are so much more powerful than what I was using. I will have to explore a bit to figure out how to use the various parts of these programs. </p>
<p>It’s probably good to keep the brain Celia going! ;)</p>
<p>I am happy to have this program instead of having to make monthly payments to Creative Cloud, which will likely only increase over time. This is the last software release before Adobe switched to the monthly charge and our nonprofit is poor. </p>
<p>HiMom, your organization might want to look into attracting interns who are proficient in Adobe. You might be surprised by how well-versed the young are in Photoshop and the other programs of the suite, and how willing they are to work on real life projects. My younger sister did it for years. It might also be easier for you to learn by watching someone play with the levels. </p>