package

Apr 27 2009

testing

Are you giving up on QuarkXPress? Are you apprehensive about climbing the steep
learning curve of adapting to Adobe InDesign after so many years of dealing
with and accepting QuarkXPress for what it is? This Total Training package was
made with you in mind–I’m convinced of it.

What is Total Training?

Total Training is a company that specializes in teaching the difficult lessons
of mastering computer software via video–a medium that simplifies the learning
by showing rather than describing what to do. In most cases the discs are standard
DVDs for use in any player but in this case, the video is delivered via a proprietary
media viewer (on a Macromedia engine) that you install along with the project
files. Project files? Yes, that’s another great thing about Total Training packages:
they have all been designed to be used while the student is following along
with the lessons using supplied files. It’s the perfect marriage of "learn
by viewing" and "learn by doing."

What is Making the Switch?

	I’d be pretty surprised if someone who was totally new to digital page layout couldn’t benefit from this package as well. It really is a good all around curriculum of InDesign teaching that is sure to jump start anyone to being a confident Adobe InDesign user even before the lessons are completed.

Total Training’s QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign — Making the Switch (to be
referred to as simply "Making the Switch" for the remainder of this
review) is a video CD-ROM presentation that runs on you Mac (not in a DVD player
as with other Total Training products). The lessons are taught by Deke McClelland
and are quite enjoyable. Deke is an excellent speaker and teacher. I can only
think of a small number of people who could make 3 hours of software instruction
interesting and Deke McClelland is on the top of that list. Deke explains in
QuarkXPress terms what InDesign does. That is not to say that only one fluent
in the ways of QuarkXPress would understand him but the idea here is to help
people in the process of, well, making the switch.

The stats

The interface of the Total Training media application is useful enough. It
allows you full access to all the lessons of the disc and the chapters contained
within them. Each of the 6 lessons runs somewhere between 24 and 39 minutes
giving you 3 hours of training on "Getting Around", "Display
Settings & Page Navigation", "Placing and Flowing Text",
Selecting & Formatting Text", "Guidelines and Graphics" and
"Transparency and Transitioning." For the interest of those using
Adobe InDesign on that other operating system, the video segments alternate
between the Mac environment and the OS that must not be named. At no time does
this present a problem for operators on either OS since Deke is always careful
to give the keyboard shortcuts and menu instructions for each platform if and
when they differ.

The lessons

Each lesson is taught with the understanding that the learner already understands
how to use QuarkXPress but, interestingly enough, I’d be pretty surprised if
someone who was totally new to digital page layout couldn’t benefit from this
package as well. It really is a good all around curriculum of InDesign teaching
that is sure to jump start anyone to being a confident Adobe InDesign user even
before the lessons are completed. Deke teaches all the basics of page layout
in Adobe InDesign CS as well as a brief rundown on what to expect when opening
old QuarkXPress documents in your newly adopted application of choice.

Here, why don’t you watch
one? I’ve uploaded a clip of Deke explaining how to change the
resolution of each screen item separately of one another as well as how to change
the overall screen display performance. You’ll get an idea of the type of instruction
to expect from this package and, indeed, much of the Total Training product
line.

One caveat:

What should be noted is what the lessons do not teach, which are the dos and
don’ts of Adobe InDesign page layout. And while I like and enthusiastically
recommend this disc for the wealth of knowledge it offers on making the transition
from QuarkXPress to Adobe InDesign, I can’t let you leave thinking that it is
total solution to knowing and understanding InDesign. It doesn’t offer that
kind of information, nor does it purport to. I would encourage you to see this
disc as a companion or introduction to other instructional materials be they
books, seminars or other Total Training discs. And a strong introduction it
is.

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