PShizzy: The Blog

UPDATE: The trial offer has now expired. I will do my best to find a new one.

UPDATE 2/17/09: The trial is back on. I believe it will alternate on and off, so try it. if you’re in a rush, try the day pass in my other post. Remember, each one requires an email address.

Lynda.com has always been a great resource for a variety of training. In my experience using them for two years, I find that Lynda offers the best bang for the buck when it comes to training for creative tools. at 25 dollars a month, or 250 for a year, it’s hard to beat their offerings. They have training for all the Adobe apps (which do include the former Macromedia apps), as well as Apple’s own creative suites (Final Cut, Aperture, etc). I could spend another few paragraphs listing it all. Instead, just look at their online training library master list

So, is Lynda.com is a clear choice, a must have? Not necessarily. Read on for the link to the free trial (really, the best way to figure out if you want it), and my opinion on Lynda.com

First, the training varies in length and subjects. Photoshop training used to be more about Photoshop as a graphics editing tool, not really photographer specific. Recently that has changed, but it took a while. Also, they may not have a robust library of videos for the apps you really need.

I found as well that my ability to learn what I was viewing was very dependent on the style of the instructor. Maybe this isn’t true for all of us, but for me, I found people with higher energy like Deke McClelland kept me engaged. Others were the equivalent of online NyQuil.

The training is also basic to intermediate level. I’ve had the opportunity to try out Total Training for various Adobe applications. I really felt their product was better, and really geared towards someone who wants to work in the creative industry. But for 150-200 dollars per course, it had to be. Of course now (years later for me, sigh) they offer online libraries, for 299 a year. A good deal, if you specifically want Adobe, Microsoft, and audio training. Apple users, there’s nothing there for you.

Lynda’s goal is simply to get you comfortable using an application. How far you take it after that is up to you. Because it’s online, the videos are broken up into various sections. I don’t like having to click through video by video, but I do like that I can quickly cover a small topic by clicking on the relevant link. I do this often with Illustrator, where I forget as many shortcuts as I remember, so I’m always running through video snippets to remember what I need.

For an extra fee, Lynda offers access to the work files for certain training, such as PSD’s for Photoshop, and sets of Images for Lightroom. The first year I used Lynda, I had this service. I never used it. I honestly was too interested in learning what I needed to know, then use it on whatever I needed to know it for.

You need an internet connection to view the files, as there’s no offline caching of the videos. So if you were hoping to save hours and hours of training for an especially long road trip or airplane ride, try again. Lynda offers them for some courses, with a per course fee of about 100 dollars for a DVD. No thanks.

In a nutshell, Lynda is a great idea, but far from perfect. It offers basic training, which may not be enough for you. It offers a huge library of application training, but you may not use them all (I basically stick to Adobe, Apple stuff, Cinema 4D, and soon the WordPress training). It has a ton of videos, but no way to view them on anything but a laptop or desktop, maybe a netbook (mental note: get a netbook). And to me, the training really depends on the trainer. You may just soak in the knowledge regardless.

So uh, why am I recommending them? Because, as imperfect as it is, it’s still useful. Lynda is always on top of new versions of applications, even using beta versions to display the new features. This is great when evaluating whether or not you need the upgrade. They’re great about adding new applications. They just added WordPress training. I would have loved that 8 months ago, when PShizzy.com was born, but hey, I’m still gonna view it. All of the new and extra training is including in your monthly/yearly fee. Instead of having to shell out some money to buy a book (so 1986…) or get a new training DVD, I just log in, find the new stuff, and view.

But maybe you’re a book learner. Maybe you want HD quality video. Maybe you want specific training for a specific app to get you up to speed at an advanced level. Maybe Lynda isn’t for you. Why not try it out for yourself first, for one week, for free. Click the yellow link below. UPDATE: The trial offer has expired.

UPDATE 2/17/09: The trial is back on. I believe it will alternate on and off, so try it. if you’re in a rush, try the day pass in my other post. Remember, each one requires an email address.

Click Here for the Trial: Welcome, Fans of Deke.

If you’re a user of the service, please feel free to comment. Questions? Email me.

Tags: business, general, photoshop // 11 Comments »