Lynda.com - Your experience

Hi there!

This is my first post, but I've been reading a while and thoroughly enjoy the spirit here.

I was hoping to get some feedback on Lynda.com and their tutorials. I'm looking to purchase their DVD's rather than subscribe. I like the idea of taking the product with me, and at my own pace.

Any of you guys have any experience with this?

I'm hoping to purchase one on web design, digital photography post processing and photoshop.

I'd appreciate some feedback.

R.

When I registered PSCS4, I choose the 30 day free trial. Waited till I had "some" spare time, and spend a few weeks watching tutorials

No idea on the DvD's, but the tutorials are good. (depending on author of course)

Like the previous post, I received a free trail on a Photoshop upgrade and I thought it was very good. The tutorials ran 5 to 10 minutes and because you can pause them and switch the program and do the steps along with the video it was very helpful. I liked experience so well, I'm seriously considering subscribing.

i find tutorials by "total training" much better than lynda.com

after u get the basics for photoshop look up "Photoshop Top Secret"

I use lynda.com all the time (I had my own subscription but now my company has a corporate account) I love the tutorials, I mainly use it for Photoshop, After Effects and and 3DS Max. I always see the adds to buy the training series on CD and wonder who on earth would do that. They seem very expensive compared to just having a subscription account and way less flexible. I like being able to search the online offerings. If I am having an issue with some particular topic I can do a search and find it. I also find that the thing I am looking for is not in training series I am currently on. Like you may work through the CS5 tutorials but find that some great technique is hiding in back in the CS2 training. There are literally hundreds of photoshop titles and I find my self jumping around between then quite a bit.Some are way better than others. Unless you want to do all your training in a cabin in the woods with no internet connection I would just get a subscription.

Lynda.com fan here.

I really enjoy the training. All of the classes that I have taken were by Chris Orwig. He does a great job explaining photoshop techniques. I like how they break it into small segments, makes it easier to stop and start later.

I love it. You can get a 7 day free trial by using this link:

http://www.lynda.com/d​eke

Deke McClelland is a Photoshop god imo and is also great at teaching illustrator. Chris Orwig did a nice job with some of his latest training as well.

I've used them for a number of different applications over the years. One of the best online training companies that you are going to find. They are to the point and cover things really well. I will echo an earlier comment that it is largely based on the instructor you get but I haven't found any that I could not follow.

The big ace that they have when it comes to Photoshop is Deke. The guy is a wonderful instructor and is exceptionally easy to follow.

I agree that buying the discs are not a good way to go. Like another person mentioned, you might need to look up something not covered in the series you hypothetically purchased, and would be in a jam. I have CS5 but I am watching many CS3 videos right now that cover things like Lab color and Channels and Masks. I see why they don't update those videos every 1.5 years in concert with Adobe releases, because those things are concepts that don't change too much. Membership is either $25 or $39 a month, the price of a decent dinner with a beer or two. If you are serious about training, this is cheap.

blurry_image wrote in post #10897677
I love it. You can get a 7 day free trial by using this link:

http://www.lynda.com/d​eke

Deke McClelland is a Photoshop god imo and is also great at teaching illustrator. Chris Orwig did a nice job with some of his latest training as well.

Take this guys advice and use this trial to download all the videos, seems like a flawless plan to me?

You can't download the videos, they stream them to you.

Ultimo~ wrote in post #10898422
Take this guys advice and use this trial to download all the videos, seems like a flawless plan to me?

Yeah, they wouldn't have thought of that...

Ultimo~ wrote in post #10898422
Take this guys advice and use this trial to download all the videos, seems like a flawless plan to me?

Hmmm - when did I give advice to steal from lynda.com?

Thank you all for your valuable advice!

I definitely now see the sense in subscription over purchasing.

I'm going to try the 7 day trial!