Adobe Creative Suite CS4: Design Bootcamp

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Course Overview

CS4 Design Bootcamp is a blended learning course that combines 5 days of instructor led classroom based training with a wide range of online training modules made up of video based presentations done by our instrucutors, sample and exercise files, instructor led support forums, and real world examples.

The course primarily focuses on Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator as these are the 3 core products in the CS4 Design Suite however it also touches on other aspects of the suite such as Bridge, DreamWeaver, Flash and Fireworks.

The classroom based modules can either be completed at our fully equipped London training centre or at your own facility, whilst the online modules can be completed from anywhere with a suitable computer and internet connection.

This course has been classified as IT End User Training.

Audience

Creative Professionals who are using the CS4 Design Suite (Std or Pro) and want to learn to make the most of it by using the software properly, applying best practice and leveraging the extensive range of features and possibilities offered by this great package.

Skills Gained

Upon successful completion of our CS4 Design Bootcamp, students are able to use Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator to undertake relevant creative design tasks such as digital image creation and manipulation, vector image creation and manipulation and layout and desktop publishing tasks as well as a range of other duties.

Course Outline

Photoshop Classroom Modules

General Interface

• How the panels work

docking

panel groups

document tabbing

• Creating/Saving workspaces

• The Application bar

N-up display

Canvas rotation

• Basic shortcuts

Exploring Photoshop

• Explore the Photoshop Environment
• Using Photoshop Workspaces
• Customise Menus
• Explore Adobe Bridge
• Photoshop preferences

Painting and Retouching Images

• Learning about Colour

Basic colour theory

Kuler

• Learning the Brush tool
• Retouching Images
• Create a Gradient
• Using the History Brush tool
• Using the clone and healing tools
• Blurring/Sharpening
• Dodge and Burn

Enhancing an Image

• Adjust the Tonal Range of an Image
• Using Adjustments
• Working with the Adustments panel
• Work with Filters
• Smart filters

Working with Layers and Selections

• Create and Use Layers
• Create and Use Smart Objects
• Create Layer Styles
• Work with Multiple Layers
• Create and Modify Selections

Working with Selections

• Magic Wand Tool
• Working with Oval and Circular Selections
• Selecting with the Lasso Tools
• Cropping an Image and Erasing with a Selection
• Quick selections
• Content Aware Scaling

Masks and Channels

• Creating a Quick Mask
• Editing a Quick Mask
• Saving a Selection as a Mask
• Editing a Mask
• Extracting a portion of an image
• Applying effects
• Creating a Gradient Mask
• Applying Effects Using a Gradient Mask
• Using the Masks panel

Correcting and Enhancing Digital Photos

• Correcting Digital Photographs
• Editing with Vanishing Point Perspective
• Correcting Image Distortion
• Creating a photo gallery and contact sheet

Typographic Design

• Using type
• Creating a Clipping Mask From Type
• Formatting Controls
• Designing a Paragraph of Type
• Warping a Layer

Importing/Exporting

• Placing and importing different file types
• Saving images for the web
• Using Save for Web and Devices
• Saving images for print

InDesign Classroom Modules

General Interface

• How the panels work
• Docking
• Panel groups
• Document tabbing
• Creating/Saving workspaces
• The Application bar
• N-up display
• Canvas Rotation
• Basic shortcuts

Exploring InDesign

• Explore the InDesign Environment
• Using InDesign Workspaces
• Explore Adobe Bridge
• InDesign Preferences

InDesign Overview

• Introduction to InDesign - what is InDesign for
• Customize Your Workspace
• Set General Preferences
• Manage Document Presets
• Managing your workspace

Designing Documents

• Create a New Document
• Alter a Document's Layout
• Create the Structure of a Document
• Developing Master Pages
• Manage Text and Graphic Placement
• Develop Layers
• Wrapping text
• Laying out columns
• Smart guides and smart spacing

Managing text

• Add Text - typing and placing
• Editing Text with and without the story editor
• Spell Check and dictionaries
• Threading Text
• Change Text Threads
• Format Characters
• Format Paragraphs
• Manage Styles
• Glyphs - where they are and how to use them
• Text inside and on a shape

Style Sheets

• Paragraph Styles
• Character Styles
• Managing Styles

Columns

• Making a text box into columns
• Column guides
• Creating boxes as columns
• Laying out a page/spread as columns

Placing Images

• Placing images
• Image file type - jpgs/gif/tiff/pdf/eps/etc
• Linking vs Embedding
• Placing psd and ai files
• Place options

Placing text

• Placing several pages of text
• What text file formats can be placed
• Place options
• Missing font issues
• Automatic flowing of placed text

Colours, Swatches, and Gradients

• Colour and Kuler
• Swatches
• Apply Fills, Gradients, and Strokes to objects and text
• Applying effects
• Transparency

Tables

• Create Tables
• Modifying Tables
• Formatting Tables

Masters

• Creating masters
• Multiple masters
• Editing masters
• Headers/Footers
• Page numbering

Preparing a document for print

• Checking Documents for Problems
• Printing a Document
• Preflighting a document
• Packaging Files
• Preview Output

Creating PDFs

• Preparing PDF Files for web and for print
• Managing PDF Presets
• Export PDF Files - options
• Creating Interactive PDFs

Illustrator Classroom Modules

General Interface

• How the panels work
• docking
• panel groups
• document tabbing
• Creating/Saving workspaces
• The Application bar
• N-up display
• Canvas rotation
• Basic shortcuts

Using the Appearance Panel

• Hide/Show attributes
• Editing multiple object characteristics
• Same appearance attribute
• Copy and paste attributes

Setting up your document

• New Document Settings
• Multiple artboards
• Creating a Custom Workspace
• Defaults

Creating shapes Part One

• Using the pen tool
• Drawing from scratch
• Editing a selected shape
• Corners
• Drawing basic Shapes with the Shape Tools
• Drawing paths with the Pencil Tool
• Creating shapes from letters
• Editing Objects
• Manipulating Objects - Transformations

Colour

• Colour and Kuler
• Swatches
• Gradients
• Transparency
• Stroke/Fill

Creating Shapes Part Two

• Pathfinder commands
• Duplicating Objects
• Repeating transformations
• Applying Graphic Styles
• Blob Brush tool

Layers

• Layers and sub-layers
• When to use them
• Layer options
• What to do with layers when exporting

Using Type

• Apply Gradients to Type
• Type in a shape
• Type on a Path
• Apply an Envelope to Type

Using graphics

• Placing a Graphic
• LiveTrace - Basics
• Expanding a LiveTraced graphic
• Editing the resuting expansion

Symbols - basics

• What is a Symbol
• How to use the Symbol sprayer tool
• Basic symbol manipulations
• Symbol libraries

Photoshop Online Training Modules

Photoshop and Animation - Basics

• Creating animations

keyframes

animating properties

animating styles

• Exporting Animations

Photoshop and Video Basics

• Importing Video
• Applying Effects to Video
• Basic Video Edits
• Exporting Video
• Keyframes

Photoshop and 3D - Basics

• Importing 3D files
• Compositing 3D and 2D
• 3D File Formats
• Using Styles with 3D
• Using Masks with 3D

Using Photoshop files with the rest of the CS4 suite

• Placing photoshop files into Dreamweaver
• Placing photoshop files into InDesign
• Placing photoshop files into Illustrator
• Placing photoshop files into Flash
• Using photoshop files with Bridge

Photoshop and Bridge

• Organising files in Bridge
• Photoshop scripts within bridge
• Meta-data and your images
• Export to pdf
• Bridge views (inc. the Carousel view)
• Search and find
• Preview 3D images and panoramas (created by photoshop)
• Camera Raw

Photoshop and Analysis

• Counting
• Measuring

InDesign Online Training Modules

Basic object editing

• Creating basic shapes
• Editing shapes
• Pathfinder
• Applying effects to a shape
• Object styles

Basic overview of using InDesign within CS4

• How to use InDesign with Photoshop CS4
• How to use InDesign with Illustrator CS4
• How to use InDesign with Flash CS4

OpenType

• What is an OpenType font
• Why use OpenType fonts
• OpenType fonts and their variations
• Glyphs
• Fractions, where are they and how to create them

More about Masters

• Masters upon masters
• Section breaks and numbering
• Overriding master items

Keyboard shortcuts and Customisation

• Customising Menus
• Finding shortcuts
• Editing shortcuts
• Saving shortcuts

Dynamic documents

• Bookmarks
• Hyperlinks
• Cross-references
• Movies and sound
• Buttons

Illustrator Online Training Modules

Illustrator Effects - Basics

• Distort and Trasnform
• Stylize
• Warp

Tool options and Smart Guides

• Tool options
• Smart guides and Smart Guide preferences
• Gradient Controls

Managing Assets with Adobe Bridge for Illustrator

• Exploring the Adobe Bridge Environment
• Applying Metadata and Keywords

Illustrator Skins for Flex

• Designing a skin
• Exporting and using within Flex

Using Illustrator for Flash Example

• Creating a simple Illustration
• Setting up the layers properly
• Setting up the symbols
• Exporting to Flash
• Using the file within flash
• Finished result

Creating an Interactive PDF

• Creating Buttons for a pdf
• Creating Links for a pdf
• Exporting to PDF and viewing within Acrobat

Adobe Creative Suite CS4: Design Bootcamp / CS4DBC