The hardest thing to learn with any complex software is how to get started. This is a very frustrating time because it seems everyone knows the secret… except you.
Having experienced this frustration many times myself, it is one of the main reasons I spend so much time in my own training covering the fundamentals of the software, how to get organized and how to get started.
As Adobe Premiere continues to add features, this constant feature growth means that new users face an ever-daunting challenge in figuring out how the software works.
Recently, Adobe came to the rescue with a series of five in-app tutorials that are designed to ease beginning editors into the program with a minimum of stress.
There are five bundled tutorials, which also include sample media and project files, to get the new user started. And, from what I can see, these are accessible even without an Internet connection.
NOTE: I’ve been using Premiere for a long while, but I’m still fascinated by tips and techniques – even for beginners – because there is always something new for me to learn.
To access these tutorials, go the Help menu and choose In-App Tutorials.
What I especially like about these tutorials is that they are text-based and self-paced. This means that new users can tackle these at their own pace…
Then, click the Next button at the bottom when they’ve mastered that section.
The tutorials aren’t deep. That isn’t their purpose. If someone wants in-depth answers, they should visit the Help files. These tutorials are designed to reassure new users that they can, in fact, learn an application as deep and complex as Premiere.
To that end, the text and illustrations are simple, clear, reassuring and cover the basic operations that a new user needs to know to get started. The basic message is clear: Don’t panic, you can do this.
SUMMARY
All too often, for those of us who’ve been using Premiere for a long time, it is easy to overlook new sections of the program because we already know what we are doing. In terms of pure editing, that’s understandable.
But, for those of us charged with bringing new users up to speed, I suggest you take a closer look at these tutorials. They enable new users to get their feet wet in a non-threatening manner. The Chinese have a saying: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” These tutorials help you get them started on the right foot.
