Total Training for Adobe Go Live CS2
Review

Total Training for Adobe GoLive CS2
Company: Total Training

Price: $99.00 US

http://www.totaltraining.com/prod/adobe/golivecs2.asp?mscsid=

Total Training for Adobe GoLive CS2 comes on a single DVD lasting seven hours. It is hosted by Lynn Grillo, Total Training instructor, author, and certified expert in GoLive, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. It sells for $99 US.

Watching a Total Training DVD takes you on a wild ride. The graphics are fun and it is a professional series. I quite enjoyed Lynn Grillo and her mode of instruction. She was clear, fun, and precise in showing me each step in GoLive CS2. I had spent weeks trying to learn this program on my own and was pretty confused. But Lynn took me through every aspect step-by-step. I knew a little html from past experiences, but with a busy graphic design business, I never had the time to really sit down and learn web design. Watching and learning with Lynn helped this confusing process actually make sense.

I am not sure how many people will want use GoLive CS2 as their web design software. However, with so many designers using Adobe CS2 apps, I encourage more to learn GoLive. Many designers would like to do web design but are unsure how to start. I think any unfamiliar territory can be scary yet I encourage each of you to take that first step. I certainly plan to use GoLive CS2. Plus, it is well integrated with other Adobe CS2 programs.

The difficult part for me was finding the time to sit down and watch the DVD. Yet, I found when I did plug it in and begin to listen, I would find myself quickly totally immersed in Lynn’s classes. Her lessons are extremely interesting. Not only did I learn Go Live but she taught me a zillion short cuts and little things that cross over to other CS2 software programs. I have been a designer for many years and have worked up the ranks from old PageMaker versions to recently acquiring Adobe Creative Suite 2. It has been ages since I have taken any class on current software, and learning all these little details that work across the CS2 programs was terrific.

So, what about web designing in GoLive? I am excited to finally learn this program and to take the plunge into web design. I actually designed a very boring web page once in Microsoft Front Page. Not anything I wanted to brag about. Several years ago, I happened onto a web page built in one of the early versions of GoLive on a Mac. I was impressed with the photos and how easy it flowed, and always thought some day I would investigate GoLive. I have always considered hardcore designers to be programmers, and think they will probably continue to design directly with html. But being a graphics person, I knew I had a program right under my nose that once I learned the software, designing a web page would be a piece of cake.

I must still say I think GoLive is a complicated program and takes some effort to learn. I have gone back over several the lessons a second time. But that is the cool thing about having instructions on a DVD. You don’t have to go through the frustrating part of rummaging through your notes, or flipping through endless pages of a textbook trying to find your answer. Just find the topic on Lynn’s list and within minutes it all makes sense again.

This DVD contains sixteen lessons with the first few laying the groundwork for understanding the program and the basics in designing a web page with GoLive. Each tutorial then consists of a list of topics taught during that lesson. Lynn takes you step-by-step through the program so you understand completely each one of the menu items and exactly what is their purpose. She teaches you about templates, smart objects and how to incorporate multimedia into your web design. You learn how to add a QuickTime movie, use JavaScript, flash files, animated rollovers and cascading style sheets. She shows how you can maneuver through the software or do certain tasks in several different ways, which is always important to know.

In any lesson she might show you something that appears on the page or in a palette. She will point it out and explain what it is but let you know she will cover that particular item more in depth in another lesson. You learn about tables, using color, working with PDF files in your web design and how to manage your site. You learn to upload your files and you learn to download a webpage so you can study how that web page was designed.

Something I never really understood and was very excited to learn was cascading style sheets. Lynn explains not to be intimidated by cascading style sheets (referred to as CSS). One does not have to be html savvy to learn CSS, but since web design trends are changing their approach to web design with CSS, it is important to know to be up-to-date in Internet language and understand CSS code. CSS teaches you a way to apply styles to text and page design on your website. An important aspect of CSS is keeping your web content separate from your web data.

Whether you are a newbie to GoLive or have worked in earlier versions of GoLive, Lynn will explain a particular process in designing your website. Then she will teach you another shorter way to do the same thing, often telling why along the way, then possibly even a third way to accomplish the same process. She will present what the process might have been in an earlier version and at the same time; refer to both Mac and PC keyboard shortcuts as she goes along. It really doesn’t matter what platform you are using as you learn from this DVD.

Once you have a site designed, Lynn goes over every detail of publishing your site. She explains how to publish to a directory on your hard drive or network if you haven’t set up a server where you will eventually publish your site. By publishing to your directory, you still can view it through a browser or several different browsers.

Total Training for Adobe GoLive CS2 comes with Desktop Projects Files for each of the lessons to place on your desktop. You have built in homework with files that pertain to each assignment so you can practice what was taught. If you hit a snag, you just go back to the lesson and watch to clarify. The conclusion of the DVD is full of some special tricks and tips Lynn Grillo had learned in her years of working with GoLive. Those were great to learn.

My Conclusion – A fabulous way to learn GoLive CS2. I think any true designer is a visual person and being able to see and hear GoLive CS2 explained to you step-by-step is worth every minute of the DVD. Lynn Grillo is such an excellent instructor and Total Training is very lucky to have her on their staff. (I look forward to hearing her speak at a future MacWorld Expo.) I also love having these lessons at my fingertips when I forget or get confused by something. GoLive is a complicated program and I think this is a terrific way to learn. I don’t have my website finished yet but I am on my way.

I have already recommended Total Training GoLive CS2 to several of my friends, one being a high school graphics and photographer instructor. He has students always in a hurry to learn new things. This way, they can learn at their own pace. Forget those classroom books and check out Total Training. I don’t think you will be disappointed with our 5 out of 5 rating.