Hey everybody! I know it’s been a long time since the community has heard from me. I’ve been kinda deciding what I want to do with this here podcast thingy. It hasn’t really made any money, and it’s hard to take on another job for free, so I haven’t created any more videos. They take a while to create/edit/post. I was initially going to just throw in the towel, but I’ve received so much overwhelmingly positive and generous feedback, that I feel obligated to contribute to the larger graphics community. It sounds stupid, and cliché, I realize, but I really do want to offer as much help as I can.
I’ve also been really swamped with new Lynda.com titles and other money making projects, art projects, mastering digital audio and setting up my home recording studio, a new band, and trying to answer the dozens of questions I get everyday of people requesting help. So, instead of responding to everyone directly, I’m going to take a question a week, and write a blog about it. There are several questions that I answer frequently, and I would imagine everyone would benefit from.
And, I know that this is the “All Things Adobe” podcast, but I’m going to start moving away from doing ALL ADOBE ALL THE TIME. This is for a few reasons. For one, there’s just more creative stuff out there than what Adobe offers. My favorite audio programs, 3D programs, etc. are not made by Adobe. I also want to be able to get into hardware (cameras, control surfaces, MIDI, computers, etc.) as well. In addition, I’ve just switched to the Mac, and I’m discovering a whole new software (and hardware) world out there. I love it, but my first Mac also was damaged from the beginning, and even though I purchased Apple Care, they wouldn’t do anything to fix it. Now it’s totally dead. I LOVE Macs, and I’m totally sold, but they should be called out for being crappy like that. And those of you thinking of switching should be aware of that, also.
Another reason is that Adobe hasn’t been as friendly as you would think that they would be to us. They shut down one of our videos on YouTube (the one that told you how to PURCHASE their software LEGALLY - smart move, Adobe!). There are also some random Adobe people on the After Effects team that have it out for me, for whatever reason, trying to sabotage my relationship with lynda.com, etc. When CS4 was released, every other blog in the world got props and a link, but we here at the All Things Adobe Podcast (even with over a half million hits in our first year) were totally shut out of the loop. Not even a mention.
Don’t get me wrong. I still love our beloved After Effects, as well as Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, Encore, OnLocation, and so on. I even love the boring programs (InDesign, Acrobat, etc.). But there’s a bigger (hopefully friendlier) world of creative software out there that needs to be able to be discussed as well.
I apologize for being such a turd and not contributing more. But I think blogs are the perfect forum for me to get more info out there to you all. I want to do what I can to help out. I can’t individually train any of you in anything, but hopefully this blog will help.
Lynda.com is also getting too big to have me doing all the training that I would like to do with them, so I’ll probably be creating and selling my own training on this website later this year (even though ALL of my After Effects training will still be on lynda.com, unless they decide to get a new After Effects author for CS5). E-mail me at chad [at] chadandtoddcast.com with requests for blog topics if you’re stuck and want me to blog about something!
Seriously - thank you all so much for all of your kind words. My goal is to create a really large, thriving, creative community through this blog. I’m currently recording After Effects CS4 Beyond the Basics for lynda.com, but I plan on posting my first “real” blog within the next week or so. Thanks again everybody! -Chad
P.S. Check out my new book, The After Effects Illusionist on sale now! It’s by Focal Press, which was the most AWESOME publisher to work with EVER!
I’m really excited about my new book- Search Engine Optimization for Flash. The book shows how to optimize Flash based websites to rank higher in search engine results. As an effort to promote this book, we’re giving away a free copy through this site.
It’s Thursday, which aside from being awesome because it’s the day before Friday, means we’ve dropped another sweet addition into our discount training collection. This week, it’s Flash CS3 Professional: Creating Games for the Wii, a quick and amazing guide to developing Flash content that is playable through the Wii’s Internet Channel. Buying this product new, you’ll pay $49.95, and be glad you did. From us, you’ll make out like a bandit for only $39.95!
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