What do you use to create tutorials?

[x_phoenician]

Dare I ask? To most of you this probably sounds like a dumb question but I'm asking anyway.
I know the end result is a pdf file but what do you use to make the originals?

And, how do you get good shots while working? Is someone standing over your shoulder with a camera snapping pics or do you use a video camera and take stills from the video? I'm thinking pics from a video would be lower quality and not as sharp. I'm so clueless about this subject. :oops:

[Laura B]

I create in WORD.

I use my camera on a tripod (shooting over my shoulder) with a 10 second timer.

[Frit Diva]

I also create in Word, but it never occurred to me that I could set the camera up on a timer... can you set it to take a photo every ten seconds, or do you set up the shot and then set the timer? I guess either way would work..... Thanks Laura! The photos are by far the most challenging part of creating a tutorial, at least for me~


Jo

[Moth]

I create the original in Word, then I use PrimoPDF to convert it into a pdf file.

As for the pictures, I set my camera up on a tripod behind my right shoulder. I lift the bead within macro range of the lens for each step and use the timer to take the shot. I think the most important thing is good focus and lack of background noise---get all the stuff off your bench, it's very distracting.

For action shots or when I'm showing something IN the flame, I have the lens from a broken pair of didymium glasses taped to my camera to cut the soda flare. For these kinds of pictures I move the tripod to be between me and the torch. It actually has a better view than I have. LOL

Hope that helps.
~~Mary

[Laura B]

I also create in Word, but it never occurred to me that I could set the camera up on a timer... can you set it to take a photo every ten seconds, or do you set up the shot and then set the timer? I guess either way would work..... Thanks Laura! The photos are by far the most challenging part of creating a tutorial, at least for me~


Jo

:-) You can if your camera has that capability.

I'm not very speedy so I just set it up to shoot for each step when I'm ready.

[Truewealth]

Tracy..I'm glad you asked this question..I was wondering the same thing myself as I've started playing with the idea of creating a few tutorials!

thanks for asking!!

[x_phoenician]

Laura, Jo and Mary- THANK YOU for answering.
Mikelene- You made me feel better, glad I wasn't the only one.

I took photos for a tutorial a fews year ago. I just made the bead in seperate steps- I had like 10 mandrels with a bead on each one showing each progressive step and then took pics when they came out of the kiln- what a pain. I never did finish the tutorial. We just have a point and shoot cam so I'll probably ask my husband to stand behind me and take pics over my shoulder- hopefully the pictures turn out. Thanks also for the tip about an uncluttered work area Mary.

[michaelsdeer]

I create the original in Word, then I use PrimoPDF to convert it into a pdf file.
.
~~Mary

Just as a quick FYI. The newer(2007) versions of Word have a built in PDF converter. No need for another piece of software.

[jaci]

Open Office for mac also has a PDF converter built into it. It is easy to create in a powerpoint format "drawing" or "presentation" or a "text document" (word). All can easily be "exported to PDF" with password options, and more.
Oh and its free...
I think you can get it for windows too.

[Hayley]

I use Adobe InDesign (graphic design is my day job).

[cheng076]

There's a great open source freeware program called Scribus that is very intuitive, works great, and does all the versions of pdf files.

[jaci]

OH I was playing around the other day, and remembered that I had made a tutorial in Comic Book on my mac a while ago. It was fun, and neat because its like pop up video! :lol: It can make your tutorial exciting with little work. You drag pictures into predesigned spaces, drag to adjust and add word bubbles to places. Of course you can do it other ways as well. Then export to Iphoto and upload to the internet :) I did not see it being able to export to PDF, but I am sure its possible.. Neat effects with little effort...

[Sherry]

I've used PDF-redirect. It's intuitive and delightfully easy to use.

[patienthand]

I have a friend standing over my shoulder shooting pics as I work. I use word. I am now working on my next tutorial, a flamingo bead. This time I got a piece of sheet metal from home depot and sprayed it flat black. I cleared my bench and put the sheet metal in a curve behind my torch and leaning on the wall. It gave me a great clutter free background that shows the torch and bead well. I actually slid the sheet metal slightly under my torch that is mounted on a creation station.

[Moth]

I used a black background for my first tutorial, but switched to white after people said it took less ink to print it out.

However, it was SO long between then and my latest tutorial that I completely forgot that and used the black background again. Hopefully I did enough other adjustments on the tutorial by giving 3 pages of image-only step by step that they will still end up saving ink. They only have to print 3 pages instead of all 23.

Just something I'll be sure to bear in mind next time.

[Bashi]

Adobe InDesign (http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/) or QuarkXpress (http://www.quark.com/) are great professional publishing suites. I personally prefer Quark but I think InDesign is becoming the standard. If you want a program with similar features but without the $700+ price tag than Scribus (http://www.scribus.net/canvas/Scribus) is a great choice.

[ROC]

Open Office for mac also has a PDF converter built into it. It is easy to create in a powerpoint format "drawing" or "presentation" or a "text document" (word). All can easily be "exported to PDF" with password options, and more.
Oh and its free...
I think you can get it for windows too.

This is available for Windows, as well, and it's FREE. Great programs written by former Microsoft employees who, as it was told to me, didn't like how much Microsoft was charging for its product.

[kandice]

I create in MS Publisher and then covert using PDF Creator. My husband takes the pics over my shoulder as I work. :)

[Angel]

I use InDesign - an older version. (CS) Sometimes you can find them cheap on Ebay - I bought mine years ago through my job, and now I only buy the updates, when my version is in danger to fall out of the backend of the Update-Rights-List (duh, what a sentence... Sorry...) I even have the Update to CS4 now, but not installed - never change a running system.... But my old one works only under Win XP, and it's a question of time till I need a new computer... And I can't afford the full version.

InDesign has great options to make PDFs - you can choose the size nearly at will. Thats why mine are only 3MB - without great lost of quality.

The working pics of the last one I did with the camera on a tripod, and a "cable shooter" (whats the name for that????) between my teeth ;) And I have a Didymium Glass in front of the lenses. Then I made a white balance through the didy filter, to keep the colors natural.

Bye
Angela

[Laura B]

Just as a quick FYI. The newer(2007) versions of Word have a built in PDF converter. No need for another piece of software.

Good lord... what other useful things in Word 2007 do I not know about?

Thanks for this info!!!

[x_phoenician]

Thanks for sharing, everyone.