Digistor Training Centre Manager Sarah Palmer meets Annette Rays. Annette recently completed Adobe Training culminating in her completing her ACE Exam for Premiere Pro CS6.
Annette, can you please outline what that entailed?
Yes, the training I undertook with Adobe was the first T3 Adobe Certified Instructor course to be conducted in the Pacific Region. One of the requirements for gaining the Instructor certification was to pass the ACE Exam on Premiere Pro CS6. Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) exams require an in-depth knowledge of the relevant subject including hands-on editing experience and study. I also have current ACEs in After Effects and Photoshop.
Now that you are an Adobe Certified Expert how will you be using that in your training courses?
Having held ACE status since CS3, I have found that the study and application needed with each ACE exam lifts my appreciation and depth of knowledge. In a practical sense it allows me to make better connections between all Adobe products and to explain subjects very clearly to students. The structure of the ACI course has added another layer of expertise to my teaching.
You have been involved in training for many years, can you give me some background on your experience?
While I was studying the Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at UTS, my tutors felt I had a talent for clear and helpful communication which worked well with a flair for computing software. I started by teaching Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro and After Effects in my third year as a student and continued as a sessional tutor for another four years after graduating in 2003. After graduation I worked on several freelance editing projects and provided on-site training to SBS in Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects. This expanded by word-of-mouth to on-site training for the ABC, 7, 9, 10 and Sky at a time when the broadcast industry was switching to a dedicated computer-based workflow. I’ve also worked as a freelancer at the ABC on 7.30 Report, News, Lateline, Lateline Business, New Inventors and Post Production and helped staff set up work procedures for programs such as Media Watch and Stateline and also trained staff in Brisbane. I’ve worked at SBS in News, Graphics, Promos & Marketing, designed titles and credit sequences for Australian movies, created corporate videos, scientific instructional videos and web promotional videos. Everything from editing to compositing and motion graphics. I love it all.
What are the main changes you have you seen during this time and how have they affected the way that people work?
The biggest factor in broadcast has been the introduction of (mainly) tapeless workflows. We are in an era of constant change, from tape to digital, SD to HD, exponential growth of computing speeds and storage capabilities, cloud-based computing, social media, and, thankfully, the demise of 32bit operating systems for editing and compositing. Add to that the recently announced move by Adobe from Creative Suite to Creative Cloud and I think it’s safe to say ‘technology revolution’ is an understatement. People are having to diversify their skills more and more. Many traditional jobs such as newsroom assistant directors have been replaced by automation and the pressure is on to not just keep up with software improvements but to understand and use every possible means to speed up and integrate workflows in all industries. It’s not just a case now of outputting content for broadcast, but there’s a high demand for video and graphics for the web, IOS and Android devices, and interactive content.
Can you give me some idea of what the content will be for the course "Adobe Integrated Workflows: After Effects & Bridge, Photoshop, Illustrator, 3D Import & Plugins"? and how attending will benefit our customers?
In over ten years of training the most typical response I come across when I mention Adobe Bridge to students is that they’ve ‘looked at it, but don’t really know what it does” so they don’t look at it again. Without fail, when people see what Bridge is capable of they start using it every day and wonder how they ever survived without it, and I’m talking both PC and Mac users . Integrated workflows really just means using all the Adobe products together to get the best result with the least amount of duplication of effort, for example being able to copy and paste paths from other applications into After Effects to use as masks or motion paths; how to quickly save your own presets; what the major Plugins are with tips for installing and using them; great scripts for automating tasks such clean duplication of compositions; where to find and how to use common Expressions; and many more hidden gems to make your jobs easier so you can get on with being creative.
We recently conducted a poll on Facebook "Will Final Cut Pro X win back the professional editors?". What is your opinion and why?
Very unlikely. I read a lot of forums, talk to people in industry and generally get to hear a lot of opinions. Many user forums have asked this same question and their polls range between 60 to 80% against! Even those who do like FCP X admit that it is great for ‘quick’ things but you still need to use FCP 7 as well to get the full range of editing functions. Why use two systems when you can use Premiere which integrates ‘live’ with Photoshop, After Effects and other Adobe software? I getting more requests than ever for people switching to Premiere and some facilities are switching from MAC to PC. The good news is that Adobe applications work on both systems. I used to edit and teach FCP – Premiere easily does everything and more that FCP has ever done.
I know you love training but what other projects are you involved in artistically and creatively that help you stay connected with your training?
Freelance work in broadcast, corporate videos, promotional videos for web, commissions, illustration, problem solving, eg. I am often asked to simplify existing templates and workflows. Part of my commitment as a trainer is to be constantly researching and learning new techniques, software upgrades and what’s new on the market. I also look at a lot of interactive stuff and new workflows such as how to make iPad magazine apps from InDesign, InDesign to ePub, designing websites with Wordpress, creating HTML5 animations with Adobe Edge and knowing how to use the right application/s for the job. I’m also learning Cinema 4D, especially relevant now that it’s going to be a Plug-In for After Effects Creative Cloud. I think I just figured out where my time goes!