Tutorials

Winter is a time when I expect to have a bit of extra time. Weather that's true or not is a discussion for another day.  Back to the topic at hand.

A while ago I added a daily reminder to my calendar "Watch 1 Tutorial". I have a long list of tutorials in my bookmarks. They accumulate there due mostly to procrastination. I'm working away and want a break before I start the section of work, procrastination. So, I check twitter and see an interesting tutorial in my feed. But, I don't have time for it now, after all I'm working. So, I bookmark it for later, more procrastination and a long list of un-watched tutorials.

I like tutorials. Most of the ones I watch are related to making digital media. From Graphic Designs through Photos & Videos it includes a lot of topics: writing, shooting, editing, effect, sound design, colouring, animation, treads, tribe building, social media awareness, and a ton of related topics.

I'm trying to master them all or even be proficient in all these areas. Many of them I just watch to have a basic idea how they work leaving the details and application to others. Know the basics of how other people do their job can add something to how you do yours.

One of my favourite things about tutorials are the "wait, what was that." moment before going back to watch that bit again. Sometimes it's about something I'm not going to do, I just want to know "How It's Made" and they say something that applies directly to the stuff I Do work on. It's that little piece of cross over that is all the cooler because it came from an unexpected source.

The other thing that happens over and over is a different type of "wait, what was that" moment. This time the thing that catches my attention is something that is glossed over. It's thrown out & run past like it's the most common thing in the world. It's never the focus of tutorial it's just a step along the way. "next you just do X, to setup for Y. To do Y you..."   Wait!   What?   X?  I didn't know about X. That's so cool, how come I've never seen X before that will solve problems and save time. Why has no one told me about this? It happens to me all the time.

I should probably be embarrassed by this (I'm not) but, I've learned a ridiculous amount from throw away lines in tutorials and interviews.   It's why I watch tutorials to the end. Even if the production value is kinda bad, or the topic isn't really what I was expecting, once I start I usually watch til the end. If I finish it and get nothing new, I've only lost a few minutes. If the whole thing is kinda of  2nd rate, I'll still try to watch. If nothing else I'll learn how NOT to make a tutorial.

If I stick it out for a few minutes I might see something that will save me time or become an integral part of the next thing I work on.


Now I'm off to watch a tutorial about making animated Easter Eggs in After Effects.