I have had many requests for Design Studio lessons and for quite some time now I have been trying to figure out a way to offer both recorded videos and live online lessons. I have done a few private live screen sharing sessions with some of my blog readers to test out various ways to offer lessons to people who want more help with learning the Design Studio software. I kept running into "technical difficulties" and have been frustrated that I wasn't able to start my teaching blog which I have mentioned at various times over the past year.
I have some good news! Our cousin (who visited us this weekend for the Boston Marathon) is also a computer whiz. He helped me change some things around with my computer and today I was able to record a short video lesson. These changes to my computer should also allow me to offer live online lessons, but I am taking things slowly and starting out with just a recorded video today.
This is a lesson on how to make a simple shaped card. If you have read my blog for a while, you probably know how to do this since I have explained it at various times. The difference is that I have captured my screen "in action" while I narrate the steps I am taking. I think that, once I get used to doing these, I will find this sort of lesson much easier to prepare compared to taking and editing multiple screen shots and writing out long tutorials. I believe that those of you who like to learn from live demonstrations will also find this much more helpful.
The video is just under five minutes long. I'd really appreciate it if some of you could take the time to watch it and respond with any comments, suggestions for improvement or requests for topics you would like me to cover in future videos.
So, without further ado, here is the link for the video (just click on the image below).
Thanks for watching.
Edited early Wednesday AM - Wow! From the time I posted this yesterday afternoon until now the video has been viewed nearly 300 times and this totally used up the monthly allowance of free bandwidth for the service I was using.
I have tried another way to share this video - I uploaded it to 4shared (the site where I have been hosting my .cut files for the past few months). I have tested this to see how it works on two different computers in my house - a Mac and a PC laptop. When you click on the image you will go to a page like the regular download page for a file - you will probably see an image of the Design Studio screen with an arrow to press to play. If you try to play the video from that image it will probably be either too large or too small for you to see properly (it was too big on the Mac and too small on the PC laptop). You should click where it says "Download now" and then there will be the ten second countdown. When you see "click here to download this file" you should go to a screen sized version of the video.
If this does not work for you, please be patient while I figure out how to make the video available. Thanks for all the positive comments and for the info about any issues you have with the video. I am trying to get the process worked out so I can share these videos as I make them.
(For those of you who were following my recent posts about our Patriot's Day weekend and the Boston Marathon, our guests left early this morning. The Boston Globe published the list of finishers in today's paper and Liz was # 11213. The photo at the top of this post was taken at the church in Wellesley where we watched the runners from the lawn. I just love daffodils!)
Just perfect - looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteThis was great. I feel I learn so much easier by watching than by reading. Thanks for everything you create and share with us! Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. It is so much easier to understand when there is a video. Can't wait for the next episode.
ReplyDeleteWOW!! This is wonderful! I love your creations and now with a video I ca follow step by step.
ReplyDeleteThanks for doing this!!!
Diane,
ReplyDeleteI think it was great. I am not sure about everyone else, but I had to turn my speakers up a bit to hear it and there was some fuz in the background, might just be my silly old computer though! I am definantely a video learner, versus a reader... so I think it was great!
Thank you. It's a great video. I never really understood why people did the "preview page" ... and now I do. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteWOW that was awesome thank you so much please do more. I am such a visual person that makes so much more sense to me!
ReplyDeleteLinda
Awesome, Diane! I also had to turn my volume up, and it was a bit large for my 17" monitor, I had to keep scrolling from side to side. Maybe my video settings weren't correct.
ReplyDeleteThe video itself was very informative, easy to understand and very clear picture. Well done, I need to borrow your cousin for a while! LOL
Thanks for sharing this inaugural event!
Linda (you have a lot of followers called Linda!)
Diane, that was a great tutorial! Even tho I consider myself an advanced DSer, I learned something! The sound was low - I turned the volume up all the way on my computer, but it was still low. However, it was nice to finally put a voice with the face! Great job on the tutorial! I think video ones are AWESOME!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for investing the time and effort to share your tutorial with us.
ReplyDeleteWow! You are amazing!
Oh Diane..that was awesome!!! You have me curious now on how you did the video!!..How fun it was to hear your voice!!..
ReplyDeleteDiane I dont have design studio but have been thinking about getting it. I have been following your blog for a whilst now-I guess to see what you can do with this awseome product. I really loved the video,i had no problem with the sound but it was bigger than my screen.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to do all these wonderful things.
Can't wait for more. Glad you found the technology to share your talent with others.
ReplyDeleteYou are a real enabler, Diane. I wish there had been something like this when I first used CDS! My screen was also too small to view the whole thing and I feel that if a novice was watching it may be a little too fast to follow if you have to move your own mouse - I knew where you were going and still missed what you did! I guess I'd have to re-watch it a few times if I was a real novice. Thank you for all the time you spend on showing us your creations.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless.
Excellent! Please do more. Thank you for taking the time to show the world what CDS can do. Your awesome!
ReplyDeleteFern
Very well done and I too learned something, Diane.
ReplyDeleteI guess I will have to watch it several times because you moved through the steps quickly and I have never done some of the things you were doing...
Ahh so much to learn and I sure hope you continue with the videos!
Wonderful, easy to follow video! I never got around to viewing it yesterday, but your download method today worked perfectly.
ReplyDeleteI've use DS for welding titles and downloading and cutting "premade" cut files, but never thought I could do something like a shaped card on my own! I would love to see you do more video tutorials!
Thanks so much!
Great work!! I will watch for more!!
ReplyDeleteGreat .cut file and easy to understand. Thanks so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited....You are so very talented and I love your creations. Thank you so much for sharing your gift and teaching us less endowed. I, personally, find that Cricut both exciting (I keep buying more cartridges) and scary (I screw up more than I create). I have tried to find some lessons locally but no one gives them. I am very interesting in more videos and on line lessons so count me in. THANK YOU...This was awesome and I learned so much from just a short easy card. Visual learner for sure! Have a great day and keep them coming!!
ReplyDeleteDiane, thanks for the video. I wanted to tell you that I always like your photos of flowers. You do such a good job of photographing them. I am trying to learn to get some good ones after seeing the ones that you have shown on your blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Diane, thank you for taking your time and sharing your ideas. It is easier to understand when you can watch. I would like to see a word book and something with disney carts. I have had DS for months but not managed/brave enough to put on computer. I look forward to more videos. take care ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Diane,
ReplyDeleteCouldn't get it to download, unfortunately, but I will be patient, b/c what you do for us is Gold.
Excellent!! Can't wait for more.Now I think maybe Iunderstand the sizing box. Gonna go try it. Thanks for your hard work. I've been wanting to do soe videos, but I think yours came right through the computer, really neat. Keep it up! Joanne
ReplyDeleteYour video was wonderful and I hope that you can keep them coming. It makes it so easy to understand when you explain as we see it so clearly on the screen.
ReplyDeleteGreat video. I'm one that learns best by seeing something done. Keep up the good work. It is greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteKaren
Hi Diane: Just watched your video.
ReplyDeleteI loved it. It's so much easier to learn by seeing what someone is talking about.
Thanks so much for taking the time to make this. I'm REALLY looking forward to more.
lynneguini@gmail.com
I've been struggling with DS for a few months but your video was exactly what I needed! I get it!! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteGreat video! I would love to see more as I am new at Design Studio. Maybe I'm too new, but it would be nice to see a video on what buttons you're using, how you move things around on the mat, how are the layers used, Can I Make a Square if I don't have George? Is George a must to have with DS? Ok, I think I've rambled on enough. Thank you so much for your time and efforts!! It's really appreciated!!
ReplyDeleteI much prefer the video to the step by step written out instructions! Many of us learn better when we can actually see something done and then replicate it...thanks so much for all of your efforts!
ReplyDeletethank you so much for these video instructions. I have learned something new from each one. I have one question, well many but I will start here: I tried shadowing last night. (Letters in a text box but now welded) I changed the size from the default and then when trying to make the shadow, I just could not get them to match correctly. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks for any advice you have.
ReplyDeleteHi Jodi,
ReplyDeleteI did do another video about shadowing - I am not sure if you watched it. Basically, you need to use a font that has a shadow feature. Make your top layer of the word first and then, without changing the sizes on the slider bar, make a welded shadow of the word. Use your preview to help you fit the shadow behind the welded word by using the nudge buttons.
If you just try to make the word in a larger size and use that for the shadow the proportions will be wrong and you will have trouble fitting it to the top layer.
When the font does not have a shadow, an easy trick is to cut the word twice and just offset them as you stick it to the page - the effect is more like a true shadow from the sun.
I hope that helps.
Thant was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for creating this