Every time you buy a new piece of software you have to deal with a new learning curve. I have found a good site, Lynda.com that offers online training for a wide range of software titles. I used it to speed up my learning curve on Adobe’s Captivate which I am using to record flash movies of my desktop for my online course.

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Lynda seeks out an expert in each software title and the expert walks you through a series of movies (with narration) that show you how to use all the features of the software. Each video is between 3-10 minutes long and covers a particular feature. There is a detailed outline of the videos so you can go straight to the feature you want to see.

You can buy a single course, but they offer a $25 a month “all you can eat” type subscription. This option gives you unlimited access to their entire inventory. You can jump in and subscribe for a couple of months to get the training you need and then stop the subscription at any point.

Below is an excerpt from Lynda’s website:

Lynda.com is an award-winning provider of educational materials, including Hands-On Training™ instructional books, the Online Training Library®, CD- and DVD-based video training, and events for creative designers, instructors, students, and hobbyists. The lynda.com Online Training Library® and CD-ROM titles include such subjects as Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, Office, digital photography, Web design, digital video, and many others. lynda.com’s all-star team of trainers and teachers provides comprehensive and unbiased movie-based training to an international membership of tens of thousands of subscribers. Considering the speed at which technology evolves, the Online Training Library® is a great solution for keeping your skills current. Library subscriptions begin as low as $25 a month, with no long-term commitment required.