Training Discovery

Do you excel at bringing people together? Turn your passion for event planning into a career. Event planners are employed in every industry. They bring teams together to achieve goals, celebrate milestones, bond outside the office, and work more productively. This course will give you tips, tricks, and techniques to make your next event a success—whether it's your first or fifty-first. Valerie Berry covers topics such as understanding your client's objectives, selecting a venue, getting the right technology in place, negotiating a budget, and building menus. Plus, learn how to manage the thousands of details that occur in the two weeks leading to an event, and follow up afterwards to make sure your clients and your vendors are satisfied.

Take a tour of the latest features and capabilities of the FileMaker 14 platform, a business solution environment for iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Author Cris Ippolite covers the new Launch Center, the new security interface, new layout and design tools, the Script workspace, Calculation dialog enhancements, and improvements to FileMaker Server, WebDirect, and FileMaker Go.

Get more out of Google's popular cloud-based file sharing and word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation software, Google Drive. Jess Stratton shows how to optimize Drive for the desktop and improve efficiency and productivity with shortcuts and other techniques, like stars and color coding. The course includes advanced tips for Google Docs, Sheets, and Drawings, as well as best practices for getting the most out of Drive when using it with other Google products such as Chrome, Gmail, and Search.

This course describes how to create editable content on the web using the document-editing application programming interface (API) in HTML5. Author Bill Weinman explains the document-editing process, detecting support for the document-editing API, using the contentEditable and designMode attributes, and editing a full document. The course also explores some of the limitations of the feature and shows how to make document-editing pages work across different browsers.

In this course, search engine optimization (SEO) expert Peter Kent walks step-by-step through the process of reviewing the content and markup of an existing web site to improve its ranking in search engine results. This course offers a consultant's take on how to analyze each component—from keywords to content to code—and determine what improvements are necessary to become more visible to search engines like Yahoo!, Bing, and Google.

This course was updated on 10/12/2012.

Android developers who need to manage and present data have many tools available to them in the application framework of Android. This course covers a variety of data persistence techniques, including storing data in shared preferences—key-value pairs—in JSON-formatted text files, and in relational databases with SQLite. Join David Gassner as he demonstrates these data management techniques. He also explains how to use relevant design patterns to model data with Java classes, and how to present data to the user with the Android SDK's ListView and RecyclerView components.

GraphQL—a query language for APIs that was originally built by Facebook—helps developers build queryable APIs that drive data-driven apps. In this course, Glenn Block demonstrates how to use the GraphQL.NET framework to build a fully functional GraphQL endpoint. Glenn takes you through the entire process, explaining how to create a new GraphQL project, enable querying, configure the schema, allow updates through mutations, create subscriptions, and more. After completing this course, you'll have a better understanding of how to leverage your existing .NET skills—and the GraphQL.NET framework—to build efficient, modern apps.

Mastering the Box2D physics engine included with GameMaker: Studio can open up a wide range of game design possibilities. By leveraging this powerful tool, you can create rules that govern how objects behave within your game world. In this course, learn how to create a simple, runner-style game using the Box2D physics engine built into GameMaker. Steven Moser explains how to set up the physics world for your game, move a player object using only physics functions, and create obstacles such as saws, spikes, and swinging blades. He also provides an introduction to liquid physics in Box2D—explaining how to create particles that behave like water and viscous poison—and shares how to decorate your level by building chains and rope bridges.

Retail success starts and ends with your sales team. A consistent and positive sales approach keeps the business steady and customers happy. This course is all about building the foundations for success. Instructor Noah Fleming looks at how to deliver and maintain a powerful customer experience, mitigate the factors that impact retail sales, and adopt selling strategies used by the best companies in the world. Find out to increase the average order size with bundling and options, and dive deep into customer loyalty: understanding the true value of a customer. Noah also helps you understand when and when not to discount—and how to avoid the number one retail sales mistake.

Great songs often come to us in bits and pieces. A perfect verse pops into our head like a gift, but we struggle to come up with a chorus or second verse that feels right. In this course, learn practical songwriting techniques that can help you look at your tune through a different lens—and, in turn, take your song to unexpected new places. Professional musician Julian Velard shows how to play with melody, form, and chords to gain a fresh perspective when a tune has you stuck. Along the way, Julian demonstrates each technique by playing musical examples.

Part of virtual reality is generating real-time 3D graphics. This can be done with JavaFX. This course discusses the benefits of JavaFX and then gets you started using it to create graphics. First, learn how to create charts and UI elements. Then, discover how 3D shapes can be defined and generated. Once you have your 3D graphics, you're ready for controlling the camera and lighting. Last, find out how to apply shape materials and then interact with 3D scenes.

Learn how to animate infographics with Adobe After Effects! Many infographic elements begin life in applications like Illustrator, Photoshop, or PowerPoint. But these assets can be flat and boring; animation is what brings them to life. In this course, After Effects guru Ian Robinson covers animating charts and graphs with shape layers, layer masks, and stroke and text animators. He also shows how to use expressions to link animation between different graphic elements, build dynamic camera moves, and create some animated 3D infographics with CINEMA 4D Lite. To finish things off, he'll look at some third-party tools such as Cinema Spice Charts & Graphs for After Effects and aescripts, which help speed up some of the techniques you learned earlier in the course.

Storytelling isn't just for fiction; it's vital to your business, too. Storytelling can help you communicate with customers and clients, market your ideas, and solve problems. It's also a great way to take projects from concept to launch. In this course, author and story consultant C.C. Chapman walks you through his storytelling strategies, including identifying your audience, brainstorming, nailing down details, and turning your story into a reality.

In this course, the first in a series dedicated to creative portrait adjustments, Chris Orwig shows how to swap out the background of a portrait with something new. This technique is similar to photo illustration and can result in some really striking and visually interesting photographs. Chris begins in Camera Raw, where he creates multiple exposures of the original raw file and combines them in a PSD file, and then moves to Photoshop to mask the subject and copy the mask into the new background. In the second half of the course, he'll show you how to make the subject look at home in her new environment using Edge Glow; brightness, color, and tone adjustments; and lens flares.

Demonstrate your networking knowledge and expertise by earning a Cisco CCNA Routing and Switching certification. In this course, Russell Long prepares you for the switching portion of the Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices Part 2 (ICND2) exam. Russell takes you through the installation, management, and troubleshooting of a medium-sized network. Throughout the course, he provides configuration and troubleshooting demonstrations that can help you better understand exam concepts and real-world implementations.

The handmade aesthetic isn't limited to little boutiques; even large businesses (including Starbucks, Nordstrom, and Whole Foods) understand when it's best to play the "handmade" card. Kick back in the LogoLounge and learn how imperfection, texture, and personality can help add a sense of authenticity to your client's brand. Design expert Bill Gardner shows how to decide when a human touch is appropriate, incorporate free-form and line-drawing illustration techniques, use color and texture to make surfaces seem more tactile, and use typography to express specific ideas. The good news? You don't have to relinquish your favorite digital tools. Bill shows how to create this "old world" look using "new world" shortcuts.

Successful companies value diversity and inclusion. Diverse workplaces increase innovation, retention, and market share. But what does an inclusive work environment look like? And what does it mean to manage diversity? Using real case studies and examples, HR consultant Catherine Mattice helps you create a strategic plan to support diversity and inclusion in your workplace and manage a diverse workforce.

She outlines a process for creating a strategic plan and benchmarks for success. To bring your plan to life, she provides tips for implementing a diversity policy, recruiting and hiring, and asking diversity-related questions during interviews. (Compliance issues are also discussed along the way.) Catherine also explains how to integrate diversity within the performance management processes, including measuring employees on their ability to work well with others and measuring managers on their ability to drive and implement diversity initiatives.

Last, she covers "people practices," such as improving communication through open-door policies and ensuring work-life balance accommodates employees' lives and family responsibilities. When you're faced with organizational challenges, such as resistance to change, prejudice, or fear, Catherine provides tools to address them head-on.

Lynda.com is a PMI Registered Education Provider. This course qualifies for professional development units (PDUs). To view the activity and PDU details for this course, click here.

The PMI Registered Education Provider logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Discover how to successfully manage multiple generations in the workplace with Christina Schlachter, PhD. Learn about each generation present in today's workforce, from Baby Boomers to Millennials, and figure out what each group wants and needs, and how they like to be managed, developed, and promoted.

Animation Tools is a focused course that covers the basics of animating in Autodesk Maya, including setting keyframes, working with animation editors, and automating animation with constraints and simple rigs. Author George Maestri also shows how to create motion trails and ghost objects and construct animation cycles, an alternative way to loop your animation with the Graph Editor and Curves.

In a world where nearly everyone uses data to inform their business methodologies, an emerging consensus is that more emphasis needs to be placed on validating data; verifying that data-driven conclusions are accurate; and minimizing the risk that your conclusions are incorrect. Although most researchers know what meta-analysis is, few understand how to calculate an effect size from popular metrics such as risk ratios, or how the distinction between fixed and random effects can lead the meta-analyst astray. This advanced-level course for data science and statistics practitioners and researchers covers raw mean differences—specifically for experimental and comparison groups—and how to convert useful outcome measures such as relative risk and odds ratios to commensurate measures of effect size. Plus, learn about how confidence intervals are created for binary outcome measures.

With Creative Cloud—the cloud-based subscription service from Adobe—you can access a collection of world-class design tools, and get the latest versions of those tools delivered right to your computer. In this course, explore the new features and enhancements that were rolled out with the release of Photoshop CC 2018. Deke McClelland helps you get the most out of the new additions to the popular image-editing software, including changes released in the October 2017 product launch and beyond. New videos will be added when Adobe releases updates, so check back often for new information. Deke reviews variable fonts, copying and pasting entire layers, creating spherical panos from a 360° camera, and more.

Filters are a part of Adobe Photoshop often misused or overlooked by designers. Author Nigel French teaches a creative approach to filters, explaining how to combine them both with other filters and with the Photoshop masking and blending tools for maximum visual impact. Plus, learn how to use filter blending modes, filter masks, and how to stack filters to create unique filter combinations.

Now that PHP has true object-oriented capabilities, it's best practice to access databases using PDO (PHP Data Objects) and MySQLi. These methods produce database-neutral code that works with over a dozen systems, including MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and SQLite. Learn how to use PDO and MySQLi to perform basic select, insert, update, and delete operations; improve security with prepared statements; and use transactions to execute multiple queries simultaneously. Author David Powers also covers advanced topics like instantiating custom objects, and compares PDO to MySQLi so you can decide which method is right for you.

When you begin product designs with sketches, you need a repeatable strategy for moving them into CAD. This course takes your concept sketch through a workflow that begins in Adobe Photoshop, moves to Rhino for revision, and ends in Illustrator, where you finalize your model and prepare it for presentation. Each step maximizes the unique powers of each app: sketching and painting in Photoshop, modeling curves in Rhino, and coloring and labeling in Illustrator. Designer Jean Gorospe's tips help you retain the creativity and flexibility of sketching while taking advantage of everything CAD tools have to offer.

Project management is key to getting any idea from start to finish, but video and photography projects face special challenges that set them apart from traditional business projects. In this course, Rich Harrington introduces the core concepts of effective project management as it relates to work in video production and photography. Learn how to effectively match the services you offer to the project, estimate time, and communicate with clients. Rich shares insights from his many years as a business owner and creative professional.