Senior Telecommunications major Andrew Hosey was working on an intermediate video class project last year when he ran into a problem.
Every time Hosey tried to view the changes made to his video, he said, the Final Cut Pro program would have to process the changes before he could see it.
Because of that, he said, the three-minute video took him three days to edit.
After a year of training sessions, Hosey said, he has become a certified Apple Trainer and works with other trained students to teach software workshops, which start today.
He said people would have the chance to learn tricks he's learned through training sessions, but for free.
"The technical can limit the creativity," he said. "If everyone knows the technical stuff, there [are] no ends to how creative they can be."
These trained Ball State students running the workshops are part of an organization called the Digital Corps.
Jonathan Huer, director of the digital production corps, said the Digital Corps is an on-campus group of students and professional staff trained in using media software.
The Digital Corps started as an idea of using students who have an "expert" knowledge of the programs to teach, he said.
Students learn how to use the software for their own purposes, he said, and the Digital Corps students work in the VIA II lab to help people with questions.
"The object is not to get stopped at the software, but that is just the foundation to whatever you do in the future," he said.
Huer said the workshops could save students time by teaching them how to avoid potential problems. Students might be working hard on a project, he said, but there are faster, more efficient ways of working.
Huer said learning basic software skills is like tying shoes before a race.
"If you don't do it, you might not fall immediately, but eventually, you're going to trip over your feet," he said.
Because Digital Corps has tested and certified instructors, Huer said, they can begin to teach students about the basic software skills.
Students plan and teach all the workshops, which has its benefits, Huer said.
Digital Corps students will learn more quickly because teaching will force them to understand the programs thoroughly, he said.
Also, students will teach important skills in the workshops that help users avoid common mistakes, he said.
Hosey said it is a good way to become better at using the software. Hosey has taught before, he said, and it helps him understand a problem if he can explain to someone else what to do.
Hosey said he has been around before the Digital Corps was founded, but what he has learned and the people he met since then have made a large difference in his life.
The people and the skills he has been exposed too are unlike any he would have seen in college, he said.
"The corps has been a blessing for me," he said.
WorkshopsFree, two-hour workshops offered in the VIA II lab
Upcoming Workshops:Final Cut Pro Introduction CourseFeb. 20, 2-4 p.m.
Final Cut Pro Advanced Editing CourseFeb. 22, 2-4 p.m.
Photoshop for PhotosFeb 25, 6-8 p.m.
Photoshop for WebFeb 26, 6-8 p.m.
Photoshop for VideoFeb. 27, 6-8 p.m.
Photoshop for PrintFeb. 28, 6-8 p.m.
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