Basic, First Look Edition
Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to
use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires that they do.
This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this
course.
Hardware requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· A keyboard and a mouse
· Intel Pentium 4 or AMD Athlon 64 Processor
(or faster)
· 1GB RAM (or higher)
· 1 GB of available hard drive space after the
operating system is installed
· A monitor with at least 1280 × 960
resolution
· A graphics display card chip (GPU) that
supports OpenGL (Note: Activities will still work without OpenGL support, but
some features won’t be enabled.)
Software requirements
You will need the following software:
· Microsoft Windows 7
· Adobe Photoshop CS5
· The latest version of Adobe Flash Player
· A printer driver (An actual printer is not
required, but students will not be able to complete the “Printing an image”
activity in the unit titled “Preparing finished images” unless a driver is
installed.)
· A display driver that supports OpenGL 2.0
and Shader Model 3.0 (Note: Activities will still work without OpenGL support,
but some features won’t be enabled.)
Network requirements
The following network components and connectivity are also required
for this course:
· Internet access, for the following purposes:
– Downloading the latest
critical updates and service packs
– Downloading the Student
Data files from www.axzopress.com
Classroom setup instructions
Before you teach this course, you will need to perform the
following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows on an NTFS
partition according to the software publisher’s instructions. After
installation is complete, if the student machines have Internet access, use
Windows Update to install any critical updates and Service Packs.
Note: You can
also use Windows Vista or Windows XP, but the screen shots in this course were
taken in Windows 7, so students’ screens might look somewhat different.
2 With flat-panel displays,
we recommend using the panel’s native resolution for best results. Color
depth/quality should be set to High (24 bit) or higher.
3 Install Adobe Photoshop
CS5 according to the software manufacturer’s instructions. After installation,
start Photoshop to complete the activation process, and then close Photoshop.
4 Install a printer driver.
5 Install the latest version
of Adobe Flash Player by browsing to http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/ and
following the onscreen instructions. Do not install any bundled applications.
6 Install the latest version
of Adobe Reader by browsing to http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and following the
onscreen instructions. Do not install any bundled applications
7 Configure Photoshop CS5 on
each student computer as follows:
a Start Photoshop.
b Choose Edit, Preferences,
File Handling.
c Under File Compatibility,
set Maximize PSD and PSB Compatibility to Always. Click OK.
d Close Photoshop.
8 Download the Student Data
files for the course:
a Connect to www.axzopress.com.
b Under Downloads, click
Instructor-Led Training.
c Browse the subject
categories to locate your course. Then click the course title to display a list
of available downloads. (You can also access these downloads through our
Catalog listings.)
d Click the link(s) for
downloading the Student Data files. You can download the files directly to
student machines or to a central location on your own network.
e Create a folder named
Student Data on the desktop of each student computer.
f Double-click the
downloaded zip file(s) and drag the contents into the Student Data folder.
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
There are no notes for this course at this time.
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.