N.E.D. 3, (Nonlinear Educating Device) is the Software Tutorial-Video Player to which you can download, organize, learn and burn your tutorials — all from one very elegant interface. N.E.D. runs under Mac OS X 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, and Windows XP and Vista. macProVideo.com, makers of software video tutorials, allows the teacher to come to the student. There are very clear steps to download N.E.D., and within minutes you can begin to view your tutorial. The voiceover is clear. All are certified instructors, high level technical authors, and Grammy award winning producers; the courses are attention grabbers because they are broken into short clips; the video resolution is excellent; the view window is quite large although it will not 'fit to screen.' Within NED you find detailed menu systems, you can search for videos with keywords, can go to the Forums for Q & A, all of which makes education fun to learn.

The library includes titles like Photoshop, iMovie '09, OS X, Aperture, Dreamweaver, Pro Tools, and many, many more. According to Martin Sitter, Founder and Publisher of Nonlinear Educating Inc., there are currently over 100 titles and more excellent content is a serious commitment. You can also buy bundles or make your own bundle. You may choose from using the download method with a 10% discount or a deliverable DVD-ROM.

Video tutorials are the best way to keep the planet green by saving gas and are a great time saver by keeping us at home instead of driving to a traditional classroom. One can pace oneself with lessons for the beginner and move to a more advanced level when ready.

I found Photoshop CS4 101: Core Photoshop CS4 one of the best tutorials I've seen. The course is thorough, and easy to follow along with, using my copy of Photoshop as the instructions are given. I was happy that Jim Kanter did not have a British accent like some voiceovers from other companies. I get stressed out listening to them. He was very easy to understand and to follow — not too fast and not too slow. He gets to the point without wasting time. Photoshop CS4 105:Digital Photography Workflows with Dan Moughamian (sans accent) is full of cool tips for the photographer who wants to improve images after the shoot. This tutorial also includes thorough lessons on Bridge and the Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

I found that I needed to get used to the way N.E.D. works. Downloading it from the website was not as intuitive as I expected. But once you understand N.E.D., it does so much more than the usual players from other video vendors, which makes it a significantly better player. I highly recommend N.E.D. Oh, and one more thing, keep an eye out for NEDI from the App Store to view tutorials on your iPhone. I am excited about this feature.