I've been asked several times how to go about creating your own tutorial. Here is an article I wrote for another site that I decided to post here as well.
Hope you Enjoy it. *s*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sharing your knowledge, of any subject, is a wonderful, noble act. Deciding the best way to share that knowledge is not always as easy. At least in the jewelry world, that decision is made a little bit easier. Tutorials are a wonderful way to share your own experience, knowledge, and love of creating beautiful pieces to adorn all of mankind. Learning to create your first tutorial, however, can be an intimidating endeavor.
After you settle on a design you want to make a tutorial for, practice it a few more times. Make sure you take notes each time. I've noticed that sometimes I forget to write down a step, or I decide on a better way to do a step during this time.
When you decide you are ready to write the tutorial, make sure have enough materials to make the same piece at least three times (That is one of Eni Oken's Tips). This way, if you forget to photograph a step, or the picture doesn't come out right, you can go back and take the picture again.
Use materials that are easy to see in photographs. Remember that your students need to be able to see all the details in the piece you are working on. Your materials have to have enough contrast between them and the background you are photographing on. Also, you have to have some level on contrast between the materials themselves as well. If you are doing a design in three shades of the same color, those shades cannot be too similar. If they are, there will not be enough contrast in the photo for the student to see what they are supposed to be doing.
Make sure your camera batteries are fully charged before starting. Or at least make sure you have an extra set that is fully charged. Having to stop in the middle of taking photographs for a tutorial to charge batteries is truly a pain!
Make sure you have enough light in your work area to take clear photographs. I have found that a light box set-up, for me, is too difficult to maneuver when photographing tutorials. I use a desk lamp with a flexible neck and full spectrum light bulb when taking pictures for tutorials. If you have enough room for two of them, that's even better.
The next thing to consider is the background you are using for the photographs. A light neutral color is best. I had been using a white background for my tutorials and was not completely satisfied with the results. At the suggestion of another tutorial author, I used a light gray background for my latest tutorial and the pictures turned out much better.
Now that you have the materials, the lighting, the background, the design, and everything else in place, the only two things you need now are time and patience. It can be very time consuming having to take photos after every single step of the jewelry making process. Then you have to edit the photos. Then you have to type the descriptions of all of the steps. Make sure you have the time to finish each step when you start it. Also, make sure there are no distractions in your environment. Once you walk away, especially in the middle of the photographing session, it can be difficult to get back into it.
Now is the fun part. Sit down and start making your piece of jewelry. Remember to take photographs of each step. There will be some steps you are tempted to leave out because they seem like common sense. However, to someone who is just starting out, those little steps are very important lessons.
It is also a good idea to take several photographs of each step. I usually end up taking at least 3-4 pictures of each step, sometimes up to 10. This way if one of them comes out a little bit blurry, you have another one that, hopefully, will be perfect.
Once you are finished taking pictures of each step, take a few shots of the finished piece. Make sure you take them from several different angles. Your students need to see what the entire finished piece will look like.
Next is the real work. It's time now to edit all the pictures. Mostly all you will have to do is adjust the brightness and contrast so that the photos are all crisp and clear. Then crop all the photos so you don't have too much extra space around them. Now, resize them all so that they are just the right size. I usually resize mine so that they are 330 pixels wide, by whatever length is necessary.
After the photos are ready, open up your word processor and start writing. Remember to format the tutorial so that it is attractive to the student. Poor formatting will quickly cause a person to lose interest, and in some cases can be confusing.
If you are only planning to upload your tutorial on JewelryLessons.com, you can upload your file as a word document. If you are selling your tutorial in other venues you will have to convert your document to a PDF file. I use the word processor found in Open Office (a free, Microsoft office compatible, software suite) to export the file. You can also search Google to find other alternative programs to convert your file for you.
Creating a tutorial sounds like a daunting task, and, in some cases it is. However, the end result is most definitely worth the work. Once you have completed your first tutorial you will see how rewarding the entire process can be. You will even learn things you didn't know you already knew. It also forces you to take a look at your own work from a different perspective, allowing you to make positive changes in the items you create.
