Luminous Works

Just finished a 2 day première pro editing class. It was taught by Navin who I thought was a great teacher. Most of the class was made of of people who had careers in media already, only I and another woman who actually beginners. I have played around with editing software previously but I wanted to learn all the functions and how to get the best of Première Pro. All in all I thought it was great. I was able to follow alone pretty well, and when you get lost the instructor was very nice about going over it again or coming to help you. He has a great speaking voice, nice and loud so we were all able to listen well. A lot of the program use was taught and I definitely feel I got my moneys worth. In just two day I’ve learned almost everything I wanted to know about editing film from start to finish. He also welcomed extra questions warmly. I would suggest you really stay engaged and pay attention because you can miss a lot if you are distracted. They offer free coffee/​tea and have a fridge and kitchen for lunch, also a great deck/​patio right outside the class room. The work space was very clean and stylish. You had the option to use the class on a MAC or Windows program (But the windows program did lag a lot) I highly recommend MAC, its also an easy fix in class. I do hope they put in a after effects class.

As an aspiring graphic designer/​novice photographer, Luminous Works has been the answer to several (if not most) of my prayers — if they offered Kool-​Aid in addition to the free coffee and tea, I’d drink it.
I’ve shopped around at various studios, schools, and with multiple teachers in an effort to find a learning style that fits, is relevant in reality, and most importantly as an adult learner — FUN. The classes at Luminous Works by far have been my most favorite AND the most helpful on this road through the unknown.
I have taken Desktop Publishing Overview, HTML & CSS Overview, and the Photoshop Overview classes so far, and while it ain’t cheap (I won’t gloss over this fact), let me repeat, it ain’t cheap, it has been absolutely worth it. I leave each class, only one or two days, with more material than I received in weeks worth of instruction in college or months at an internship.
Most importantly, I’ve left each class feeling empowered and excited about my career change.
From beginners to avid users, the Luminous Works environment is well worth the try. It’s also important to note that you can and should email Steve and Carla if you have ANY questions regarding your skill level or which classes to take. They will be able to steer you toward the right class a the right level, thus helping everyone avoid disappointment.
Great, relevant classes, comprehensive instruction, and small classes… What’s not to love? I am definitely looking forward to my next classes at Luminous Works.

Just wanted to update my previous review for Luminous Works. As promised, the class has been restructured since the class I took in May and I was pleasantly surprised. I really felt like they took my feedback to heart and made some good changes. 25 minutes into the class and we were already practicing using the software. We spent approximately 50 minutes in Illustrator (yep, I tracked the time), 60 minutes in InDesign, and about 30 minutes in Photoshop. The rest of the time we were learning about how the programs overlap and interact, etc. The class teacher, Steve, clearly knows everything about anything regarding Adobe, and was more than willing to answer questions throughout the lecture. He is very easygoing.
This was a good class because we didn’t spend too much time learning ‘theory’ and we did a lot of hands on work. I WOULD recommend this class to anyone who is looking to learn the basics of Adobe Design Standard, or get a little more familiar with the programs. You learn a good amount of shortcuts and such as well, to help you work more efficiently. This is very helpful for me as I begin to do more design work at my job.

Great instructors, very knowledgeable, very helpful! I would recommend this class to anyone looking to learn Adobe anything!

I took my second class there this week, CSS (the initial was their advanced Flash class), and was yet again pleased. the facility is ideal for intimate (8 students max) training and the instructors are knowledgeable, friendly and patient without dwelling too long on topics.
in both classes I was one of the more advanced students. while the instructors are sure to give adequate attention to the weaker students they are willing to assure the advanced students are getting everything they can from the class, even it means staying a bit after the class’ conclusion.

They have a beautiful set up in Ballard, but unfortunately the teachers really like to hear themselves talk more than have you practice the skills you are supposed to be learning. Clearly knowledgeable, it’s unfortunate that the teaching isn’t better– we spent the day listening, rather than practicing. I felt like it was a waste of time and money, even though I liked the place, teachers and information. Spend your money elsewhere.