Three Computer Programs to Boost Your Side Hustle Skill Set
(Note: This is a contributed post)
Are you looking to start your creative side hustle but aren’t sure you have the skills or tools to do it? Let me guess, all the photographers on Instagram you follow seem so polished and the bloggers have clean and professional content. Well, guess what, they had to start somewhere just like you. They had to learn how to be that good. They had to teach themselves how to create professional digital content.
Luckily, it’s now easier than ever to learn a new skill. With free or inexpensive online resources for all skill sets at your fingertips, you too can create professional content. In this article, we provide an overview of three types of software that can help you to learn a new skill and create your own professional digital content.
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe is creative software that helps you to craft all sorts of projects and deliver brilliant online digital experiences. Each piece of Adobe software is relatively specialized, so it can take a while to master. But there are plenty of useful adobe learning resources out there to help you along the way.
Probably the most well-known Adobe software, Photoshop is the leading photo editing software. In fact, it has even become a verb in its own right as heavily edited images are said to be “photoshopped.” It’s likely that at sometime or another, whether in your day job or during a creative side project, you’re going to need to do some photo editing. Photoshop will help you to do high quality edits where social photo editing tools such as Canva and Instagram may fall short. Maybe you have a head shot that needs to be brightened up and blemish free – this can be a perfect opportunity. Basically, if you’re in an industry that requires highly visual digital images, Photoshop can be your go-to tool.
Adobe InDesign
On the other hand, if you intend to work in publishing, you’ll most likely come into contact with Adobe InDesign. This desktop publishing software has become somewhat of an industry standard when it comes to creating magazines, newspapers, books, ebooks, flyers, posters, and even presentations. It ensures that all content can be viewed on computers, tablets and smartphones. Want to create an ebook for your blog but not sure how to format it? Adobe InDesign will give you the building blocks for a professional look.
Scrivener
Calling all writers. If writing is going to be a cornerstone of your career it could be useful to learn a tool that goes beyond the capabilities of Microsoft Word. Sure, Microsoft Word may be simple to use, but does it have everything you need as a professional writer or blogger?
Scrivener is the go-to app for writers of all types and is used daily by a whole host of authors, academics, journalists, and lawyers. One of the main benefits of Scrivener is the large number of templates that it has on offer. There are templates for academic essays, poems, screenplays, taped dramas, lectures, and even recipes. These will get you started on the right foot without having to spend extended periods of time editing document layouts – a common problem with Microsoft Word.
The program also allows you to build your manuscript your own way. Within each document, you can have sections for drafts, notes, character studies, and even images. While it may take a while to get used this instead of Microsoft Word, the time and headaches you’ll save in the long term could be worth it. And luckily, there are various online tutorials and plenty of help and guidance within the program itself.
These three programs, PhotoShop, InDesign and Scrivener, can be useful if you wish to start a career in a creative industry. Aspiring to be a professional photographer? Give PhotoShop a try. Or perhaps you are more inclined to get into publishing or writing? InDesign and Scrivener will help you create clean digital content and save time. When it comes to succeeding at a creative pursuit, creating professional products is the key to success. Utilize these softwares today for publishing your creative projects tomorrow.
