First is lynda.com. This website has got to be the best for online training. If there is software that you use for creative productions then there is probably a set of video tutorials on the site. The host are experts on their particular software. Some have better delivery than others, but I have always learned a lot from each of them. Sometimes the lessons can be even too in depth. If you are looking for a quick five minute tutorial then this is probably not the place. If you are looking for hours of hands on training then you have found the perfect match. This is a pay service, so you will have to sign up for use. There are different levels for different amounts of money, I wind up paying $25 a month for unlimited access to the online videos.

Next is going to the company websites. Adobe has a great tutorial site with lots of information about their products. Apple also has some good information on their site for Final Cut Studio. Both of these are free resources, but they do not go very deep into their products. If you are looking for official training, both Apple and Adobe have certified training available for a cost. These are done at authorized training centers and you will get a certificate at the end saying that you know your stuff.

Other resources are community websites. Creative Cow has a lot of tutorials that go into detail about how to do a specific effect. They are usually pretty informative if you already know the basics of the application. Ken Stone also has a lot of information about final cut pro and other related material on his site.

Total Training is a website that sells DVDs and has some online training for Adobe and Microsoft products. I used their videos back in the day to learn After Effects. Very good tutorials with a lot of useful information. You will also find good book out there on specific products. Focal Press provides a lot of information in books about film/video making, photography, audio and animation. Their books are used by many people as the go to resource for learning a new skill. They include sample files with their books and also access to their online extras with each book. There are also some free “tips and tools” that you might want to take advantage of.

I also found that I learned a lot when I went to the Chicago Final Cut Pro User Group. If you are lucky, there will be a group near you.

Post your resources if you have other good links.