What is your experience with the software?

Anything in particular you want to learn how to do today?

When to use Illustrator, Photoshop or Indesign?

Print process things to remember:

Color - how many colors? What kind of colors?
Dimensions - Bleed and margins
Fonts - embed or outline
File types - Tif for photos, EPS for illustrations, PDF for documents going to the printer
Image resolution - 300 dpi for photos; 600 dpi for line art (bitmapped)
How to proof for print (Acrobat, Indesign)

The basics, for people more familiar with web design

Drawing in Illustrator

Example Logo:

Guides
Shapes (pull it apart) - look at strokes
Type is outlined
Color
Size

Basic drawing exercise — a skull! This will help you learn the pen tool.

Make road maps — turn lines into brushes

3-D text effects tutorial on Illustrator Techniques

Inspiration!

Learning Photoshop

Example image file

How to prepare and save for print:
Resolution
Color
Light/dark
Size
File type

** Use stamp tool to clean up photo

How to prepare and save for web:
Resolution
Color
Size
File type
Quality (size trade-offs)

Example layered file

Layers
Masks
Layer style