Free Seminars

Free Classes in Design, Coding, Business, and More

Anamorphic Cinematography on a Budget with Eugenio Solis De Ovando

Tue, Jul 7, 7–10:30pm ET Live Online

Anamorphic Cinematography on a Budget is a practical class that explores one of the most recognizable looks in cinema and shows how to achieve it without expensive gear. In this session, you’ll learn what makes anamorphic video feel cinematic, from widescreen framing and horizontal flares to oval bokeh and distinctive lens character. This class is designed for photographers moving into video, videographers exploring anamorphic lenses, smartphone creators looking for a more filmic look, and hobbyists curious about cinematic storytelling. You’ll see how affordable anamorphic options work across smartphones, mirrorless cameras, vintage projector lens setups, and digital simulations, with a focus on choosing the right setup for your goals and budget. The class also covers a practical post-production workflow for desqueezing, editing, color grading, and exporting anamorphic footage in Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to begin shooting anamorphic video intentionally, using the look not just as an effect, but as a visual language for storytelling. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Eugenio. What You'll Learn Understand what makes the anamorphic look different from standard video. Explain squeeze ratios, widescreen framing, horizontal flares, oval bokeh, and lens character in simple terms. Choose an anamorphic setup that fits your camera, budget, and experience level. Shoot cinematic video with a smartphone, mirrorless camera, or affordable anamorphic lens setup. Understand the difference between real anamorphic lenses, projector lens rigs, and digital simulations. Build a basic workflow for shooting, desqueezing, editing, and exporting anamorphic footage. Use anamorphic tools creatively for short films, social media videos, music videos, travel films, portraits, and personal projects. Who It's For Photographers who want to start creating cinematic video. Videographers who want to explore anamorphic lenses without a high-end budget. Smartphone creators who want a more filmic look for their videos. Hobbyists interested in cinema lenses, vintage optics, and visual experimentation. Content creators who want their videos to feel more intentional and cinematic. Short film, music video, travel, portrait, and documentary creators looking for a distinctive visual style. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You’ll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate. To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited. A unique Zoom join link will be sent to the maximum number of participants per class. You’ll receive this link one hour before the class start time. About the Instructor Eugenio Solis de Ovando is a Senior Instructor at Noble Desktop in New York City, specializing in graphic design, web design, and visual communication. With over 20 years of experience in the creative industry, Eugenio is passionate about helping students develop strong technical skills and a solid design foundation across print, digital, and web platforms. Eugenio teaches a wide range of courses, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Figma, WordPress, UI Design, and Artificial Intelligence for Graphic Design. His classes are known for their clear, hands-on approach, blending technical mastery with creative exploration to help students bring their ideas to life with confidence and precision. He holds a Ph. D. in Artificial Intelligence with a specialization in Human Performance Technology, where his research focused on integrating emerging AI technologies into adult education and training. As an Adobe Certified Design Master and Licensed Private Career School Teacher in New York State, Eugenio is dedicated to delivering high-quality instruction and sharing best practices in digital design workflows. He brings real-world insights into the classroom, guiding students through professional techniques in layout design, typography, color theory, image editing, and responsive web design.

In-Camera Creative Artistry - Gels, Smoke and Shutter Drag with Alain Martinez

Thu, Jul 9, 1–2:30pm ET Live Online

This creative portrait class shows how to transform ordinary shoots into bold, memorable images using practical in-camera techniques. In this session, Alain Martinez demonstrates how to use colored gels, smoke, shutter drag, rear-curtain flash, and other tools to create portraits with more drama, movement, and visual impact. Through multiple live scenarios, you’ll see how these effects come together in real time, from initial concept to final execution. The class focuses on achievable techniques that can be used on a wide range of shoots, helping photographers create images that feel more stylized, dynamic, and client-ready without relying on heavy post-production. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A with Alain Martinez. What You'll Learn How to combine video light and flash in the same image. How to freeze motion with flash for sharper, more intentional results. How to create more drama and atmosphere in a portrait. How to use simple tools to produce striking in-camera effects. How gels, smoke, shutter drag, and rear-curtain flash can add creativity and energy to your images. Who It's For Intermediate photographers who want to add more creativity and stylized effects to their portraits. Advanced photographers interested in combining flash, continuous light, and motion techniques. Portrait photographers who want to create bolder, more memorable client work. Creatives looking for practical in-camera effects that can be applied on real shoots. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You’ll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate. To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited. A unique Zoom join link will be sent to the maximum number of participants per class. You’ll receive this link one hour before the class start time.

Lightroom Masking: Power-User Tips & Tricks with Ben Willmore

Tue, Jul 14, 7–9pm ET Live Online

Lightroom Masking: Power-User Tips & Tricks is an advanced Lightroom class designed to help you take your masking skills to a professional level. In this session, Ben Willmore goes beyond basic masking to explore the nuanced techniques that separate good adjustments from great ones, especially when working with complex subjects and challenging edges. You’ll learn how to identify and avoid common masking problems like unnatural halos and glows, and how to combine AI-generated masks with manual refinements for more precise, natural-looking results. The class also dives into advanced techniques for controlling the critical transition zones between masked and unmasked areas so your adjustments feel seamless and polished. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Ben Willmore. What You'll Learn Identify which sliders create problematic halos and glows around edges, especially trees and organic shapes, and learn specific counteraction techniques to maintain natural-looking results. Master the workflow of starting with AI-generated masks and then refining them manually to achieve accurate isolation of complex objects. Learn advanced techniques for isolating and adjusting the transition area between masked regions and their surroundings for seamless, professional results. Understand when and why masked adjustments are essential for maximizing image quality and achieving results impossible with global adjustments alone. Who It's For Photographers and imaging professionals who already have a working knowledge of Lightroom and want to elevate their masking and adjustment skills. Anyone working with challenging images or dealing with complex masks. Photo editors who want more control and finesse in their Lightroom workflow. Photographers who want to achieve more natural, professional results in their image adjustments. How to Join The class will be delivered via Zoom Webinars. You’ll need access to Zoom through a web browser or the Zoom app in order to participate. To reserve your spot, register using the Sign Up form and button above. Space is limited. A unique Zoom join link will be sent to the maximum number of participants per class. You’ll receive this link one hour before the class start time. About the Instructor Ben Willmore’s passion for photography has taken him to all 50 US states and over 85 countries spread across all seven continents. He has been using both Photoshop and Lightroom since their inception. Over that time, he has relentlessly pursued mastery of both programs and, in the process, has written over a dozen books on the topic, which have been published in 9 languages. His latest book is titled Crafting the Landscape Photograph, which is published by Rocky Nook. He began enhancing images digitally in the late 1970's, attended Compu-Comp (the computer camp for kids) in 1981, and in 2004 was inducted into the Photoshop Hall of Fame. Ben has taught well over 100,000 people in person at events in 17 countries, and millions have watched his educational videos. Ben leads groups of photographers on workshops to remote areas in the Galapagos Islands, Africa, Iceland, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, as well as somewhat less exotic places across the USA.

Fix My Composite: Live Critiques Using AI as a Visual Roadmap with Karen Alsop

Thu, Jul 23, 7–10pm ET Live Online

This course is an interactive workshop for composite artists who know the frustration of the “last 20%.” You’ve spent hours cutting out elements, masking, and building a world, but something still feels slightly off. The lighting isn’t perfectly cohesive, the tone lacks mood, or one element is disrupting the composition. This class is designed to help you break through that final creative ceiling. In this session, Karen Alsop introduces a practical way to use Photoshop’s generative AI tools as an instant visual feedback loop. Instead of spending hours guessing what your image needs, you’ll learn how to test lighting changes, tonal shifts, and object replacements to create a visual roadmap for your final piece without altering your original pixels. Watch as Karen takes nearly finished composites from real students and diagnoses what each one needs to cross the finish line. You’ll see how to use AI as a non-destructive digital moodboard, then turn those generative layers off and apply traditional, award-ready compositing techniques for the final polish. This class includes a dedicated 30 minutes of Q&A directly with Karen Alsop. What You'll Learn Use Photoshop’s generative AI as a fast visual guide to test lighting changes, object replacements, and tonal shifts. Learn how to use AI strictly as a conceptual roadmap, then turn it off to apply traditional composite techniques for the final output. Analyze light direction and harmonize different elements so your composites look more seamless and realistic. Save time by visualizing your final results before committing to complex manual edits. Who It's For Intermediate to advanced compositors who know how to build a composite but struggle with the final high-end polish. Artists who often get stuck at the 80% mark and want a better way to evaluate what an image still needs. Photographers and digital artists who want to use Generative AI efficiently without giving up traditional craftsmanship. About the Instructor Karen Alsop is an internationally acclaimed Melbourne, Australia-based photographic digital artist. Expanding on two decades of photographic and graphic design experience, Karen brings photography and art together to create stunning artworks that tell a story and take the viewer into another world. Specializing in Portrait Art, her digital portraiture captures the personality and character of her subjects by placing them within a visual story highlighting their interests. Karen uses the power of Photoshop to composite multiple captures together, making the impossible possible within her art.

Past Recordings of Free Seminars

Intro to a Career in Digital Marketing

Broadcast on May 21, 2020

Learn about digital marketing, the different types of digital marketing, various strategies, and more in this free webinar. Drive traffic through search with SEO and Google Ads Increase engagement and conversion with social media marketing Measure the success of your marketing and understand site traffic with Google Analytics Drive repeat business and engage prospects with email marketing Improve your site to optimize for conversion This webinar will not be recorded, so you must attend live! This is the perfect way to get started with digital marketing before you dive into one of our hands-on Digital Marketing classes (in-person in NYC or live online) or our Digital Marketing Certificate. What is Digital Marketing? Plain and simple, digital marketing is advertising using digital channels including social media, search engines, email, apps, and other digital channels. The goal of digital marketing can vary from driving traffic to generating sales leads, driving traffic, or any other desired action from users. With a basic understanding of what digital marketing is as a concept, let's dive into the various types of digital marketing. The Types of Digital Marketing Search Marketing: Search marketing includes both organic (SEO) and paid search (Google Ads). The goal of search marketing is to show up in search results for specific, relevant keywords. In the search results, there are paid results followed by organic results. To show up in the organic results requires a good SEO strategy involving keyword research, content marketing, technical optimization of your site, backlinks, and more. In order to show up in the paid results, you'll need to set up a Google Ads account and bid on specific keywords and pay for each click that you get from that ad. Search marketing is like a world of its own and requires a lot of knowledge and creativity to do it well, but if you execute properly it can result in a lot of growth for your business. Social Media Marketing: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik Tok, and all social media platforms can be lumped into social media marketing. Within social media marketing, you can take both organic and paid strategies for your desired outcomes. Building an organic following on one of these platforms will require you to produce content that engages your target audience and creative strategies to grow your following. Within each of these social media tools, there are also paid options that allow you to pay to show your ads to users on the platform. Paid social media marketing can be a great way to find new customers (prospecting) but you'll need to make sure you are targeting the right audiences with the right messaging to do it efficiently and effectively. Email Marketing: Although it is one of the older forms of marketing, it remains one of the most effective ways to market. Email marketing requires you to put in the effort and get creative in finding ways to build an email list. Once you have a strong email list in place and a good strategy to continue growing that list, you can leverage that list to sell your products or services, offer promotions, or engage with your customers. Other Digital Marketing: While the above cover some of the most popular forms of digital marketing, there are lots of other ways to go about digital marketing and growing your business digitally like site optimization and marketing analytics.

Dominate Local Search with Google My Business

Broadcast on April 14, 2020

When it comes to finding a local business that you can trust, more and more of us use the information and reviews we find in the local search listings of Google. In order for your business to be listed, you must have a Google My Business account for each of your locations. In this Webinar, presented by SEO Expert Steve Scott, you’ll discover all the tips and techniques you'll need to know to create a top-ranking Google My Business listing and what strategies you’ll need to do, on a regular basis, to keep your business listing at the top of Google Search. Instructor Bio Steve Scott has been studying the art and science of Search Engine Optimization and Digital Marketing since 1997. He is the founder and owner of both the Tampa and New York SEO Training Academy which provides SEO Training, Consulting and Digital Marketing Services to company's around the globe. Steve also serves as Vice President of the Search Engine Academy, a global network of SEO educators that teach live in-person workshops around the world.  As chairman of the Academy's Education Committee, Steve helps determine what will be taught and creates the material used by the Academy's network of trainers.  He is currently celebrating his 14th year teaching Search Engine Optimization Workshops and truly loves helping students make sense of SEO. In addition to training, Steve's Digital Marketing company continues to help business owners worldwide create a powerful online presence for their brands by offering them Search Engine Optimization, Website Design & Development, Pay-Per-Click, Local Search and Social Media services and more.

Where to Focus Your SEO Efforts in 2020

Broadcast on April 8, 2020

Let's face it ...SEO is a lot of work! There are just so many things to know and do.  Doing things the wrong way gets you nowhere fast and wastes tons of money. But, if you do the things Google wants you to do, success will follow! Come join Certified SEO Instructor Steve Scott for this informative Seminar where he'll go through the 14 areas you should be thinking about to succeed online in 2020. Instructor Bio Steve Scott has been studying the art and science of Search Engine Optimization and Digital Marketing since 1997. He is the founder and owner of both the Tampa and New York SEO Training Academy which provides SEO Training, Consulting and Digital Marketing Services to company's around the globe. Steve also serves as Vice President of the Search Engine Academy, a global network of SEO educators that teach live in-person workshops around the world.  As chairman of the Academy's Education Committee, Steve helps determine what will be taught and creates the material used by the Academy's network of trainers.  He is currently celebrating his 14th year teaching Search Engine Optimization Workshops and truly loves helping students make sense of SEO. In addition to training, Steve's Digital Marketing company continues to help business owners worldwide create a powerful online presence for their brands by offering them Search Engine Optimization, Website Design & Development, Pay-Per-Click, Local Search and Social Media services and more.

Designing for Mobile

Broadcast on May 5, 2017

It’s no secret that mobile devices have changed the computing landscape. An increasing number of people are browsing websites on smartphones and tablets, so they need to be mobile-optimized. People are also using native apps specifically designed for smartphones and tablets. With these new devices come new design challenges that we’ll discuss in this seminar. Join us for a free 2-hour seminar so you can become a better designer. Here are some topics we’ll talk about: How Mobile is Affecting Logo Design Navigation Small screens can be challenging. We’ll talk about and show examples of various styles of mobile navigation. Pros and cons of different types of mobile navigation. User experience and content flow. Considering what your users need, so they have a great experience. Responsive Web Design A responsive website adapts itself across different size screens (mobile, tablet, desktop, etc.). Unlike separate mobile and desktop sites, a responsive website uses a single codebase that adapts to any size screen. Mobile First: Improve your designs by focusing on mobile devices first, instead of treating them as an afterthought once you’ve designed the desktop site. Designing flexible content that can work across devices. Emails Emails can be responsive too! How much can you do? What do you need to keep in mind? How Do I Create My Graphics/Designs? What resolution & size should you work at? How to design for hi-res displays (Retina or HiDPI). Minimum button sizes that are ideal for tappable items. Previewing your designs live on devices while you work! Font considerations. How mobile fonts affect overall identity and print designs! Guidelines for App Icons Common icon sizes for iOS & Android Templates for automating icon creation

Keep Learning with Noble Desktop

Take the next step in your learning journey with a class at Noble Desktop. Get hands-on, interactive, training led by expert instructors. Quickly learn valuable new skills in a short workshop or start your career transformation in one of our immersive NY State-approved certificate programs.

Our flexible scheduling makes it easy to find a class at the right time for you, whether you attend in NYC or live online. All Noble Desktop classes come with a free retake within one year to ensure you get the most out or your learning experience.

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