Of course, the main tool of the commercial graphics world is software and any competent professional has to be able to list numerous programs in his/her toolbox. But, do they really know all of these programs, or just know enough to get a job done? Usually, the latter applies.

As a teacher with almost a decade of experience training graphics professionals, Steve can't afford the luxury of "sort of" knowing a subject. When teaching software at multiple skill levels, any question is fair game. Any function of the program, open to discussion; any formatting issue, basis for a group conversation.

The following is a list of software Steve is knowledgeable in. Unless specifically noted, assume the latest version of each.

Graphics and Desktop Publishing:
-   Quark Xpress
-   Adobe Photoshop
-   Adobe Illustrator
-   Adobe InDesign
-   Macromedia Freehand

Animation and Multimedia:
-   Macromedia (Adobe) Flash
-   Macromedia (Adobe) Fireworks
-   Adobe ImageReady
-   Apple Final Cut Pro
-   Autodesk Cleaner
-   Sound Forge Sound Master
-   Digidesign ProTools

Business Presentation:
-   Microsoft Powerpoint
-   Adobe Acrobat

HTML:
-    Adobe Go Live!
-    Macromedia (Adobe) Dreamweaver
-    Bare Bones BB Edit

Administrative:
-    Microsoft Word
-    Microsoft Excel
-    Filemaker Pro

Following is a partial list of stuff we "sort of" know - things we've dabbled with and could, if necessary, produce with:
-   Adobe Premiere
-   Adobe After Effects



Note: If you're looking for a specific piece of software and don't find it listed, don't give up hope. Just ask, you might be surprised by the answer.