Getting started with Scribus

[a.l.e]

I'm creating this thread to discuss the creation of a set of good tutorials to help people get started with Scribus.

At the end of the process, the goal is to have a sticky post at the top of this thread that links to the good stuff.
(or, if we're very lucky, to link to the good ones that already exist!)

I'd like to set two rules for this thread:

- Let's try to keep each post about one single topic (and as short as possible)
- Only quote minimal parts of past posts (or, even better, just introduce what you are talking about with your own words and avoid quoting)

[a.l.e]

What already exists

As you probably know, the only document I'm comfortable to linnk is the Flossmanuals Hands On

For some time I've been trying to recreate it as a (set of) stand alone document(s), instead of it being part of the introduction of a longer manual.
I will post later today more details about my plans and the status of this effort

What are the introduction manuals/videos you like / would suggest / would use as a starting block for creating new material?

[a.l.e]

What is the target output?

- Html documents with the tesxt version as the main output
- Epub / Pdf manuals
- Printed manuals (print on demand?)
- Animated Gifs / Short videos showing one task at a time
- Beginners tutorials for typical tasks (leaflet, book, newspaper, ...)
- Longer (but not too long) videos showing what is in the written tutorials (people love Youtube...)
- Raw material for further manuals / for helping other people doing good tutorials

Personally, I would document Scribus 1.5 and eventually produce a 1.4 manual by removing what is not in that version...

And I would use a well known license that is as liberal as possible (CC-BY... or CC-BY-SA...)

Any thoughts?

[a.l.e]

As a starting point for the discussion I'd like to present a set of three documents I've been working on:

- First Steps: explaining how to configure Scribus (and, at the same time, where to find the most important things)
- The First Document: create your first document (probably heavily based on the Flossmanual's  "Hands On")
- Working with Scribus ("The Second Steps"): short introduction on typical tasks / workflows with Scribus, with links to more exhaustive documentation for each topic)

Of the three documents, only the "First Steps" already exists as a work in progress in a github repository:
- Introduction
- Requirements
- The first run
- Cleanup the user interface
- More preferences tweaks
- Trying out Scribus
- Things that might be bothering you...
- Getting in touch
- Getting Scribus

What do you think about it?
Comments, corrections, improvements, and so on are welcome as tickets in the Github repository, as comments in here and / or as pull requests.

[CarolynPMeyer]

A good manual is very much needed for the new Scribus user. Has yours manual been completed and is it available? I am a beginner with Scribus and am having a struggle finding the information I need to complete my projects. Thank you. Carolyn

[tim_occ]

For beginners, I can recommend a video tutorial series on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBHh8aUB34s&list=PLHl8nuacOfLK709_hb3ViX3Nef9WchSQH

[jeepe]

What do you think about it?

Hi!

A good tutorial book, as it exists for Libreoffice, is a key thing, absolutely! So, even bringing this up is a very cool, strategic move already!

I have checked the first 3/4 docs at github...
and my impression is: lots of space for improvement! (this is good news)


The "problem" with these texts is that they start in the void...
somewhere far-far off...

So, suggestion #1:  a tutorial should be written linearly!
from the first chapter on...

The linked "Introduction" chapter is, strangely, only an introduction to the manual itself (that doesn't exist yet) ...
I'm talking about an introduction to Scribus, of course

Suggestion #2:  let's start with "the" introduction chapter!


Suggestion #3: let's speak to 2 types of Scribus users...

people working on their first projects... -- free and creative individuals, at the beginning of their Scribus journey..

seasoned book editors / typographers / layout designers... working in teams / in professional context, having used other software already...


my suggestion for a title: can I trust Scribus with my project?  (an introduction)


In this chapter, I'd like to read about the workflow...
including what role to give Inkscape ... and even Gimp ... and what role Scribus is adequate for...

I would also like to read about Libreoffice being compared to Scribus...

And all this on two levels -- for the free creative individuals, and the seasoned ones working in professional context...

The "trust" question, I  believe, is a very basic one, cause this is what happens when someone tries Scribus... a decision is being made... based on the experiment and the impressions...

And I would emphasize that Scribus is a very robust, stable "application", and that it is highly sophisticated... meaning that artistic / professional vision never has to bump into a wall, anything is possible, and possibly much more than you  can imagine at once


I believe that a PDF would be the good format, as opposed to an online "library" -- which is a good thing otherwise!! And the tutorial, or "handbook" could have version numbers, too...


Well, this is what I think