Shortcut Press/Self-paced software guides

Software skills,written downstep by step.

Shortcut Press guides are digital downloads. Each one is a PDF that walks through a program one skill at a time with annotated illustrations, then gives you practice exercises, worked solutions, and the files to do them in.

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  • PDF guide
  • Practice files
  • Worked solutions
  • No video or tutoring

Press a key on your keyboard

01/The guides

Seven guides and the complete library

Each guide covers one program, from the first steps to a finished piece of work. Prices are in US dollars, and taxes are calculated at checkout.

Beginner to intermediate7 guides

Complete Software Skills Library

All seven guides together, each with its PDF, practice files, and worked solutions.

$149

Beginner to intermediateMicrosoft Excel or Google Sheets

Spreadsheet Formulas & Functions

Cell references, lookups, logical, text and date functions, and error handling, for Excel and Google Sheets.

$29

IntermediateMicrosoft Excel or Google Sheets

Data Analysis with Pivot Tables & Charts

Cleaning data, building pivot tables, summarizing and filtering, and choosing and formatting charts.

$39

BeginnerBlender

3D Modeling Fundamentals in Blender

Navigating the interface, modeling with basic shapes, modifiers, materials, lighting, and rendering a scene.

$49

Beginner to intermediateDaVinci Resolve

Video Editing in DaVinci Resolve

Organizing footage, cutting on the timeline, transitions, titles, color correction, audio cleanup, and exporting.

$45

Beginner to intermediateFigma

Interface Design in Figma

Frames, auto layout, components, styles, and prototyping a simple app screen flow.

$35

BeginnerMicrosoft Word or Google Docs

Professional Document Formatting

Styles, headings, automatic tables of contents, page layout, and reusable templates in Word and Google Docs.

$22

02/In every guide

What's inside each .zip

Every guide is built the same way. The PDF explains each skill and breaks it into numbered steps with annotated illustrations. Then you practice in an exercise and check your work against a worked solution that goes through every step.

The practice files mean you never start from a blank screen, and never practice on your own work.

.zip download

  • PDF guideEach skill explained, then broken into numbered steps.
    • Step-by-step instructions
    • Annotated illustrations
    • Practice exercises
    • Worked solutionsEvery step, not only the final answer.
  • Practice filesThe starter documents, spreadsheets, datasets, footage or project files the exercises use.

Software is not included. Each guide's page names the program it uses, which you obtain separately from its maker.

03/Purchase and delivery

How buying a guide works

Everything is digital. There is nothing to ship and nothing to wait for.

  1. Choose a guide

    Each guide's page lists what it covers, its level, the software it uses, what is in the .zip, and its price.

  2. Pay at checkout

    Payment is handled by a third-party payment provider. Applicable taxes are calculated at checkout.

  3. Download the .zip

    A download link is emailed to you immediately after payment and shown on the order confirmation screen.

  4. Work through it

    Open the PDF, open the practice files in your own copy of the software, and go at your own pace.

Every purchase has a 14-day refund policy, no reason needed. The Delivery Policy explains what to do if a link doesn't arrive.

04/Plainly stated

Self-study material, nothing more

Shortcut Press guides are written for working through on your own. There is no video, no live instruction, no tutoring, and no feedback on your work. Everything you get is in the .zip.

What a Shortcut Press guide includes and does not include
ItemStatus
PDF guide with annotated illustrationsIncluded
Practice filesIncluded
Exercises with worked solutionsIncluded
VideoNot included
Live instructionNot included
TutoringNot included
Feedback on your workNot included
The software itselfObtained separately from its makerNot included

05/Questions

Before you buy

The questions people ask most. Every other answer is on the FAQ page.

How do I receive my guide?

Every guide is a digital download. Right after payment, a download link is sent to the email address you used at checkout, and the same link is shown on the order confirmation screen. The download is a single .zip file. Nothing is shipped. See the Delivery Policy for details.

Is the software included?

No. The guides do not include any software. Each guide's page has a "Software required" section that names the program the guide uses. You need your own copy or access, obtained separately from the software's maker, and your use of it is governed by that maker's own terms.

Is there video or tutoring?

No. The guides are self-study material. There is no video, no live instruction, no tutoring, and no feedback on your work. You read each step, carry it out in the software, then do the exercises and check your work against the worked solutions in the guide.

What is the refund policy?

You can get a full refund on any purchase if you ask within 14 days. No reason is needed, and nothing needs to be returned. Contact us through the Contact page with your order number. Refunds go to your original payment method and are issued within 5 business days of your request; your payment provider's processing time may add a few days. See the Refund Policy.

Read all frequently asked questions →
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