Applications created by Adobe include XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Premiere Pro. With the full Creative Cloud license, you have over 20 apps available to you, which can fulfill just about any design purpose. In most design fields, hiring managers expect knowledge of at least one Adobe product. The question of which programs are most important for you to master will depend on your particular career, but whichever one you choose, mastering an Adobe application will make you a more desirable job candidate in your chosen field. Another useful thing about Adobe skills that is they are broadly transferable across different industries and professions. If you anticipate wanting a little variety in your career path down the road, your time learning Adobe for your current work won’t be wasted. Instead, it’ll help you make the move to anywhere you’d like to go in the future. Also, even if you’re already familiar with one or two Adobe products, expanding your knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud will be even more impressive to potential employers.
The #18 Best Adobe Classes
- Manhattan Edit Workshop—Adobe Premiere Pro 101 (In-Person)
- Noble Desktop—Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp (In-Person or Live Online)
- Los Angeles City College—Digital Video Editing Series (In-Person)
- Training Connect—After Effects Fundamentals (In-Person)
- ONLC Training Centers—Adobe Acrobat DC Introduction (In-Person)
- General Assembly—Adobe XD (In-Person)
- Capital Photography Center—Lightroom in a Day (In-Person)
- Colorado Free University—Adobe Illustrator CC 2-Day Comprehensive (In-Person)
- General Assembly—2-Day Adobe Creative Cloud Crash Course (Live Online)
- General Assembly—Adobe User Experience Design Bootcamp(Live Online)
- Noble Desktop—Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp (Live Online)
- Certstaffix—Adobe Premiere Pro (Live Online or On-Demand)
- Ledet—Acrobat for Professionals (Live Online)
- Lumenbrite—Adobe After Effects Training Bootcamp (Live Online)
- Lumenbrite—Adobe Premiere Pro Training Bootcamp (Live Online)
- ONLC—Adobe CC Graphic Design Bootcamp (Live Online)
- ONLC—Adobe Bootcamp (On-Demand)
- CreativeLive—Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp (On-Demand)
#1: Manhattan Edit Workshop—Adobe Premiere Pro 101 (In-Person)
Manhattan Edit Workshop’s Adobe Premiere Pro 101 course starts off with a tour of the program’s workspaces and interface. It introduces students to the program’s usefulness for non-linear editing processes. Students begin learning to edit by practicing setting up their project and establishing a sequence for it. They import the assets and images they want to use in their film, and they learn to manage media through the Media Cache function of the program. They also discover how to use bins for organizing project elements and control the overall process from the Project panel.
Students explore the essential commands for basic editing. They learn how to use the program monitor controls. The course covers editing basics including extracting footage segments for deletion, moving clips around within a project sequence, finding gaps in the project timeline, and controlling the resolution of their footage. It also introduces students to the sync and track locks and the use of markers in editing. They explore transitions in video and audio, discovering how to use Premiere Pro’s A/B mode to fine-tune them. Then they move on to more advanced editing techniques such as nesting sequences, trimming, four-point editing, and multi-camera editing. And they discover keyframing for animation and the various options for motion effects.
Using the Audio Mixer, students adjust elements like gain, volume, and levels in a sequence. They then explore effects and color, discovering color effects, color corrections, and grading. The course introduces compositing techniques, covering how to work with mattes, opacity, transparency, and green screen footage. Students also discover typography, text styling, and titles. Once students are finished with their projects and ready to export, they learn file management, including the use of Adobe Media Encoder for exporting and file conversion.
Key Information
At eight hours a day, this three-day course is full-time. It has no prerequisites, although students must be at least 16 years old. Due upfront, the cost of tuition is $1,295.
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Each student in this in-person class gets their own workstation with the software they’ll need.
Students say the instructors at Manhattan Edit Workshop are “phenomenal” and taught them “everything I was hoping to learn” about Premiere Pro. They “really enjoyed” the course and said they “got my money’s worth” out of it.
#2: Noble Desktop—Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp (In-person or Live Online)
Noble Desktop’s Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp is a hands-on training course for students who want to master what Photoshop has to offer. Students start off with basic photo manipulation skills such as cropping and retouching. Next, they make composited graphics by combining their photos with text and illustrations they create. Then they learn how to replace the background of an image. They discover the blend mode and learn to work with opacity. The course also covers color correction, including color balance and the use of curves for editing color. After finishing their edits in Photoshop, students then export those files in various formats for digital use or printing as photos.
Reaching an intermediate level, the course moves on to using smart filters and layers, lens correction, sharpening photos, and converting to a black and white format. Students learn how they can use pre-made mockups to place their designs for greater efficiency in editing. They also explore what is known in Photoshop as clipping masks, that is, making shapes and filling them with images, which they can do using the adjustment layer function. And they discover how they can use edited RAW files as filters. The course covers how to do batch actions in Photoshop for even more efficient editing. Students learn about the Image Processor Function. Then they wrap up with learning to use Photoshop for graphic design, including compositing images into one photo, creating digital art, applying layer styles, and adding titles and text.
Key Information
At seven hours a day, this three-day course is full-time. There are no prerequisites. The tuition cost of $975 may be paid upfront or in a total of 12 installments on a monthly basis.
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Noble Desktop’s project-based training has the advantage of small classes and expert instructors. With the bootcamp, you receive a proprietary workbook that will accompany you in your studies. Noble allows students to retake any course free of charge within one year of completion.
The “top-notch” instructors at Noble “really make learning fun, ” according to students, who “felt empowered” by their experience in this course.
#3: Los Angeles City College—Digital Video Editing Series (In-Person)
Los Angeles City College’s two-part Digital Video Editing Series familiarizes students with both the basic and the intermediate functions within Adobe Premiere Pro.
The first part of the course starts by teaching students to import their footage for editing. They begin their study of editing with simple techniques such as using the timeline feature to arrange the video, clip effects, and audio that they need to use in their project. They also discover how they can manage the media they’ve imported and how they go about inserting it smoothly into the timeline sequences. Next, they explore video and audio filtration, and they learn how to add high-quality effects to their work. This first section wraps up with how to make titles and credits for a finished piece.
Moving on to an intermediate level of study, the course covers many of the vital tools that Film Editors use in Premiere Pro. First, they explore the effects window and the track audio menu. They discover timeline pancaking. They also learn how they can more efficiently browse among the various imported media they may want to include in their project. The course covers combining and smoothing footage with different resolutions, as well as color correction of footage. Students also learn about ingesting and how to use proxies. Once students have completed a project, the course teaches them how to give their project the right settings for exporting to various platforms they may want to use, including Vimeo and YouTube
Key Information
This seven-week course is part-time, at three hours a week. Students must be at least 18, but there are no other prerequisites. Due upfront, tuition is $349.
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According to students, the “amazing” and “encouraging” instructors for this “intelligently organized” course made it “a pleasure to learn” the material and skills.
#4: Training Connection—After Effects Fundamentals (In-Person)
The After Effects Fundamentals course from Training Connection begins with a discussion of the program’s possible real-world applications in students’ future pursuits. It then moves on to instruction in best practices for workflow in After Effects. Students learn how to set up a project and import footage for it. They start their study of editing with the use of animation and layers for composition. Then they explore the various modes, switches, panels, and presets available in the program. They also discover how to adjust opacity, transparency, and blur in the footage they’ve imported. The course also covers how to work with and animate text. And for animation, students learn how to use the keyframe tool.
Next, the course moves on to shapes and mask layers, teaching how each one is used and how they are different. Students explore more advanced editing techniques such as color correction, audio mixing, and 3D editing. They also learn how to replace the background of their footage and use the Clone tool to remove unwanted elements. Once they’ve finished editing a project, they learn how to use Adobe Media Encoder for rendering and exporting their files, including which settings they should use for exporting to different platforms and types of media.
Key Information
This part-time course runs for three weeks, with one seven-hour day each week. There are no prerequisites for it. The tuition of $1,395 is due upfront.
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The “thoughtful and intentional” instructors for this course, students say, ensure that it “provides high value” for their learning process.
#5: ONLC Training Centers—Adobe Acrobat DC Introduction (In-Person)
Designed for professionals who are new to Adobe Acrobat Pro, ONLC Training Centers’ introductory course in Adobe Acrobat helps them learn how to create and share files and portfolios in PDF format. They first discover how to access the information available in a pre-existing PDF. Next, they build stable PDF documents of their own, which they can use to preserve both the formatting and the contents of what they want to convey. They also explore navigation of content within a PDF made by someone else. Then they learn how to modify that PDF for various purposes, including adding a signature, increasing the document’s security, or editing the actual content. The course covers techniques for efficient PDF content review and awareness of which elements need edits or other alterations before the student passes the PDF on. It concludes with instructions on how to convert the PDFs they have made into other possible formats that may be required in a workplace context.
Students learn how to efficiently review the contents of PDF documents created by others and make the needed changes before passing them on. Finally, they discover how to convert their carefully created PDFs into other file formats that they may need in their workplace.
Key Information
At seven hours a day, this is a full-time, two-day course. Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office is the only prerequisite, though students must also be 18 or older. Tuition, due upfront, is $795.
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Students appreciated the “knowledge and helpful” instructors for this course, which they would “recommend to any beginner.”
#6: General Assembly—Adobe XD (In-Person)
The Adobe XD Bootcamp from General Assembly introduces students to the program Adobe built specifically for user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design purposes. Included in the program are free kits that provide templates and components such as buttons and icons, for user interfaces.
The course first familiarizes students with the interface in XD, as well as the program tools that are most vital for UX and UI design. Students begin by learning to create shapes and objects. They then discover how they can use selections and controlled layers to build an overall design layout. And they explore artboards, the tools that designers use to share possible design styles with colleagues and stakeholders before diving into the specifics of the design process.
Next, students learn to create a UX deliverable called a wireframe. Wireframes are low-fidelity sketches showing the proposed layout of the user interface for an app or site. These are typically for sharing with the design team, but may also be shared with potential users or stakeholders. The majority of user testing and stakeholder presentations, however, require high-fidelity mockups or even clickable prototypes, so General Assembly’s students also learn to create these deliverables before the course concludes.
Key Information
This full-time course lasts for one seven-hour day. There are no prerequisites for it. Due upfront, tuition is $250.
This one-day course is full-time at seven hours. It has no prerequisites. The cost is $250, which is due upfront.
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Students say that this course was “easy to follow” because of the “engaging and insightful” instructors at General Assembly.
#7: Capital Photography Center—Lightroom in a Day (In-Person)
The Capital Photography Center’s Lightroom in a Day class focuses on the most important modules in Lightroom: Develop and Library. Its first lesson is an overview of the software’s workflows. Next, students import their photos. They learn how to add keywords, metadata, and other tools to help them keep their files organized. They also discover how to sort through images they’ve imported and make filters they can apply to those files. Then they proceed to photo editing proper. The course covers how Lightroom can recover shading details like highlights and shadows that may not be visible in the initial imported image. Students also explore how to adjust color factors like white balance, contrast, vibrance, and saturation.
Next, they look at the Gradual and Radiated filter options. They explore the Adjustment Brush before starting to work with sophisticated color editing techniques. These include removing chromatic aberrations, using the tone curve, and making targeted color adjustments. Students also learn how to sharpen images and reduce noise within them. At the end of the course, students discover how to manage their completed files such as how to export them in different formats or process multiple files at once.
Key Information
This full-time class takes one eight-hour day. Students must be at least 16, but there are no other prerequisites. Be aware that although this is in an in-person class, students need to bring their own laptops with Lightroom already installed on them. Due upfront, course tuition is $159.
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Students at Capital Photography Center “really enjoyed” the “positive experience” provided by the “excellent” instructors there. They say that the teachers gave them “individual attention” and “valuable guidance” in their studies.
#8: Colorado Free University—Adobe Illustrator CC 2-Day Comprehensive (In-Person)
Colorado Free University has designed its Adobe Illustrator CC 2-Day Comprehensive to provide students with a focused introduction to creating vector graphics in this program. Over the course of two days, students discover the basic tools and functions in Illustrator.
The course starts by providing an overview of the workspaces available in the program. As aspiring designers, students learn to create an artboard that can convey a design style to stakeholders or clients. They discover the many functions of the Tool Palette, including drawing modes such as the Shape Builder. They create symbols, use brushes, and make patterns. And they learn about the Pen Tool, Live Paint, Live Trace, and clipping masks. They also explore the wealth of creative libraries that Illustrator provides. Once students have taken this course, they will be prepared to build professional-level designs and logos in Illustrator.
Key Information
At seven hours a day, this is a full-time, two-day course. Students must be 17 or older, but there are no other prerequisites. The cost of tuition, due upfront, is $459.
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According to students, this course provides a “hands-on experience” in which they “go through each function and detail” of Illustrator. The “knowledgeable, patient, and professional” instructors provide “clear and comprehensive” explanations of tools and concepts.
#9: General Assembly—2-Day Adobe Creative Cloud Crash Course (Live Online)
The General Assembly 2-Day Adobe Creative Cloud Crash Course introduces students to three popular Creative Cloud design applications: InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator. It covers the most important tools in each program and the basic elements of each one’s interface.
Students start by learning InDesign to design for print publications such as newspapers and magazines. They explore features like the master pages and local pages. These are most useful for large-scale projects. Moving to a more granular level, students learn to format content using the paragraph, character, and styles panels. The course covers how to construct both single and multiple layouts for printing. At the end of this portion of the course, students will know how to import images and assets from other Adobe programs like Illustrator and Photoshop, as well as how to export their InDesign files for professional printing.
When students move on to Photoshop, they start by learning how to use the functions of the adjustment panel. They edit using layers. They also discover smart objects, including how to transform them for a range of applications. And they explore how to create a landing page for a website, as well as digital iconography. The course also includes photo manipulation, the original purpose of Photoshop.
Students then learn to use Illustrator for creating vector graphics. In Illustrator, students can create original logos and typography as well as illustrations. They will discover how to make illustrations using the shape builder and pen tools. The course covers the creation and exporting of branding components such as iconography and logos, when ready to be handed off to design clients.
Key Information
This two-day course is full-time at eight hours a day. It has no prerequisites. Due upfront, tuition is $950.
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Students found this course “a game changer in confidence-building” for their careers, with “fantastically engaging and informative lessons.” The instructors are “thorough and helpful” as well.
#10: General Assembly—Adobe User Experience Design Bootcamp (Live Online)
In the Adobe User Experience Design Bootcamp from General Assembly, students gain both an overview of user experience (UX) design and an introduction to Adobe XD, a critical tool for UX Designers. User experience design is design centered on the needs of the user when they are interacting with a site or app. Students learn the fundamental concepts of UX in this course. They also discover how they can use Adobe XD to create design mockups and even clickable prototypes for user testing and presentation to stakeholders.
The course begins with an introduction to UX design and the types of careers available in the field of user experience. Students then explore the basic design skills needed to use Adobe XD. Once they’ve created prototypes of their own designs in the program, they present these designs to stakeholders and test them with users as well. At the end of the course, students do a design challenge. They must use Adobe XD to build a brand-new user experience.
Key Information
This one-day course is full-time at eight hours a day. There are no prerequisites. Tuition is due upfront, and it is $475.
This is a full-time, one-day course. It has no prerequisites. Tuition is $475.
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Through this course, students will have an opportunity to network with potential clients, local creatives, and professional UX Designers. This bootcamp, students say, provides the “resources and skills needed” for a strong start to their UX design studies.
#11: Noble Desktop—Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp (Live Online)
The Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp from Noble Desktop introduces students to the techniques that allow Illustrator to become such a versatile tool for creating vector graphics. In the course, they make a range of image types, including logos, icons, typography, patterns, and packaging.
Students begin by learning to use the pen tool for making straight lines. They also discover object arrangement, color fills, and the fill and stroke tools. Next, they move to corners and curves, for which purpose they also learn about direction points and anchor points. The course then covers how to work with layers and templates, use the shape tool, and group objects within an image file. Students explore live painting and live tracing in the program, using tools such as flares and brushes. Other tools they learn at this point include the eraser, type, reflect, blob brush, and group selection tools.
Next, the course moves on to instruction in clipping masks, using both shapes and type as boundaries for image fill. They learn how to fill text with a photo and place a linked image. And students explore the many tools and techniques of blending. They also discover transparency and gradients. They study a range of graphic styles and learn how the tools in Illustrator make it possible to replace them. The hands-on projects within the course include making a shirt design and creating an advertisement.
Key Information
Students may take this course full-time or part-time. If enrolled full-time, students will attend for three days at seven hours a day. Part-time, the course takes three weeks at six hours a week. There are no prerequisites for this program. Tuition is $975. The price is the same upfront or in monthly installments over 1 year.
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Students value Noble’s project-based training, small class sizes, and expert instructors. Noble allows students to retake the course for free within one year of completion. A proprietary workbook is included with the course.
Graduates say Noble’s hands-on approach “keeps you engaged.” The instructors are “very effective” because they are “eager to help and share their knowledge.”
#12: Certstaffix—Adobe Premiere Pro Course (Live Online or On-Demand)
At the beginning of Certstaffix’s Adobe Premiere Pro course, students get an overview of the workflows and interface within the program, along with some important keyboard shortcuts. They begin their hands-on work by creating a project, setting up a sequence, and choosing the right settings for this particular work. For non-linear editing, they learn how to import media files and integrate them into their projects. They also organize their media using bins and learn how to customize their media caches for specific purposes. And they learn how to make the best and most comprehensive use of all the tools in the Project panel.
The course covers how to review your footage, including in freeform review, and how to modify clips within it. Students also discover the monitors for Source and Program, as well as the Timeline panel. They explore storyboard-style editing, using clips, segments, markers, and gaps. They learn how to add and fine-tune video and audio transitions, and how to record voiceovers for this purpose. And the course includes effects like Motion and AutoReframe.
Students explore trimming, nesting, and changing clip positions. They also discover audio editing, including mixing, adjusting, and other improvements. And they learn how to manage colors within their footage and create desired visual effects. Moving on to green screen effects, they discover how to exploit green screen footage’s potential by adjusting transparency and opacity. They also learn about typography in videos, including title rolls and text styling. Once students have finalized their work, the course concludes by teaching them how to export everything from a single frame to a master file in Premiere Pro.
Key Information
This course is full-time, lasting for three seven-hour days. It has no prerequisites. Tuition is due upfront at $1,330, but it is possible to get a group rate for company training.
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Although the course is live online, students will have access to a virtual computer with Premiere Pro preloaded onto it. If students wish to retake the course, they may do so any time for free any time within six months of completing it.
Students say the class was enjoyable and informative because Certstaffix instructors paired “ease and humor” with strong “technical expertise.”
#13: Ledet—Acrobat for Professionals (Live Online)
The Acrobat for Professionals course from Ledet teaches the creation, editing, and management of PDFs in Acrobat and the Acrobat family of programs. This course is Adobe-authorized. Students will learn how to create engaging PDF documents. They will combine graphics, text, videos, sound, and animations in a PDF, maximizing the potential of Acrobat’s abilities. The course also introduces students to the collaborative functions of Acrobat such as its commenting tools. This will allow students to construct a more efficient workflow for collaboratively reviewing a document in their workplace.
Students learn how to create simple forms, edit the content of an existing PDF, and add buttons or actions to their files. They also discover how to convert other types of documents into a PDF format. The course covers how to make a PDF more secure as well—students learn how to employ digital signatures and protect their PDFs from malicious alteration. It concludes by teaching students how they can use Acrobat to make a document that is appropriate for professional printing.
Key Information
This full-time course consists of two eight-hour days. It has no prerequisites. Tuition is $895, due upfront. However, students may get a discount if they purchase Ledet’s Creative Design Bundle. This gives them access to other classes, including instruction in InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
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Students say this “well-structured” class makes it “fun and inviting to learn” from Ledet’s “very knowledgeable” instructors.
#14: LumenBrite—Adobe After Effects Training Bootcamp (Live Online)
The Adobe After Effects Training Bootcamp from Lumenbrite provides students with an introduction to the power of Adobe After Effects for creating motion graphics and cinematic effects. It starts by familiarizing students with the program’s user interface and its various workspaces. Students discover how to use shortcuts to maximize the efficiency of their workflow. They also learn how to identify which aspects of After Effects will be helpful for the particular projects they’re working on. And they integrate the video they’ve imported with audio clips and images, which include visual assets that they have created in Photoshop and Illustrator.
The course covers how to create transitions and make them land more smoothly through the use of blend modes, transformation properties, and keyframes. Students move on to animation and techniques for compositing with lower-third graphics. They then learn about layers, keying, and tracking. At this point, the course focuses on tracking for a while. It includes different methods and tools of tracking, including tracking data, track effects, surface tracking, point trackers, 3D tracking, and using the Mask Tracker tool. Students also discover how to stabilize and optimize their footage. They learn colorization techniques, remapping, and how to use time effects. The course also covers time-saving editing techniques such as automating animation and using third-party effects. Once all the needed elements are in place and the edited footage is finalized, students learn how to export a completed file, with various rendering options for different types of workflows.
Key Information
This full-time course lasts five days at eight hours a day. It has no prerequisites. Tuition is $1,995, due upfront.
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The purpose of this course is specifically to help students prepare for the official Adobe Professional certification exam. With the course, students receive proprietary course materials and access to the After Effects software.
Students appreciate the “special crafted experience” and “really great teachers” at Lumenbrite.
#15: Lumenbrite—Premiere Pro Training Bootcamp (Live Online)
Lumenbrite’s Premiere Pro Training Bootcamp takes students from beginner level to intermediate video editing abilities. It starts by introducing students to the workspaces within the program and its overall interface. Next, they master some critical vocabulary, including basic editing terms and the language of video post-production. They begin the editing process by creating new project files and importing the footage they will be using. Then they learn the three-point editing workflow, which allows them to create a preliminary rough cut of their project. And they investigate how the bin function can help them organize their imported media and create a storyboard from it.
The course teaches how to add utility effects, which makes for better composition of images. It also introduces tools such as Title, Rate Stretch, Rolling Edit, and Ripple. Students discover the use of these tools to make basic time changes, polish their edits, and give their finished project a title card from an Illustrator or Photoshop image they’ve made. They also learn how to manipulate audio with editors, levels, and effects. They explore ways to fix possible issues with audio, and they learn how to edit audio over video clips.
Students learn how to color-correct their footage and create basic animations. They discover the Adobe Media Encoder and how it can help them render and export their footage. Next, they proceed to multi-camera editing. The course covers higher-level tools like Time Remapping, Slip, Slide, and Warp Stabilizer. In addition to Premiere Pro, the students also learn certain skills in After Effects. These include how to remove a green or blue screen while editing and how to create animated graphics and integrate them with their footage. Once their edited file is complete, students end the course by learning file and media management, as well as how memory and caching work in the program.
Key Information
This full-time course takes five days at eight hours a day. There are no prerequisites. Tuition is $1,995, and it is due upfront.
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Lumenbrite’s Premiere Pro training is Adobe authorized. It provides students with access to Premiere Pro. They also receive proprietary training materials.
Students say the “great” instructors at Lumenbrite helped them “feel more confident” in their Adobe skills.
#16: ONLC—Adobe CC Graphic Design Bootcamp (Live Online)
ONLC’s Adobe CC Graphic Design Bootcamp prepares students to maximize the potential of the many functions and features that three Adobe products offer: Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop. At the beginning of the course, students get an overview of Adobe Creative Cloud and an introduction to the many apps available to those with a paid Adobe subscription. These include cross-application resources such as TypeKit, Adobe’s proprietary font library, and Adobe Stock Photography for images.
The course covers basic graphic design skills, allowing students to make visual assets that they can use for projects across all three programs explored in the course. Students also get to discover the most vital functions of each program, as well as choose which one to use for any particular project or purpose.
In Illustrator, students become familiar with the central skills necessary for using the program to create high-quality illustrations and versatile vector graphics. Next, they work with InDesign, learning to design engaging layouts for print publications like magazines, books, and newspapers. Moving on to Photoshop, students explore compositing and discover how to edit images using the program’s many powers. They also get a brief introduction to Adobe Lightroom and how they can use it together with Photoshop for high-quality photo editing. The course wraps up by familiarizing students with Adobe Bridge as a tool for managing assets that they have made in any Adobe app.
Key Information
This four-day course is full-time at seven hours daily. Basic file management skills are the only prerequisites. Due upfront, the cost of tuition is $1,995.
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Graduates of the ONLC program say that they “couldn’t imagine the teacher doing a better job.” The instructors for this “relaxed” and “excellent” training program are “highly knowledgeable.”
ONLC students say its instructors are “incredibly knowledgeable.” One even states that they “couldn’t imagine the teacher doing a better job.” They “highly recommend” this “relaxed” and “excellent” training program.
#17: ONLC—Adobe Bootcamp (On-Demand)
The Adobe On-Demand Bootcamp from ONLC includes instruction in Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop.
The Illustrator portion of the course starts with techniques for choosing a piece of artwork to edit. Students learn how to employ shapes in a file to create an illustration or transform an existing art piece. Once they’ve mastered shapes, they explore how to combine them with paths for greater editing power. At this point, they are able to build an illustration with these drawing tools. Next, they discover how the designers of signs use type and color for communication purposes. And they learn how to use brushes, gradients, and blends as they edit. For this part of the class, the hands-on final project is to create artwork that can be placed on a t-shirt. Wrapping up this section, students discover how they can export their work from Illustrator and integrate this program with other Adobe products.
At this point, the course proceeds to the study of InDesign. Students begin by setting up a document and creating its pages. Once they have a layout to work with, students learn how to manipulate objects within it, including typographical and text elements such as flowing text. They also discover how to import and modify graphics, employ styles, work with transparency, and create tables in a file. At the end of this course section, students discover how to export and print their files. They also learn how to construct a PDF that can be filled out in Adobe Acrobat.
Photoshop is the focus for the final portion of the class. The study of Photoshop starts with basic techniques for photo correction. Students also explore how to work with various tools such as masks, layers, selections, and channels. They discover styles of typographic design and techniques for vector drawing. The course also covers video editing, compositing, and preparing files for digital publication.
Key Information
Included in this on-demand course are 15 days of content. These lessons must be completed within 180 days of starting the course. The sole prerequisites are basic file management skills. Tuition for this course is $995.
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With this course, students receive 24/7 online support from experts in the subject of Adobe. They also get the official Adobe workbook, plus supplementary materials including videos and tutorials in various functions of Adobe programs.
According to graduates, this course “far exceeded” their expectations. The instructors and subject matter experts were “knowledgeable, ” “clear, ” “patient, ” and “kind.”
#18: CreativeLive—Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp (On-Demand)
At the start of CreativeLive’s Adobe Photoshop CC Bootcamp, students get an overview of the workspaces in Photoshop, Adobe Lightroom, and Adobe Bridge. They discover how to develop and edit raw images using tools such as adjustment sliders and Photoshop tabs like Effects and HLS. They also explore the wealth of editing options offered by the selection tool’s functions. And they become versed in the use of layers and masks to manipulate images in a range of different ways. In addition, the course covers editing tools like shadows, highlights, levels, and curves.
Next, students discover how to use curves and the blend tool for color editing. They explore color theory principles, as well as different color properties like hue and saturation. Moving on from color, they get a comprehensive overview of the major tools that Photoshop has to offer. These include the crop and frame tools, color tools like the eye dropper, the gradient tool, and the color sampler, drawing tools like the brush and eraser, and other critical tools including brush flow, opacity, blur, and shape.
Photoshop’s many modes such as dissolve, screen, multiply, and hard light, are also covered in this course. Students learn about the color modes as well. They also become familiar with how to use filters, masks, and smart objects in their editing processes. Late in the course, they learn how to apply their editing skills to unusual types of photography, including time-lapse, HDR, and panoramic. And they discover blending, patterns, and warping as editing tools. Then they advance to creating their own custom actions in Photoshop, modifying a tool to serve a specific purpose that can be repeated within a project. At the end of the course, students learn how to use Photoshop with Lightroom and how to troubleshoot common problems with the program
Key Information
18 hours and 36 minutes of video content are included with the course. CreativeLive does not provide an estimate for how long the course will take to complete. There are no prerequisites for this on-demand training. CreativeLive has a subscription fee of $13 a month, or you can buy a single class for $99.
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Those who have taken this “in-depth” course say that it “covers absolutely everything you need to know” about Photoshop. The “clear, concise” instructor “keeps you engaged” as you work on the course.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I Choose an Adobe Class?
You can discover what a given Adobe course has to offer by looking over the course syllabus, which you can usually request from the school. You should also review the information on the school’s website. It’s also a good idea to check out some student reviews, which you can typically find on websites like Course Report.
Is It Better to Attend an Adobe Class In-person or Online?
There are different advantages to the three modes of learning Adobe: in-person, live online, and on-demand. For certain students, in-person study is most effective because it provides a traditional classroom environment. They benefit from the direct presence of an expert instructor and the companionship of classmates who are on the same journey. Live online learning does give students the same real-time access to an expert in the field who can provide clarification and feedback. An advantage of the live online mode is that it does not require a commute, which busy students can find very helpful. If a student has an especially full schedule, they may want to go for an on-demand course that lets them learn at their own pace without having to be available at a particular time. On-demand courses are also typically more affordable. However, they do not provide the benefit of direct access to a knowledgeable instructor in real-time.
What Will I Need for an Adobe Class?
In-person classes typically provide what you will need for your classwork. To study Adobe online, you will need a computer at home and an internet connection as well. For a live course, your internet will need to be reliable and strong, so that you can avoid interruptions of your learning. It’s also important that your computer be a fairly recent model, with enough memory and processing ability to run the Adobe software you’ll need. You’ll also need to download the software you are studying. Even if you’re learning in-person, you may want to get the software for your home computer so that you can practice when you’re not in class.
Can I Learn Adobe Online for Free?
Depending on your learning style, you may be able to teach yourself the fundamental workflows and tools in an Adobe program using free materials like online tutorials or YouTube videos. However, if you are looking to use an Adobe program for professional purposes, these resources will not be sufficient for your education. Also, while Adobe often offers free trials, you will eventually need to pay for a subscription to continue your studies. So while you can get started for free, you won’t be able to get very far into the learning process without making at least a modest financial investment in your study of Adobe.
Is It Better to Learn Adobe in a Live or Self-paced Class?
Each of these options has its advantages for those who want to learn Adobe products. If you take an in-person or live online course, you’ll get the chance to work directly with an expert instructor. They will be able to provide clarification when you have questions, give you feedback on your work, and even give you career guidance once you complete your studies. Another positive aspect of real-time training for some students is the presence of their peers, as they find fellow students’ companionship motivates them. Studying in a course also means that you’ll have a set learning structure and specific deadlines, which help some students keep their studies organized.
However, on-demand learning is both more flexible and more affordable than a live course. Those students whose schedules are particularly full might find on-demand training is a better fit for their lifestyle, as the self-paced courses don’t require availability at any particular time of the day or week. And students who are not ready to invest significant financial resources in their studies may choose to begin with on-demand materials for this reason. However, taking the on-demand option requires more self-discipline because it lacks the set schedule and firm deadlines of a live course. It also deprives students of access to an expert instructor, which can impede their progress.