The learning curve on some Adobe apps can be steep, so taking a class with an instructor lets you ask questions and get help when you need it. Some programs also offer portfolio classes and job search assistance. You can find many in-person Adobe classes in Chicago.
ONLC Training Centers: Adobe InDesign Core Skills: Level 1
Key Information: For thirty years, ONLC Training Centershas been providing hands-on, instructor-led computer training classes in the Chicago area. Adobe InDesign Core Skills: Level 1 costs $795 for two sessions and meets in Schaumburg with a remote instructor.
This thorough review of Adobe InDesign covers everything participants need to know to create their own professional layout. The class is taught through hands-on assignments that increase in complexity from beginner to advanced levels. Key skills include master pages, grids, guides, and placeholders, as well as adding, deleting, and moving elements on a page. When students complete the course, they will understand how to use color and fonts in their designs, create a PDF proof, and export files for upload or printing.
No previous design training is necessary to take this beginner’s course. This class prepares students for the Adobe Certified Associate exam.
Computer Training Source, Inc.: Photoshop Part 1
Key Information: Computer Training Source, Inc. Has been providing technology training in the Chicago area since 1991. Photoshop Part 1 is a seven-hour class that costs $649 and meets in Schaumburg.
This course covers everything a beginning photographer needs to edit images in Photoshop. Start with basic images and move on to sections and layers, adjusting images, working with raw files, and finish with organizing and exporting files. Learn to change colors, retouch photos, and use layers and masks.
This class is open to adults 18 and over who have limited photography experience. Class sizes are small, which allows for personal attention and interaction with the instructor.
Computer Training Source, Inc.: InDesign Part 1
Key Information: Located in Schaumburg, Illinois, the Computer Training Source, Inc. Offers computer and technology training in the Chicago area. InDesign Part 1 is a one-day, seven-hour class that costs $649.
Learn to use Adobe InDesign to create digital and print pages for business cards, posters, newsletters, or books. This course will start with the basics of designing a document and move on to customization, working with elements, creating tables, and exporting files for upload or printing.Â
Design experience is a plus but not necessary for this beginner class. The average class size is ten students, and it is open to anyone 18 and older.
Computer Training Source, Inc.: Acrobat Pro Part 1
Key Information: Founded in 1991, Computer Training Source, Inc. Offers computer and technology training at centers throughout the Chicago area. Acrobat Pro Part 1 is a one-day, seven-hour class that meets downtown and costs $645.
Adobe Acrobat is used to create Portable Document Format files that allow people to exchange documents easily on different systems. PDFs are crucial for business forms because they can be set up for electronic signatures.Â
This course covers creating PDFs with Acrobat and editing, rearranging, and formatting text, plus how to add headers, footers, backgrounds, and watermarks to your documents. Students will also learn how to add comments and mark up documents in review mode and manage security issues.
Evanston Art Center: Beginning Photoshop for Photography
Key Information: The Evanston Art Centerwas established in 1929 as a center for arts education, community events, and exhibitions. The Beginning Photoshop for Photography course costs $190 for six two-hour sessions.
Learn to use Photoshop to enhance digital photography. The course covers working with the Photoshop interface and tools to manipulate digital images. This class is for beginners and intermediate students.Â
The emphasis is mainly on photography, but the course is useful for graphic artists as well. Photoshop is one of the best-known photo editing programs, but it can be challenging to learn, so Evanston Art Center’s small classes give students more opportunities to get help.
Evanston Art Center: Photo Editing I
Key Information: The Evanston Art Center, a community resource offering classes, events, and exhibitions, was established in 1929 in this Chicago suburb. Photo Editing I meets six times for two hours each session and costs $190.
This course walks beginners by using Photoshop to edit digital images. Photoshop can be intimidating, so having an experienced instructor is helpful when learning to use this powerful program.Â
The course introduces students to the Photoshop interface and tools. Students learn to retouch images, change color, and add effects with layers and masking. Finally, learn the best way to organize your photo files.
Evanston Art Center: Introduction to Digital Photography and Workflow
Key Information: Founded in 1929, the Evanston Art Center is a center for community events, arts education, and exhibitions in this Chicago suburb. Introduction to Digital Photography and Workflow costs $370 for twelve two-hour sessions.
Previous photographic experience isn’t necessary for this digital photography class for beginning and intermediate students. Students will learn how DSLR cameras work and how to use Adobe Photoshop to edit their photos.Â
The course starts at the basic level and progresses to more advanced techniques. In addition to learning photo editing, students will explore the design and composition of photographic form and meaning.Â
Chicago Botanic Garden: Lightroom 1: Intensive
Key Information: The Chicago Botanic Garden sits on 385 acres in Glencoe, Illinois. This museum and conservation center gets around one million visitors a year, and hosts numerous arts and culture classes. Lightroom 1: Intensive meets for two sessions and costs $249.
Adobe Lightroom works with Photoshop to help organize and develop digital images. The course covers importing files from a camera into a computer and organizing images into collections and folders.Â
Students should bring a laptop with Adobe Lightroom Classic and a digital camera.
Chicago Botanic Garden: Photoshop 1
Key Information: What better place to take a photography class than the Chicago Botanic Garden? This 385-acre museum and conservation center located in Glencoe has 50,000 members and receives around a million visitors a year. It is also the site of many arts and culture classes. Photoshop 1 is a six-session course that meets weekly and costs $436.
This beginning photo editing class introduces participants to Photoshop Elements. This more user-friendly version of Adobe’s powerful photo manipulation program includes the most popular features like selection tools, smart brushes, and layers.
Students will need a digital camera and a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements installed. Adobe offers a seven-day free trial on all Creative Cloud applications.
Noble Desktop: Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp
Key Information: Take a deep dive into Photoshop with this class from Noble Desktop. This three-day class is held live online and anyone 18 and over may sign up. There are no prerequisites, although previous photography experience is helpful. The class costs $975. Noble keeps class sizes at ten or fifteen students, and offers a free retake option during the first year.
Adobe Photoshop lets you edit photos and create graphics. You can retouch pictures, remove elements, correct the color and balance, and add other elements to create unique images. The digital photos can be posted on the internet or printed on paper.
Class assignments are designed to help students learn skills through hands-on projects. Learn to adjust color and contrast; work with layers, filters, masks, and graphics; transpose elements within a photo; and choose the correct file formats for saving photos.
Noble supplies computers and software for their courses, and students get to keep the in-house training materials. After you complete the class, you can take the Adobe Photoshop certification exam. Students also get a certificate that is approved by the state of New York when they finish the course.Â
Noble Desktop: Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp
Key Information: Noble alsooffers an Adobe Illustrator class for all levels as a live online session. The course can be completed in three full-time sessions or six part-time. There are no required prerequisites, but experience with drawing software is helpful. Tuition is $975 and Noble offers a free one-year retake option.
Illustrator is a vector graphics program that can be used to easily enlarge or shrink digital drawings. The course will cover using the drawing tools, like the pen tool, as well as working with type, layers, masks, compound paths, effects, colors, blends, and patterns.Â
Noble provides drawing templates to help students understand how to use the somewhat complicated features. Learn ways to make complex shapes easier to create for print or digital applications.
Noble Desktop is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. Participants are awarded a certificate when they complete the course. Students who complete the class are prepared to take Adobe’s Illustrator certification exam to demonstrate mastery.Â
Noble Desktop: Adobe Creative Cloud Bootcamp
Key Information: If you want tolearnhow to use this collection of powerful design tools, Adobe Creative Cloud Bootcampis for you. This live online class costs $4,195 for 17 full-time sessions or 24 part-time meetings. There are no prerequisites and Noble offers a free retake option within the first year if you complete the course.
Master Adobe’s Creative Cloud in this bootcamp course. Through expert instruction and hands-on exercises, you can learn the most popular Adobe products for graphic design, web design, video editing, and motion graphics with Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effects, plus the design program Figma. This course is for people who want to start a new career using Adobe Creative Cloud products.
Participants need their own equipment and software subscriptions before logging into class. Noble is licensed through the New York State Department of Education. Students receive a certificate after completing the course and can attach it to a website or LinkedIn profile.Â
FAQ for Adobe Certificates
What is the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?
Basically, you earn a certificate when you complete a course and a certification when you pass a test. Many certificates are digital; you can add them to a LinkedIn profile or a digital portfolio on a website. Some courses prepare you to take a certificate exam to demonstrate your proficiency with a particular application.Â
Adobe offers an exam for a certification called Adobe Certified Professional. This title demonstrates your mastery of a particular Adobe application and is recognized by employers. Upon passing an exam, you will get a digital badge to share on social media and add to a digital resume. The certification lasts for three years, and then you need to take the exam again to renew it.
Should I Pursue a Certificate or a Certification?
If you want to learn an Adobe application to create a newsletter or make a personal video, a certificate class will give you the skills to do that. If you want to pursue a career that requires mastery of one or more applications in Adobe Creative Cloud, a certification course covers the material in depth and shows prospective employers or clients who you can do the work.
Do I Need to Become Certified to Find a Job?
No, you don’t have to become certified to get a job, although it can help. Certification shows that you know how to use the program and demonstrate your skills. Put together an effective portfolio or an eye-catching demo reel can be enough to land a job. Signing up for classes can help you develop skills quickly and efficiently, and some training programs offer career counseling and job-searching help.
What Certificate Program is Right for Me?
Choosing a certificate program depends on what the class costs, how long it takes to complete, and your preferred educational environment. Another consideration is what other life events are happening at the same time. Choose a course that fits your budget in terms of time, money, and convenience.
Which is Better: In-Person or Online Classes
Both in-person and online classes have advantages. In-person classes let you ask questions and get help from an instructor and get to know other students. But it takes time to get to an in-person class and sometimes it is difficult to find parking. In live online classes, you still have an instructor and other students in class, but you attend class over a video conferencing platform from anywhere with an internet connection. In-person and live online classes usually cost the same.
Which is Better: Live Online or Asynchronous Classes?
Live online classes are usually in-person classes broadcast over the internet at the same time, so you need to log on and join the class at the scheduled time. Asynchronous classes are prerecorded and you can watch whenever or wherever you want. Also called on-demand classes, you can go back and rewatch portions of the video if you want, but it isn’t possible to ask questions in real-time. Another downside of asynchronous classes is that they can become dated very quickly as applications are updated.
One difference between live online and asynchronous classes is that live online sessions meet at a particular time, while asynchronous classes are recorded and you can watch at any time that is convenient. Also called on-demand classes, you can rewatch parts of the video you did understand; however, you can’t ask questions. While asynchronous classes often cost less than live online sessions, they become dated very quickly in the rapidly changing internet environment.