Top Adobe Certificates & Certifications Online

If you want to tap into your creativity and embark on a new career in graphic design, video production, or web design, signing up for an Adobe class can start you on your way.

Photoshop lets you edit and manipulate photographs to produce just the effect you are looking for. Illustrator’s vector graphics allow you to shrink or enlarge a drawing without distortion. You can add movement to the drawing with Animate. Learn Premiere Pro and After Effects to create your own films, complete with title and credits sequences and special effects. These are only a few of the applications that are part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud.

The learning curve on these programs can be steep, so signing up for a course is a big help when mastering Adobe skills. Some people prefer in-person classes with an instructor and other students in a classroom, but that is not always available. Live online courses provide a similar learning environment, except you log on to class from a laptop or desktop. You can attend class from your home or office, interact with the instructor and other students, and you don’t have to pay for parking! Here are some options for Adobe certificates and certifications online.

Noble Desktop: Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp

Key Information: Noble Desktop’s Photoshop Bootcamp is a three-day, live online class open to anyone 18 and over. Previous photography experience is helpful, although not required. The class costs $975. Noble keeps class sizes small, and you may retake the course during the first year.

Learn to edit and retouch photos, create graphics, remove or add elements, and correct the color and balance with Adobe Photoshop. The digital photos you create in class can be posted on the internet or printed on paper.

Class assignments help students learn skills like adjusting color and contrast, working with layers, filters, masks, and graphics, transposing elements within a photo, and choosing the correct file formats for saving photos.

At the end of class, you will be prepared to take the Adobe Photoshop certification exam. Students also get a certificate from Noble approved by the state of New York when they finish the course. 

Noble Desktop: Adobe Illustrator Bootcamp

Key Information: Noble’s Adobe Illustrator class can be completed in three full-time sessions or six part-time. There are prerequisites, but experience with drawing software is helpful. The cost is $975, and Noble allows you to retake the class during the first year.

With Adobe Illustrator, you can easily enlarge or shrink digital drawings because Illustrator is based on vector graphics rather than pixels. Learn to use drawing tools, like the pen tool, and work with type, layers, masks, effects, colors, compound paths, blends, and patterns. 

Noble’s drawing templates help you understand how to use some of Illustrator’s more complicated features. The course also covers the best practices for making complex shapes for print or digital applications.

Participants are awarded a verified certificate upon completion of the course. Noble is licensed by the New York State Department of Education. After completing the class, students who are prepared to take Adobe’s Illustrator certification exam. 

Noble Desktop: Adobe Audition

Key Information: Anyone who wants to work with audio tracks can benefit from this one-day class. There are no prerequisites, and the course costs $395. Class sizes are kept small to allow students full participation, and you may retake the class for free within the first year.

If you have a podcast or are thinking about a career in video production, the Adobe Audition class teaches you valuable skills. Learn to remove background noises, add sounds to animation, or repair and enhance any audio track. Audition, Premiere Pro, and After Effects all work together very well.

Begin with the audio basics like channels, sample rate, and bit-depth, and then learn about noise removal, mixing, voiceovers, and sound effects. Find out the difference between destructive vs. non-destructive editing and waveform and multi-track editors. The course will also cover how to export and upload the finished files.

Adobe authorizes this course, and students are prepared for the company’s certification exams when they finish class. Noble Desktop is licensed by the state of New York, and participants receive a certificate of completion at the end of the course. 

Noble Desktop: Premiere Pro in a Day

Key Information: This one-day, six-hour class from Noble Desktop is a quick introduction to Adobe Premiere Pro. The cost of the course is $425, and Noble offers a one-year retake option.

This course is for people who are light users of Premiere Pro or are curious about what you can do with it. The course covers an introduction to video editing, adding a B-roll, and creating lower-third titles for people who want to make videos to share on social media.

Students will learn to make cuts, put them together into a sequence, and then add transitions and simple effects. At the end of class, you will have a short demo reel to post on your social media accounts, digital portfolio, or send to clients.

There are no prerequisites for this beginner’s course.

Noble Desktop: After Effects Bootcamp

Key Information: Explore motion graphics and animation in this three-day class. Tuition is $975, and Noble allows free retakes during the first year. 

If you would like to learn how to make text move and add animated effects to your videos, this Adobe After Effects Bootcamp is a good place to start. Begin with the basic workings of the application, like importing files and organizing your workspace, and then move on to more advanced techniques such as animating in layers, compositing, and rotoscoping.

The course includes creating animations and titles and working with 3-D animation. The step-by-step assignments will help you learn skills gradually in hands-on, real-world projects.

This course has a prerequisite. If you have never worked with Adobe Photoshop, you should take a Photoshop class first. Basic video production knowledge is helpful but not required.

Noble Desktop: Adobe Creative Cloud Bootcamp

Key Information: Adobe Creative Cloud Bootcampcovers Adobe’s major tools. This live online class costs $4,195 and you can choose 17 full-time sessions or 24 part-time meetings. There are no prerequisites, and you can retake the course within the first year after you complete it.

This all-in-one bootcamp course presents Adobe’s most popular products for web design, graphic design, video editing, and motion graphics. The class includes instruction in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, and After Effects, plus the design program Figma. If you plan to start a new career that involves Adobe Creative Cloud products, this is the course for you.

You will need a computer and your own software subscriptions before logging in to class. Students receive a certificate after completing the course which they can attach to a website or LinkedIn profile. Noble is licensed through the New York State Department of Education.

Rev up Tech: Adobe Captivate

Key Information: Rev Up Tech has been providing technical training to people who want to work in the entertainment industry for over twenty years. This course is open to anyone age 16 and older and costs $1,295 for a two-day session.

Adobe Captivate lets you create courses and software demonstrations. This class covers hotspots, buttons, interactive elements, voice overs, and basic video production. This course is for anyone who is just starting out with Captivate or someone who wants to refresh their skills.

TLG Learning: Adobe Acrobat Pro DC—Level 1

Key Information: TLG Learning teaches courses on Adobe, Microsoft, Cisco, and other products. The cost of this one-day class is $395.

This course is for people who want to create and share PDF documents. Acrobat Pro is Adobe’s PDF reader and writer. Learn how to access, create, and save PDFs, navigate through a document, and modify it for your needs.

There are no prerequisites for the course. In terms of equipment, you will get the most out of this course if you have two monitors.

Lumenbrite Training: Adobe Lightroom Training: Essential Skills 1

Key Information: Lumentbrite specializes in Adobe training. Located in Houston, Texas, the company helps artists, designers, publishers, and creative directors learn the skills they need. This course costs$495 for a one-day session.

Lightroom provides easy and logical organization for photos. Learn to manage images by adding metadata and master Lightroom’s photo editing tools, and then share your work.

There are no prerequisites for this beginner’s course.

Manhattan Edit Workshop: Adobe Premiere Pro 101

Key Information: Manhattan Edit Workshop helps people who seek a career in video editing. They teach Avid, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. The cost is$1,295 for the three-session course.

This introductory class on Premiere Pro teaches beginners how the user interface works, including setting up a project, importing, and organizing media. Next, students will learn the basics of video editing, like working with clips and markers and adding transitions. More advanced techniques will also be covered, including multi-camera editing, mixing audio, adding effects, and finally, exporting projects.

This course is for beginners aged sixteen and older. Students need their own devices and a reliable internet connection.

Manhattan Edit Workshop: Adobe Audition 101

Key Information: Manhattan Edit Workshop helps people who want to learn Adobe Audition to help with music production and composition. This two-day course costs $1,095.

Learn Audition to record, edit, mix, and restore audio and create soundtracks for videos. Audition lets you work on multiple audio files at once and add effects, reduce noise, and sweeten background audio.

Class exercises will introduce royalty-free sound libraries that can be used in projects to add a rhythm track, percussion, melodic elements, and different effects.

FAQ for Adobe Certificates

What is the Difference Between a Certificate and a Certification?

The difference between a certificate and a certification is between taking a class and passing a test. Many schools give certificates of completion to students who finish a course. Certificates are often digital and can be attached to a digital portfolio website or LinkedIn profile. 

Adobes certifies users as Adobe Certified Associate or Certified Professional. These certifications indicate that a person has demonstrated mastery of the chosen applications in the Adobe Creative Cloud. Once they pass the exam, certification is good for three years, and Adobe Certified Associates and Professionals get a digital badge that can be shared on social media and digital portfolios. 

Should I Pursue a Certificate or a Certification?

If you are taking a class to start a new career as a Web Developer, Video Editor, Animation Specialist, or Graphic Designer, a certification course is the better choice. These are multi-session courses that cover topics in more depth than a class that meets once or twice. 

Certificate classes are perfect for learning how to use one application, but if you want to learn related programs, like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects, a certification course is the way to go.

Do I Need to Become Certified to Find a Job?

It is possible to find a job without a certification, but it does help. It is important to demonstrate your skills with an eye-catching demo reel or design portfolio when looking for a job. Classes help students develop job skills, and some training programs include career counseling and mentoring as part of the curriculum.

What Certificate Program is Right for Me?

When you are deciding which certificate program to choose, you need to consider factors like cost, time commitment, educational environment, and scheduling. You can choose between in-person, live online, or asynchronous classes.

Which is Better: In-Person or Online Classes

If you enjoy interacting with an instructor and other students, you may want to sign up for a class that meets in-person. The disadvantage to in-person classes is having to commute to class. This often means fighting traffic and paying for parking. Live online classes offer a live instructor and other students, but the class is held over a video conferencing platform on a laptop or desktop. You can ask questions, get help from the instructor, and network with the other participants. Tuition for the two types of classes is roughly the same. 

Which is Better: Live Online or Asynchronous Classes?

What are the differences between live online and asynchronous classes? Live online classes often run at the same time as in-person classes, so you have to find one to fit your schedule. Asynchronous classes, also called on-demand classes, are prerecorded and can be accessed whenever you want. It is possible to go back and review material if you need to, although some training schools provide class recordings. A disadvantage of asynchronous classes is that they can become dated very quickly. Another is that you can’t ask questions.