How to Learn Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat is a PDF reading application that allows users to create, display, edit, and save digital documents. It is one of the world's most commonly used professional software applications, and almost every industry will utilize Acrobat in some capacity. The number of options for learning Adobe Acrobat might be overwhelming at first glance. There are books, video tutorials, classes, and more to choose from; it all depends on your learning style and personal preferences. 

Here, we’ll discuss the various methods of learning Adobe Acrobat so you can decide how you’d like to get started.

What is Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat is the most commonly used application for reading, displaying, and editing documents in Adobe’s portable document format (PDF). The PDF file extension is designed as a universal text and image display system that can display on any machine, regardless of what applications, hardware, or operating system you are using. Adding the extension makes Adobe Acrobat a vital tool for cross-platform collaboration and design processes. It is also essential for securely authorizing, signing, and archiving important documents, including transcripts, tax filings, and other legal documents. 

Adobe is also constantly striving to ensure that Acrobat is more than just a PDF reader. While there is a freeware version of the application to let any user read documents, Acrobat Pro lets users edit, manipulate, and otherwise prepare PDF documents for distribution. Importantly, it also allows users to convert PDFs to word documents, excel spreadsheets, or even jpegs, which is an integral part of optimizing specific professional processes. Between these features and essential quality-of-life benefits, such as combining documents into a single PDF, compressing PDFs, and automated features ensuring documents meet specific critical legal regulations, Adobe Acrobat is one of the most versatile and vital baseline tools available.

Read more about what Adobe Acrobat is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Adobe Acrobat?

Adobe Acrobat is a versatile software program that lets users create and share PDF files that can be read and edited on almost any device. The program is important for both collaborative design work and for documenting and archiving important documents. Using Adobe Acrobat makes remote work more accessible and efficient since Acrobat includes authentication and documentation features that allow users to encrypt, protect, sign, and notarize documents without meeting with a signee in-person. These built-in collaboration features can improve both workflow efficiency and the kinds of work that is practical for a given company or organization.

Adobe Acrobat is also one of the most commonly used tools for archiving and preserving important documents. PDF readers can produce high-quality scans of physical documents and display them on almost any modern device. This ability makes Adobe Acrobat a valuable tool for making rare or sensitive documents more accessible to the public. It also ensures that individuals can easily create and access backup versions of physical documents they want to keep protected. Since Acrobat also has significant privacy and security features, learning Acrobat is an excellent way to ensure that these documents are appropriately protected when you need others to access them.

In-Person Adobe Acrobat Training

Many students find in-person training the most familiar and effective way to learn new skills. For these students, in-person Acrobat training options are likely the preferable way to learn Acrobat. These classes place students into a dedicated classroom learning environment with a live instructor who can guide them through their lessons, answer their questions, and provide them with vital feedback. Students in these courses will also have the opportunity to take advantage of onsite training labs and software. Plus, students will be able to learn Acrobat alongside a cohort of like-minded colleagues, providing them with valuable networking opportunities. These courses are the most restricted in terms of availability since students will need to find classes that meet their scheduling needs and are taught at a close enough location to access by commute.

Noble Desktop offers a wide range of Adobe Acrobat classes in-person at their Manhattan campus. These classes are ideal places for students who live in the greater New York City metropolitan area to learn Acrobat from expert instructions, all while taking advantage of Noble’s state-of-the-art computer labs. Students who can’t commute to New York City may want to explore options for other in-person training services, such as those offered by Luminous Works Training in Seattle or Digital Workshop Center in Denver. On top of region-specific training centers, students can also explore the classes provided by CertStaffix, ONLC, and New Horizons. Each has training centers in dozens of cities across the country.

Live Online Adobe Acrobat Training

Students who can’t commute to an in-person Acrobat training course or don’t want to add hassle to their training may want to consider enrolling in a live online training program. These classes maintain many advantages of an in-person course, but they are taught in digital classrooms, meaning students can attend nearly anywhere. Students will still be able to interact directly with their instructors, who can respond to their concerns and provide answers and feedback in real-time. Plus, students will work on their familiar devices. The drawback is that students must maintain their computer’s hardware and acquire any necessary software.

Noble Desktop offers all its in-person training classes as live online Adobe Acrobat classes. These classes are taught by the same expert instructors, all of whom have significant experience teaching classes in an online environment. Class sizes are kept small, and these are dedicated online classes, so students won’t simply be viewing an in-person training session. Plus, students get all the perks of enrolling in a Noble class, including free retakes within one year and any professionalization services offered to in-person students. Students may also wish to utilize Noble’s Classes Near Me tool to explore options from other online training providers such as HeadTrix, Inc. or Transmedia.

Free Online Courses & Tutorials

Students who want to learn the basic features of Adobe Acrobat but cannot enroll in a full training seminar may consider taking advantage of free training programs. These training programs are excellent for students who feel they need to get a basic grasp of working with PDF applications but aren’t sure they need to learn the more advanced elements of the program. These courses tend to be cursory overviews of the features and functions of programs like Acrobat; for many professionals, that is all they will need.

Noble Desktop offers several free Adobe courses, including an Introduction to Adobe Creative Cloud video seminar. In this class, students will learn the basics of Adobe Acrobat and various programs that collectively make up the Adobe Creative Cloud. This course is designed with prospective designers in mind. However, its overview of the functionalities of Acrobat will assist students who otherwise aren’t interested in learning tools like Photoshop. This course eases trainees into more professional training programs, so it is also a worthwhile resource for students who intend to learn Acrobat to complement other Adobe Creative Cloud skills.

Students may also explore more options for free Adobe Acrobat courses through service providers such as Udemy or Coursera. These training courses will vary from broad overviews of the Adobe catalog to narrow video tutorials covering the basics of Acrobat as a standalone program. Learners may also consult the free tutorial options available directly from Adobe.

Read about more free Adobe Acrobat videos and online tutorials.

On-Demand Adobe Acrobat Classes

Some students will find that they cannot attend a live training session because it conflicts with work and family obligations. These students may enroll in an on-demand Adobe Acrobat class to learn Adobe Acrobat at a time that fits their schedule. These classes allow students to start and stop their lessons at their discretion, giving those with busy lives better access to professional quality training. On the flip side, some students may find that they can’t afford to wait for a live training course to be offered within their availability. On-demand classes solve this problem by letting students start their lessons immediately after purchasing the course.

The biggest drawback to on-demand classes is the lack of live instructors; no one is available to assist if students have questions about a concept or their work. While this won’t be a problem for every student, especially those working with the fundamental functions of Acrobat, some students may find that they are running into problems frequently enough that they would prefer the presence of an instructor to assist. In addition, since Adobe Acrobat is updated relatively frequently, even reputable training programs may provide students with out-of-date material.

Which Learning Method is Right for Me?

Individuals needing Adobe Acrobat training have various options available. They can enroll in in-person or online training programs, and students can gather the information through live instruction or asynchronous classes. Each method has its benefits and drawbacks, yet each course has a few consistent advantages and disadvantages. Knowing these differences can help students make more informed decisions when trying to find the best course for them.

Many students find that live training courses are the ideal way to learn a new skill because they benefit from the presence of an experienced instructor. These courses let students work directly with experienced Acrobat professionals who can guide them through the more challenging aspects of learning the application. These courses tend to be the most restrictive in terms of when and where they are offered, so students may have to wait to find a course available in their area, and they tend to be more expensive than other options.

In-person training will give students the advantage of learning from experienced instructors in a dedicated classroom space where they can work face-to-face with their teachers. Students can take advantage of a training center’s hardware and software in these classes. The drawback is that these classes are only offered in specific training locations, so students will be limited to only the places they can access. Students can take online classes from anywhere, but they will need to get access to the necessary software in another way.

On-demand classes lack an asynchronous instructor, but they give students added flexibility by letting them work on their lessons whenever it is most convenient for their schedule. Some students will need this added flexibility since these are the best way to learn Acrobat without committing to a consistently scheduled class. These courses are also ideal for students who want to learn the basics of Acrobat immediately since students who enroll in these courses won’t have to wait for them to be offered since they are always available. Since these classes lack live instructors, students will have to take the initiative to address any challenges in their lessons. Also, these courses can sometimes be slightly out-of-date, even if reputable training centers offer them.

Why Learn Adobe Acrobat?

Since it is a versatile tool with many important functions, learning Adobe Acrobat will pay long-term dividends for anyone working in an office environment or a creative career field. Learning Adobe Acrobat will help you improve your workflow by bringing several important daily tasks under the same banner and allowing you to use one program to serve many different functions. While learning Adobe Acrobat isn’t enough to build a career, it is a skill that is useful in a significantly diverse range of career paths. Whether you are looking to annotate and comment on a file easily or compile many documents together for review, using Adobe Acrobat can make your life significantly easier.

Utilizing Adobe Acrobat to preserve important documents, particularly scanned documents, allows users to save space. Since 2015, Adobe has shifted to a Cloud storage system that lets users upload and store PDF documents, making them easier to access. The PDF format is also a viable way to save large numbers of documents so that they will be readily accessible regardless of where you intend to view them. This cloud system provides users with an easy way to collect disparate documents, combine related documents into a single file, or create backup copies of essential documents. The software allows business owners and private citizens to preserve and store copies of sensitive documents that they wish to keep safe: property deeds, marriage certificates, or other legally identifying information.

Read more about why you should learn Adobe Acrobat.

Level of Difficulty, Prerequisites, & Cost 

Adobe Acrobat is an incredibly accessible tool; most users can learn the program's essential functions in only a few hours of training. While more advanced functions, particularly those intended to complement other Adobe skills, will require more training, becoming proficient in the program for day-to-day use is one of the more accessible professional skills a student can acquire.

As an entry-level program, Adobe Acrobat has no formal prerequisites for learning the essential functions save for proficiently navigating a desktop computer. Adobe Acrobat training is accessible to almost everyone. It is also an excellent place to start learning the basic skills surrounding documenting, archiving and managing large amounts of essential files and documents.

Adobe offers three different versions of Acrobat to users. Acrobat Reader is a free version that strips out most of the program's advanced features and serves as an essential PDF reading, creating, documenting, and annotating application. For most users, this will be the version of the program that is most frequently utilized. At the mid-tier level, Adobe offers Acrobat Standard to Windows users, including more creation and editing tools for about twelve dollars a month. Adobe also offers Acrobat Pro, a paid service that allows users to import, export, and convert PDF files to other formats. It also allows users to manipulate and edit PDFs and prepare them for publication or Cloud storage and distribution. Acrobat Pro is a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud, which moved to a subscription model in 2013. Users can purchase a license for Acrobat Pro for about twenty dollars a month or a license to the entire Creative Cloud for approximately fifty-five dollars a month.

Read about how difficult it is to learn Adobe Acrobat.

Learn Adobe Acrobat with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Individuals hoping to learn Adobe Acrobat will have a few options available. Noble Desktop offers private and group Adobe Acrobat training in-person at Noble’s Manhattan campus and online in live digital classrooms. These courses allow students to learn advanced Acrobat skills with the assistance of live instructors. Enrollees will work with hands-on examples that mirror the kinds of real-world applications for which they will employ Acrobat, and can ask questions and receive direct feedback from their instructors. Enrollees attending these courses will benefit from small class sizes, even online. Anyone who takes a course through Noble can retake that course within a calendar year, giving individuals s even more opportunities to master Adobe Acrobat.

Those wanting to learn Adobe Acrobat can enroll in Noble’s Adobe Acrobat Training course. This course is beginner-friendly and designed to get students comfortable with the key functionalities of Acrobat that they require in their day-to-day lives. This course will get new students up to speed by teaching them how to edit, merge, combine, arrange, share, and protect PDF files using Acrobat. This class is a great way to learn the ins and outs of Adobe Acrobat quickly. In this course, students will learn everything they need to know about storing, annotating, and working with PDF files. 

Another advantage to learning Adobe Acrobat is that it is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of tools and is therefore both heavily integrated with those applications and is one of the best ways to display designs on any device. Creative professionals, in particular, will want to learn Adobe Acrobat as part of their training in other Adobe Creative programs. Students learning skills like Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign will want to ensure they know how to improve their workflow efficiency using Acrobat.

Key Insights

• Adobe Acrobat is a very commonly used document display and management tool to read, create, and edit PDF files. It is one of the most frequently used programs in the professional world.
• Students wanting to learn Acrobat can receive in-person or online training, and their online training can be live or asynchronous.
• Live training is ideal for students looking to receive guided hands-on training. In contrast, asynchronous training is ideal for students who want to learn Acrobat skills at their own pace, even if it takes slightly longer overall.
• Students looking for comprehensive, live Acrobat training, either in-person or online, should consult the options available through Noble Desktop.