How to Learn Adobe Acrobat Online

If you’re just starting to learn a new skill, you can find dozens of tips and resources online; learning Adobe Acrobat is no different. Adobe Acrobat is used for creating, viewing, and editing PDF files, the most commonly used file format for universal document display. Learning Acrobat will help students work more efficiently and give them tools to create, archive, store, and protect documents. If you’ve always wanted to learn Adobe Acrobat, there are plenty of options at your fingertips. From free tutorials to live classes, your options are outlined here so you can decide how to learn in a way that works best for you. 

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. 

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.

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.

Free Intro 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.

Comparing Online Methods with In-Person Learning 

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.

Tips to Succeed when Learning Adobe Acrobat Online

Many students transitioning to an online learning environment for the first time may wonder how to best approach the classes. While online learning is a great way to pick up and master a new skill, there are differences between online and traditional classrooms that students should consider before enrolling in an online class. These aren’t reasons to avoid online learning, but they are things to consider to ensure long-term success.

Many students find that the real reason they prefer in-person learning is that the space of the classroom helps them avoid outside distractions. The classroom is designed to funnel students' attention toward their instructor so they can focus on their lessons. In an online class, students will want to consider this concern in the context of their workstations. Students will want to gauge how significant of an issue they think outside noises and intrusions may be and take steps to minimize distractions. For some students, this will be as simple as closing windows or asking roommates to keep down the noise. For others, this can be as complex as asking someone to take care of a pet during classes.

In addition to reducing home distractions, prospective students should pre-assess the likelihood of becoming distracted by technology during their classes and put things in place to reduce them. Studies repeatedly show that most students overestimate their multitasking ability, instead doing poorly on the two different tasks. Online classes tempt students to work on other projects or zone out during a lesson. Recognizing the temptation is the first step for learners, but students must follow up by not giving in to this temptation since it will make their work more difficult and time-consuming. For some students, avoiding this temptation will be as easy as acknowledging that they won’t be able to work well if they try to do multiple things at once. Other students may need to take proactive steps, like restricting access to websites or completing necessary household chores ahead of time.

Finally, new students learning through an on-demand course will want to take some time to explore places where they can look for assistance in their training. While on-demand classes are excellent ways to learn a skill like Adobe Acrobat, without a live instructor, beginners may find it difficult to overcome challenges if they get stuck at some point in their training. Students proctoring their learning should access the many available free training resources. Experts recommend that students have a few of these resources in their back pocket to supplement their on-demand training program.

Key Insights

• Beginners wishing to learn Adobe Acrobat may find that online training courses are an excellent route to mastery of the program.
• A few different online classes are available, including classes that attempt to replicate live in-person learning environments and asynchronous training courses.
• Invested learners should ensure that their workplace is free from external distractions and that they are prepared to work without being tempted to multitask.
• Asynchronous course enrollees should find supplemental training resources to help them if they need assistance with a more challenging element of their training.
• Beginners attending Acrobat online in live training classes should consider the options offered through Noble Desktop.

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.