Adobe Acrobat Prerequisites

Adobe Acrobat is a versatile software application to view, create, edit, and archive PDF files. It is one of the world's most commonly used professional software applications and is utilized in almost every industry. You might worry that Adobe Acrobat will take a lot of work to learn; however, most experts agree that the program is more straightforward than it initially appears. This guide will help you understand the best methods for learning Adobe Acrobat and what you should tackle first to make the learning process easier. This way, you’ll be successful however you choose to apply your new skills. 

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.

Is Adobe Acrobat Easy to Learn?

For users who only want to take advantage of the free features of Acrobat Reader, Acrobat is a straightforward program to learn. Users can immediately become proficient in the program if they understand how to navigate a desktop computer.

Learners desiring to learn more advanced features, particularly those available through paid versions of the application, will need more guided training. However, they will still be able to pick up these skills without too much intensive study.

What to Know Before Learning Adobe Acrobat

Before learning Adobe Acrobat, most individuals should be familiar with navigating and utilizing a desktop computer. In addition, they should research the various tiers of the application available to choose the training method that best fits their needs.

Basic Computer Literacy

While not a strict requirement, trainees hoping to learn advanced Adobe Acrobat skills will want some familiarity with operating a desktop computer. Since most of the critical aspects of Acrobat are tied to file extensions, organizing documents in folders, and viewing multiple files in different contexts, it is essential to know how to navigate desktop applications.

Different Versions of Acrobat

Before students start learning Acrobat, they want to familiarize themselves with the different program versions to decide which application is correct for them to learn. Novices who only want to view, create, and archive PDFs will want to learn Reader, the freeware version of the program. Intermediate-level learners wishing to make professional Acrobat PDFs, including fillable forms and signable documents, will want to learn Standard (which is only available for Windows). Experts wanting to learn all of the features, including advanced conversion and privacy tools, will want to learn Pro.

Key Insights

• Adobe Acrobat is the most commonly used tool for creating and displaying PDF documents, and it is used across a wide range of industries.
• Acrobat is a straightforward program to learn, and users hoping to learn the basics of the freeware version can do so almost immediately.
• Beginners should come to Acrobat training with familiarity with desktop computers and basic literacy in computer terminology and functions.
• Prepared students should also explore the various tiers of features available through different versions of Acrobat.
• Those who wish to learn Adobe Acrobat should consider professional, comprehensive skills training through Noble Desktop. These courses are available both in-person and through live online instruction.

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.