Best Free Adobe Resources & Tutorials

Many professionals are eager to learn Adobe but hesitate because of the perceived up-front costs. With Adobe subscriptions ranging in price from $10 to $55 a month, the cost of these applications can quickly add up. For those just beginning, this can be a large up-front cost. Many believe that Adobe applications are difficult to learn and would recommend taking courses to learn each, which can also become quite costly. However, a surprising amount of free resources are available to help beginners get the hang of this exciting program. 

Read on to learn more about the different types of free resources and tutorials available to help you learn Adobe. 

What is Adobe?

Adobe Creative Cloud is a computer software application that allows users access to all the different Adobe programs. Creative design and marketing professionals typically use it to create content for print, video, or online distribution. You can find professionals in nearly every industry that uses Adobe Creative Cloud, including advertising, website design, and video editing.

At the center of the creative community, Adobe Creative Cloud connects creativity with collaboration, as the cloud-based systems allow you to share work with fellow creatives and work from anywhere. Adobe’s spectrum of programs allows you to edit photos, create stunning digital designs, build websites, and edit videos. Adobe Creative Cloud stores all your programs under the same roof, allowing you to switch easily between programs as needed. Using Creative Cloud can also introduce you to new programs you have not used before to help upgrade your career. 

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

What Can You Do with Adobe?

Adobe Creative Cloud is a one-stop shop for all creative projects, and several applications are industry leaders for creative software. Adobe has over 20 applications, though typically, when referring to Adobe Creative Cloud, people think of the top five most popular; After Effects, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. However, Adobe Creative Cloud has much more to explore. 

Adobe offers applications to fit every project, from allowing users to view and edit PDF files to designing and publishing web pages. The top five applications allow users to edit photos and videos, create visual effects and motion graphics, and create page layouts, typography, and illustrations. With other programs like Adobe Spark, users can create social media or web content directly from their computer or phone. Dreamweaver allows users to publish web pages with a simplified code engine. Adobe Aero focuses on the world of augmented reality. There are endless possibilities for creating with Adobe Creative Cloud.

Type of Free Adobe Resources

Setting out to learn some Adobe applications? There are many free resources you can look into to start building a foundation for future skills. Even if you are an advanced user already, these free resources can help you learn new concepts implemented with updates or give you a refresher on a particular aspect of the program. Free resources include:

• Free seminars: Seminars are short courses, often held live and recorded, that provide overviews of the topic. Seminars are great options for those who do not have much time on their hands. Noble Desktop offers a free Intro to Adobe Creative Cloud Seminar that covers what Adobe Creative Cloud does. There are seminars available for several Adobe applications that go more in-depth. 
• On-demand, self-paced courses: These courses can be accessed at any time and allow students to return to them when they have time. Free seminars tend to be broad overviews to see if the application is right for you, while on-demand courses begin to show you how to use the application. Some are free, while some cost money. Check out on-demand Adobe courses for more information.
• Video tutorials: For visual learners, YouTube can be a great resource. Some schools like Noble Desktop have Adobe Creative Cloud tutorials that demonstrate how to use the applications in an easy-to-follow manner. You can work through the videos at your own pace and skip the videos that do not connect to what you want to learn. 
• Adobe resources: One great source of free resources often is Adobe itself. Adobe offers how-to articles for its apps, along with livestreams that cover various subjects, from lettering and typography to masterclasses on particular applications. 

These resources allow you to dive into these applications without a large time or money commitment. You can learn what you want when you want.

Key Insights

• For every Adobe application, you can find countless free resources designed to teach the basics of the programs. 
• Since subscriptions and classes are large upfront costs, utilizing free trials and free resources is a useful way to see if an application is right for you. 
• Taking part in free seminars provides a high-level overview of each application before getting started. 

• After learning which application will fit with the creative project you are working on, you can look into on-demand courses or video tutorials to begin learning the program. 
• While these resources will not make an expert on any of the applications, they allow those just beginning to get to know the program and allow advanced users to refresh themselves on concepts or areas in which they are struggling. 

Learn Adobe with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop provides several Adobe Creative Cloud Classes that meet any schedule or learning style. Participants have the option to attend in-person courses at Noble's campus in Manhattan, or they can opt to take courses virtually from anywhere in the world. Each option has students working closely with expert instructors in small groups. Noble also provides a free retake option within one year, allowing students additional time and opportunities to hone their skills without paying for another course. 

Learning Adobe Creative Cloud can be daunting; however, the Intro to Adobe CC Bootcamp is available for students who want to learn only a few applications quickly. This course covers several Adobe applications, introducing students to Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. Students use each application to work through real-world exercises and projects. For those with a little more time on their hands who want in-depth training on more programs, the longer Adobe Creative Cloud Bootcamp devotes more time to work with each application. 

Additional options are available for those looking for more career-oriented learning. The Graphic Design Certificate dives into Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, while covering concepts surrounding the graphic design career. For more training on using Adobe programs to design web or mobile interfaces, there is the UI Design Certificate. As part of this course, you will work closely with Photoshop and Illustrator. In addition to learning the programs for your field of interest, you will develop a portfolio to send to potential employers.