Discover the Best Adobe Classes Near Me
Many students seek to learn how to use Adobe products because the Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs is industry-standard within design professions. You’ve likely heard of Adobe products such as XD, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, or Premiere Pro. For most design professions, knowledge of at least one Adobe product is an expected qualification, and even where it is not, it can make you a stronger candidate for any design job. Which program you should study will depend on where you want your career to go, so be sure to check out what workers in your field generally use. But if you’re looking to get into any kind of design, there’s an Adobe product out there that will be helpful to you. Also, Adobe skills are advantageous because they are highly transferable between fields. So if you’re exploring one type of design career now, but later on you realize another would be a better fit, your studies of Adobe will not have been wasted. In fact, they’ll likely help you secure whatever type of new role you’re looking for. Something else to keep in mind is that even if you are already familiar with an Adobe product that’s standard in your field, mastering more programs within the Creative Cloud will make you look even better to potential employers.
Best Adobe Classes & Schools
#1: Manhattan Edit Workshop—Adobe Premiere Pro 101 (New York)
In Manhattan Edit Workshop’s Adobe Premiere Pro 101 course, students start off with an overview of the workspace and interfaces within the program. They learn the definition and principles of nonlinear editing, as well as the advantages that Premiere Pro provides as a tool for it. Students discover how the process of editing begins. They begin their hands-on work by setting up a project and a sequence within it, then importing images and other assets. And they work with the program’s Media Cache function to manage the footage and assets that they have imported. They also explore the Project panel and the use of bins for organizing various elements of the project.
Early on in the course, students learn essential editing commands and how to use the functions of the Program Monitor Controls. They also explore basic skills of editing such as moving clips around in a sequence, extracting segments from footage for deletion, finding gaps in their project timeline, and controlling the resolution of their footage. Then they move on to using markers and the lock functions like sync lock and track lack. Next, they discover how to create audio or video transitions and fine-tune them using the A/B mode Premiere Pro provides for this function.
The course then turns to advanced editing techniques. These include four-point editing, multi-camera editing, nesting sequences, and trimming. Students also learn about motion effects and how to use keyframing for animation. Then they focus on the audio elements of editing, employing the Audio Mixer tool to adjust aspects of audio like gain, volume, and levels within a sequence. Returning to the visual side, they look at color, including color effects, grading, and color correction. And they discover compositing techniques, learning how to work with transparency, opacity, matters, and green screen footage. Other critical visual elements for film include titling, so students learn about typography and text styling. Finally, students learn to manage and export their finished files using Adobe Media Encoder.
Key Information
At eight hours a day, this three-day course is full-time. It has no prerequisites, but students must be at least 16. Tuition is due upfront, and the cost is $1,295.
More Details
Each student in the class will be provided with their own workstation, which includes the necessary software for their work.
Graduates say that the “phenomenal” instructors for this course taught “everything I was hoping to learn.” They “really enjoyed” their studies, and one student reviewer mentioned that they clearly “got my money’s worth” out of it.
#2: Noble Desktop—Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp (New York)
Noble Desktop’s Adobe Photoshop Bootcamp is a hands-on training program for students seeking to make the most of Photoshop’s abilities. It starts off with manipulating images through basic techniques such as replacing an image’s background, cropping, and retouching. Students learn to build graphics by combining photos with text and illustrations. They discover the power of the blend mode and how to adjust the opacity or transparency of an image. Then they move on to color manipulation, including color correction, balance, and blending. After they’ve made their desired edits using these tools, they discover the processes behind exporting their files in various formats for digital use or photo printing.
The course then covers more advanced editing tools. These include converting to black and white, sharpening an image, and lens correction. Next, students discover how they can place their designs within pre-made mockups to work more efficiently, and how to perform actions as a batch. They also learn about smart filters and how RAW files interact with them. And they explore clipping masks, meaning the filling of shapes with images, and the adjustment layers that can help students create them. Then they learn the functions of the Image Processor. At the end of the course, they work on graphic design skills such as using layer styles, adding text, compositing multiple images into one photo, and making digital art that they can share or print.
Key Information
At seven hours a day, this three-day course is full-time. There are no prerequisites. Tuition, which is $975, can be paid upfront or in 12 monthly installments.
More Details
Noble Desktop’s small class sizes and expert instructors enhance the effectiveness of its project-based training. It also offers free course retakes within one year of completing the course. And it comes with a proprietary workbook as a study support.
According to students, Noble’s “very effective” hands-on approach “keeps you engaged,” and its instructors are “eager to help and share their knowledge.”
#3: Los Angeles City College—Digital Video Editing Series (Los Angeles)
The two-part Digital Video Editing Series from Los Angeles City College is a program designed to introduce students to Adobe Premiere Pro’s functions, first on a basic level and then bringing them up to intermediate.
LACC students start off by learning to import their footage. They go on to learn some simple editing techniques. First, they explore the timeline feature within Premiere Pro. This tool allows them to arrange the audio, video, and clip effects that they would like to use in their projects. They also explore the management of imported media within the program and learn how they can insert those media files into the timeline sequence. Then they can add high-quality effects to their footage, filter the audio and video as they desire. Once they are finished with these edits, they learn how to add credits and titles to their completed project.
The second part of the course takes students to an intermediate level of Premiere Pro proficiency. First, students explore the effects window and the track audio menu. They learn pancaking with the timeline. They also discover the media browsing capacity of the program and how to use it for more efficient editing. The course covers how to combine and smooth sections of footage originally filmed at different resolutions. It also introduces students to color correction, ingesting, and the use of proxies within the program. After they’ve produced a new finished product, students discover how to select the right group of settings for exporting to a range of different platforms they may want to use, including Vimeo and YouTube.
Key Information
At three hours a week, this part-time course lasts for seven weeks. Students must be 18 or over, but there are no other prerequisites. Tuition, due upfront, is $349.
More Details
Students found it “a pleasure” to study Adobe in this “intelligently organized” course. The “amazing” instructors were “encouraging” and “patient” with their learning process.
#4: Training Connection—After Effects Fundamentals (Los Angeles)
The After Effects Fundamentals course at Training Connection will help students interested in film learn to edit effects into their work. They’ll begin by discovering best practices for the After Effects workflow. They also learn early on about the real-world applications they can expect to find for their proficiency with the program. The hands-on portion begins with setting up a project and importing footage. They then explore the modes, panels, switches, and presets available to them in After Effects. Next, they learn how to use animation and layers for composition as they edit. And they adjust the transparency, opacity, and blur of their footage.
The course also covers the use of text and text animation in editing. For animation, students learn how to use keyframes. They also discover the potential of shapes and mask layers for editing, and they come to understand the important differences between the two tools. And they learn how to replace one background with another and use the Clone tool to remove unwanted elements. They then explore specialty types of editing like audio mixing, color correction, and 3D effects. Once they have a completed project, students use the Adobe Media Encoder to render and export their finished files with the appropriate settings for the different types of media they may need to produce.
Key Information
Lasting three weeks, the course meets once a week for a seven-hour day. There are no prerequisites. Tuition, due upfront, is $1,395.
More Details
Students say the “thoughtful and intentional” instructors for this course provide “high value” for their studies.”
#5: ONLC Training Centers—Adobe Acrobat DC Introduction (Chicago)
This Adobe Acrobat course is for students who are new to Adobe Acrobat Pro and need a way to create and share PDF files and portfolios. To begin, they learn how to access the information in an existing PDF. They then create stable PDF documents of their own that will preserve both contents and formatting. And they discover how to navigate content within a PDF document as they go. The course covers how to modify an existing PDF, whether it’s to edit the content, add a signature, or heighten the security of the document. Students learn how to efficiently review the contents of PDF documents created by others and make the needed changes before passing them on. Finally, they discover how to convert their carefully created PDFs into other file formats that they may need in their workplace.
Key Information
This two-day course is full-time at seven hours a day. The only prerequisite is basic facility with Microsoft Office. Also, students must be at least 18. Tuition is $795, due upfront.
More Details
Students would “recommend this course to any beginner” because of the “knowledgeable and helpful” instructors.
#6: General Assembly—Adobe XD (Boston)
General Assembly’s Adobe XD Bootcamp introduces students to a program custom-built for UX and user interface (UI) design, which comes with free kits of templates and components for UI, such as buttons and icons. The class begins by getting students familiar with the XD interface and the most important tools that UX and UI Designers commonly use in the program. They learn how to make objects and shapes in the program. And they use selections and controlled layers to create a layout for their designs. Next, they discover how to make artboards for sharing their proposed design style with stakeholders and colleagues.
The course then moves on to the making of wireframes, which are low-fidelity sketches of the basic proposed interface for the app or site being designed. These can also be used for sharing with stakeholders, as well as potential users for testing. However, most user testing and stakeholder presentations involve high-fidelity mockups or even prototypes, which students will also learn how to make in XD.
Key Information
This one-day course is full-time at seven hours. It has no prerequisites. The cost is $250, which is due upfront.
More Details
Students say General Assembly’s instructors were “engaging and insightful” and the class was “easy to follow” and “kept me engaged.”
#7: Capital Photography Center—Lightroom in a Day ()
The Lightroom in a Day class at Capital Photography Center covers the two most vital modules within the program: Library and Develop. The course starts off with an overview of workflows in the software. Students import photo files, then learn how to add metadata, keywords, and other organizational tools to them. They learn how to sort through images and create filters for them. As they move into active photo editing, they discover how to use the program to recover details of shadows and highlights that may have been lost in the pre-existing image. They explore the process of adjusting color factors like vibrance, saturation, contrast, and white balance
The course covers tools like the Adjustment Brush, as well as filters like the Gradual and Radiated options. Moving on to more sophisticated color edits, they learn how to make targeted color adjustments, use the tone curve, and remove chromatic aberrations in their photo files. They explore how to reduce noise and sharpen images. The course wraps up with file management, including processing multiple files and exporting in different formats.
Key Information
This one-day class is full-time at eight hours. It has no prerequisites, though students must be 16 or older. The fee for the course is due upfront, and it is $159.
More Details
After completing the course, students receive a PDF handout that will provide them with 160 pages of Lightroom tips and tricks, with screenshots and detailed explanations. Note that students need to bring their own laptops with Lightroom installed.
Students say the “excellent” instructors at Capital Photography Center provide “valuable guidance” and “individual attention.” They “really enjoyed” this “positive experience.”
#8: Colorado Free University—Adobe Illustrator CC 2-Day Comprehensive (Denver)
The Adobe Illustrator CC 2-Day Comprehensive at Colorado Free University is an introduction to using this program to create vector graphics. Students learn the basic functions and tools within Illustrator over the course of the two days. The course begins with an exploration of the different workspaces in the program. Students make artboards for their designs. They practice making the most of the Tool Palette. And they learn about modes like the Shape Builder that can help them draw. The course introduces students to the many creative libraries available in Illustrator. Students discover how to use brushes, make patterns, and create symbols. They explore clipping masks, the Pen Tool, Live Trace, and Live Paint. By the end of the course, students will be able to make professional-looking logos and designs in Illustrator.
Key Information
This two-day course is full-time at seven hours a day. There are no prerequisites, although students must be at least 17. Tuition is $459, due upfront.
More Details
Students say that the instructors for this course are “knowledgeable, patient, and professional.” In this “hands-on experience,” they “go through each function and detail” of the program, with “clear and comprehensive” explanations.
Industries That Use Adobe
Almost all professional designers in the United States, regardless of the industry they work in, make use of at least one Adobe product. A Film Editor would use Premiere Pro or After Effects, a Visual or Graphic Designer Photoshop or Illustrator, a User Experience Designer Adobe XD, and so on. Creative minds in every industry, especially those focused on technology, rely on all that the Adobe Creative Cloud has to offer. Even beyond technical fields, there are professionals using Acrobat to create and share PDFs or InDesign to lay out magazines and newspapers. Where a professional designer is at work, chances are an Adobe product will be near at hand.
Adobe Jobs & Salaries
The careers that almost always require knowledge of Adobe projects include Photographer, Graphic Designer, UX Designer, and Film Editor. In the U.S., the average yearly salaries for these jobs are $45,000, $56,000, $104,000, and $54,000 respectively. Yet it’s vital to be aware that salaries can vary significantly depending on location. So for each city you might choose to work or study in, the average pay for each of these roles will be different.
This variety stems from two main factors: cost-of-living and worker demand. In New York City, a Graphic Designer can expect an average pay of $64,000. This is because the cost-of-living there is higher than the national average. The level of demand for a specific type of worker in a given city will also affect pay there. For example, a Film Editor working in Los Angeles or Atlanta will tend to make more money, and UX Designer working in a tech hub like San Francisco or Seattle will probably have a higher annual salary than the average for the U.S. As you choose what and where to study in your Adobe journey, bear in mind your desired place to live and what the biggest industries are in that area. That will help you make a successful career decision.
What Will I Need to Learn Adobe?
You will need a computer with enough memory to run complex software, as well as whichever software you are going to study. With in-person classes, these resources are often provided to the students on-site. However, your studies will go more quickly if you can practice at home, so you may want to obtain them for yourself as well.
Is it Difficult to Learn Adobe?
At the beginning of your studies, learning Adobe can be challenging. Most Adobe programs are so powerful that students sometimes find the sheer quantity of complex functions at their fingertips overwhelming. However, Adobe courses are generally designed with the awareness that students may become overwhelmed. For that reason, they follow a structure of establishing a foundation and building levels on it. For example, a Photoshop course will typically teach how to use shapes and layers before going to explore clipping masks. So the best strategy is to focus on one skill at a time, trusting that it will provide a good foundation for your future self to become skillful at using the many tools at your fingertips. Don’t let the host of icons and options worry you—you’ll pick them up as you go, and before long all those tools will be exciting instead of intimidating, because you’ll understand the potential of what you can do with them.
Made in NYC
