Adobe Captivate is a software that is used to create E-learning courses, demonstrations, software simulation, quizzes or any other type of training, it can also be used for certain type of podcasting, the software is available for both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

Adobe Captivate is used by companies to create E-learning courses for their employees, it’s also used by training providers to create E-learning courses. Learning Adobe Captivate is helpful for anyone creating E-learning courses/demonstrations either for their organization or for their own private business.

The aim of this post is to present and compare between free online sources that beginners can rely on to learn Adobe Captivate, the sources stated here are full-structured courses that beginners can follow along so you won’t find a link to a single article or a reply in a forum post.

If you just want the bottom line (the road map to learn Adobe Captivate) and you don’t wish to read the entire article then go to the “Bottom Line” section at the end of the article.

Getting Started with Adobe Captivate from Scratch

Adobe KnowHow

Adobe KnowHow is the first free online outlet where beginners can start learning Adobe Captivate through video tutorials. You’ve to register in order to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 4 sections, each section is divided into lessons and each of these lessons covers certain topics/tools in Adobe Captivate.

Interface: The interface is simple just click on the lesson you’re interested in and you’ll be directed to the page where the video lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured and organized for beginners.
3. The training covers the basics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using Adobe Captivate.
4. The training covers the latest release of Adobe Captivate.

Cons

1. You’ve to sign-in using either Facebook, Google+ or Adobe ID.

Verdict: This is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Adobe Captivate online through video tutorials.

Adobe TV

Adobe TV is the second free online outlet where beginners can start learning Adobe Captivate through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 14 video lessons, each video lesson covers a certain topic about Adobe Captivate. This training is more of an overview about the software.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lesson and you’ll be directed to the page where video lesson resides.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-organized for beginners.
3. The training covers the latest release of Adobe Captivate.

Cons

1. The training just covers the very basics of the software so it’s not sufficient on its own for complete beginners.

Verdict: This outlet is very suitable for those who want to get a quick overview about the software.

Adobe Elearning YouTube Channel

Adobe Elearning YouTube Channel is the third free online outlet where beginners can start learning Adobe Captivate through video tutorials. It’s worth noting that the instructors on this outlet are the same as the above outlets.

Structure: The training is divided into 27 video lessons, each video lesson covers certain topics in Adobe Captivate. This training covers more topics/tools than the above outlet.

Interface: Standard YouTube interface.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured for beginners.
3. The training covers the basics beginners should be familiarized with in order to start using Adobe Captivate.
4. The training covers the latest release of Adobe Captivate.

Cons

1. The training isn’t well-organized for beginners.

Verdict: This is an excellent outlet for beginners to start learning Adobe Captivate online through video tutorials.

Dartmouth College Website

Dartmouth College Website is the fourth free online outlet where beginners can start learning Adobe Captivate through video tutorials, you don’t have to register to have access to the training.

Structure: The training is divided into 11 video lessons, each video lesson covers certain topics about Adobe Captivate.

Interface: The interface is very simple, just click on the video lesson you’re interested in and the video will start right away.

Now, the pros and cons:

Pros

1. Free.
2. The training is well-structured for beginners.

Cons

1. The training covers a very old release of the software.

Verdict: This outlet covers a very old release of the software so it’s not very suitable for beginners.

Bottom Line

The recipe for learning Adobe Captivate:

1. Adobe KnowHow is the best outlet for beginners to start learning Adobe Captivate through video tutorial.
2. Adobe TV is the best outlet for those who want to get an overview about Adobe Captivate

Remember that the first step is always the toughest step, and the aim of this post is to provide you with resources that will help you take your first step in learning Adobe Captivate.