A couple weeks ago I attended the first iteration of Adobe Video World, a combination of Adobe Premiere World and Adobe After Effects World, and a one week powerhouse of learning based in San Jose, CA. I’m not normally one for big teaching events like I thought this would be, but it turned out Adobe Video World was exactly what I look for in education: small, more personal and easier access to instructors who were teaching techniques I was genuinely interested in.

I have attended classes/workshops/lectures at Photo Plus, WPPI, NAB, CES and Adobe MAX, and my main issue with all of them is that because of the huge volume of people at the events, either classes are absolutely packed auditoriums and/or the subject matter was far too high level so as to appeal to a larger group of people. I never left any of the lectures feeling smarter or better about a particular skill set, and that left me instead with a feeling of regret and wasted time. Sure, there are exceptions, but for the most part I personally don’t learn well from these giant lecture halls. I think it might come from my education growing up, where my high school and college both prided themselves on small classroom sizes and direct connection with instructors.

That is exactly what Adobe Video World still is, and in my opinion, it makes it the best place to go and actually learn something.

Each of the classes offered throughout the day was aimed at a very specific skill, and the half hour to hour spent on that skill was in depth and specialized. This is the kind of learning that medium to advanced level professionals need, because the cursory stuff we get at the other shows we probably already know. Here, I walked away with several new techniques per class and felt like the entire day was hugely beneficial to my profession, something I have never been able to say about any other convention.

Even the keynotes, which were hosted in a larger ballroom, felt intimate. The speaker was able to address basically every question from the audience and wasn’t shooed off the stage after two or three. Every person felt engaged and it was more like we were being spoken to, not at.

The only “downside” I can see to this event is that it doesn’t have much of a tradeshow, and unfortunately some of the after-class events were a bit spread out around downtown, but these are very minor quibbles to an event that was a real surprise. I went in expecting just another show, and left feeling like it was the only show I’ve ever learned something at.

Pros:

• Small class sizes
• Specialized classes
• Huge library of subjects to select from

Cons:

• Small tradeshow (but that’s a minor quibble at best)

Adobe Video World is an excellent resource for any professional looking to learn a few more tricks and elevate their work. It’s certainly not for beginners, but this is the first show that actually seems to recognize that, and aims itself truly at video and animation professionals. I highly recommend this show if you learn better in small groups and want to learn more specialized techniques to advance your video or animation skill-sets.

We give Adobe Video World five out of five stars for an excellent place to advance your professional career by learning new techniques in an environment that fosters learning.