5 Best Online Photoshop Courses and Classes

Photoshop is one of the most complex programs available to the general public, and it can seem completely confusing when you first start using it. If that was your experience, don’t worry – you’re not alone! Most people need some instruction when first starting out, so there are lots of online Photoshop courses and classes to help you learn the program in a structured system. 

We’ve got plenty of tutorials here at PhotoshopBuzz, but most of them are intended to answer a specific question or solve a specific problem. 

We don’t usually write articles about the very basic elements of Photoshop because we assume you’ve already got some Photoshop knowledge, but if you want to start learning Photoshop from the ground up, these courses and classes will be a big help. 

Everyone learns differently, so you might need to try out a couple of the options to see which one works best for you. It’s much easier to learn in a style that suits you than it is to struggle with a teaching style that doesn’t fit with you! 

If you’re not sure where to spend your time, check out the section at the end on how to choose the best online Photoshop course for you. 

Note: these Photoshop classes are ranked from beginner to intermediate, not based on quality or price.

1. Adobe’s “Get Started with Photoshop”

  • Platform: Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Price: Free!

Since they know more about Photoshop than anyone else, it should be no surprise that Adobe has some great online Photoshop classes available. They were a bit slow to develop their own instructional resources online since they had a lot of resources invested in the in-person training market, but there is now plenty of good material available. 

This course is rather basic, but it’s an excellent way to find your footing when using Photoshop for the first time. Once you’ve explored the basic introductory series, there’s a lot of other great tutorial material available for free as well! 

2.

  • Platform: LinkedIn Learning 
  • Price: $39.99

You might be a bit surprised to see LinkedIn on this list, but it’s a bit of a misdirection. The popular and widely-respected software training website Lynda.com was purchased by LinkedIn, and then LinkedIn was purchased by Microsoft. 

In 2017, Microsoft announced that Lynda.com would be discontinued and all the training material would be available on LinkedIn under the LinkedIn Learning brand. 

The high-quality lessons that made Lynda.com famous are still the guiding principle behind LinkedIn learning, although the pricing structure is a bit steep compared to some of the other courses that are listed here. 

When you successfully complete the course, you’ll also receive a shareable certificate that can be mentioned on your LinkedIn page, although that may only be a benefit if you’re already committed to using LinkedIn for networking. These certificates aren’t likely to impress other Photoshop users, but they look good to management and human resources!

I think these may also be the most practical Photoshop courses that are included on this list, but that’s probably because they’re largely aimed at a business audience instead of specifically at creatives.

3.

  • Platform: Udemy
  • Price: $19.99

Udemy is one of the newer players in the online software training game, but it has quickly made a name for itself with a huge range of online training courses from programming to Photoshop. 

While the name of this class is a bit out of date, the content is excellent, as you’d expect from Udemy’s most popular online Photoshop class. Over 500,000 students have enrolled in this course, which is a truly impressive reach for any instructor! 

Just like with LinkedIn learning, you’ll finish the class with a certification, although the knowledge you get out of the class is a lot more valuable than a completion certificate. Since Udemy doesn’t partner with LinkedIn or any other social network, it’s not likely that anyone will see it, so you’ll have to let the quality of your work shine through instead! 

If this particular Photoshop class doesn’t work for you, then Udemy has quite a few other options available from different instructors.

4. Skillshare Learn Photoshop

  • Platform: Skillshare
  • Price: $13.75 per month

Skillshare uses a different model than the other teaching platforms on this list. Instead of charging for specific courses, you pay for a subscription that unlocks access to the entire Skillshare library. 

This method might not be as useful for Photoshop beginners, since there’s a lot less structure than some of the other options, but at the same time, there’s a lot more opportunity to expand your skills in digital imaging in unexpected ways. 

If you want to explore Skillshare, then you can sign up for a one-month free trial to see all the Photoshop courses that are available before you get billed. 

5. Domestika Online Photoshop Courses

  • Platform: Domestika
  • Price: $9.99 per course 

Many of Domestika’s online Photoshop classes are originally recorded in Spanish with English subtitles, but they are an excellent resource for Photoshop users of all skill levels who are already comfortable with the basics and looking to expand their horizons – and if Spanish is your native language, you might find everything easier to learn! 

Some online Photoshop courses stay too close to the simple stuff without covering any seriously advanced material, but many of Domestika’s courses teach professional techniques. Most of the courses available here are much shorter, but they’re also some of the most affordable paid classes on the list. 

If you’re a native English speaker, you might be put off by the language barrier, but Domestika has some truly capable instructors that have a lot to teach, above and beyond the standard “this is how to use layers in Photoshop” sort of advice. 

How to Choose an Online Photoshop Course

The list above mentions six of the best online Photoshop courses and classes, but there are plenty more out there. Your time is valuable, so it’s important to make sure that you choose a course that will actually help you develop your skills without wasting your time on information you already know. 

Does the course match your skill level?

The first thing to consider when choosing an online Photoshop course is the intended skill level. If you’re completely new to Photoshop, but you start following an advanced-level class, you’ll quickly get frustrated – and the same is true for an advanced user who has to suffer through beginner introductory material. 

Fortunately, most online Photoshop classes allow you to get some preview of the contents before you actually make a purchase, so you should be able to tell if it’s a good match for your skill level. 

Do you like the teaching style?

Since you’re going to be spending a lot of time paying attention to them, it’s always a good sign when you like the instructor’s teaching style. If you can remember way back in the hazy mists of time when high school was still a thing, you’ll probably remember how easy it is to fall asleep to a boring teacher. 

Can you download the course materials?

The rise of high-speed internet and video streaming has reached the world of Photoshop training, and for the most part, that’s a good thing. But if your internet connection isn’t fast and stable, you might find yourself unable to watch your training materials easily, so the ability to download any course materials and work offline can be an important feature to consider. 

Does the course motivate you to practice using Photoshop?

This is the most important factor that you will only find in the best online Photoshop classes: they actually make you want to use Photoshop! The best way to learn Photoshop is to practice using it as much as possible, so any course that inspires you to use it more is time well spent. 

Does it provide good value?

It’s unfortunate that cost has to be a factor in these situations, but everyone needs to eat and put a roof over their head – even Photoshop instructors! 

That being said, many Photoshop courses are overpriced for the amount of value that they actually provide to the students, especially when you consider how many free high-quality Photoshop tutorials are available online – say, for example, oh I don’t know, from PhotoshopBuzz.com? 😉  

A Final Word

This barely scratches the surface of all the Photoshop courses that are out there, but I hope it will give you a solid foundation to start the learning process. Once you understand the basics, then come on back to PhotoshopBuzz to try out some of our tutorials! 

If there’s a particular Photoshop topic that you’d love to see a tutorial for here, let me know in the comments below.  

Enjoy the learning process – and most importantly, have fun with Photoshop!

About Thomas Boldt
Thomas started his Photoshop career way back in 2000. After exploring Photoshop 5.5 in a high school computer lab, he developed an enduring passion for photography, design, and technology that carried him through a Bachelor of Design degree and into the wild world of tech startups.

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