17 Best Photo Editing Software for Beginners - Free, Trial and Paid

If you take a look at before/after photos, you’ll see that a photo's full success? depends on the right editing. Anyone can buy a camera and take some shots, but only a few can transform a usual photo into a masterpiece.

How can you determine whether you have what it takes to be a photographer and an editor? If you’ve heard you have nice Instagram or Facebook pictures or been asked to take a photo and then edit it for someone, you can take some photography courses. If you see certain progress when you work with a photo, don’t stop and take a step forward - learn about graphic design tools and editing programs.

Luckily, you don’t have to look for them on your own, just start developing your photo editing skills with the list of the best photo editing software for beginners we introduce below. No doubt you already know about some of them, though others may come as a surprise. Enjoy, and try out all of these editors to pick your favorite!

The list of the best photo editing software for beginners:

1. Luminar Neo (7-day free trial)

The fastest way to make your photos stand out.

If you are looking for simple photo editing software, where you can process your pictures for a couple of minutes, pay attention to this variant. The creators of Luminar Neo have learned from the mistakes of their competitors and created an editor that embodies convenience and flexibility.

Effects and filters can be adjusted with sliders. Luminar Neo’s “human-aware” technology is a real specialty. It identifies people and objects in photos, then selects the most appropriate adjustments.

Artificial Intelligence is Luminar Neo`s best friend, allowing the software to make improvements in one click.

Moreover, beginner photo editing software Luminar Neo has instant Presetsthat can be applied to any photo. Presetsare tailor-made and selected by leading designers and photographers, especially for Luminar Neo.

Access, edit, and share your photos from any browser.

Adobe Lightroom is the king of the editing world. In my personal experience, I can say that it’s obligatory for all photographers to know this tool. Why? Let’s find out.

First of all, the easy photo editing software Lightroom is all about intuition. Experiments and genuine art are made in Lightroom. Just upload a photo and you can play with it for hours and more, as there’s so much to apply in this amazing editor. However, don’t worry. Once you’ve mastered Lightroom, you can make your own presets and apply them in your next photosets, thereby enriching the editing experience. The only drawback of Lightroom is that it’s a bit expensive. So try out the test version and then decide if you want to pay for this feature-rich program.

3. Snappa (Free Starter Pack)

Create online graphics in a snap.

Many photographers looking for photo editing for beginners, which in addition to the basic editing tools have the opportunity to the improvement of appearance.

“Snap” is what you think of when you hear Snappa. This software allows SMM specialists and bloggers to create visuals that cause aesthetic pleasure in viewers. Apart from being fast and furious, the platform is also super flexible. It makes perfect images for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, and other social media platforms. Additionally, it creates cool ads, blog posters, flyers, emails, and other infographics.

If you’re lazy or like to use ready-made images, Snappa has a whole stock of them for you. What’s more, this photo editor for beginners contains essential presets that you can either apply directly or use as a guide.

Make your photos one-of-a-kind and add some quotes with beautiful fonts, effects, and filters. Don’t be afraid to make your dreams a reality.

4. ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate (Free Trial available)

Ultimate creative freedom with simple photo editing.

If you’re wondering where to find an editor that supports RAW files and fixes all details without damaging the whole image, the answer is ACDSee. Its GPU-powered system and updated adjustment layers help you meet your creative goals and live up to the expectations of your clients.

This is the best photo editing software for beginners when you want to get good results, but you haven’t much time for photo editing. A color palette enhancer, non-destructive specific areas targeting, fast facial recognition, black-and-white modes, and excellent contrast and exposure tools will certainly do the job.

Reimagine reality with this easy-to-use photo editing software.

Well, well, well. Who do we have here? It’s our old friend Photoshop, one of the best photo editing programs for beginners you can master literally in a couple of weeks! Yep, this cowboy can do crazy stuff.

Although Photoshop and Lightroom are both good for editing, Photoshop focuses more on creating. Basic photo editing software Lightroom is all about enhancing photos, adding effects, resizing, and cropping, whereas Photoshop supports 3D designs, illustrations, and graphics. Flyers, cards, posters, banners, website photos, logos, and icons – you can create all of them in your faithful Photoshop.

You can trust this graphic design tool because it’s a well-tested and approved program used by millions of designers and photographers. Thanks to this work assistant, they got really powerful photos and other projects. Experience, worldwide recognition, and long years of service demonstrate its potential to the fullest.

6. Corel PaintShop Pro (Free Trial Available)

Get the power, versatility, and intuitive tools you need here.

If you have just recently started to process images and are looking for a tool with extensive editing options and amazing results, this is the best free photo editing software for beginners. This editor and graphics maker has a conservative and clear design that’s reminiscent of Paint in the 2000s.

Hundreds of designers and photographers use Corel PaintShop Pro for massive and impressive projects. No matter how many photos you have, it will make them all stand out.

Minimalistic design and simplicity are important for photo editing software for beginners. Here, we have them both.

Test out photo editing software for beginners PaintShop Pro for yourself and share your feelings with your colleagues!

7. Capture One (30-day free trial)

Introducing new Latitude Styles.

It’s significant to have the opportunity to open a photo of any format and use different editing features to get the best results. This curious editor supports every file format from all major camera brands. Thus, Capture One guarantees instant recognition of RAW files and quick automatic enhancements to your uploads.

The platform is the project of Phase One A/S, which means it’s made for and used by professional photographers. Advanced software and high-resolution camera modules are what allow Capture One to make your life easier.

The official website offers style kits inspired by all the beautiful places in the world. Create a Hawaiian look or London-like rainy weather in your photos. Everything is possible with such simple image editors as Capture One.

Designed by and for photographers.

Are you tired of adjusting each photo from one shoot to certain parameters? Then use this simple photo editor software. The beauty of this advanced platform lies in the fact that it’s created by photographers. DxO PhotoLab not only allows you to convert RAW files but is easy to use.

One of DxO’s exclusive features is U Point Adjustment Technology. What’s it all about? When you’re editing a set of photos taken in similar conditions and with similar lighting, this feature applies all the enhancements and effects you’ve already added to one of the photos to other areas that have the same problem.

DxO also has an optical correction module that compensates for optical flaws in your camera lenses. The best simple photo editing software is a pioneer in this sphere; all of its competitors take these modules as an example.

Moreover, DxO says goodbye to failed night photos thanks to prime denoising technology that allows the camera to capture clearer and more detailed images.

Free and open.

If you’re looking for free simple picture editing software that provides amazing results at a professional level, this variant is for you. GIMP lets you make as many adjustments as you like, and you can even change its source code. You can also use third-party plugins to create an editing platform unlike anything on the market.

High-quality photo manipulation and tools for creating original artwork are the two main things offered by GIMP. You can create artistic images with perfect lighting, exposure, and contrast through a variety of unique graphic design elements, components, and effects using the best photo editing software for beginners for free. And it's completely free, which makes it one of the best photo editing software for beginners who cannot afford to spend much on a new hobby.

It’s all about productivity boost.

When processing large numbers of photos for a blog, social networks, and other purposes, high speed and the ability to work with different files are important. This free photo editing software for beginners is just right for this.

PicMonkey does its best to help you edit the most photos in the least time. You can do that by collaborating with your team or friends in real-time.

You can also add elements such as fonts, logos, presets, and brand colors. Go crazy!

Images can be exported as PDF, JPG, and PNG, which are the formats most users need. Besides, edits are automatically saved to the cloud!

11. Pixlr Editor (Free Basic Plan)

The photo editor for every idea, one, and thing.

Pixlr Editor is one of the best easy photo editing software for those creative people who just start photo editing. It’s very easy to work with this program.

With its help, you can edit one or a whole set of photos effortlessly and in no time. The design of the editor is smart and logical, so you’re unlikely to have any problems or difficulties with finding the right effect.

The best free photo editor for beginners Pixlr allows users to get the most out of their pictures. The Pixlr team understands that many people are far from the design world and need a photo editor that easily transforms unremarkable shots into logos, cards, posters, flyers, and quotes. This technologically advanced boy certainly lives up to those expectations.

UsePixlr and forget about sophisticated software once and for all.

12. Serif Affinity Photo (Free Trial available)

Picture the future.

This is one of the best beginner photo editing software that gives wide opportunities for post-processing. By using it, you’ll feel professional, even if you have little experience with editing techniques.

Affinity Products, along with Affinity Designer, are armed with professional creative software. The design of the official website doesn’t remind me of any other graphic design tool.

Along with a great design, Affinity offers RAW editing, 360-degree image editing, panorama stitching, HDR merge, PSD editing, and more. Retouching is a strong side of Affinity Photo because it has a full set of necessary functions such as dodge, burn, clone, patch, and blemish tools.

The reviews say that the program works without malfunctions. It has also been rewarded with the “Apple app of the year” title which means that it operates with the latest powerful technologies.

13. PortraitPro (Free Trial available)

Fast, easy portrait editing software.

Do you adore capturing the characters and appearance and emotions of different people on camera? And do you want to find software that will help you to move to a new level? So, now let’s cover an important tool for portrait editing, PortraitPro. This software knows all about faces, skin tones, make-up, and other essential details every photographer should consider.

The rules of photo editing for beginners PortraitPro usage are simple:

Upload a portrait.

See what PortraitPro can do on its own to enhance it.

If you want to edit it on your own, skip the automatic mode.

Smooth the skin and remove blemishes.

Go to the Makeup tools section and work with the eyes, eyebrows, lips, nose, and neck.

Add some shadows and highlight the cheekbones, under the eyebrows, the bridge of the nose, and above the upper lip.

You’re ready to sell your photo. Congratulations!

The retouching module of PortraitPro has helped it win numerous awards for the best software in the field. Developers along with software engineers have made the platform so multi-functional that it can detect your age and gender. Wonderful, isn’t it?

Go for the easiest photo editing software PortraitPro if you love making and selling portraits. Believe me, this is the best tool for face editing on the market right now.

14. Canva (30 days to try)

Design anything. Publish anywhere.

If you want to find one of the best tools for different tasks, this editor is for you. It’s very popular among SMM specialists, designers, and other creative people.

Judging from Canva’s logo, you may think that it offers you the ultimate freedom to perform all of your creative tasks. And you would be right.

Thousands of ready-made templates, millions of images and stock photographs, different filters for every taste, and free icons are what Canva offers.

This top-notch and free photo editor for beginners will help you design effective branding like a professional. Create your own logos, banners, cards, flyers, and other materials quickly and effectively.

Draw freely.

There are different software in the world of creativity. And if you’ve already tried editors from processing photos, create something interesting without picking up the camera in your hand. But how? Try the easy image editing software Inkscape.

This is a pure graphic design tool for creating new objects and items from scratch. Just open the program and use your imagination.

Inkscape could be compared to Paint and Paint.NET. But to my mind, it’s still a bit different. For example, Inkscape is known to work smoothly, especially for printing. The problem with many similar platforms is that they don’t convert images to the right size for printers. Consequently, the print quality is poor. With this editor, you’ll never have this problem.

16. Fotor (Free Basic Plan)

A revolutionary photo editor and design maker.

Fotor is the answer if you’re looking for simple photo editing software for beginners.

Millions of users and processed photos guarantee its good performance. This software is available in Google Play and the public domain on the Internet.

Fotor’s specialty is collages. The app has hundreds of them, and you can make your own if you have some cool ideas in mind.

Go artistic with Fotor.

Summary: how to choose the right photo editing software for beginners?

We’ve already considered all the best photo editors for beginners. But what tool to choose among them? If you have enough time, you can try each. Don’t you want to spray on all of them? Then choose the best depending on the goal you want to achieve. For example, if you need to make quick and impressive adjustments with the help of AI,, Luminar Neo is a nice choice for you. PortraitPro will help you to work with portraits in the best way, cleaning the skin, correcting makeup, and doing a lot of changes to your appearance. And if you prefer shooting with a drone, pay attention to such photo editing beginners as AirMagic.

That’s it. We hope you found something useful. Try out these editors for your creative work. Good luck!

9 Best Adobe Photoshop CC Courses for Beginners to Take in 2023

Adobe Photoshop is ubiquitous and has become synonymous with graphic design. Even if you have never used Photoshop before, you probably have seen extraordinary digital art made with it. Reality is, this program is way more powerful than it used to be and it can be used not only for photography and web design but also for a variety of digital art forms, animated GIF, illustration, and much more.

Although, trying to find the best online course for learning Adobe Photoshop can be overwhelming with so many options; we have 1,100+ Adobe Photoshop courses on Class Central. Therefore, after 6 hours of research, I’ve created this guide with the best Adobe Photoshop CC online courses and tutorials, and ranked them using a well-defined methodology. If you are on a budget, 3 courses are completely free!

What is Adobe Photoshop?

Photoshop is Adobe’s graphics editor for Windows and macOS. It’s the second most used graphic design software with 28% of market share, behind Adobe Illustrator with 42%. It’s quite impressive how it’s still so relevant after over 30 years in the market!

Besides being so popular among photo editing enthusiasts and professionals, Photoshop has become an important tool for digital artists and web designers as well, being fully integrated with the drawing tablets it makes the perfect combo from start to finish of any composition.

You can purchase Adobe Photoshop as a standalone app for a monthly subscription of about $10, or all Adobe apps for about $55 (20+ Creative Cloud apps, including XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects) with a 7 day free trial. Adobe also offers a 50% discount for students and teachers.

Best Courses Guides Methodology

I built this ranking following the now tried-and-tested methodology used in previous Best Courses Guides (you can find them all here). It involves a three-step process:

Research: I started by leveraging Class Central’s database with 70K+ online courses and 170K reviews. Then, I made a preliminary selection of 1,100+ Adobe Photoshop courses by rating, reviews, and bookmarks. Evaluate: I read through reviews on Class Central, Reddit, and course providers to understand what other learners thought about each course and combined it with my own experience as a learner. Select: Well-made courses were picked if they presented valuable and engaging content and they have to fit in a set of criteria and be ranked accordingly: comprehensive curriculum, selling price, release date, ratings and enrollments.

Course Ranking Statistics

Here are some aggregate stats about the ranking:

3 courses are Free and 6 are Paid.

8 courses are in English, and 1 in Spanish with English subtitles.

Together, they account for 1,013,717 enrollments and over 10 million YouTube views.

The most featured provider is Udemy with 4 courses.

My #1 pick for the best Adobe Photoshop CC course is Photoshop for Beginners with Daniel Walter Scott.

This free tutorial equips you with the skills needed to get started with the essentials of Photoshop starting from scratch and working quickly into more exciting techniques. Learn how to use layers, change color levels, how to retouch and manipulate images with real world practical examples. This course is for photographers, marketers, and designers and it doesn’t require any previous Photoshop knowledge.

Hello Dan, I wanted to let you know that in 3 hours you have taught me more about Photoshop than I learned at my 4-year design school. Thank you so much for this tutorial! – Zoe A, learner

What You’ll Learn

Some topics covered in this course: How Photoshop Layers Work, Combining Multiple Images, Tone Adjustment With Levels, Color and Hue Adjustment, How to Work With Type, Layer Styles and Effects, How to Crop, Resizing and Resolution, Rectangle and Elliptical Marquee Tool, Clipping Masks, Quick Selection Tool, Select and Mask, Smart Objects, Healing Brush, Content-Aware Scale, Exporting Images, and more.

How You’ll Learn

In this tutorial is divided into 23 parts, you will learn by following along with the instructor using the provided downloadable resources and trying each technique by yourself, so it’s recommended you already have Adobe Photoshop CC installed in your computer to make the best of it.

Institution Envato Tuts+ Provider YouTube Instructor(s) Daniel Walter Scott Level Beginner Workload 3-4 hours Enrollments Nearly 10 million views Rating 196,000 thumbs up Certificate Not available

Fun Facts

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My #2 pick is for Adobe Photoshop CC: Your Complete Beginner to Advanced Class with Phil Ebiner.

This course will guide you from the essential to pro-level techniques to equip you with the necessary tools to become an effective Photoshop user with practical projects. By the end of this course, you will be able to comfortably navigate Photoshop, edit and retouch photos, use blending mode and layer styles, select and edit just parts of your image, shape and pen tool, add and edit text, and much more.

This course is great for beginners who have used Photoshop or intermediate/casual users who want to learn new techniques and tools.

I really enjoyed this in-depth course, going from the basics to more advanced techniques. It was great having all the resources provided for following along and doing the projects as the course progressed – I always find I learn more and retain the knowledge by doing, rather than just listening to a lecture, and this course is very well structured to make sure the skills learnt are relevant and practical. – John B., learner

What You’ll Learn

This course will cover everything you need to know to start, including:

Getting started with Photoshop

Navigating and customizing the workspace

Using the Photoshop layers panel

Editing RAW and non-RAW photos in Photoshop

Using selection tools

Using tools like dodge and burn to edit just part of your images

Retouching photos such as whitening teeth, removing blemishes, and more

Creating and adjusting shapes in Photoshop

Designing graphics with different blend modes

Adding and editing layer styles like bevels and drop shadows

Adding artistic filters like blurs

Adding and editing text to your graphics

Saving your projects for anything – printing, online, and more

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 19 modules and 178 bite-sized lectures. You can learn by following along with the instructor using the course workbook and project files. By the end of each module, you will be invited to work on a project, in total there are 9 class projects to work on your own.

Provider Udemy Instructor(s) Phil Ebiner and Video School Level Beginner Workload 16 hours Enrollments 508,948 Rating 4.7 (19,827 ratings) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Phil Ebiner has 2 other courses available via Skillshare: Adobe Photoshop CC for Beginners and Adobe Photoshop CC: The Complete Beginner Course.

Phil Ebiner is a top-rated Udemy instructor with 2+ Million students.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My #3 pick is for Master Photoshop in 30 Days by PHLEARN.

In this free course, you will take you from a complete beginner all the way to the point where you know how to retouch, do a composite, edit raw photos, remove objects, and work with text and graphics in 30 days. If you want, you can sign up for the course calendar and receive a custom pdf by email.

These videos are great, they are easy to follow along with and highly informative without moving too fast. They took me from 0 understanding of photoshop to a fantastic core foundation that will allow me to better understand and build more complex skills. I am excited to learn more from your channel! – Blake Leverence, learner

What You’ll Learn

In the first 10 days you will learn how to navigate Photoshop by opening, editing and saving files, how to use layers and masks, create selections, levels and curves, change any color with hue and saturation, transform tool and brush, and end this first part with crop and resize.

From day 11 to 20, you will learn how to add text, use liquify tool, edit non-destructively with Smart Objects, use blending modes, remove distractions, dodge and burn, create a photo collage, edit RAW, and color grade a photo.

In the last 10 days, you will learn how to change color, correct exposure, remove blemishes, use frequency retouching, sharpen a portrait, cut out a subject and hair with Pen tool, match light and color for composites, edit landscapes in camera RAW, and finally, swap a sky in a landscape.

How You’ll Learn

In this course divided in 30 parts, you can follow along with the instructor and use the provided calendar (after signing up), or you can watch the course at your own pace. Either way, always try and experiment with the tool by yourself.

Institution PHLEARN Provider YouTube Instructor(s) Aaron Nace Level Beginner Workload 7 hours Enrollments 517,756 views Rating 11K thumbs up Certificate Not available

Fun Facts

PHLEARN is a YouTube channel dedicated to Photoshop content with over 2 million subscribers.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My #4 pick is for Photoshop 2021 Essential Training: The Basics with Julieanne Kost, principal evangelist at Adobe Systems.

This course with a free certificate will equip you with the necessary tools to work with the basics of Photoshop for design or photography.

I have tried many Photoshop courses for beginners and this is by far the best one and the only one that I have stuck with to learn Photoshop. I will be looking for more courses with the same instructor. – Marque Todd, learner.

What You’ll Learn

In this course, Julieanne Kost helps you get up to speed with Photoshop 2021, filtering out the noise and complexity to help you quickly achieve the results you want. Julieanne walks through the fundamentals of digital imaging—from working with multiple images to customizing the Photoshop interface. She explains how to choose the right tools to crop, tone, and retouch photos, while always maintaining the highest-quality output. She also demonstrates the most efficient ways to perform common tasks, including working with layers, selections, and masking. Along the way, she shares the secrets of nondestructive editing using Smart Objects, and helps you master features such as adjustment layers, blend modes, filters, type, layer styles, and much more.

Topics covered include: Opening Files, Documents and Navigation, Customizing the Photoshop Interface, Digital Image, Cropping, Straightening, and Adjusting Canvas Size, Layers, Color and Brush, Making Selections, Local Pixel Editing and Retouching, Blend Mode, Smart Object, Transformations, Adjustment Layer, Filters, Shape Layers, Layer Styles, and Type.

How You’ll Learn

In this course divided into 18 modules and 74 videos, you will learn by following along with the instructor and using the provided course materials (zip file of 1.32GB). Each module ends with a quiz to test your knowledge and upon completion of all videos and activities you will receive a certificate to upload to your profile.

Provider LinkedIn Learning Instructor(s) Julieanne Kost Level Beginner Workload 6-7 hours Enrollments 79,646 Rating 4.8 (1.601 ratings) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Julieanne Kost has worked for Adobe for the last 30 years and has over 8 years of experience as a Photoshop and Lightroom instructor.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My #5 pick is for Introducción a Adobe Photoshop with Carles Marsal, visual artist.

In this series courses in Spanish (with English subtitles), learn and master Photoshop from scratch. Even if you are a complete beginner, you will learn everything you need to know to become a design or digital publishing professional.

This course is for anyone interested in getting started with Photoshop and no prior knowledge is necessary.

I bought each course from him because I want to learn all the way to photo manipulation. I thought it was better to learn from a teacher. I was not disappointed. I already have some experience using Photoshop, he has shown that it is always possible to learn something new, to do something different, more efficiently. I am absolutely satisfied. I sincerely recommend this course. – Csaba Deli, learner

What You’ll Learn

You’ll start by getting to know Adobe Photoshop’s interface and its main tools. You’ll learn to manage and combine documents, work with layers and selections. Plus, another thing that’s essential for this type of project: masks.

Then you’ll dive into the world of photomontage and learn image size and resolution fundamentals. Also, you’ll learn to use transformations so that you can portray anything that you set your mind to.

Later, you’ll discover the vast world of options that Photoshop brushes offer.

You’ll also learn how to use the retouching tools to reconstruct, clean up and improve your photographs and images with an impeccable and realistic finish.

Finally, Carles will explain how to properly apply adjustment layers. Using these, you can do a detailed light and shadow treatment and adjust the color to your project’s needs.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 5 courses and 50 lessons. You will learn by watching the instructions provided and using the 46 provided files. Each course ends with an activity to put into practice what you’ve learned. Upon completion you will receive a certificate of completion.

Provider Domestika Instructor(s) Carles Marsal Level Beginner Workload 7 hours Enrollments 295,807 Rating 100% positive (8,600 reviews) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Carles Marsal is a visual artist and art director who lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My sixth pick is for Ultimate Adobe Photoshop Training: From Beginner to Pro 2022 with Cristian Doru Barin, certified Photoshop instructor.

This very practical and easy-to-follow course will equip you with the necessary tools to get started with Photoshop, especially designed for real beginners.

It was a really great, easy to follow course, I learned so much and Photoshop isn’t so intimidating anymore! I really recommend this course to anyone who wants to design/edit with this app, you will feel like an expert after you finish! – Boglárka S., learner

What You’ll Learn

How to design icons, business cards, illustrations, and characters.

Use creative effects to design stunning text styles

Cut away a person from their background

Clean up face imperfections, improve and repair photos

Remove people or objects from photos

Master selections, layers, and working with the layers panel

How You’ll Learn

Divided into 18 modules and 194 bite-sized lectures, this course focuses on real world cases with practical examples and projects. It also provides a package with over 300 PSD files to help you get started. Upon completion of this course you will receive a certificate.

Provider Udemy Instructor(s) Cristian Doru Barin Level Beginner Workload 15 hours Enrollments 150,832 Rating 4.7 (26,251 ratings) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Chris Barin is a professional web and app designer with nearly 10 years of Photoshop experience. He’s also an Adobe Certified Instructor and Certified Photoshop Expert with over 260k students on Udemy.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My seventh pick is for Adobe Photoshop for Beginners with Harrison Kuykendall, Creative Director & Retoucher.

In this series of courses you will learn tips and tricks for creating impactful digital work. Follow along as the expert teaches you how to become proficient in Photoshop, from the basics to creating an animated GIF.

By the end of this course, you’ll have all the skills and tools you need to transform images, whether you’re retouching portraits, editing beauty and fashion photography, or creating dynamic animations from still images.

Great course, very practical. The fact that each class is short makes it more dynamic and convenient. – samirnahas44, learner

What You’ll Learn

In the first course, get started by building a foundation of the software: navigation and basic tools, drop-down menus for editing images, and more.

For the second course, dive into the basics of color and light: how to adjust and modify the highlights and shadows of your image, including the different techniques for burning.

In the third course, go through the different methods for making selections and masks: learn the main techniques for cutting out elements using tools like Wand and Pen.

In the fourth course, learn the basic concepts of retouching: how to correct imperfections and see how to clean up skin, understand how to keep your retouching look natural and non-destructive, and how to use the Clone Stamp tool and export your retouched image.

For the fifth course, it’s time to focus on retouching still images. Learn the unique challenges and tools used to edit photos and discover Harrison’s secrets for getting the shape and perspective of still images just right.

Wrap up by learning about image sizing and manipulation. Learn to scale, skew, and distort your images with a range of tools. Take a look at two different warping tools and how you can use them to create animated GIFs.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 6 short courses and 46 bite-sized lessons. You will learn by following along with the instructor while doing projects. There are also 48 files to download to help you along the way. By completing the 6 courses you will receive a certificate.

Provider Domestika Instructor(s) Harrison Kuykendall Level Beginner Workload 6-7 hours Enrollments 2,531 students Rating 99% positive (68 reviews) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Harrison Kuykendall is a New York based creative director and retoucher, founder of the creative agency and post-production house HE-Studios.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My eighth course is for Photoshop 2022 MasterClass with Martin Perhiniak.

This comprehensive course will guide you through the ins and outs of creating a perfect workflow with Photoshop by using shortcuts, selection techniques, seamlessly combining images together, working with different image file formats, and learn from the beginning the way a professional would use this software. This is a great course for beginners or self-taught users wanting to up their skills and refine their workflow to get into the creative industry.

GREAT COURSE! It pretty much covered all the essential tools, techniques and backward compatibility. Also, the great thing is, there are video updates on the latest version of Photoshop and the upgrades. And the opportunity of getting Certified is another great way to level up. You can never find this kind of course that gives away everything. Thank you so much Martin. – Julius M., learner

What You’ll Learn

First, we will start with the basics of Photoshop: interface, navigation, preferences, setting up new documents and applying simple adjustments to images.

Then, we move on to working with layers, drawing tools and techniques (focusing on Brushes and Vector Shapes).

How to work non-destructively in Photoshop: Transformations, Selections, Masking, Smart Objects and Adjustment Layers.

Retouching techniques: the difference between technical and creative image retouching and all the features and techniques professionals use for enhancing images for adverts, movie posters and the beauty industry.

The different types of image files, the pros and cons of each of them and how to work with the robust Adobe Camera RAW editor.

How to work with type in Photoshop.

How to save and export your work and learn more advanced Photoshop workflows including 3D Layers, the Timeline panel, Lightroom integration and so much more.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 20 modules and 117 bite-sized lectures. You will learn by following the instructor with real life examples and projects. Each module ends with a quiz to test your knowledge and there are 6 downloadable resources. By completing this course you will receive a certificate.

Provider Udemy Instructor(s) Martin Perhiniak Level Beginner Workload 14 hours Enrollments 55,980 Rating 4.6 (10,123 ratings) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Martin is a graphic designer and an Adobe Certified Instructor with over 198k students on Udemy. As a designer and illustrator, he worked for companies like Pixar, BBC, Mattel and as an instructor taught teams at Google, Ben&Jerry’s, House of Lords and Oxford University Press.

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

My ninth pick is for Adobe Photoshop Mega Course – From Beginner to Super Designer with Alan Ayoubi, graphic designer.

This is a fast paced and comprehensive course that starts from the basics and also covers advanced techniques. This is a great course for beginners who might already be familiar with Photoshop or similar editing software.

This course is loaded with knowledge and exercises that enhance my skills. I have taken other Photoshop courses, but this one helps you tap into your creativity. You learn so much beyond how to use the tools. The sections after the web page design were what I needed to improve my skills. – Michael B., learner

What You’ll Learn

This course is divided into two main sections: Basics and Advanced.

In the first section, you will learn how to remove background from the most complex compositions like curly hair, how to remove objects from a scene, how to change and adjust the colors and make your own color looks. For photographers, you are going to master Camera Raw Filter which is an alternative to Adobe Lightroom. You will learn how to work with text and use it for beautiful Artworks, work with 3D, and make beautiful looks using layer styles.

In the second part, you will learn photomontage and creative artwork, how to achieve a double exposure effect, photo collage for creating outstanding posters, UI designs for mobile and web dashboard, mockups, retouching eyes and skin, abstract gradient, glowing objects, contrast trendy style, and much more.

How You’ll Learn

This course is divided into 23 modules and 154 lectures. You will learn by following the instructor with projects. Each module ends with a homework to put into practice what you’ve learned. There are 33 downloadable resources available. By completing this course you will receive a certificate.

Provider Udemy Instructor(s) Alan Ayoubi Level Beginner/Intermediate Workload 18 hours Enrollments 50,116 Rating 4.6 (1,352 ratings) Certificate Available

Fun Facts

Alan Ayoubi is a graphic designer and photographer with 11 years of experience. He has accrued over 140k students on Udemy

If you’re interested in this course, you can find more information about the course and how to enroll here.

Adobe Photoshop for Beginners

Adobe Photoshop for Beginners

with Kathryne Johnson at Anderson Ln

with Michael Pliskin at South Location

and Shelby Burrell at The Woodlands

If you want to adjust and process your images, Adobe Photoshop is great software. But it is a big program that can be overwhelming. This class will cover the basics to get you started and give you a foundation to grow from. Your camera settings are only the first half of exposure. How you develop an image is the rest. Learn how to get the most out of your digital images using Adobe Photoshop, a digital darkroom.

To insure that class can begin promptly at it's start time, please have a fully installed and working version of Photoshop on your laptop. If you have a desktop computer, you can simply take notes. See the "Required Equipment" section below for more information.

Please register early, within 5 days of the start date, to reduce the likelihood of course cancellation.

Topics Covered

How the tool bar works

The secrets to zooming in on and moving an image quickly and easily

Where the mini menu is for each tool

Taking things out of a photograph using the clone tool

Creating layers

How to do the Alt/Option dance to select for cloning

How to get rid of blemishes using the healing brush

Using opacity to choose how much wrinkles show

Saving images

Viewing multiple images

Using the Camera RAW filter for image adjustment of both raw and other image file types

How to setup the History Pallet for forgiveness when you make a mistake

Resizing brushes and adjusting softness

Topics may slightly differ depending on instructor

Audience

This workshop is geared towards beginners who want to learn the basics of Photoshop and how to adjust their images using it.

Required Equipment

A computer with Adobe Photoshop CC installed and working. (Those without a laptop often come and just take notes.)

A notepad or device for note taking.

Schedule and Format

This workshop is slide presentation with hands-on elements. We will provide you files for you to work with and follow along. This session is three-hours long with a break around the midway point.

About the Instructors

Petra Reeves

Born 1982, in Arad, Romania. Petra moved to the states when she was 1/ 1/2 years old. She studied arts at Florida Atlantic University, then got her Masters of Fine Art Photography at

Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester New York in 2011. Petra has been a photography professor for 9 years. She currently lives in Cedar Park with her

husband and daughter. Her focus lies in the fine art photography. Her other hobbies include gardening and having too many cats.

Michael Pliskin

Michael is an award-winning professional photographer, designer and writer. He was an early digital imaging enthusiast, having been a staff technical advisor at Nikon, Inc. at the beginning of the digital photography era. His photography appears in books, magazines and corporate annual reports in the United States and Europe, and on the covers and inserts of live performance DVDs and music CDs for major artists such as Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Chicago, and Earth, Wind & Fire. Michael was an early Beta tester on the original version of Lightroom and was on Adobe’s Beta testing team for Lightroom 4. He wrote a book on Adobe Lightroom and teaches Digital Imaging, Photoshop, and Lightroom at photography schools and other institutes of higher education, where he introduces digital photographers to the wonders of RAW photography.He earned a BFA in Photography and Design from California Institute of the Arts (CalArts).

Please review our class cancellation policy below.

Class & Event Cancellations

Tier 1: Standard Classes

You can cancel a class registration up to two business days before the class begins and receive a full refund for standard classes. If you register for a tier 1 class and do not show up, your payment will be forfeited. You may reschedule a class only if notice is given before the start time of the class. Unless otherwise stated, class refunds are only issued to customers that provide notice to the store that they would like a refund no later than two business days prior to the class. Refunds will not be issued to customers who sign up for a class but fail to attend.

Minimum Enrollment

Each class needs a minimum number of students to enroll before the class can “make.” If the minimum enrollment has not been met two business days before the class begins, the class will be cancelled. All students who enrolled in the class will be notified by telephone or email, and may transfer to a different class or be issued a refund (see refund procedure). We encourage all students to enroll as soon as registration begins. Please check your phone and email messages, including your SPAM.

How to Reschedule or Cancel a Class

Please contact the store at 512-467-7676 or email to cancel a class. Class cancellations or requests to be rescheduled that are sent through other channels, such as Facebook or messages, will not be honored.