We’d rather be out shooting, but that’s not really in the cards for most of us right now. But it’s a great opportunity to learn something new from the comfort of our own homes. I’ve previously posted a more general list of some of the best online photography courses, but I thought it worth putting something together with a narrower focus specifically on learning how to use Lightroom.
So whether you’re starting from scratch as a beginner with Lightroom or an experienced user looking to dive deeper, here are some of the best places to find Lightroom tutorials, classes, and courses that I’ve come across.
Some of these are good places to find individual Lightroom tutorials; others have more structured courses and classes. But they’re mostly go-at-your-own-pace, on your own schedule, and there are no exams. Most of these are video courses–online teaching has come a long way in recent years. But I’ve added some extra analog resources (or, at least, text- and image-based, at the bottom of the page).
This is a running list that I’ll add to and update over time. By all means, please suggest any that you think would make worthy additions.
Adobe Lightroom Tutorials
This library is put out by Adobe, and it consists mainly of bite-size videos that focus on a particular tool, effect, or problem. So many of them are very short, and they’re not really structured in any particular flow. But you can find some excellent material there.
They have curated sections on various broader topics, such as for beginners, working with local adjustments, and working with Lightroom presets.
You can find them here.
CreativeLive Online Lightroom Courses
As you’d guess from the name, CreativeLive focuses on courses in creative fields such as illustration, art, design, music, and, yes, photography. They have a broad range of top-notch photography courses, but I’m focusing here on Lightroom ones.
The quality of the classes is high, and you can watch the courses online through a web browser or on a mobile device using the CreativeLive app.
It’s mostly a paid service (with some free courses) Courses are sold individually or as part of an all-access Creator Pass (TIP: You get a better deal if you prepay for a year).
Lightroom courses worth a look:
- Adobe Lightroom Classic CC: The Complete Guide
- Adobe Lightroom Classic CC for Beginners
- Integrating Photoshop and Lightroom
- Post-Processing for Outdoor and Travel Photographers
- Using Lightroom to Fix Bad Lighting
SkillShare Online Lightroom Courses
SkillShare is another course library that has very high-quality classes and is especially geared toward creative fields.
One of the things I like about SkillShare is that they’re not afraid to be quirky and ultra-niche with their classes in some cases. It adds to the richness of their offerings.
It’s a paid service. There’s a 2-month free trial, after which it converts to a paid subscription. You can find the photography classes here. You can get 30% off SkillShare Premium here.
Lightroom courses worth a look:
- Lightroom Classic CC: A Total Beginner Walkthrough
- How to Create a Cohesive Instagram Feed | Using Adobe Lightroom
- Fundamentals of Lightroom I: Organize Files and Boost Your Workflow
- Editing Photos in Lightroom CC Mobile for Facebook and Instagram
- Photo Editing in Lightroom: Make Your Cityscapes Stand Out
KelbyOne
Scott Kelby has built a mini-empire from foundations of teaching about Photoshop and Lightroom. He’s one of the best-selling authors on Lightroom and Photoshop—and across a bunch of different photography areas, for that matter. And his eponymous website, KelbyOne, has some great video courses on Lightroom. They’re offered as a paid subscription plan.
Lightroom classes worth a look:
- Learn Lightroom CC in One Hour
- Lightroom Workflow on the Go
- Client Proofing Like a Pro Using Lightroom Classic
- Making Beautiful Photo Books in Lightroom Classic
Udemy
Another service with a large library of online courses, including many on Lightroom, is Udemy.
Lightroom courses worth a look:
- Adobe Lightroom Classic CC & CC: Photo Editing Masterclass
- Adobe Lightroom CC + Classic // Learn Photo Editing by Pro
- Adobe Lightroom CC: Landscape Photography Masterclass
- Automotive & Car Retouching in Adobe Lightroom & Photoshop
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning is a new name. You might know it better by its old name: Lynda.com. It’s a paid service, but some local public library systems maintain a subscription for their users, so it’s worth checking that out.
Lightroom courses worth a look:
- Lightroom Classic CC Essential Training
- Shooting and Processing Panoramas
- Lightroom and Photoshop: Black and White Photography
- Lightroom for Faces
- Lightroom Quick Tips: Portraits
Lightroom: Two Minute Tips
This course is put out by professional food photographer Nicole S. Young. As you can probably tell from its name, it’s a library of short videos teaching tips and techniques on using Lightroom—139 of them in total, spanning nearly 5 hours. And it’s now free!
YouTube
You can find a bunch of how-to videos on YouTube focusing on Lightroom. Much of it is bite-sized rather than structured courses, focusing on specific problem-solving or a specific task. The quality and reliability can be hit and miss, but there’s some really great stuff on there mixed in. So it’s worth exploring on there to see if there are any particular channels that you like.
Here are some channels that Lightroom content worth checking out:
Best Books on Lightroom
I’ll post on this separately and in more detail, but in the meantime, here’s a quick list of some of the best books on Lightroom I’ve come across.
Some of these are available in e-book formats as well as paperback.
- Evening, Martin (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Kelby, Scott (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- Tony Northrup (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
Other Lightroom Learning Resources
Here are some other great resources on Lightroom. They don’t focus on video courses, as such, but they’re unusually rich in content and have loads of valuable information and how-to guides related specifically to Lightroom.
Last update on 2020-05-29 at 21:54 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Melissa says
Thanks for doing so much leg work for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of resources. Breaking them out by provider and then by topic is especially helpful. As a beginner, your articles give me great places to start and avenues to delve deeper as I progress. Thanks so much.