Learn How To Brilliantly Edit Photos With 2024‘s 9+ Best Online Lightroom Courses
If you are seeking out the best online Lightroom courses and classes in 2024, then you’re in the right place!
In this guide, I cover some of the top online Adobe Lightroom classes available across a number of online learning platforms. These are the top choices for those looking to learn the art of editing photos.
As an added bonus, many of the below courses are available to take for free, or offer free trials! Let’s begin!
Top 9+ Best Online Lightroom Courses & Certifications 2024
1. Fundamentals of Lightroom I: Organize Files and Boost Your Workflow (Skillshare)
Coming in first on my list definitely had to be the “Fundamentals of Lightroom I” course which is hosted on Skillshare. This course (which is part 1 of 2), sets the foundation on how to use the Adobe Lightroom, before diving deeper into editing techniques (in part 2).
Taught by Lotus Carroll, who is a professional photographer and a writer of photographic books. She has many years of experience and is able to very articulately explain basic and deeper concepts.
Some of the subjects covered are understanding the Lightroom environment, how to use the software efficiently, and linking the collections to your social media presence. All up, part 1 is 2 hours 20 minutes of on-demand video that is split into 19 sections.
Once done, students can then move onto part II which covers post-processing, white balance, cropping, temperature & tint, tone curve, and so much more!
As this course is hosted on Skillshare, students can take advantage of a 1-month FREE trial which includes both part I & II, plus 24,000 other online courses ????.
- Beginner level
- Completed by 7,600 other students
- 3 different class projects
- Taught by a professional photographer
- 2 hours 20 minutes
- Includes 3 class projects
- Covers workflow and organization features of Adobe Lightroom
- Shows how to create a social media presence for your photography
2. Adobe Lightroom – Finding Your Unique Editing Style (Skillshare)
If you are seeking a unique photographic editing style such as vintage, orange and teal or dark and moody, this is the course for you! Offered on the SkillShare platform, it is taught by professional travel photographer Sean Dalton.
Modules in this course show students how to take common Lightroom actions, even those from a plugin or preset, and adapt them into a style that reflects your personality and creative view.
Also included in this 1 ½ hour video class are 35 projects that students can participate in, and then share on the community board for feedback (which is very active).
Since its creation, this course has attracted 3,300+ students who highly praise the in-depth course content. Being hosted on Skillshare, students can also take this course for FREE on a 1-month trial (cancel anytime).
- Beginner level
- 1 ½ hour on-demand video
- Taught by a professional photographer
- 35 class projects included
- Join an online community of students with the instructor
- Concentrates on developing a personal style
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3. Adobe Lightroom Classic CC & CC: Photo Editing Masterclass (Udemy)
Up next on my list is very full-featured course, which includes 10 hours of on-demand Adobe Lightroom editing classes.
Taught by Phil Ebiner and Jon Haase who are both professional portrait and wedding photographers, they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table.
Subjects covered in the class include an overview of Adobe Lightroom, how to use the basic editing tools, how to organize with Lightroom specific tools, adding watermarks, and using the mobile editing platform.
Besides the 10 hours of on-demand instruction, there are 6 articles, over 90 downloadable resources, and lifetime access to the course materials!
Students will receive a certificate of completion once done! P.S. This course has also been taken by 45,000 students!
- Beginner to intermediate level
- 10 hours of on-demand self-paced instruction
- 90 downloadable resources
- Taught by professional photographers
- Includes mobile platform instruction
- Certificate of completion
4. Lightroom Classic CC Essential Training (LinkedIn Learning/ Lynda)
Taught by Chris Orwig, a professional photographer, author, and instructor at the Brooks Institute. He takes students from beginner users to experts in this class using Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.
With 4 hours and 42 minutes of on-demand instruction, topics include correcting exposure, clarity, texture, cropping photos, synchronizing adjustments and settings, converting color photos into black and white, retouching, batch editing, and correcting perspective.
Being hosted on LinkedIn Learning (previously Lynda), students can view course material and videos at their own pace. There is also an Android and iOS app for viewing on the go!
As for the price, there is none! New students can sign up for a 1-month FREE trial and also receive a certificate of completion once done. Join 12,000 other students who have taken and love this course!
- Beginner to intermediate level
- 4 hours 42 minutes
- Taught by an instructor form Brooks Institute
- Includes instruction on batch editing
- 12,000 students enrolled
- Covers different computer systems and mobile platforms
- Downloadable exercise files
- Certificate of completion
5. Adobe Lightroom Classic CC: The Complete Guide (CreativeLive)
Up next on my guide is another fantastic Lightroom course hosted on the creative learning platform CreativeLive. With over 1,500+ course by over 700+ professional instructors, this course is of the highest quality.
Taught by Ben Willmore, he is in the Photoshop Hall of Fame and has authored numerous books on photography and Photoshop. In this 23 ½ hour course, he takes students through all the basics that any beginner needs to know.
The course starts with a Bootcamp style overview and goes on to discuss RAW image file adjustment, using keywords, editing for B&W, HDR, panoramas, simplifying the workflow, and advanced editing techniques.
In addition to new users of Adobe Lightroom, this course is also very helpful for users who have switched over from other programs and have taught themselves Lightroom. To learn more, you can see my full CreativeLive review here.
- Beginner to advanced level
- 23 ½ hours of on-demand instruction
- Taught by a Photoshop expert instructor
- Includes information on HDR and panoramas
- Lots of downloadable resources
- Syncs on and offline with Apple mobile devices
6. Learn Adobe Lightroom Online (Shaw Academy)
The Shaw Academy provides students with comprehensive training resulting in internationally recognized diplomas. Subjects taught by Shaw are finance, health, photography, videography, and several other fields.
The 1st module of the course for earning a diploma in Lightroom starts at a fairly basic level but quickly progresses you through more advanced features and use.
As for the specific aread taught, this course touches on common edits, more creative details, working in color and black and white, batch editing, and lens correction. Later modules take you into organization, workflow, and all the features professional photographers need to learn.
Being hosted on with Shaw Academy, all lessons are online and interactive, you’ll receive training similar to being in a classroom. All the trainers are certified and many come from the ranks of working professionals.
- Beginner thru advanced level
- Internationally recognized diploma
- 4-month course
- Interactive classes
- Lifetime membership with support available
- Certified instructors
7. Adobe Lightroom CC + Classic, Photo Editing Taught by a Pro (Udemy)
A short course, you could conceivably finish in one day, though many are comfortable taking the 12 ½ hours self-paced. It’s on-demand video, so that’s easy to do.
There are over 130 tutorials within this course, also 11 articles, and various downloadable resources. It’s taught by Chris Parker, and long-time professional photographer and graphic artist. He is an expert in multiple Adobe programs, including Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
The instruction begins with a beginner level overview of Lightroom tools and how to get organized in Adobe Lightroom. It continues with instruction on the basic deep edits, batch processing, workflow tips, and numerous advanced features.
Over 8,000 students have taken the class. You receive a certificate of completion.
- Beginner thru advanced level
- 12 ½ hours self-paced on-demand video
- 130+ separate tutorials
- Downloadable resources
- Accessible on mobile devices or TV
- Certificate of completion
8. Lightroom Classic CC: A Total Beginner Walkthrough (Skillshare)
A beginner-level course, this walkthrough I aptly named as it provides a great explanation of what Lightroom can do and how to get started using it.
Your instructor for this SkillShare course is Tabitha Park, a working professional photographer. She designed and provides for students a set of preset actions for Lightroom that will jump-start you into using Lightroom productively.
About 2 hours in length, the course will take you through 12 projects. You can take the instruction at your own pace with the on-demand video. It is a beginner level.
Instruction concentrates on the most common tools and processes in Lightroom, demonstrating importing, culling the files down, editing, importing and using presets, and exporting a finished product.
After completion, join a social media group with the instructor and some of the 2,000 previous students to engage in continuous mutual encouragement. This is hands down one of the best online Lightroom courses!
- Beginner level
- 2 hours long
- Taught by a working professional
- 12 projects to practice skills
- Presets designed for this course are included
- Social media group
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9. Lightroom for Faces (LinkedIn Learning/ Lynda)
Instead of moving to regular Photoshop for some advanced edits of portraits and wedding images, this course shows you how to take care of more advanced edits of people’s faces while staying in Adobe Lightroom.
It assumes you are already familiar with the basics of Adobe Lightroom, so this course is an intermediate level instruction. Taught by Kristina Sherk, a professional portrait photographer.
What this course will teach you includes creating and saving a local adjustment brush, adding lashes and brows, smoothing skin texture, whitening eyes and teeth, removing blemishes, and syncing adjustments across multiple images by means of batch editing techniques.
The course in 1 ½ hours of self-paced instruction and has been taken by about 5,000 students already. Easily one of the op online Lightroom courses! To learn more, check out my guide on the top LinkedIn Learning courses in 2024.
- Intermediate to advanced level
- Taught by professional portrait photographer
- Specific tools for portraits are taught
- About 1 ½ hours self-paced
- Several resources included
- Great for portrait and wedding photographers
- Certificate of completion
10. How To Get Started In Lightroom (Helpx Adobe)
Directly from Adobe, makers of Lightroom. This enhanced help desk approach is designed to get you started using Lightroom. It will also take you as far as you want to go by providing resources to continue learning.
Self-paced, it uses an array of various on-demand videos, online articles, and downloadable resources to teach you basic and more advanced techniques and processes.
Taught by Adobe certified instructors, you learn from the company that developed the program.
It begins at the very start, importing and organizing your photos. Then, basic editing is discussed, leading to more advanced levels as you get more comfortable with Lightroom.
Multiple downloadable resources are available, include image files for practicing.
- Beginner level
- From Adobe
- Self-paced, as long as you need
- Adobe certified instructors
- Downloadable resources
- Practice image files provided
Are Online Lightroom Courses Worth It?
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom is one of the most popular image processing programs ever made. For some photographers, it’s the one program they turn to the majority of the time for their post-processing needs. The best online Lightroom courses will help you get the most out of this full-featured program.
Though most photographers simply call it Lightroom, the full name of the program is Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. To avoid confusion, this article will refer to it as Lightroom.
Lightroom is a very full-featured post-processing, or image manipulation, program for adjusting digital photographic image files. What it lacks in deep layer image control, it makes up for in ease of use and data management.
It is available across computer operating system platforms and even on mobile device operating systems. A cloud-based subscription system is used by many photographers on the Adobe CC (Creative Cloud) system, or there are stand-alone versions of the program.
Some photographers are a little intimidated to try out new things, others feel they already know what they need to know. What both types of photographers have in common is that a class or instruction in Lightroom can really give them a lot of benefits.
Thankfully, there are many people online qualified and willing to share important information with all of us.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this guide on the top online Lightroom courses has helped you to focus (pun intended) on acquiring your new skills in the best way possible. If you would like to learn more, you can also see my guide on the top online video editing courses!
