Top 7+ Best Online Color Grading Courses 2024 [Free + Paid]

If you are seeking out the best online color grading courses in 2024, you’re in the right place!

In this guide, I have rounded some of the top classes that will teach you everything about color theory, color correction, shot matching, skin tones, scopes, shadows, and much more.

Along the way, you will also learn how to implement color grading techniques in tools like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Da Vinci Resolve, and Redcine-X. Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Top 7 Best Free Online Color Grading Courses 2024

1. Color Grading for Filmmaking: The Vision, Art, and Science (Skillshare)

First on my list is an outstanding course that will teach you both the art and science of color grading in an easy to understand way. You will also be joining over 8,000+ students who have completed this beginner level class.

Your instructor for this online course will be Dandan Liu, a self-taught filmmaker who has produced films that have been streamed by Roku, Apple TV, and other media platforms. Dandan has also earned the ‘Top Teacher’ badge on Skillshare, amassing a following of over 6,000 students.

In this 1-hour long online color grading course, students start by going through 17 bite-sized lessons that will teach them strong color intuitions, eye training exercises, the four key steps of color grading including correction, shot matching, skin tones, color grading, color correction, and skin tones.

As this online course is hosted on Skillshare, new users can take advantage of the 1-month Skillshare Premium free trial (cancel anytime). Overall, a great class that will take your color grading abilities to the next level!

Beginner level
1 hour long
Taught by filmmaker and top teacher on Skillshare
Free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
Thriving student community

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

2. Color Grading: Introduction with a Pro Colorist (Skillshare)

If you’re keen to understand the technical concepts of color grading and how to implement them in your own filmmaking endeavors using DaVinci Resolve software, this online course is a great choice for you!

As for your instructor, you will be taught by Fred Trevino, a colorist who has over 10 years of professional experience. His list of star-studded clients includes the likes of HBO, ESPN, Under Armour, Sundance Channel, and Pepsi to name a few.

Through 14 lessons spanning 1 ½ hour, Fred will teach his students pro-level concepts (starting from the basics) of color grading including the difference between correction and grading, which of these should come first, the necessary vocabulary, setting up a grading environment, how to use Da Vinci Resolve properly, and much more.

You won’t want to miss this fantastic course that will introduce you to the concepts and techniques of color grading! P.S. there is also a free trial to take advantage of!

Beginner level
1 ½ hour long
Taught by pro-level colorist
Free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium
Learn Da Vinci Resolve

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

3. Creating a Short Film: 11 Color Grading (LinkedIn Learning)

Next on my list is 1 in a series of 13 online filmmaking courses, focusing on using color grading to breathe life into your footage.

Chad Perkins will be teaching you in this online color grading course, who is an award-winning filmmaker based in Seattle and is the author of several books including The After Effects Illusionist and has over 10 years of experience with tools like Adobe After Effects.

In this 4 ½ hour-long class, students will start by learning the basics of color theory before going on to topics like shadows and highlights, primary and secondary color correction, and scopes. Chad will also teach students the basics of using tools like Adobe Premiere Pro, and Redcine-X.

Overall, one of the best online color grading courses for filmmakers and YouTubers. Also, don’t forget to check out the other great modules in this course series.

Intermediate level
4 ½ hours long
Taught by award-winning filmmaker and author
Certificate of completion
Free access for new LinkedIn users

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

4. Color Grading from Beginner to Advanced in Final Cut Pro X (Skillshare)

If you’re tired of online courses throwing disorganized topics at you instead of showing you how to use a proper workflow, check out this online color grading class on Skillshare. This intermediate-level online course will get you up and running with color grading in Final Cut Pro X in no time.

Myles Fearnley, a videographer and filmmaker who runs his own video production business, will be teaching you in this online color grading course. Myles has spent more than 8 years honing his craft and his series of Panasonic G films have been published on many platforms including BBC.

Through 3 hours of video lessons in this online course, Myles gives students a tour of Final Cut Pro X, teaching them how to use the scopes, color wheels, color curves, hue curves, and workflow. Along the way, students will review important concepts like color conversion, noise reduction, exposure and contrast, and much more.

Join a thriving student community of over 1000 students who are enrolled in this online course and get all of your questions answered and ideas tested. What’s more, you can do this for free by taking advantage of a free 1-month trial of Skillshare Premium!

Intermediate level
3 hours long
Taught by BBC-published videographer
Free 2-month trial of Skillshare Premium
Learn Final Cut Pro X

Activate FREE Skillshare Trial

5. Color for Video Editors (LinkedIn Learning)

Whether you’re editing a short commercial or a long feature-length movie, utilizing color grading strategies effectively will majorly improve the quality of your film. To upgrade your video-editing arsenal, this online color grading course is a great choice!

You will be taught in this online color grading course by Robbie Carman, a colorist and editor who is the co-owner of Amigo Media LLC, a post-production firm in Washington, DC. Robbie is an expert in color correction and an Apple Certified Trainer, so you’ll benefit from the insight he brings!

In this intermediate-level 3 hours long online course, students will learn how to evaluate a project from a creative and technical lens, figure out a client’s vision, understand the 6 stages of the color correction workflow, make a correction, utilize the toolkit, and much more.

Complete this course on LinkedIn Learning and earn a certificate of completion to share with your network and let your connections know that you are now ready to tackle color correction and grading projects!

Intermediate level
3 hours long
Taught by experienced colorist and editor
Certificate of completion
Free access for first-time users of LinkedIn Learning

Activate 1-Month FREE Trial

6. After Effects CC Color Grading (Pluralsight)

Adobe’s suite of creative tools and software is widely used all over the world for video-editing and development projects. So if you want to learn how to use After Effects CC to implement color correction and color grading to your projects, get enrolled in this intermediate-level online color grading course on Pluralsight right away.

As for your instructor, you will be led by Jeff Hurd, a video editor and product manager who has over 10 years of professional experience. Jeff has worked for big names like Groupon and Radio Flyer and authored 10 courses on Pluralsight earning an average instructor rating of 4.8 stars making him a popular, recommended tutor.

Throughout 90 minutes of on-demand video content, students will learn both theory and practice by examining the differences between color correction and grading, understanding color theory, learning how to implement it effectively in After Effects and Premiere Pro, creating custom color grades, and much more.

Along with a certificate of completion (which you will get at the end), Pluralsight also offers a free 10-day trial for you during which you can check out all the hundreds of courses available on the platform!

Intermediate level
1 ½ hour long
Taught by professional video editor with 10+ years of experience
Free 10-day trial of Pluralsight
Certificate of completion

Visit Pluralsight.com

7. Color Grading with DaVinci Resolve: Beginner to Advanced (Udemy)

https://www.udemy.com/course/color-grading-with-da-vinci-resolve-beginner-to-advanced/

Finishing strong, the last online color grading course in my guide is a great pick for you if you’re keen to get stuck in with plenty of hands-on practice! This bestselling online course has been taken by over 7,500 students and has a rating of 4.4 stars so you know it delivers quality.

Matthew Falconer, a freelance colorist and a visiting lecturer at the Met Film School, will be your instructor for this online course. Matthew has been working with DaVinci Resolve for the past 6 years and is now a ‘Blackmagic Design’ certified trainer, having teamed up with big-name clients including Unilever and Virgin Airlines.

Through a massive 31 hours of video lessons in this intermediate-level online course, Matthew guides students in becoming capable of taking a grading project from start to end, maintaining a professional standard of quality. Students will learn about scopes, primary and secondary grades, LUTs, node trees, color space, color management, and much more.

The best part about this online color grading course is that you will have full lifetime access to the course contents so that you can come back and review anything whenever you want. You’ll also get a certificate of completion!