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A modern workspace featuring a tablet, camera lenses, and graphic drawing tablet on a desk.

Graphic Design & Illustration school

Certificate in Adobe Lightroom & Photo Editing

Make your photographs look the way you remember them.

This Lightroom course teaches all three applications Adobe sells under the name, starting with how to read a photograph before you touch a single slider.

131 lessons · self-pacedBeginner friendlyCertificate on completionNext Tutor support included

Overview

What this Lightroom course covers

Most editing tutorials hand you a slider. This Lightroom course starts two modules earlier, with light, color, detail and mood, and no software running at all, because dragging a slider is easy and knowing which one to drag is the actual skill.

Then it covers all three applications Adobe sells under the name: Classic on a computer for the catalog and the whole Develop panel, plus the phone app and the cloud desktop app, so an edit started on the sofa finishes at a desk. Masking, portrait retouching and a module rebuilding named looks mean you can name the controls behind a style instead of buying a preset and hoping. You finish able to turn a folder of ordinary photographs into a consistent, finished set.

Outcomes

What you will be able to do

Import into a Lightroom Classic catalog, and find the photos again after you move a driveSay what is wrong with a photograph's light, color and detail before you touch a sliderWork the Develop panel end to end, from white balance and curve to lens correctionsMask by sky, subject, brightness, color and depth, then stack masks onto one part of a frameRetouch a portrait: skin, eyes, dark circles, teeth and the color of clothingRebuild a named look, vintage or matte or cinematic, and name the controls behind itEdit on a phone and pick the same photograph up on a computer, knowing which app does whatExport for print and for the web with metadata, copyright and quality set on purpose

Requirements

Course requirements

  • Lightroom Classic on a computer from module 3 onward, plus the phone and cloud apps for four later modules. Adobe offers a free trial.
  • No camera and no editing experience. Module 2 is theory with nothing running, and the software does not open until module 3.
  • About twenty of your own photographs in one folder, deliberately mixed: some good, some too dark, some flat.
  • Phone photos are completely fine. Raw files give you more to work with, and the course explains why.

Syllabus

Adobe Lightroom & Photo Editing curriculum

129 recorded video lessons you follow along in the software, at your own pace. Quizzes through each module check what stuck, and a 20-question final exam earns your certificate.

1Course Orientation2 lessons
  1. Introduction (reading)
  2. Course Overview and Learning Expectations (reading)
2Photo Editing Principles6 lessons · 6 videos · 3 quizzes
  1. Introduction to Photo Editing Principles (video lesson, 14 minutes 59 seconds)
  2. Understanding Light in Photo Editing (video lesson, 8 minutes 38 seconds)Quiz
  3. Understanding Color in Photo Editing (video lesson, 7 minutes 2 seconds)Quiz
  4. Enhancing Detail in Images (video lesson, 4 minutes 57 seconds)
  5. Photo Editing Principles in Practice (video lesson, 4 minutes 57 seconds)
  6. Creating Mood Through Photo Editing (video lesson, 20 minutes 6 seconds)Quiz
3Lightroom Classic Library and Photo Management5 lessons · 5 videos · 4 quizzes
  1. Importing Photos into Lightroom Classic (video lesson, 20 minutes 28 seconds)Quiz
  2. Using the Navigator and Right Panel (video lesson, 11 minutes 41 seconds)
  3. Managing Filters and Missing Files (video lesson, 11 minutes 23 seconds)Quiz
  4. Working with External Drives (video lesson, 5 minutes 2 seconds)Quiz
  5. Using the Filmstrip (video lesson, 5 minutes 54 seconds)Quiz
4Lightroom Classic Develop Tools16 lessons · 16 videos · 10 quizzes
  1. Introduction to the Develop Module (video lesson, 34 seconds)
  2. Using the Left Panel (video lesson, 7 minutes 36 seconds)
  3. Applying Selective Adjustments (video lesson, 20 minutes 58 seconds)Quiz
  4. Using the Basic Adjustment Panel (video lesson, 18 minutes 35 seconds)Quiz
  5. Working with the Tone Curve (video lesson, 29 minutes 24 seconds)Quiz
  6. Adjusting Hue, Saturation and Luminance (video lesson, 12 minutes 27 seconds)
  7. Applying Color Grading (video lesson, 20 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  8. Sharpening and Detail Adjustments (video lesson, 17 minutes 18 seconds)
  9. Applying Lens Corrections (video lesson, 13 minutes 36 seconds)Quiz
  10. Using Transform Tools (video lesson, 17 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  11. Correcting Perspective (video lesson, 14 minutes 51 seconds)
  12. Applying Creative Effects (video lesson, 14 minutes 43 seconds)Quiz
  13. Using Camera Calibration (video lesson, 15 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  14. Working with Presets (video lesson, 24 minutes 37 seconds)Quiz
  15. Adding Metadata and Watermarks (video lesson, 10 minutes 50 seconds)
  16. Exporting Finished Images (video lesson, 22 minutes)Quiz
5Lightroom Classic Publishing and Output Tools6 lessons · 6 videos · 5 quizzes
  1. Using the Map Module (video lesson, 8 minutes 35 seconds)Quiz
  2. Creating Photo Books (video lesson, 17 minutes 3 seconds)Quiz
  3. Creating Slideshows (video lesson, 26 minutes 34 seconds)
  4. Preparing Images for Print (video lesson, 33 minutes 34 seconds)Quiz
  5. Publishing Images for the Web (video lesson, 23 minutes 24 seconds)Quiz
  6. Using Key Publishing Options (video lesson, 22 minutes 13 seconds)Quiz
6Photo Retouching for Different Image Categories14 lessons · 14 videos · 8 quizzes
  1. Product Photo Retouching Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 30 seconds)Quiz
  2. Product Photo Retouching Part 2 (video lesson, 15 minutes 54 seconds)
  3. Portrait Retouching Part 1 (video lesson, 15 minutes 15 seconds)Quiz
  4. Portrait Retouching Part 2 (video lesson, 9 minutes 28 seconds)
  5. Night Photography Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 11 minutes)Quiz
  6. Night Photography Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 8 minutes 21 seconds)
  7. Landscape Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 24 minutes 52 seconds)
  8. Landscape Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 21 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  9. Food Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 38 seconds)Quiz
  10. Food Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 16 minutes 47 seconds)
  11. Fashion Photo Retouching Part 1 (video lesson, 28 minutes 38 seconds)Quiz
  12. Fashion Photo Retouching Part 2 (video lesson, 10 minutes 14 seconds)
  13. Black and White Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 6 minutes 44 seconds)Quiz
  14. Black and White Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 10 minutes 32 seconds)Quiz
7Recreating Popular Photo Editing Styles22 lessons · 22 videos · 12 quizzes
  1. Vintage Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 9 minutes 25 seconds)Quiz
  2. Vintage Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 12 minutes 53 seconds)
  3. Street Photography Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 12 minutes 42 seconds)Quiz
  4. Street Photography Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 21 minutes 56 seconds)
  5. Creating Mood-Based Photo Edits (video lesson, 9 minutes 37 seconds)
  6. Creating Selective Color Effects (video lesson, 13 minutes 2 seconds)Quiz
  7. Matte Portrait Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 11 minutes 40 seconds)Quiz
  8. Matte Portrait Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 15 minutes 40 seconds)
  9. Creating Low-Key Photo Edits (video lesson, 14 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
  10. Creating High-Key Photo Edits (video lesson, 16 minutes 5 seconds)
  11. Film-Style Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 58 seconds)Quiz
  12. Film-Style Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 10 minutes 42 seconds)
  13. Close-Up Portrait Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 6 seconds)
  14. Close-Up Portrait Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 15 minutes 9 seconds)Quiz
  15. Cinematic Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 25 seconds)Quiz
  16. Cinematic Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 27 minutes 41 seconds)
  17. Brandon Woelfel-Inspired Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 13 minutes 39 seconds)Quiz
  18. Brandon Woelfel-Inspired Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 13 minutes 45 seconds)
  19. Blogger-Style Photo Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 13 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  20. Blogger-Style Photo Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 18 minutes 18 seconds)
  21. Macro Photography Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 34 seconds)Quiz
  22. Macro Photography Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 11 minutes 48 seconds)Quiz
8Lightroom Classic Shortcuts and Workflow Tips2 lessons · 2 videos · quiz
  1. Lightroom Classic Shortcuts and Hidden Features (video lesson, 22 minutes 18 seconds)
  2. Quick Portrait Editing Tools and Shortcuts (video lesson, 33 minutes 16 seconds)Quiz
9Lightroom Mobile Fundamentals13 lessons · 13 videos · 8 quizzes
  1. Lightroom Mobile Library Overview (video lesson, 13 minutes 40 seconds)
  2. Key Lightroom Mobile Editing Options (video lesson, 12 minutes 10 seconds)Quiz
  3. Applying Selective Adjustments on Mobile (video lesson, 13 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  4. Using Healing and Cloning Tools on Mobile (video lesson, 10 minutes 40 seconds)Quiz
  5. Cropping Images on Mobile (video lesson, 5 minutes 41 seconds)Quiz
  6. Using Presets and Auto Settings (video lesson, 9 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  7. Working with Mobile Adjustment Panels (video lesson, 10 minutes 12 seconds)
  8. Using the Lightroom Mobile Camera (video lesson, 18 minutes 20 seconds)
  9. Capturing Photos in Lightroom Mobile (video lesson, 13 minutes 8 seconds)
  10. Editing and Sharing Images from Mobile (video lesson, 18 minutes 56 seconds)Quiz
  11. Saving Community Presets (video lesson, 14 minutes 43 seconds)
  12. Installing Presets in Lightroom Mobile (video lesson, 12 minutes 30 seconds)Quiz
  13. Bulk Editing in Lightroom Mobile (video lesson, 8 minutes 26 seconds)Quiz
10Lightroom Mobile Creative Editing Styles12 lessons · 12 videos · 7 quizzes
  1. Frozen Landscape Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 24 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  2. Frozen Landscape Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 11 minutes 54 seconds)Quiz
  3. Gray Polaroid Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 15 minutes 29 seconds)
  4. Gray Polaroid Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 10 minutes 59 seconds)
  5. Moody Black Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 17 minutes 46 seconds)Quiz
  6. Moody Black Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 26 minutes 4 seconds)
  7. Principles of Strong Landscape Photography (video lesson, 13 minutes 55 seconds)
  8. Rating and Organizing Mobile Images (video lesson, 4 minutes 47 seconds)Quiz
  9. Capturing Food Images Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 43 seconds)
  10. Capturing Food Images Part 2 (video lesson, 26 minutes 33 seconds)Quiz
  11. Capturing Macro Photography Part 1 (video lesson, 21 minutes 38 seconds)Quiz
  12. Capturing Macro Photography Part 2 (video lesson, 18 minutes 23 seconds)Quiz
11Lightroom Desktop Fundamentals14 lessons · 14 videos · 8 quizzes
  1. Introduction to Lightroom Desktop (video lesson, 11 minutes)
  2. Organizing and Filtering Images (video lesson, 6 minutes 6 seconds)Quiz
  3. Lightroom Desktop Interface and Workflow (video lesson, 18 minutes 22 seconds)Quiz
  4. Editing and Sharing Images (video lesson, 20 minutes 3 seconds)Quiz
  5. Color Grading in Lightroom Desktop (video lesson, 19 minutes 19 seconds)
  6. Using Geometry and Optics Tools (video lesson, 16 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  7. Masking Tools Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 39 seconds)
  8. Masking Tools Part 2 (video lesson, 14 minutes 5 seconds)Quiz
  9. Masking Tools Part 3 (video lesson, 8 minutes 39 seconds)
  10. Batch Editing and Presets (video lesson, 12 minutes 38 seconds)Quiz
  11. Using Photo Merge (video lesson, 18 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
  12. Exploring the Lightroom Community (video lesson, 9 minutes 26 seconds)
  13. Sharing Photos Online Part 1 (video lesson, 8 minutes 30 seconds)
  14. Sharing Photos Online Part 2 (video lesson, 10 minutes 20 seconds)Quiz
12Lightroom Desktop Retouching and Creative Editing19 lessons · 19 videos · 9 quizzes
  1. Multiple Mask Editing Example 1 (video lesson, 15 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  2. Multiple Mask Editing Example 2 (video lesson, 11 minutes 12 seconds)Quiz
  3. Correcting Poor Lighting (video lesson, 22 minutes 8 seconds)
  4. Enhancing Clouds Part 1 (video lesson, 17 minutes 14 seconds)Quiz
  5. Enhancing Clouds Part 2 (video lesson, 16 minutes 14 seconds)
  6. Retouching Skin and Blemishes (video lesson, 19 minutes 15 seconds)
  7. Enhancing Eyes (video lesson, 12 minutes 37 seconds)Quiz
  8. Reducing Dark Circles (video lesson, 12 minutes 53 seconds)Quiz
  9. Reducing Wrinkles (video lesson, 20 minutes 42 seconds)
  10. Teeth Whitening and Repair Part 1 (video lesson, 19 minutes 18 seconds)Quiz
  11. Teeth Whitening and Repair Part 2 (video lesson, 17 minutes 5 seconds)Quiz
  12. Adjusting Clothing and Color (video lesson, 13 minutes 20 seconds)
  13. Portrait Transformation Part 1 (video lesson, 15 minutes 25 seconds)Quiz
  14. Portrait Transformation Part 2 (video lesson, 16 minutes 19 seconds)
  15. Moody Landscape Editing Part 1 (video lesson, 16 minutes 37 seconds)
  16. Moody Landscape Editing Part 2 (video lesson, 12 minutes 26 seconds)
  17. Creating Dramatic Low-Key Edits (video lesson, 12 minutes 13 seconds)Quiz
  18. Creating an Indie Film Editing Style (video lesson, 14 minutes 27 seconds)
  19. Creating a Gloomy Film Editing Style (video lesson, 10 minutes 58 seconds)

Certificate

Earn a certificate you can show

Finish the final module and your Adobe Lightroom & Photo Editing certificate is issued automatically. Download it, share it with employers and clients, or add it to your resume and LinkedIn.

Where this can take you

Skills from this school show up in roles like these. The certificate proves you finished; the projects you build are what get you hired.

  • Graphic designer
  • Brand and identity designer
  • Social media designer
  • Illustrator
  • Freelance design contractor
Framed Nextversity certificate for Adobe Lightroom & Photo Editing

Enroll with confidence

Enroll with confidence

Start today, finish at your paceNo deadlines and no cohorts. Watch a lesson tonight and pick it up again whenever it suits you.
Every course includedOne subscription opens all 50 courses across 8 schools, so you are never locked into this one choice.
Help on every lessonNext Tutor knows the lesson you are on and answers in seconds. A real person answers email.
Cancel anytimeTwo clicks from your account settings. No calls and no forms.

Full details in the refund policy. One subscription covers this course and every other course in all 8 schools.

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FAQ

Common questions about the Lightroom course

Is this Lightroom course good for beginners?

Yes, and it starts further back than most. The first two modules teach light, color, detail and mood with no software running, so you learn to say what is actually wrong with a picture before you are handed anything to drag. Beginners who skip that stage tend to edit by guesswork for years, and this course closes that gap first.

Does it teach Lightroom Classic or the cloud version?

Both, plus the phone app, because Adobe confusingly sells three products under one name. Six modules are Lightroom Classic, two are Lightroom on a phone and two are the cloud desktop app. The course is clear throughout about which application you are looking at and which one is the right home for which job.

Do I need a camera to learn Lightroom?

No. You need photographs, not a camera, and phone photos work perfectly well. Bring roughly twenty of your own in one folder and make them deliberately mixed: a few you like, a few too dark, a few flat and lifeless. Editing pictures you actually care about is what makes the technique stick.

Should I learn Lightroom or Photoshop first?

Lightroom first if your photographs mostly need improving rather than changing. Lightroom develops what the camera recorded across a whole shoot: tone, color, detail and local adjustments. Photoshop is where a single image gets rebuilt, composited or retouched beyond what the file holds. Most photographers use both, and both courses are in the same subscription.

Do I have to shoot raw to follow along?

No, JPEGs work throughout the course. Raw files simply give you more to recover, holding detail in bright skies and dark corners that a JPEG has already discarded. If your camera or phone can shoot raw it is worth turning on, and the course explains what the format is actually buying you.

How long does the Lightroom course take?

Roughly 33 hours of video, and longer if you edit alongside it, which is the version that teaches you anything. It is self-paced with no deadlines. A sensible rhythm is a module a week, which puts you through Classic in a couple of months with a genuinely consistent set of edited photographs to show for it.

Should I take this or the advanced Lightroom course?

Take this one unless you are already comfortable in the Develop panel. This course covers importing, the catalog, the Basic panel and cropping, all of which the advanced certificate assumes you already know from its second lesson onward. Do them in order and the advanced course becomes a genuine step up rather than a wall.

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