Alexis Kestler
Hey there! Videos are taking over the internet – just look at the incredible growth of YouTube and Instagram. But creating professional, high-quality videos requires some specialized skills.
Whether you want to start a YouTube channel, become a wedding videographer, make marketing videos for business, or just create better home videos, taking an online video editing course can take your skills to the next level.
In this post, I‘ll share my top recommendations for 9 online video editing courses based on my experience as a data analyst and technology geek. I‘ve taken a deep look at reviews, instructor qualifications, course content, and more to compile this list.
These courses range from beginner fundamentals to advanced techniques. By the end, you‘ll have expert-level skills to produce stunning videos! Let‘s get started.
Complete Filmmaker Guide: Become an Incredible Video Creator
First up is the Complete Filmmaker Guide course on Udemy, which with over 140,000 students and a 4.6 star average rating, stands out as one of the most popular and highest quality filmmaking courses available online.
In the comprehensive 5-hour curriculum, instructors with over 20 years of professional filmmaking experience will teach you everything from developing video concepts to shooting to post-production editing.
Some of the standout topics covered include:
- Filming techniques like properly setting up cameras, lighting, and microphones for stellar footage
- The art of visual storytelling through shot sequencing, transitions, and compelling narrative arcs
- Post-production editing skills like color grading for a cinematic look, audio mixing, and dramatic pacing
- Exporting videos with the optimal codecs and settings for each delivery platform
Students praise how this course teaches both the technical filmmaking skills as well as the creative, artistic aspects of developing engaging stories and styles. With lifetime access and course updates, it‘s a great value for taking your video skills to the next level.
Whether you want to produce Hollywood-quality YouTube videos, promotional videos for a business, or narrative short films, this course will give you in-demand skills to create incredibly engaging videos.
Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro for Beginners
Premiere Pro has become an industry standard professional video editing program used by YouTubers, filmmakers, and marketers worldwide. The Video Editing with Adobe Premiere Pro for Beginners course on Skillshare is a fantastic introduction to editing with Premiere.
Over 6 hours of video tutorials walk you through the entire Premiere Pro editing workflow:
- Importing and organizing raw footage
- Arrange clips on the timeline with cuts, transitions, and padding
- Correcting color and audio levels
- Adding graphics, images, and text overlays
- Applying visual effects like speed ramps, green screen keys, and more
- Exporting the final edited video for YouTube, clients, and other uses
Students give this course over 4.5 stars for its well structured lessons and hands-on exercises. The instructor also responds quickly to any questions.
With Premiere skills becoming a baseline requirement for many video roles, this course is a great low cost investment to add a valuable skill to your repertoire.
Video Editing Basics
Maybe you‘re completely new to video editing. No problem! The Video Editing Basics course from Great Learning provides the perfect 1.5 hour introduction to video editing fundamentals.
Over 10,000 students have taken this course, with an average 4.4 star rating. In a series of short video modules, the instructor covers topics like:
- The basic workflow for importing, editing, and exporting footage
- Using editing software like Premiere Pro, Final Cut, or DaVinci Resolve
- Key terminology you‘ll come across like codecs, transitions, chroma keying, and more
- Different career roles like video editors, producers, videographers, and more
Students love the quick and concise nature of this course. In just a few videos, you‘ll get exposure to the core concepts of video editing.
While short, this course is a great starting point before taking more advanced training. You can even add the completion certificate to your LinkedIn or resume!
Video Editing Course Online
Once you have the basics down, it‘s time to gain some hands-on practice! The Video Editing Course Online from Viso Learning is a fantastic choice.
Over 10 in-depth modules, you‘ll learn the DaVinci Resolve workflow by editing a real-world short film project. Step-by-step video tutorials cover:
- Importing and organizing raw footage
- Trimming clips and sequencing an edit
- Fixing exposure, color, and audio
- Adding visual effects like filters and speed changes
- Animating text and graphics
- Compositing green screen footage
- Exporting your final edited video
Students praise how this course gives you hands-on experience taking a project from start to finish. With exercise files included, you can follow along and gain practical editing skills.
Whether you want to start editing YouTube videos, weddings, or more, this course will provide the DaVinci Resolve skills needed to edit professional-grade footage.
Video Production Masterclass: Beginner to Pro Video Creation
While editing is crucial, creating compelling source footage is equally important. The Video Production Masterclass course on Udemy covers the entire video production workflow.
With over 17 hours of content, you‘ll learn skills like:
- Developing video concepts and scripts
- Setting up professional camera, lighting, and audio gear
- Capturing stellar footage in diverse situations
- Conducting interviews to get compelling dialogue
- Getting b-roll and cutaways to later intercut
- And much more!
Students give this course 5 stars for covering the complete production process at a fraction of the cost of film school. Whether you want to produce corporate videos, YouTube content, or freelance as a videographer, these invaluable skills will give you a big competitive edge.
Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning: Digital Storytelling
Storytelling is at the core of great video content. The Powerful Tools for Teaching and Learning course on Coursera provides a solid framework for digital storytelling.
While focused on education, the storytelling principles apply universally:
- Choosing compelling topics and narratives
- Outlining engaging characters and plot points
- Structuring stories with rising action and resolution
- Using imagery, video, and audio to illustrate
- Editing everything together into a cohesive story
Over 17,000 students have taken this course, with a 4.7 star average rating. The concise 1-2 hour course gives you exposure to fundamental narrative concepts to create truly engaging video content.
These digital storytelling skills will enrich any video project, whether it be educational, marketing, documentary, or more.
Create Training Videos with Powtoon
If you want to level up your skills for creating animated explainer videos, the Create Training Videos with Powtoon course on Coursera is a great option.
Powtoon makes it easy to create engaging animated videos by letting you:
- Craft animated slides with illustrations and graphics
- Add characters, shapes, icons, and text
- Design visually stunning transitions and motion graphics
- Import images, video clips, and audio tracks
- Voice over or add background music
- Export and share professional videos
Over 5,000 students have given this course a perfect 5 star rating. In just one hour, you‘ll gain skills to create captivating explanatory and educational videos to share knowledge.
Grow Your Video Editing Skills
Once you‘re comfortable with the basics, this Grow Your Video Editing Skills course on Pluralsight will take your proficiency to an advanced level.
With a focus on Adobe‘s professional tools like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition, you‘ll learn complex skills like:
- Multi-camera editing for interviews and events
- Advanced color grading techniques
- Cleaning and optimizing audio tracks
- Motion tracking and stabilization
- Green screen compositing
- Special effects like speed ramps and transitions
- Exporting for different mediums and resolutions
With quizzes to test your knowledge and hands-on projects, this course will push your editing skills to a professional grade. Students praise the instructor for clearly explaining even the most advanced techniques.
Creative Video Editing Techniques
Hosted on LinkedIn Learning, the Creative Video Editing Techniques course dives into high-level editing theory.
You‘ll learn concepts like:
- Complexity editing to compress time and space
- Continuity editing for fluid sequences
- When to use certain transitions like smash cuts and montages
- Principles of editing for emotion, storytelling, and drama
- Real-world examples and case studies
With a 4.6 star average rating, students love learning not just editing software skills, but the nuanced art of compelling video editing. These advanced techniques will help any video project – whether a commercial, short film, or YouTube video – have greater impact and engagement.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it – 9 courses to take your video skills from zero to hero! With step-by-step lessons from industry experts, you‘ll gain both technical proficiency in editing software as well as the creative storytelling and production skills that set great videos apart.
Whether you want to start a successful YouTube channel, become a wedding videographer, or make marketing videos for business, these courses will give you the tools. Learning at your own pace from the comfort of home beats paying thousands at film school.
Now get out there and start creating some amazing videos! Just take the first step and enroll in a course today. I know you‘ll be blown away by how quickly your skills improve. Here‘s to producing your best videos yet!
