10 Best Photoshop Retouching Courses and Certifications Online

In recent years, the demand for high-quality images has increased significantly, and with it, the need for skilled professionals capable of retouching and enhancing images through the use of sophisticated software. With the advent of online learning platforms, individuals seeking to develop their Photoshop retouching skills can now access a range of courses from the comfort of their homes. This has led to an increasing number of options, making it difficult for learners to identify the best Photoshop retouching courses online. In this article, we will explore some of the key factors to consider when selecting a Photoshop retouching course, highlighting the most important considerations for learners looking to improve their skills and advance their careers.

Here’s a look at the Best Photoshop Retouching Courses and Certifications Online and what they have to offer for you!

10 Best Photoshop Retouching Courses and Certifications Online

1. Photoshop CC Retouching and Effects Masterclass by Chad Neuman, Ph.D. (Udemy) (Our Best Pick)

The Photoshop CC Retouching and Effects Masterclass Course, instructed by Chad Neuman, Ph.D., is designed to teach students how to use Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud for retouching and effects in portrait photography and other photo categories. The course covers essential to advanced techniques and offers a quick video about the 2020 update on constrain proportions when resizing smart objects, photos, type layers, and shape layers. The Select and Mask Technique is also added for more accurate selection of hair.

The course covers five courses in one, namely Portrait Corrections, Portrait Retouching, RAW Retouching, Portrait Stylizing and Special Effects, and Advanced Black-and-White Conversions. It is suitable for both professional photographers looking to offer more services and increase income and hobbyists looking to improve their personal photos. The course features essential techniques to succeed in portrait photography Photoshop editing, including relevant color, lighting, and composition corrections, effective retouching techniques, stylistic adjustment techniques, improved black-and-white conversions, and special effects and edits to offer as a bonus to clients.

The course offers methods to improve photos for fun or portfolio to attract more clients. It also has the potential to help students land more customers and add more photo enhancing services to their business. Enrollment in the course includes access to hours of follow-along lectures where students learn by doing, discussion forums for critiques and feedback, future lectures, free support files, quizzes, and helpful handouts on file formats, color terminology, Photoshop keyboard shortcuts, and a portrait retouching checklist.

The course is broken down into seven sections covering Portrait Photography Digital Darkroom, Portrait Photo Corrections in Photoshop, Portrait Retouching Techniques in Photoshop, RAW Filter Portrait Retouching Techniques in Photoshop, Special Effects and Stylizing in Portrait Photos in Photoshop, Artistic Black-and-White Portrait Conversions in Photoshop, and Organizing Portrait Photos and Using Actions in Photoshop.

2. Portrait Retouching Essentials in Photoshop by Marcin Mikus (Udemy)

This course, titled “Portrait Retouching Essentials in Photoshop,” is being taught by Marcin Mikus. It is designed to help students learn everything they need to know about retouching and creating amazing images using Photoshop. The course promises to be straight to the point, offering a concise overview of what to do and what not to do when retouching images.

Marcin Mikus is an internationally published fashion and beauty retoucher who will be teaching the course on retouching essentials. He will cover everything that is important for non-destructive retouching, without giving shortcuts or tips about weird techniques. The course will focus on what he does, and what students should do to make their images look great.

The course will include six sections, starting with raw conversion, which will show students how to make their retouching easier using camera raw or capture one. The second section will focus on cleaning up the image in a non-destructive way using simple tools. The third section, which is probably the most demanding, will cover dodging and burning, with actions to help speed up workflow. The fourth section will provide the best method for working with contrasts, shadows, and highlights. The fifth section will show how to work selectively with certain areas like shadows, highlights, and midtones to adjust colors. The final section will cover final touches to ensure the image looks perfect.

The course will also provide resources to support students’ work in Photoshop, exercise files, lifetime access to the course, and personal support from Marcin. This course promises to offer a comprehensive overview of retouching essentials in Photoshop for students looking to improve their skills in image retouching.

3. Adobe Photoshop CC Essentials | Photoshop Masterclass by Chris Parker (Udemy)

This Adobe Photoshop masterclass, taught by Chris Parker, offers seven courses in one, covering Photoshop retouching, image editing, portrait editing, RAW and JPG retouching, photo editing, special effects, and more. The course is designed for beginners, but also includes advanced projects. Parker, a photographer and graphic designer with over 10 years of teaching experience, emphasizes the importance of communication to effectively teach technical knowledge. Students have raved about Parker’s clear and easy-to-follow instruction, and his dedication to responding to their questions and feedback.

The course is suitable for both photographers and graphic designers, and requires no previous knowledge of Photoshop, photography or graphic design. Parker covers the basics of Photoshop, including how to use the Home Screen, create new files, and work with multiple files. More advanced topics include managing color, editing RAW files, and using blending modes for creative edits. Parker also teaches additional Photoshop layer skills, such as how to align, copy, and delete layers, and how to use brushes for editing, drawing, painting, and design.

The course is comprehensive, with over 33 hours of content, and is regularly updated with new tutorials. Students also receive course resources, including photo files and an exclusive Photoshop Essentials Guide, which can be printed out and used to take notes. The guide summarizes each lecture for easy reference when offline. Parker’s course also includes two additional courses: Light Effects, which covers tools for enhancing light and color, and Zombie Apocalypse, where students learn to create custom zombies using Photoshop.

Upon completion of the course, students will have the skills to edit, retouch, and color-correct images, as well as design logos and websites. They will also be able to use Photoshop for freelance work, such as editing, re-touching, and graphic design. Students have praised Parker’s course for its clear and easy-to-follow instruction, and for the wealth of knowledge and skills they’ve gained from the comprehensive curriculum.

4. The Ultimate 2D/3D Photoshop & Graphic Design Course ! 2020 by Yosra Lakhdhar (Udemy)

The Ultimate 2D/3D Photoshop & Graphic Design Course for 2020 is an instructional program led by instructor Yosra Lakhdhar. The course is designed to teach a range of design skills, including 2D & 3D design, photo editing, poster creation, social media design, face retouching, and animation techniques.

The course is geared towards those who want to become professional 2D & 3D designers, regardless of their current skill level. The instructor claims that this is the best graphic design & Photoshop course available, and that it will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become modern designers.

The course is broken up into several sections, including an introduction, selections and masks skills, face retouching skills, amazing effects for movies and photo editing skills with Photoshop, social banners, 3D design with Photoshop, 3D animations with Photoshop, and a bonus section on freelancing and alternative design tools.

Throughout the course, students will learn how to master Photoshop by creating social media designs, branding, makeovers, and website creation. By the end of the course, students will have the necessary skills to start a professional designer career.

5. Master Advanced High End Beauty Retouching in Photoshop by Marcin Mikus (Udemy)

This course, entitled “Master Advanced High End Beauty Retouching in Photoshop,” is instructed by Marcin Mikus. The course aims to teach professional beauty retouching techniques that will help students achieve the desired look found in magazine covers and advertising campaigns. High end beauty images require an advanced form of retouching that takes several hours of very detailed work. It is crucial to maintain the skin texture while making the image clean, dynamic, and visually appealing. To achieve this, the course offers advanced techniques that will elevate students’ retouching skills to a new level.

The course is specifically designed for individuals interested in Photoshop and retouching, especially those looking to learn how to emulate the perfect magazine cover look. Whether students are just beginning or are experienced in beauty retouching, this six-hour course will offer new techniques that can improve current skills. Marcin Mikus will share all the secrets and techniques that he has learned from his three-year career as a Photoshop instructor.

Students will learn advanced beauty retouching techniques, such as a complete guide on frequency separation, shaping the face, and professional retouching using dodge and burn techniques. The course will cover the retouching of every detail of an image, from the skin to the hair, lips, and eyes. The course is geared towards individuals who have some experience with Photoshop and are hungry for knowledge. The course will provide detailed portrait retouching techniques that will help students achieve amazing results.

The course content includes an introduction, basic retouching, resources, hair retouching, shaping the face, frequency separation, skin retouching, lip retouching, eye retouching, nails retouching, dodge and burn, final adjustments, and an update on beauty image number two. Besides knowledge, students will also receive lifetime access to resources and actions that will speed up their workflow.

6. Professional Retouching Course in Photoshop by Marcin Mikus (Udemy)

This Professional Retouching Course in Photoshop is taught by Marcin Mikus, a photo retoucher and Photoshop instructor. The course covers non-destructive retouching techniques for portrait, beauty, and outdoor images. With over 80 lessons and 6 hours of content, students will receive high-quality raw images, actions, and other resources to speed up their workflow.

The course is suitable for both beginners and more advanced users. It starts by covering the whole process from raw processing using camera raw and capture one, to final touch-ups. Students will learn the best tools for skin and hair retouching, dodge & burn, and different methods for working with lights and shadows. The lessons also cover color grading techniques, specifically how to work with specific colors and select specific areas for color corrections.

The course is divided into different sections, leading students from basic portrait retouching to beauty and outdoor image retouching. The first section covers the pros and cons of capture one, while the second section analyzes each image before starting the retouching process. The third section focuses on the dodge & burn technique, and the fourth section explores different methods for working with lights and shadows. The fifth and final section covers final color corrections.

Overall, this course provides students with the necessary skills and resources to become professional retouchers or enhance their skills in retouching images as a hobby.

7. Ultimate Photoshop CC : Absolute Beginners Course! by Mitchell Bouchard, Red Cape Learning, Kevin Gardin (Udemy)

The Ultimate Photoshop CC: Absolute Beginners Course is a 2 in 1 course that teaches learners how to edit pictures and create simple graphics in Photoshop. The course is led by instructors Mitchell Bouchard, Red Cape Learning, and Kevin Gardin.

Learners will join over 150,000 students and gain skills in digital art and graphics creation. The course covers the basics of using Adobe Photoshop.

The course content includes four sections: Getting Started, The Basics, Photo Editing, and Digital Design with Kevin Gardin. Learners will explore topics such as drawing tools, photo retouching, creating text, shortcuts, and more.

Throughout the course, learners will complete assignments and create custom graphics. By the end of the course, learners will have gained a solid foundation in using Adobe Photoshop for picture editing and graphic design.

8. High End Beauty Retouching in Photoshop 2.0 by Marcin Mikus (Udemy)

The course titled “High End Beauty Retouching in Photoshop 2.0” is instructed by professional retoucher Marcin Mikus. This course aims to teach non-destructive techniques for retouching beauty images to create magazine cover-worthy portraits quickly.

Professional beauty retouching, also known as high-end retouching, is an advanced form of retouching that requires patience and practice. In this course, the instructor emphasizes the importance of non-destructive techniques to preserve skin texture, face features, and color harmony while creating dynamic and clean images.

Marcin Mikus, the course instructor, is a professional retoucher with six years of experience in fashion, beauty, and commercial retouching. He promises to offer professional knowledge and practice from a real industry expert.

The course covers all the essential subjects of retouching, such as RAW processing, clean-up, nails retouching, dodge & burn retouching, contrasts, lights and shadows, color grading, and final touch-ups. The course instructor teaches students how to use the right tools and manage their work to achieve professional results.

The course includes resources valued at over $500, such as high-quality images taken by professional photographer Dominika Jarczyńska with a professional model and make-up artist. Marcin’s retouching actions are also included to help students speed up their retouching process.

The course is divided into seven sections, including introduction, RAW conversion, clean up & skin retouching, dodge & burn, lights, shadows, and contrasts, color grading, and final steps.

9. How to stylize your photos in Photoshop with color overlays by Vladimir Chopine (Udemy)

This course titled “How to stylize your photos in Photoshop with color overlays” is taught by instructor Vladimir Chopine. The course aims to help individuals bring a unique touch to their digital art using Photoshop skills. With the help of color overlays, participants can make their work stand out from the crowd. The course is structured based on several years of experience in teaching online students. For a one-time fee, participants can access the course and its digital assets for a lifetime.

Through this course, participants can learn new skills in Photoshop, including principles of complementary colors and how they interact with each other to bring an emotional response from the viewer. While it is recommended to follow the designated order of sections and tutorials, participants can view the “Introduction” before proceeding with the course. The course offers free support files for following along with the lectures or using one’s own files. Additionally, there are hands-on projects at the end of the course to help secure knowledge with practice.

This course is useful for existing projects and helps participants gain new clients with their growing Photoshop skills. Instructor Vladimir Chopine’s bio and creative web pages serve as examples of digital compositions that participants can create after completing the course.

The course is divided into sections, including Introduction, Color overlays, Creative colors, Mixed overlays, Practices make it better, Bonus project – Stylizing with Selective Colors, and Additional resources. The Introduction section answers questions such as what color overlay is, what types of color overlays exist, when to use them, and how they work. The Creative Colors section looks at how to select matching colors and why some colors work better together. Additionally, the course covers how to use gradient overlays and color curves.

The course requirements include a Mac or PC with Adobe Photoshop (CC preferable) installed, access to the digital course assets, and some knowledge of Photoshop principles. Participants gain an understanding of color matching concept, color overlay modes, and how to color stylize photos in Photoshop.

10. Photoshop on the iPad MasterClass by Martin Perhiniak (Udemy)

The Photoshop on the iPad MasterClass is a course designed to teach users how to utilize Photoshop on their iPad using touch and Apple Pencil. The course is ideal for beginners and self-taught individuals looking to improve their skills. The updated 2022 course content covers the latest features of Photoshop on the iPad.

The course is perfect for anyone who owns an iPad and is interested in creative image editing. The modern interface and support for Apple Pencil make it easier than ever before to master the tool. The course instructor, Martin Perhiniak, has carefully selected examples that provide clear explanations without wasting time, even while exploring complex techniques. His experience working with clients like Disney, Mattel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and BBC ensures that the course will help users start using Photoshop on the iPad like a creative professional.

Thanks to Cloud Documents, users can seamlessly transfer their work between devices, and many of the techniques learned in the course can also be applied to the desktop version of Photoshop. Experienced users of Photoshop may also learn new workflows or discover hidden gems.

By purchasing the course, users will receive downloadable exercise files to follow along and practice at their own pace. The course is great for Photoshop desktop users and anyone new to Photoshop. The course covers a range of topics, including editing images, creating compositions, retouching images, working with type, drawing and painting, and the latest 2021 and 2022 features of Photoshop on the iPad.

In conclusion, the Photoshop on the iPad MasterClass is an excellent course for anyone looking to improve their skills in creative image editing. With an intuitive interface and support for Apple Pencil, users can create professional designs on the go and seamlessly transfer their work between devices. The course provides clear explanations and downloadable exercise files for users to practice at their own pace.