7 Best Video Editing Courses & Certifications for Beginners & Pros

Key takeaways:

• The best video editing course for beginners are Ripple Training for Final Cut Pro and Media Composer 2020 Essential Training Fundamentals.
• To learn Premiere Pro try Phil Ebiner’s Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass.
• If you want to learn DaVinci try the official training course from BlackMagic Design.
• To learn video editing effects sign up for After Effects Kickstart
• For the best video editing courses for professionals try courses from FilmEditingPro.

New to video editing, but the sheer complexity of the craft overwhelms you? Or maybe you’re an experienced editor looking to refine your skills and be at the top of your game.

Either way, we’ve got you covered. We’ve curated the best video editing courses for all skill types – beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Let’s dive in!

Table of contents:

• 7 Best video editing courses to improve your editing skills
• Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass: Video Editing in Premiere
• Ripple Training for Final Cut Pro
• Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 101 Fundamentals 1 / 110 Fundamentals 2
• DaVinci Resolve Training from Blackmagic Design
• After Effects Kickstart
• Courses from FilmEditingPro
• Inside The Edit
• What to consider while selecting the course
• How is video editing a skill beneficial to learn?
• Make video editing easier: Editing with Riverside
• FAQs on Video Editing Courses:

7 Best video editing courses to improve your editing skills

Adobe Premiere Pro CC Masterclass: Video Editing in Premiere

Price: $74.99 (around $14.99 during discounts)

Length: 25.5 hours

Level: Beginner

Skills: Basic editing, transitions, color correction and grading, video effects, titles & graphics, chroma keying, and more

Certification:  Yes

With almost half a million students, Phil Ebiner's course is the most popular Premiere Pro course on the market. And since it’s hosted on Udemy, you get a highly reviewed course for a highly affordable price. (For the best prices, wait for Udemy’s frequent sales). 

This comprehensive course covers everything you need to know about video editing in Premiere Pro. From adding transitions, titles, and graphics to color correction, video effects, and even green screen techniques. 

Plus, you get access to the same practice videos the instructor uses, allowing you to follow along and learn hands-on.

‍Reviews and ratings

What people say: 

• People who’ve had zero knowledge of video editing have praised the course for helping them develop a strong foundation in the craft.
• They find the course comprehensive and detailed, covering both basic and advanced techniques.

Ratings:

• 4.6/5 out of 41k ratings

Ripple Training for Final Cut Pro

Price: $79 (Core course)

Length: 7 hours

Level: Beginner

Skills: Basic editing, color correction, multicam editing, titles and effects, sound editing, and more (Core course)

Certification: No

Ripple Training provides a bunch of training for Final Cut Pro. These courses are comprehensive and structured, targeting both beginners and advanced users. 

Browsing the site, you’ll find several courses. These include specialized courses in color grading, sound editing, keying and compositing, and more. 

If you’re new to the course though, we suggest you start with the Final Cut Pro Core Training course – it’s a mandatory beginner course. And if you have the budget, we highly recommend the Final Cut Pro Essentials Bundle, which teaches more skills like sound editing and color grading. 

Reviews and ratings

What people say:

• People appreciate the structured nature of the courses, especially beginners.
• The training is also praised for its thoroughness and high quality. The tutorials are detailed and cover a wide range of features and techniques. 

Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 101 Fundamentals 1 / 110 Fundamentals 2

Price: 19.99$/month (annually) for LinkedIn Learning

Length: 101 Fundamentals 1 (9h 35m), 110 Fundamentals 2 (9h 20m)

Level: Beginner

Skills: Basic editing, transitions, titles, effects, audio editing, tracking, chromakeying

Certification: Yes

These two LinkedIn Learning courses are widely regarded as the best available for Avid Media Composer. If you're new to LinkedIn Learning, take advantage of their one-month free trial to get started.

The courses are suitable for complete beginners as well as seasoned editors who want to transition to Media Composer as their primary editing tool.

Reviews and ratings:

What people say:

• The material is clearly explained and goes into deep detail on how to use the Media Composer.
• Beginners found the instructor’s teaching style easy to understand and follow.

Ratings:

• Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 101 Fundamentals 1 – 4.8/5 from 514 reviews
• Media Composer 2020 Essential Training: 110 Fundamentals 2 – 4.9/5 from 93 reviews

DaVinci Resolve Training from Blackmagic Design

Price: Free

Length: 16 hours

Level: Beginner

Skills: Basic editing, multicam editing, visual effects, color, audio editing, sound design, mixing, basic compositing, motion graphics, 3D compositing

Certification: Yes

If you’re thinking of learning DaVinci Resolve, you’re in luck – not only is the software free, but so is the course. 

The training covers all aspects of the software, from basic editing to advanced color grading, visual effects, and audio post-production. As new versions of DaVinci Resolve are released, so is the training. 

You also get access to multiple experts – Chris Roberts teaches you basic editing and visual effects, Mary Plummer teaches you audio editing and mixing, etc. Everything you need to learn is available on the website’s official training page of the website. 

Reviews and ratings

What people say:

• They've found the course to be very comprehensive. Even those with years of experience in Resolve still find the program valuable as the course guides you through most of the program's intricacies.
• While the course is excellent, some users have claimed that the instructional videos can be dull. They’ve recommended trying the Blackmagic Design Certified Ripple training as an alternative.

After Effects Kickstart

Price: $897

Length: Taught over eight week period

Level: Beginner 

Skills: Keyframe animation, typography, shape layers, parenting

Certification: Yes

After Effects Kickstart is an 8-week course offered by the School of Motion. The site is known for producing high-quality, highly praised courses. 

The neat bit about the course is that you also receive personalized feedback and critique from industry professionals, which will help you polish and improve your work. 

Reviews and ratings

What people say:

• People found the course helped them set the right foundations for motion graphics and motion design career. 
• A Reddit user stated that out of 20+ applications for a junior motion designer position, applicants who took courses from School of Motion stood out the most.

Courses from FilmEditingPro

Price: $297-$997 (depending on the course)

Length: Varied length depending on the course

Level: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Skills: DaVinci Resolve and Premiere Pro editing, creative editing, Film editing, drama editing, trailer editing, music editing, VFX and graphics

Certification: Yes

Looking to master the art of film editing? FilmEditingPro offers online courses that teach techniques used by industry professionals.

You can start with the basics of DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, or dive into the "Secrets of Creative Editing”. Alternatively, explore specialized courses for trailer, action, and drama editing. 

FilmEditingPro's instructors have experience on major projects like Batman v Superman, Deadpool, and Star Wars Rogue One, making them the perfect guides for your editing journey.

Reviews and ratings
What reviewers say:

• Reviewers agree that FilmEditingPro's courses are expensive, but they also unanimously agree that they’re worth it. 
• A person who worked in trailers was highly impressed with the content from The Art of Trailer Editing course. He claimed it was apparent the course was created by top editors in the trailer editing field.

Inside The Edit

Price: £497

Level: Intermediate, Advanced

Skills: Pacing and timing, narrative structuring, dialogue editing, music editing, creating drama and tension, intercutting, and more

Certification: No

Inside The Edit isn't just about mastering software. Instead, it focuses on the art of creative editing in general. Especially high-level creative editing. Doing the course will equip you to edit for documentaries, TV shows, and movies. 

In many ways, the course is an affordable alternative to film school. Your instructor is Paddy, a seasoned editor who’s worked for BBC, National Geographic, PBS, ABC (and more). 

He walks you through editing a documentary from start to finish, using over 100 hours of raw footage. And the focus is mainly on the narrative aspects of editing. 

(There’s a more in-depth course from the same creator called Inside The Edit Pro Editor Course. This one costs $9999 and is a 12-month course, and has weekly masterclasses, live cutting sessions, and individual feedback.)

Reviews and ratings

What reviewers say:

• One of the highest praises the course has received is from Eddie Hamilton. Hamilton is an Oscar-nominated who worked on Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, Top Gun Maverick, among other films.
• Those who’ve gone through the course say that the instructor is very articulate and goes into deep detail while answering questions that arise in your mind.

What to consider while selecting the course

When choosing a course, ensure its lessons are suitable for your skill level and that the course duration is ideal for your schedule. Also, make sure you have the budget to pay for the courses (advanced courses tend to be more expensive). 

Level of Expertise

What to consider as a beginner

• Skills: Look for courses that thoroughly cover basic video editing as well as intermediate techniques. 
• Easy to follow: Make sure the course provides step-by-step guidance. Look for courses with downloadable practice clips, so you can follow along with the instructor.
• Feedback and mentoring: As a bonus, seek courses where the instructor gives you feedback and mentoring (such courses tend to be expensive, however)

What to consider as a professional

• Specialized skills: Look for advanced courses focusing on specialized skills, such as color grading, motion graphics, or visual editing effects.
• Reputation: Make sure the course is taught by the best and most successful in the field.

Duration

Do you need to learn specific skills quickly for an upcoming project? Then shorter courses are better. 

However, we recommend longer courses for beginners. They give you a solid foundation in the techniques and software, setting you up for success.

Cost 

A cheap course isn’t necessarily a bad course. Platforms like Udemy offer great courses at steep discounts during their frequent sales.

That said, premium options like School of Motion or FilmEditingPro come with a price tag that reflects their top-notch instruction. These often include valuable perks like personalized mentoring and feedback, which can significantly accelerate your learning and take your skills to the next level.

How is video editing a skill beneficial to learn?

Video dominates content nowadays. Research estimates that video will make up 82% of all online traffic by 2025.

So there’s a massive demand for video content, and if you become a good editor, a solid secure future awaits you.

To learn more on how learning video editing can help you, read on.

Career advancement opportunities

Learning video editing opens the door to many job opportunities. You can be a video editor for social media or work on marketing videos, films, and television. The higher up the ladder you climb, the more lucrative these roles become. 

Creative expression and storytelling

Want an outlet for creative expression? Then video editing is a solid option. 

You get to weave together visuals, sound, and effects to convey compelling stories. 

Video editors never complain about their job feeling stale – they always find ways to improve their craft and keep them engaged and interested. 

Versatility across industries

Video editing skills are needed across most industries. There’s plenty of need for video editors in the following spaces:

• Film and television
• Marketing and advertising
• Music
• Media companies
• Education
• Healthcare
• Real Estate
• Hospitality
• Corporate 
• Sports

Freelancing and entrepreneurial opportunities

Opportunities are aplenty in the freelancing space of video editing. Just check Upwork and the staggering number of jobs are posted per hour!

Once you’re more adept at freelancing, you can transition to starting your own video editing agency, where junior editors work under you. Your company can then offer its services to one (or more) industries we’ve listed above.

Make video editing easier: Editing with Riverside

Riverside is an all-in-one recording and editing platform that makes it easy to create high-quality audio and video, even for beginners. You can record in up to 4K resolution without worrying about your internet connection and you’ll get separate audio and video tracks for more editing flexibility. 

The Editor has array of AI tools that cut your editing time in more than half.

With our text-based editor, you can trim your video by simply deleting text in your recording transcript.

Alternatively, use the color-coded editing timeline where you can also create chapters to keep everything organized. Finish off with automatic audio enhancement including: background noise removal, audio normalization, and a silence remover. Then add AI captions, choose a layout and background and you’ve got a professional video edited effortlessly. 

Better yet, repurpose your video into short clips. Our Magic Clips tool finds key moments in your recordings and turns them into short shareable videos.

Key features:

• High-quality recording up to 48kHz WAV audio and 4k video resolution
• Local recording so your video quality doesn’t depend on internet speeds
• Highly accurate transcripts with  AI transcriptions in 100+ languages
• Text-based video editing and timeline navigation using transcriptions 
• Seamless editing timeline with speakers color-coded and chapters for easy organization
• Automated multi-track sync keeps every track lined up regardless of edits you make
• Magic Clips feature creates shareable short clips for social media
• AI show notes create summaries, chapters, and takeaways with a single click
• Built-in teleprompter so you can easily follow a script while recording
• Media board so you can edit in effects live

With the basics covered by Riverside, you’ll have more time to spend refining and perfecting your video creations using the advanced editing techniques you’re learning in your courses. Riverside is the perfect partner for any aspiring video content creator.

Ready to try it for yourself? Create a video with Riverside today!

FAQs on Video Editing Courses:

Is a video editing course worth it?

Yes, a video editing course is worth it. Sure, you can actually learn for free on YouTube, but this method has downsides. The main one is the lack of structure, followed by the lack of feedback and support. 

You can also enroll in courses for cheap with sites like Udemy, especially during their frequently held sales. 

Can I learn video editing on my own?

Yes, you can learn video editing on your own. Out there, there’s plenty of free content that teaches the basics of editing. And, if you want more structured content, you can take a paid course instead. 

Just make sure you practice, practice, practice. And then practice more. Experiment with different projects, recreate existing videos on the internet, and play around with the software. 

Can I learn video editing in 1 month?

Realistically, it’s not possible to learn all of video editing in one month. Navigating the software and mastering basic techniques is what you might hope to accomplish at best. 

However, you can learn a lot in three months. Especially with dedicated effort and planning. Just remember that getting to an advanced level will likely take years. Professional editors continue to learn and hone their skills continuously.