The 15 Best Online Video Editing Courses to Unleash Your Filmmaking Potential 2024

Editing is a crucial phase of almost any visual production, whether you’re working on a project as large as a major motion picture or as small as a family home video. It’s a skill that can prove indispensable for filmmaking, creating YouTube videos, making marketing materials for your business, and many other applications.

However, if you’re brand new to video editing, you may wonder which programs you should consider learning, and if there are any online courses that can show you the ropes. In this article, we’ll tell you what qualities you should consider in a video editing course, and then we’ll discuss the best online classes available today.

Next, we’ll give you some advice to help you succeed in your chosen courses, and we’ll answer some questions you may have about video editing courses.

What to Look For in an Online Video Editing Course

The first thing you’ll notice if you start browsing for video editing classes is that there are lots of them. That’s why it’s important to know which qualities to look for so you can weigh your options appropriately. We took the following characteristics into account when selecting courses for our list, and we’ll discuss them for each class.

Skill Level

It may be expected that you have a certain amount of base knowledge going in depending on the course. The good news is that most of the courses we’ve chosen are beginner-friendly, but we’ll let you know if any classes require you to have experience before taking them.

Cost

We drew from several learning-based websites to find the best courses for our list. These websites have varying pricing models. Some ask for a one-time payment for each course, while others require you to purchase a regular subscription to the website.

Udemy sells each of its courses individually, and the prices vary from $20 to $140.

LinkedIn Learning follows a subscription-based model. You can get it for $30/month or $240/year. If you’re a first-time user, you can try it for free for a month. Provided that you complete your chosen courses in that time, you won’t have to pay anything!

Skillshare also requires a subscription, called Skillshare Premium, to access many of its courses. It costs $32/month or $168/year.

One of the courses on our list is on a site called CreativeLive, which offers you a choice between a one-time payment for a single course or a subscription called a Creator Pass. The Creator Pass subscription gives you access to all of the site’s classes and has several payment options. You can get a year’s subscription for $300 billed annually (the site sometimes offers discounts on this option), for $15/month if you commit to a year-long subscription, or for $39/month for a monthly subscription.

Length

There’s a lot of variation regarding course length for video editing classes. Runtimes for our list’s courses range from slightly over an hour to upwards of a dozen hours. Be sure to check a course’s length before you buy it so you’re aware of its time commitment.

Curriculum

As you’ll see shortly, there are several popular video editing programs on the market today. We’ve prioritized courses that teach more widely-used applications and provide a strong overview of video editing over classes with more of a niche appeal.

Specifically, we’ve focused on courses that teach professional-level programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and DaVinci Resolve. However, the aforementioned programs don’t represent all of the options for video editing software on the market, so we’ve included classes that cover iMovie and even smartphone filmmaking.

Course Breakdown

Course Title	Curriculum	Length	Cost	Expertise Level
Introduction to Video Editing	Intro to the artistic side of editing, brief overview of some popular video editing programs	2h 53m	$30/month or $240/year	Beginner
Foundations of Video: The Art of Editing	Art of editing, editing for different genres and kinds of projects	3h 47m	$30/month or $240/year	Beginner
Video Editing: Moving from Production to Post	What to do before and during production to make post-production easier	2h 22m	$30/month or $240/year	Intermediate or Advanced
Premiere Pro CC for Beginners: Video Editing in Premiere	Intro to editing with Adobe Premiere Pro	11h 53m	$100	Beginner
Adobe Premiere Pro CC Video Editing: The Complete Guide	Detailed and beginner-friendly instruction for Adobe Premiere Pro	18h 2m	$200 or Creator Pass Subscription	Beginner or Intermediate
Video Editing in DaVinci Resolve 16/17: Beginner to Advanced	Intro to DaVinci Resolve for editing and color correction/grading	10h 25m	$140	Beginner
Video Editing with Final Cut Pro X – From Beginner to YouTuber	How to make YouTube videos with Final Cut Pro X	3h 15m	$32/month or $168/year	Beginner or Intermediate
Video Editing in Final Cut Pro X: Learn the Basics in 1 Hour	Basics of Final Cut Pro X, overview of editing process	1h 11m	$20	Beginner
iMovie – Video editing for beginners on Mac OS	Editing with iMovie to make home movies and picture slideshows	2h 45m	$120	Beginner
Smartphone Video For Beginners – iPhone Video Editing Course	Planning, filming and editing videos/movies on smartphones	4h 38m	$130	Beginner
The Complete Video Production Bootcamp	Complete overview of the editing process	9 h	$89.99	Beginner
Creative Video Editing Techniques	Exploration of creativity through video editing	1 h 22 m	$30/month or $240/year	Intermediate
Sony Vegas Pro: Master Video Editing School	In-depth primer to Sony Vegas pro	4h 30 m	$79.99	Beginner to Advanced
Camtasia 9 Studio Masterclass - Become a Video Editing Boss	Guide to capturing and editing footage with Camtasia	3h	$89.99	Beginner
Video Editing Techniques Loved by Pro Broadcast Filmmakers	Focus on how professional video editors work	3h 30m	$109.99	Advanced

The 15 Best Online Video Editing Courses 2024

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1. Introduction to Video Editing

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Why we like it

This course gives beginning editors a bird’s-eye view of the art, highlighting the essential part video editing plays in delivering a story to the audience. It also gives students a basic idea of how to use video editing programs.

Sometimes, you just have to know where to start, especially when you’re dealing with a field like video editing, which relies both on technical and storytelling skill. That’s where this course comes in, providing you with a walkthrough of various editing “rules” (in actuality, filmmaking rules are just guidelines you should be aware of so you can follow or break them as necessary for your projects) and showing you the effects an editor’s choices have on how a story is told.

The course also gives you an introduction to the technical aspect of video editing. The instructor shows you an example of editing a narrative film as well as a documentary, so you understand how to approach different kinds of projects. You’ll receive a brief overview of some popular video editing software tools and get a bird’s-eye view of how to use them. Finally, the course quickly touches on how other areas of post-production like sound design, effect design, and color correction impact the finished work.

It’s important to note that, as its name makes clear, this is an introductory course. As such, it doesn’t get too detailed in its explanations of the video editing programs it shows. The course’s goal is to give you an overall idea of how video editing works and prepare you for more advanced classes. If you want in-depth instruction on how to use Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro X, or another editing tool, you should consider a class that focuses exclusively on one of those programs.

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2. The Complete Video Production Bootcamp

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Why we like it

This course exposes learners to the complete video production process, giving them a good foundation to better understand the value of quality video editing.

You’ll notice that this course isn’t a video editing-only course. This is a course that covers video production from start to finish The reason we picked this course is because of its 360-degree coverage of everything that goes into creating a great video.

The Complete Video Production Bootcamp starts at how to come up with ideas for a video. That’s how much of a beginner course this is. Learners find out how to come up with a theme for a video and plan it while keeping viewers in mind.

The course then goes into the process by which you can make that video happen. It starts off by recommending equipment; you can work with something as simple as a smartphone. It then goes into cinematography, audio recording basics, and lighting.

It is only after those things are covered that you reach the video editing section of the course. You will learn functional skills like how to organize video projects, import and synch, add audio, merge b-roll and so on.

You will also learn practical tips on how to make videos easier to consume for your audience. There’s one video dedicated to designing professional titles. Things get very meta with the instructors showing how they designed the title cards for the course.

Because of everything the course covers, it is the combined effort of three separate instructors. Each of them brings experience in a different discipline of video production, which means that students get to hear from diverse voices.

What you won’t get through this course is a full understanding of any one video editing software. It is more of a well-rounded view of video production itself, giving you the opportunity to understand the context in which you will be editing videos.

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3. Foundations of Video: The Art of Editing

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Why we like it

This course shows you the immense impact that editing has on film and any other video-based art form. You’ll learn how to make the right editing choices to tell the story you want.

Any competent filmmaker or video producer can tell you that editing plays an essential role in conveying the story to the audience. This class focuses exclusively on editing as a storytelling tool so you can learn to use it to make the audience experience the story how you want them to.

You’ll learn all kinds of editing techniques and when you might want to use them. You’ll also learn how to analyze a script and work with your clients and directors to achieve the best possible finished work. Next, you’ll see how the use of music and sound can set the tone and encourage the audience to feel specific emotions as the story demands. Finally, the course shows how to use these techniques in different genres and other types of projects like documentaries, commercials and music videos.

The course’s biggest weakness is that it doesn’t cover the technical side of editing at all. It does a great job teaching the artistic aspect of video editing and showing when and why you would want to make certain edition choices. However, if you want to learn how to put these techniques into practice in Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, or any other editing application, consider other courses.

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4. Video Editing: Moving From Production to Post

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Why we like it

Filmmakers, this one’s for you. If you ever wondered how you could prepare for the editing process in advance in order to make that ever-important final leg of the project as painless as possible, this course shows you the way.

Unless you write, film, and edit your videos by yourself, you’ll be working as part of a team when you make your projects. It’s always a good idea to take whatever steps you can ahead of time to make editing easier once you reach the post-production phase. This course shows you how to ease the crucial transition from production to post-production.

As it turns out, there are many steps you can take to help out your editors before and during production. In addition to those steps, you’ll find out how to prepare for editing once shooting is over. The course specifically focuses on how to make editing easier in Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X, which is convenient since they’re two of the most popular editing programs used today. Finally, you’ll see how to export files and prepare them for audio work and color grading.

However, while the aforementioned editing tips for Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X are useful, you’ll need a basic understanding of how to use those programs before taking this course. You should also already have a general idea of how the pre-production and production phases of a project work. Given these requirements, this course isn’t suited for anyone who’s completely new to video editing.

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5. Creative Video Editing Techniques

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Why we like it

This course covers some of the intermediate level techniques that can take a beginner’s skills to the next level

This is a course for those who want to go a step up from simple video editing tools and techniques. Ashley Kennedy from LinkedIn Learning has this course to offer to intermediate learners.

This course focuses on the important skills of continuity editing and complexity editing. Continuity editing is simply the process of stitching together components of the same shot or related shots. Complexity editing involves taking what could be disparate shots to build on the thematic elements of a video.

The final module of this course focuses on creative transitions. There are dedicated lessons on two specific types of transitions: dissolves and wipes.

This is a relatively short course which is great for intermediate-level learners. You won’t get too much of a focus on a particular video editing software. The idea is to have learners understand video editing concepts rather than individual tools.

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6. Premiere Pro CC for Beginners: Video Editing in Premiere

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Why we like it

This course is a great way for beginners to learn one of the most popular video editing programs used today. It provides an in-depth look at how Premiere Pro works and has practice exercises to help you learn more easily.

Adobe Premiere Pro is a phenomenal video editing program, and it’s widely used for everything from personal projects to professional Hollywood movies. That said, learning to use Premiere Pro can be intimidating for anyone who’s either brand new to video editing or is more accustomed to other editing software. If you fit that description, then this course is for you.

The course assumes you have no prior experience with Premiere Pro and takes you from there. You’ll receive instruction in using this popular application for all kinds of editing tricks like adding video and audio transitions, adding titles, color grading, and many more. The course has practice files you can use to try out the editing techniques while you watch the video lessons.

Thankfully, the instructor explains how to use the software in a manner that’s easy for beginners to understand. He also responds to reviews and encourages learners to reach out via direct message with any questions.

The reasons you might not want to take this course are twofold. Obviously, if you don’t want to learn to use Premiere Pro, you should consider other courses.

Also, this course is primarily intended for beginners, so you probably won’t get as much value from this course if you’re an experienced editor. Given how many areas of Premiere Pro the course covers, you may still learn something new, but you’ll likely have to skip past some lessons.

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7. Adobe Premiere Pro CC Video Editing: The Complete Guide

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Why we like it

Learning Adobe Premiere Pro is a worthwhile but significant undertaking. This class makes it easy, though, as it gives you a comprehensive walkthrough of the software’s many uses. It also helps that the instructor has such a positive attitude!

Adobe Premiere Pro is an incredibly useful application, but there’s a lot you have to learn if you want to use it to its full potential. This course tackles that challenge directly with dozens of lessons on topics including the program’s interface, making rough cuts, transitions and more. Almost every topic the course discusses has more than one video dedicated to it, so no stone is left unturned by the end.

While the instruction is detailed, it’s not overly dense, so beginners won’t have a problem following the lessons. Plus, experienced video editors could pick up some new tips and tricks given how much material is covered. The instructor also deserves praise as he has a great sense of humor and gives the course an upbeat vibe.

If this course has any negatives, it’s the runtime. As we said already, the class explores each Premiere Pro feature it discusses in impressive detail, which means it’ll take you a long time to finish.

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8. Video Editing in DaVinci Resolve 17: Beginner to Advanced

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Why we like it

This beginner-friendly course walks you through the major features of DaVinci Resolve and has you make a video with the instructor from beginning to end. You’ll learn all about using this application for video editing, color correction and color grading.

DaVinci Resolve is another popular video editing program that, like other applications, can prove confusing for newcomers. Thankfully, this course breaks Resolve down into manageable chunks, starting with the basics before gradually increasing in complexity. It provides lots of detailed instruction, but it remains approachable for beginners. It helps that the material is divided into short videos which are almost all under 10 minutes long.

The instructor teaches each lesson in a simple, easily-understandable way. He takes you through the entire video creation process, covering topics including visual effects, motion graphics, audio editing, color correction, color grading, and more. Plus, the course provides you with plenty of free footage you can use to practice what you learn (in case you don’t have footage of your own on hand) so you can get started editing videos as soon as you want.

The only real caveat to this course is that it won’t do anything for someone who isn’t interested in DaVinci Resolve. If you want to learn a different video editing program or are looking for instruction on editing theory, consider other courses.

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9. Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X – From Beginner to YouTuber

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Why we like it

This course is for all of you aspiring YouTubers out there. You’ll learn to use Final Cut Pro X to make great-looking videos using an organized, step-by-step approach taught by a successful YouTuber.

Final Cut Pro X ranks up there with the most popular video editing programs, but beginners may wonder where to start learning how to use it. Well, if you want to use it for YouTube videos or other personal projects, this is the course for you.

The course takes an organized, step-by-step approach to teaching this application to newcomers. It breaks the process down into a 3-part series consisting of A-Cut assembly, B-Roll additions, and polishing. You’ll get a detailed walkthrough of the entire method, starting with creating a project and ending with exporting the finished video.

It certainly helps that the instructor is a successful YouTuber who knows how to keep the lessons interesting and explain his techniques in sufficient detail. At the same time, he makes sure the course is easy to follow so newcomers won’t feel lost.

The course’s only notable drawback is that it won’t provide as much instructional value to non-beginners. To be fair, the instructor mentions this in the course description, though even experienced Final Cut Pro users may still pick up a few new tricks. That said, experienced editors will likely have to skip past some sections of the course.

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10. Sony Vegas Pro: Master Video Editing School

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Why we like it

This is the most comprehensive course there is on video editing using Sony Vegas Pro.

We’ve covered Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro in earlier entries on this list. The other major video editing software that’s out there is Sony Vegas Pro. And if that’s the one you’re looking to master, then the Sony Vegas Pro: Master Video Editing School course on Udemy is the only one you need.

This course is designed so that it can be used by absolute beginners. The initial lessons cover simple introductory details like the workspace in the software and shortcut keys you can use to speed up your workflow.

The course then goes into more advanced-level concepts in Sony Vegas Pro. You will learn how to work with transitions and video effects. The lessons on color grading and green screen editing are meant for those who have a good grip on the basics.

This isn’t the cleanest course in terms of how it is presented. Some of the issues with the recording could be problematic for those who have already completed more polished courses.

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11. Video Editing in Final Cut Pro X: Learn the Basics in 1 Hour

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Why we like it

This course is the definition of “short and sweet”. It shows you the fundamentals of Final Cut Pro X so you can start using it with confidence.

When you start using a program you’re unfamiliar with, sometimes you just need a quick walkthrough to serve as an icebreaker so you know how to find your way around and start creating. This course serves exactly that purpose, and it’s a great way for newcomers to Final Cut Pro to get their feet wet and begin using the program on their own.

This course quickly grants you a high-level view of how Final Cut Pro X works, covering the entire editing process from importing your raw materials (these can be video footage, audio files and pictures), cutting them together as needed to tell the story you want, and exporting the final result. Luckily, the instructor shows examples of every step and explains them. By the end of the course, you’ll understand the basics of Final Cut Pro and be prepared to either start editing your own videos or take more advanced courses.

As you might guess from its title and short runtime, this course is meant for beginners. If you’re an experienced Final Cut Pro user looking to take your skills to the next level, you won’t find much value here. Additionally, this course does skip over some of the program’s features, including color grading and adjusting playback speed, as it’s focused on quickly teaching the fundamentals.

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12. Camtasia 9 Studio Masterclass – Become a Video Editing Boss

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Why we like it

This is a well-structured course for anyone who wants to learn screencasting or more general video editing using Camtasia.

Camtasia is a software that’s well-known for its screen recording capabilities. But what is lesser-known is its ability as a video editor. The Camtasia 9 Studio Masterclass is a well-laid out introduction to the software’s video editing features.

This course goes over all the basics that you would expect from a video editing course. The focus is on getting learners well-versed with the interface and using some of its basic features. This is screen recording software, so there are lessons on how to use that feature.

It then goes into some of the video editing features that Camtasia has. Beginners will enjoy the lessons because of the simple way in which all the different tools and their uses are described. The instructor makes sure to go over each of them in a way that’s easy to grasp.

The flow of this course is another aspect of it that should be noted. The lessons are organized in a way that each new lesson feels like a logical progression from the previous one. The instructor’s voice can be a little hard to hear at times, which can be a hitch in the learning experience.

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13. iMovie – Video Editing for Beginners on Mac OS

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Why we like it

Did you get iMovie for free on your Apple device? Have you always wondered what you could do with it? This course shows you how to use iMovie for home movies and picture slideshows, no prior experience required.

There’s no denying that iMovie is a popular editing tool. This fact is unsurprising considering that it’s a free download for all Apple devices, and users may wonder what their free software is capable of doing. This course will teach you to use this convenient program to make home movies and picture slideshows with audio.

The course shows you the layout of iMovie before walking you through the entirety of the video editing process including importing raw footage, pictures and audio, selecting and editing video clips, and exporting the final work. Everything is taught in a beginner-friendly way so you can begin the class without editing experience, and by the end you’ll be familiar with all of iMovie’s major features.

The instructor is also a huge part of the course’s success. He explains each lesson in an easy-to-follow manner, and he responds to student questions so you can reach out to him if you have any issues.

The only real downside to this course is that iMovie itself isn’t generally used for professional projects. It’s a convenient choice given that it’s free and available on all Apple devices, but you should consider learning one of the other editing programs we’ve discussed if you’ll be working on movies or TV. Also, as you might guess, iMovie isn’t available on PC.

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14. Smartphone Video Editing for Beginners – iOS & Android

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Why we like it

This course covers filmmaking on both Android and iPhone. It’s an introduction to the rapidly-expanding world of smartphone filmmaking. Smartphones get more powerful every year, so the possibilities for filmmaking on a budget are better than ever!

We live in a day and age when some professional Hollywood films are shot entirely on iPhones, which means many people carry most of the equipment they need to make a movie in their pockets. As unbelievable as that sounds, it’s our reality now, so aspiring video producers and editors can and should take advantage of iPhones’ and Androids’ filmmaking potential.

This course shows you how you can become a filmmaker with the power of your smartphone, including how to prepare for, shoot, and edit your films. iPhones are the main focus of the course, but Androids are discussed as well.

Additionally, the course shows you free filmmaking apps you can use and gives you exercises and projects to help you practice. The instructor also likes to engage with students, so you can post questions on the course page if you run into any problems.

Keep in mind, however, that this course is meant for beginners, which is why it doesn’t show you how to use paid professional apps. The instructor has another course that focuses on using paid apps like Filmic Pro and LumaFusion to make higher quality films with smartphones.

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15. Video Editing Techniques Loved by Pro Broadcast Filmmakers

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Why we like it

This course is the perfect way to round out your understanding of video editing philosophy presented by a very experienced video editor.

Video editing is a creative field and should be treated as such. In Video Editing Techniques Loved by Pro Broadcast Filmmakers, Andrew St.Pierre White gives learners an appreciation for the creative aspects of video editing and what becomes possible if you can master them.

First, a word on the instructor. Andrew St. Pierre White has over 35 years of experience working in TV and film. He’s worked on as many as 80 TV documentaries and his list of awards includes the Cannes Gold. It’s clear you can rest assured you’re learning from someone who knows what he’s talking about.

This course is taught using Premiere Pro but the focus is not on the software itself. You can learn the techniques taught in using any software. The focus, rather, is on creative aspects like grabbing the attention of the audience, maximizing the power of music, and making seamless edits.

The only drawback of this course is its extremely high price tag. But if you’re someone who knows the technical aspects of video editing and wants to know its creative aspects better, then look no further than this Udemy course.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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