Learn Photoshop with PHLEARN
Photoshop Tutorials
PHLEARN has been teaching Adobe Photoshop since 2011. Explore hundreds of free, project-based tutorials, complete 30-day series you can work through from start to finish, and an in-depth PRO library for photographers, retouchers, and designers who want to go further.
Every tutorial is built around a real image and a real problem, taught in a way you can follow along with in your own copy of Photoshop.
Start Here: 30 Days of Photoshop
Our most popular series ever — 30 lessons, one a day, starting from your very first time opening the program and ending with a complete composite. Every lesson is free to watch and comes with sample images and full step-by-step written instructions, so you can download the files and follow along at your own pace.
Rebuilt for Today’s Photoshop
The 2025 edition covers the current interface and the newest AI-powered tools, so what you learn matches exactly what you see on screen.
Watch the Series: Day 1 to Day 30 View All »
Free Photoshop Tutorials
Hundreds of full-length tutorials, free to watch, with no account required. Every one is a complete lesson — selections and masking, retouching, compositing, color, type and the newest AI tools.
Create a free account to save favorites and pick up where you left off.
Photographers Who Learned Here
When it comes to learning about all things digital photography, look no further than Aaron and PHLEARN.
Jeremy CowartPhotographer, Hotelier, ArtistPHLEARN has been such an important part of my career as a photographer. When I was first starting my journey, PHLEARN gave me both the inspiration and the techniques to push my career forward. I still use PHLEARN to brush up on my skills!
Sarah Ann LorethPhotographerPHLEARN has made a name for themselves in the photography world for a reason; the tutorials, products, and services that they offer in general are of the highest quality you can find online, and provide enormous value to the community as a whole in so many ways.
Sean MundyPhotographerGet Free Tutorials in Your Inbox
- New free tutorials released every single week
- Download the sample images and PSDs for every free tutorial
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PRO Photoshop Tutorials
Longer, deeper courses taught the same way as the free tutorials, plus the practice files, brushes, actions and LUTs used in each lesson so you can edit the same images as the instructor.
Browse by Skill Level
Level 1 · Foundations
Beginner
Four things carry everything else in Photoshop: the interface, layers, selections and masks. Work through 30 Days of Photoshop, then Essential Photoshop Skills, and make sure you can do everything in Create and Use Layer Masks without pausing the video.
Level 2 · Client Work
Intermediate
Once selections and masks are automatic, move into the work clients actually pay for: skin and portrait retouching in Editing Portrait Photography, color and tone in Color Grading, and your first multi-image builds in Intro to Compositing.
Level 3 · Mastery
Advanced
Full creative control — light, perspective, texture and scale all under your command. Start with Advanced Compositing, follow the Magical Compositing learning path, and push further with Visual Effects.
Browse by Topic
Essential Skills
Layers, selections, masks, smart objects and the tools you use every day.
Portrait Retouching
Skin, eyes, hair, dodge and burn, and frequency separation done tastefully.
Compositing
Cutting subjects out cleanly and blending them into a new scene.
Color Grading
Curves, color balance, LUTs and building a look you can repeat.
Visual Effects
Light, smoke, weather, texture and the tricks that sell an impossible image.
AI in Photoshop
Generative Fill, Generative Expand and Select Subject used with control.
Product Photography
Clean backgrounds, reflections, shadows and e-commerce-ready files.
Graphics and Text
Type, layout, shapes and effects for social, print and the web.
Tools and Techniques
Short, focused lessons on one tool or one problem at a time.
Photo Editing
Exposure, contrast, white balance and the everyday fixes that make a photo look finished.
Common Questions
Are these Photoshop tutorials really free?
Yes. Everything in the free section of this page is a complete, full-length tutorial — not a preview. That includes the entire 30 Days of Photoshop series and 30 Days of Lightroom. PRO is a paid membership for people who want the deeper courses and the downloadable practice files.
I have never opened Photoshop. Where should I start?
Start with Day 1 of 30 Days of Photoshop. It walks through the interface from scratch and assumes no prior experience. Do one lesson a day in order — each one builds on the last, and by Day 30 you will have built a full composite.
Which version of Photoshop do I need?
The 2025 edition of our tutorials is taught in the current release of Adobe Photoshop, and the newest lessons cover tools such as Generative Fill that only exist in recent versions. Most core techniques — layers, masks, selections, curves — work in any version from the last several years.
How long does it take to learn Photoshop?
You can be productive in about a month. Thirty days of focused practice will get you comfortable with layers, selections, masking and basic retouching. Mastery of a specialty like high-end retouching or compositing takes longer, which is what the advanced series are for.
What is the difference between the free and PRO tutorials?
Free tutorials teach a technique end to end. PRO courses are longer, go deeper into decision-making and workflow, and include the sample images, brushes, actions and LUTs used in the lesson so you can follow along on the same files. Compare them here.
How much does PHLEARN PRO cost?
PRO is $12.99 per month, or $99.99 per year — which works out to about $8.33 a month. Both plans include every course, all the practice files, and the full library of actions, presets, and LUTs. You can cancel anytime, and everything free on this page stays free whether you subscribe or not.
Do I need a drawing tablet?
No. Every tutorial on this site can be completed with a mouse or trackpad. A pen tablet makes masking and dodge-and-burn work faster and more precise, but it is a convenience, not a requirement.
Do you teach Lightroom as well?
Yes. Our Lightroom tutorials cover the cataloging and raw-processing half of the workflow, and 10 Days of AI in Photoshop & Lightroom covers the newest AI tools across both applications.
Go Further with PHLEARN PRO.
Unlock Full Sample Files, PSDs, and Hundreds of Masterclasses!
Plans from $8.33/month billed annually, or JOIN PHLEARN PRO2.99 monthly — cancel anytime.
Download full project assets, original PSDs, and RAW images for every lesson
Unlimited access to our complete library of PRO Photoshop & Lightroom courses
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Full access to our entire library of Photoshop Actions, Presets, and LUTs
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