Overview

Just like with any profession, as photographers it is important that we sharpen our skills via ongoing education. I love continuously learning from any and everywhere I can. While I am primarily a wedding and portrait photographer, I love learning about fashion, editorial, commercial and every other area of photography. Why? Because I can take things that I learn and mold them into my own personal style which in turn, makes me a better photographer.

When it comes to Photoshop tutorials, there are plenty of websites out there. But, Aaron Nace’s Phlearn.com is one of the best when it comes to learning advanced Photoshop techniques.

We have been following Aaron Nace for quite, in fact before Phlearn was the Phlearn that it is today. Not only is he a great photographer, in my humble opinion, he is one of the best digital artists in the industry, period. As a result, we have high expectations for the tutorials that Aaron releases on Phlearn.com.

Our Take on Phlearn

Watch our video review below, and then continue reading to see our Top 10 Phlearn Pro Tutorials.

Phlearn has a great collection of free and premium content available. The premium paid content are referred to as Pro Tutorials and they are some of the best advanced digital photography and Photoshop tutorials available. Each lesson is relatively short and concise enough to watch in one sitting. While the PRO tutorials are more in-depth, they are still easy to follow as long as you have a basic grasp of the concepts being discussed.

I have found that boring and monotonous instruction can quickly turn off viewers when watching instructional videos. Luckily, this isn’t an issue that we have ever encountered with Aaron’s videos. Aaron’s casual and humorous style of education keeps viewers entertained while also keeping the educational environment more laid back and approachable.

Given that each Phlearn Pro Tutorial typically covers a more narrow and focused topic, the Pro Tutorials sell for $24.99 (or less if you can catch them on sale) which makes them quite affordable. You can use the PRO Finder tool to find specific tutorials based on difficulty and topics of interest. Once purchased, each Pro Tutorial includes all of the source images, custom brushes, actions, and textures necessary.

Because each tutorial is pretty targeted, be sure to check out the degree of difficulty posted with each tutorial and with the PRO Finder tool. While Aaron does a great job of explaining each Phlearn Pro tutorial, if you don’t already have a cursory knowledge of the topic, then you can find yourself quickly lost if you are jumping right into an “intermediate” or “advanced” tutorial without first preparing yourself.

Luckily, you can always pause and rewind each video.

If you wish to get a feel for his teaching style, check out his many free videos posted each week. Here is one of his recent free tutorials on creating light glows using custom gradients:

Make accurate light glows using custom gradients. from Phlearn on Vimeo.

Overall Conclusion

We have absolutely loved every Pro Tutorial that we have seen on Phlearn. This is beginning to sound like a “paid endorsement” (which I ensure it isn’t) because I honestly can’t find anything negative to critique with Aaron’s videos. So, let me keep this short and sweet. Aaron is a master of his subject matter, and it clearly shows as he easily navigates viewers through each topic and tutorial. If you are looking for the best in advanced Photoshop tutorials, then look no further than Phlearn.com.

Because there are far too many too individually review, so here are some of my all-time favorite Phlearn Pro Tutorials below.