# Kelby One online reviews?



## SquarePeg (Jan 19, 2015)

Anyone have a review of the Kelby One online courses/tutorials?  I'm specifically looking for PS and LR but there are at least 2 dozen other courses that sound interesting.  I really need a from scratch tutorial on PS as I have been winging it with trial and error and the occasional youtube how to but really not making the kind of progress I'd like.

TIA for any first hand experiences/reviews.


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## pixmedic (Jan 19, 2015)

i would be really cautious about "how to" sites that charge you money. 
im not saying they arent effective, but with the internets nowadays, you can really find pretty much anything you want to learn on youtube. 
along with some stuff you really _*didn't*_ want to learn....or even know existed. 

find someone local that can  help you. 
barring that, skype with someone. 
I did a skype call with Lew (the_traveler) once where it showed his desktop and he was able to show me how he did some things in LR and i could watch him edit in real time as well as being on the phone with him simultaneously. 

personally, with the immense amount of free online resources, even if I had to hunt and peck for them, i would not really be too keen on paying for online "classes"


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## Light Guru (Jan 19, 2015)

pixmedic said:


> with the internets nowadays, you can really find pretty much anything you want to learn on youtube.



Yes that is an option, but the problem with it is all the time you have to spend to find the good free videos out there. There are far more crappy training videos to be found then good free ones. 

As for the question in the about kelly training. I have not used them myself but I have heard good things about them. 

Another good online training option is Lynda.com I know they offer a trial of a free week.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 19, 2015)

I've tried the youtube/free Internet tutorial searching and yes, everything you could look for is probably out there somewhere but its a disjointed way to learn and sometimes I'm not sure I even know what to look for.   I'm certain that there are millions of things you can do in post that would never even occur to me without some type of basicstuff to build off of.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 19, 2015)

No one on TPF has any personal experience with Kelby One?  Was really hoping for a first hand thumbs up or down from someone.  Any first hand users of Lynda.com, specifically for PS and LR tutorials?


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## dennybeall (Jan 19, 2015)

I have Kelby books on Photoshop and they are excellent. I've viewed many episodes on ( Kelby TV  - Online Shows for Creative Professionals. )KelbyTV and they are also excellent. I've also listened to Scott give lectures. Based on that I'd say that if Scott Kelby and his team offers it, whatever it is, is good. 
He does have a bit of a different approach to things so I'd suggest trying a book first.


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## sm4him (Jan 19, 2015)

I've used Lynda.com some, because the city I work for has an account. It's a bit of hassle (for ME, wouldn't apply to you) because I only get like two weeks or something at a time, then I get kicked off the system and have to request access again (which usually means being on a short waiting list). But as I said, that's just because the city only has a certain number of "slots" they can allow at once, so we have to all take turns.

I've found the few classes I've taken that way fairly useful. The biggest thing I *like* about doing tutorials that way is you know the quality of instruction is going to be decent--you don't have to wade through pages and pages of search results and try to figure out whether THIS link is going to be amazingly useful, or amateurish or flat-out wrong.

On lynda.com, you can also set up a queue of classes you want to take, so you can kind of make a plan without having to search anew every single time you're ready for another class.

They aren't as good, or as useful to me personally, as some of the "distance learning" classes I've taken, like with Ed2Go. Those classes are more expensive, BUT I like them because you have assignments with each lesson, and at least some degree of interaction with an actual instructor. The lesson is done on your own time, but if you have a question you can post it and either the instructor, or sometimes another student, will help you with it.

Anyway--like I said, ed2go is more expensive, but it might be an option if that sort of instruction is better for you.

I've been looking at Kelby One lately. I'm pretty sure I'm going to spring for a month of it and see what I think, just have to wait another week or so, until a time when I think I'm going to have a fairly good amount  of spare time to DO some classes once I sign up.
My suspicion is that Kelby One is pretty much on the same par as lynda.com--good, reliable quality of instruction. I do think lynda.com may have a wider variety of videos, but Kelby maybe has more in-depth on the subjects they tackle, I don't know.


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## KmH (Jan 19, 2015)

KelbyOne used to be 2 separate web sites - Kelby Training and Photoshop User (National Association of Photoshop Professionals - NAPP).

I had been a NAPP member for many years and was grandfathered into KelbyOne.
The videos and other training are only part of what you get joining KelbyOne.
There is a 24 hour help desk, a member only forum, members get 10 issues of Photoshop user magazine, and members get many discounts - hardware, software, rental cars, hotel/motel rooms, etc..
A big discount for me before I retired was free regular shipping from B&H Photo Video and Adorama.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 19, 2015)

@sm4him Thanks for the info on Lynda.  I think I'll do the free trial and see how it goes.  I have some free time the next month or so and want to make it productive plus I hate going out in the cold.

@KmH Pricing is similar for both of them but Kelby does seem to come with extras.  That B&H free shipping is nice but I don't want to do anything to cause a GAS flare up!  I'm interested in the Apple discount as I am in the market for a new desktop and have been considering a Mac.  Any idea what the actual discount is?


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## KmH (Jan 19, 2015)

Apple discounts vary by the product(s) you buy, but you get free shipping for orders over $50.


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## ronlane (Jan 19, 2015)

I subscribed to KeblyOne for a few months last year and I signed back up this month for another month or two. I like them and watched a lot of the photography videos the first time. This time I have been focused on Photoshop stuff since I just got it on CC.


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## Forkie (Jan 20, 2015)

If you'd rather have a book with exercises to do rather than YouTube or online tutorials, I would recommend no other book than Adobe's own *Photoshop Classroom in a Book*: Adobe Photoshop CC Classroom in a Book (2014 Release): Amazon.co.uk: Andrew Faulkner, Brie Gyncild: 9780133924442: Books

It comes with images to use and exercises to follow from opening an image all the way to layers and masking and using text.


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## KmH (Jan 20, 2015)

Having had a earlier version I can say the Adobe Classroom In A Book series is more geared to graphic arts type Photoshop functions, techniques, and edits rather than the type of edits photographers tend to do.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 20, 2015)

Thanks all for the helpful info and advice.  I tried the PS guide book route previously because typically I prefer to read my info rather than watch videos but it was a wash out.  Lynda.com has a 10 day free trial and kelbyone also has a free trial (7 days) so I think I'm going to start there and see if either of their tutorial styles work for me.


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## Buckster (Jan 20, 2015)

I had KelbyTraining for a year and enjoyed learning what I did there and learned a lot.

I've had Lynda off an on, usually for a year at a time, but sometimes just a month or two in order to learn something specific, for maybe 10 years, and have also enjoyed learning there, and learned a lot.

The difference for me was that I found the photography courses and tutorials on Kelby MUCH better than on Lynda, and found the Photoshop and other software courses on Lynda MUCH better than on Kelby.

From my point of view, the structured curriculum style courses on either/both are FAR more valuable than the shotgun approach of hunting and pecking your way through odds and ends on YouTube and other resources all over the net, mixing bad practices with good, when you don't know which is which yet, and not having a proper foundation to build upon.

It's just like in school, how you learn the alphabet before you learn to spell simple words, then you learn more difficult words, then still more difficult words, then you learn the proper way to put them together and use grammar and punctuation, then you write sentences, then you compose paragraphs, then chapters, and finally books.  Each step is built upon the stuff you learned up until that point.

With the shotgun approach, mysteries and confusion and wasted time because of it are typically rampant.  You jump in and click on a video to learn how to do something, but you don't have the proper foundation to know how to do the stuff that led up to it, nor why you should.

When you decide to build a house, you don't just start erecting walls and hanging curtains, then build a roof, then put a hole in it for a chimney, cut a few holes here and there for doors, then plaster and paint the walls, then realize you need frames for the doors, then realize you'll need water, sewer and electricity so you tear into the walls to install pipes and wires and have to repair the walls again, and THEN later when you think you're basically all done, try to put a concrete foundation under it all because the whole thing is starting to tilt like the leaning tower of Pisa.

Start at the bottom, at the base, at the foundation, and build your way up in a logical, structured, ordered manner if you want to learn something, correctly, efficiently and thoroughly.  That goes for anything you want to learn, but it's especially true of more complicated things.


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## SquarePeg (Jan 21, 2015)

I just wanted to follow up to say that I am about 2 hrs into my first tutorial on lynda.com (PSE11) and have already learned so many new things and realized how many other things I've been doing wrong or doing the hard way.  So far, I am very happy with the tutorials.  I'm basically starting from scratch so my experience might not apply to those who already have some knowledge.


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## VisualDesignArtist (Feb 21, 2017)

SquarePeg said:


> Anyone have a review of the Kelby One online courses/tutorials?  I'm specifically looking for PS and LR but there are at least 2 dozen other courses that sound interesting.  I really need a from scratch tutorial on PS as I have been winging it with trial and error and the occasional youtube how to but really not making the kind of progress I'd like.
> 
> TIA for any first hand experiences/reviews.



Hi,

I just bumped into this thread by accident as I was looking for something else on Google.

I've been a KelbyOne and Lynda.com member since 2008, and I love the classes they both offer. I think the price tag is more than affordable for what they offer.  I don't like YouTube, and wasting time on the internet trying to piece things together.

To me, Lynda.com is more efficient in what they're trying to teach. They have a better structure to their classes, less jokes, and more comprehensive learning. KelbyOne wants to appeal to a demographic that enjoys off handed jokes and is not really serious about photography. When looking to learn something "I" want to be taught, and not have my time wasted with jokes. That happens a lot on the Grid, KelbyOne's weekly photography show Wednesday's at 4pm, and where "jokes" are more important that photography sometimes.

I've meet some of the KelbyOne instructions and even though "online" they appear to be nice and friendly, in reality they're the opposite of that. That was a tad disappointing. Also, with KelbyOne they don't take any criticism, and think they're God's given gift to photography. Yes, they do have a LOT of great classes, but having that "high up on a horse" attitude ruins their overall reputation in my opinion. With Lynda.com if you have a critique, or a suggestion for improvement it is very welcomed. They send survey's about the classes they teach, and ask about the instructor to make sure they hire people who can actually get the message across to the student, etc. Lynda.com also gives certificates of completion for their classes, so if you want to apply for a job, you can add that extra education and have proof you actually did it. KelbyOne doesn't have that.

I like Lynda.com a bit better than KelbyOne and that's because of the really nice structure their classes have.


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## matrosov (Feb 25, 2017)

I am in the middle of the huge data download into my brain and the money transfer out of my wallet .  So far I have viewed courses on Kelby, CreativeLive, Phlearn, George Jardine and udemy.
In my humble opinion. For general photography the best most structured course is John Greengo's Fundamental's of Photography course on Creative Live. Very easy to follow, tons of examples, in depth explanation of everything under the sun as it relates to all aspects of exposure triangle, lenses, filters, camera settings composition etc etc etc. It has 114 video segments total length guestimate 30+ hours. On top of that it has exercises for you to practice what you learned.  For Lightroom I found George Jardine video course to be the most helpful with close second being Ben Willmores on creative live. For photoshop I am in love with Phlearn and Aaron Nace, (Photoshop 101-301 and Retouching 101-301), packages.Very comprehensive from very easy to advanced without getting too much into obscure hardly used stuff. Benn Wilmore's photoshop on creative live is good too but a bit long winded. The best part of the sites mentioned above is that you pay once and it's yours.  Your videos are downloadable and yours to keep and review at your leisure.  Kelby is using monthly subscription model so the videos are not yours too keep. They are more focused on pros at work where you watch and try to adapt some of their tricks to your environment. There is a lot of useful information there but it is not structured and hands on step by step and a little overwhelming for a newbie.  Books wise I'm happy with photoshop classroom in a book it gives solid practice exercises to get you started with selections and solid foundation with some of the basic tools. Understanding exposure is a great book too but it was made a little redundant by John Greengo's course.


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## snowbear (Feb 25, 2017)

You realize the thread is from 2015?


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## matrosov (Feb 25, 2017)

LOL now I do.  it was at the top of the list for some reason.


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## Peeb (Feb 25, 2017)

Any thread with sm4him posts is a great thread to bring back up IMO!


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