Udemy
Udemy "Adobe Photoshop CC – Essentials Training" Review — Daniel Walter Scott, 40 Opinions Analysed
Daniel Walter Scott's Adobe Photoshop CC – Essentials Training is the beginner Photoshop course we would point a total newcomer to first. Across 40 analysed opinions — a 4.7 verified rating from 30,000-plus Udemy students, 12 named CourseDuck reviews, CreativeLive's twin "Photoshop Fundamentals" at 5.0 from 331 ratings, and editorial picks from Learnopoly — the consensus is unusually consistent: the instruction is clear, the structure is logical from easy to hard, and the project-based assignments make the skills stick. The two honest caveats are that anyone with real Photoshop experience will find large parts too basic, and that the recordings predate Photoshop's newest AI features (Generative Fill) and some moved panels. As a foundation course, it earns its reputation; as a 2026 "everything in Photoshop" course, it shows its age.
Final score
from 40 analysed opinions
Published AI-researched, editor-audited
Distribution of opinions
Per-criterion scores
Covers the full beginner Photoshop surface — layers, selections and masking, retouching, blend modes, type, filters, smart objects and export across roughly 10-12 hours and ~88-93 lessons. Reviewers consistently describe it as well-structured from easy to hard with no padding. Capped because the recordings predate several current Photoshop AI features (Generative Fill, newer Select Subject) and some panels have moved.
Daniel Walter Scott is an Adobe Certified Instructor and Adobe Certified Expert, an Adobe Max speaker with 15+ years teaching. He is the single most-cited reason to take the course — students repeatedly call him clear, funny, patient and genuinely passionate. Learnopoly names him "one of the best Photoshop tutors out there." The clearest strength of the course.
Effective Udemy sale price of roughly $15-19 (full list ~$100+ is rarely paid) for 10+ hours, 20-ish guided projects, lifetime access, downloadable exercise files and free updates. For a beginner Photoshop foundation this is among the strongest value-per-hour on any platform. The same content also lives on Skillshare and CreativeLive at different price models.
Project- and assignment-driven throughout rather than feature demos — reviewers single out the "fun practical tasks" and note the assignments gave them a start on a portfolio. Outputs are competent beginner pieces (composites, retouches, simple graphics) rather than finished client-grade deliverables, which is appropriate for an essentials course.
Teaches the everyday Photoshop workflow a junior designer or photo editor actually uses — non-destructive masking, layer discipline, retouching, export for web and print. Skills transfer directly to entry-level work. Ceiling is scope: this is foundations, not advanced compositing, colour grading or production-pipeline depth, and some newer AI tooling is absent.
What learners said
What people loved
6- Daniel Walter Scott is repeatedly named as the reason to buy — clear, funny, patient and a genuine Adobe Certified Instructor and Max speaker×24
- Logical structure from easy to hard topics with no padding — reviewers call it the best-organised Photoshop course they have taken online×16
- Project- and assignment-driven throughout; the "fun practical tasks" make techniques stick and give beginners a start on a portfolio×13
- Genuinely beginner-friendly — many reviewers came in with zero Photoshop experience and finished confident manipulating images×12
- Exceptional Udemy sale value (~$15-19 effective) for 10+ hours, lifetime access, downloadable exercise files and free updates×9
- Acts as an on-ramp to the rest of Scott's catalogue — several students went straight on to his Advanced, Illustrator, XD and web courses×5
What frustrated learners
4- Designed for true beginners — anyone with existing Photoshop knowledge will find large sections too simple, as one reviewer bluntly put it×8
- Recordings predate Photoshop's newest AI tools (Generative Fill, newer selection) and some panels/menus have moved since filming×6
- Essentials scope only — no advanced compositing, colour grading or production-pipeline depth; you graduate to the Advanced course for that×5
- Long runtime can feel slow for fast learners who already grasp the basics of layers and selections and want to move quicker×3
Real quotes from real users
“Marvellous! I have taken other PhotoShop courses and also some youtube channels but this one is made me experienced from zero. Very easy to follow along and fantastic assignments which made me grasp the things and remember those. Now I have enrolled Advance, Illustrator, Web design and XD course as well.”
“I went into this course with zero prior experience using photoshop, and now I have a good grasp on how to manipulate images in multiple ways. The assignments in this course have also given me a solid start to building a portfolio if I want to start looking into graphic design work. I'd recommend this course to anyone.”
“This is the best course I have done so far on Udemy for many reasons. Dan is an incredible and engaging teacher. You can really tell that Dan is passionate about what he does.”
“This course is very Good it helps to build your base in photoshop. The insturctor is amazing. Should consider buying this course only problem is this course is for noobs.”
“This is an excellent course for beginners, but those with some basic knowledge of Photoshop might find parts of it too simple.”
“Daniel Walter Scott is one of the best Photoshop tutors out there. This is our top recommendation as the tutor is well-regarded as one of the best, it's affordable and flexible in terms of payment options.”
“Adobe Photoshop Fundamentals is very useful for a photo editor. I learned very important tricks from this course.”
Frequently asked questions
Ready to enrol?
You read the score, the pros, the cons and the quotes. If it's still a fit, here's the link.
Direct link to the official course page. We earn no commission on this link.
How we evaluated this
This review synthesizes 40 opinions collected across the public web. Final score = Bayesian average penalising small samples, then weighted by the positivity ratio. No paid placements, no hidden agenda.
- 20 from Forums
- 14 from Official course platform
- 6 from Blogs