That $200 editing course I bought taught me all wrong things

I spent 6 months following this popular YouTuber's editing tutorial religiously. Every video got the same oversaturated look with those harsh orange and teal tones. Last week a client straight up told me my work looked like everyone else's on Instagram. That's when I realized I was just copying trends instead of learning actual color theory from someone who knows what they're doing. Has anyone else wasted money on a course that just pushed a tired trend instead of real skills?

3 comments

3 Comments

henderson.vera3d ago

Is spending $200 on a YouTube trend really that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things?

lindaowens29d ago

oh man, i feel this so hard lol. i wasted like $150 on a 'cinematic luts' bundle from some big youtuber and everything i made looked like a cheap instagram filter. what actually helped me was just finding one good color theory book from the library and then practicing with still frames from movies i liked, trying to match them. also, watching breakdowns of actual professional colorists on youtube for free was way more helpful than any paid course. you really don't need to drop cash to learn this stuff, just gotta find the right free resources and be patient with yourself.

kim81929d ago

lol "cheap instagram filter" is EXACTLY what i ended up with too. i spent like $80 on a pack from some guy with a sick youtube thumbnail and my footage looked like i dropped it in a tub of muddy water. i gotta say though, the library book tip is solid, i did the same thing with an old kodak guide from the 90s and it helped more than all my paid garbage combined. honestly, the best thing i did was just take one shot of my cat and spent a whole weekend trying different curves and color wheels until i got it right. it's so boring at first but the moment you finally match that movie frame feels like winning the lottery.