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KelbyOne Membership Review – Is KelbyOne Training Platform Worth It?
Welcome to my review of KelbyOne training platform!
Let’s face it:
Learning and mastering photography is a long, never-ending process.
Even if you already know the fundamentals, there’s always a room for newfound knowledge. And learning all of it while enjoying your craft will certainly make you a better photographer.
Today, there are several ways on how you can continue to improve these skills.
One is by attending in-person workshops, and another more popular option (especially in 2021) would be enrolling in online photography courses.
There are various online sites that offer different courses from lifestyle to arts and crafts, and many more.
However, there are some e-learning platforms like KelbyOne that mainly focus on teaching photography-related topics, and that’s what we will be talking about here.
Let’s get started.
What Is KelbyOne?
KO is an online educational platform established in 1993.
They began as a humble computer training platform but later on managed to merge with National Association of Photoshop Professionals. With this major leap, they became known on a wider scale.
Right now, they have over 800 courses and 50+ instructors that will help you become a better photographer. The coaches are all experts in their own fields.
They handle different topics that match their expertise. So if there are various topics you are interested in, you might encounter several coaches as well.
Now…
Let’s dig deeper and see some of the key features this site has to offer.
KelbyOne Pricing (Membership Plans)
This is what makes KelbyOne different from other online courses. Instead of paying per lesson, you will be asked to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee.
This membership ensures that you stay on the loop with whatever lesson updates they provide.
They also guarantee regular posting of new monthly content to make sure that you are getting the most out of your subscription plan.
Right now, they are giving you 3 options to choose from:
This is the most basic plan you can get at KelbyOne today. Priced at $9.99 monthly ($96 annually), you can gain access to over 300 courses. You can choose whatever lesson you want, anytime.
This plan also introduces you to guided learning tracks.
This feature shows you which topics are related to the current lessons you are studying. These trainings are then grouped together as one learning path you can follow.
But, you may opt not to take the suggested courses if you think you don’t need them.
This is the so-called “premium” plan.
Upon subscribing, you gain site-wide access to KelbyOne. It means you will be able to open all of the 800+ courses currently available. Plus, there’s a guaranteed new course every week.
This plan requires you to pay a monthly fee of $19.99 (you may also opt for discounted annual subscription). The Pro plan allows you to enjoy exclusive member perks and discounts.
Among the privileges you can enjoy with this membership is the free use of their premium training tools. Aside from the regular lessons, you will be able to join private webcast, one-on-one tutorial and many more.
If you are not yet ready to commit for monthly or annual subscription, then you can try out their free plan. They currently offer 10 free courses for you.
You simply have to sign up (no credit card details needed) and start studying.
What’s So Special About KelbyOne Platform?
I’d like to mention several things you’ll love about this learning community.
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Industry-Expert Instructors
The good thing about KelbyOne training is that they have a lot of coaches who handle different topics. This means you will only be learning from the best teachers for a specific industry.
For instance, if you want to study about marketing photography and portraiture, most likely you’ll have Joel Grimes as your coach.
However, I’ve heard several concerns regarding the instructors at Kelby.
Yes, they are experts in their respective fields, but that doesn’t mean they automatically do well as coaches. Also, personality-wise, Scott Kelby isn’t that good either from what I’ve gathered.
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Over 800+ Courses
When you say photography, it doesn’t only mean taking pictures and uploading them on your social media accounts or business website. It undergoes a lot of editing process to make it as stunning as it should be.
At KelbyOne, they offer hundreds of training tutorials that focus on photo editing. Once you subscribe to KO, you will be able to explore and browse through all these.
The awesome thing about it is that you get to choose how many lessons to take in a particular timeframe. If you can handle 3 courses at a time, then that’s all the more value for your money.
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Support
Not all e-learning platforms offer enough support to members.
But at KO, the founders extend support by allowing you to join a community where you can meet a lot of people like you. Through this, you will have the opportunity to to ask questions and to answer some as well.
Also, some of the members are professional photographers. This means you’ll be able to hear them share their experience both on field and in the studio.
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Plan Upgrade or Cancellation
Since I mentioned that they charge on a subscription basis, many of you might be wondering if you can cancel or upgrade it anytime you want.
The answer is definitely YES.
For plan upgrades, you can do that anytime within your subscription month.
If you happen to upgrade your plan in the middle of the period, the amount to be paid will be prorated accordingly. This means you totally get what you pay for.
Also, upgrading to Plus or Pro plans will grant you access to the courses on the same day of the upgrade.
On the other hand, if for whatever reasons you want to cancel your membership, you can do so.
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Group Membership
Have you ever heard of group membership?
There’s a membership for that. If you wish to train more than one person in your organization, then this might be a good choice for you. The lessons are tailor-made for industry specific requirements, so your needs are definitely met.
==> Join this e-learning platform now.
Is KelbyOne Membership Worth It?
Short answer: Yes.
A monthly subscription plan is better if you want to learn several courses at a time. Imagine how much money you would pay if you opt for individual lessons. That’s going to be a lot.
Aside from that, there are also tons of courses that you can choose from. You can either take your time in learning each lesson, or fast-track your way into becoming a better photographer.
The choice is ultimately yours.
And besides, they have a free plan, remember? If the free courses are all you need, then might as well grab the opportunity today.
Just like any other platform, KO has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. Let’s talk about some of the most major ones.
✓ The Pros
- Personalized learning path
When given numerous options, a lot of us tend to not know where to begin. KO recommends different learning tracks for you just in case you don’t know which lessons to take first, or which to take next.
- Free plan
Actually, this is pretty self-explanatory. Who wouldn’t want a free plan, right?
This feature will allow you to experience how K trainings are done. This will be a great test drive for the platform as well. Feel the vibe and then decided whether you want to upgrade to a paid one or just remain as a free member.
- Extended learning tools
The good thing about this platform is that it offers various learning tools you can use. Aside from the main courses, you can also join webinars, or use a special toolkit on your dashboard. This will allow you to put into practice the things you learned through the lessons.
✕ The Cons
- Some instructors are not exactly likeable
Not my words, just heard it from a few folks. However, since there are a LOT of instructors, you’ll be able to find the one that YOU like best – personality and coaching wise.
- Strictly photography related
Well, this is not so bad at all. Since it’s a platform dedicated to photography, you really can’t expect to find anything other than that.
However, this craft itself is so broad so there’s always new things to learn. Be it new techniques, or more efficient editing workflows, you’ll definitely have something to look forward to.
- Subscription-based
Honestly I don’t know if this really counts as a disadvantage. For some, it may be, but for others this is a great feature.
Well, this might be a little off-putting for those of you who wish to learn only a specific course, like Lightroom Editing.
There’s really no need to pay a monthly subscription if you only need to study one course. Paying for it individually will do more justice to your investment.
==> Click here to join the KelbyOne training community today!
KelbyOne Review: Final Thoughts
This training platform is a good choice for those who are eager to learn a lot about photography.
If you wish to learn other topics aside from this, you might want to try out other learning platforms like Udemy or CreativeLive. These sites have diverse subjects you can choose from.
You can also invest in individual photography courses listed here.
Just a reminder…
If you avail of the monthly or annual plans at KO, make sure you make the best out of it. If possible, take several lessons to learn more while paying less.
About Author
Zarina
Founder & content creator at Digital World Beauty. My main objective here is to create a valuable resource for photography enthusiasts with honest tech reviews, course recommendations, and how-to tutorials.