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What is Software Cinema?
Software Cinema is an online learning site for photographers, retouchers and digital artists, selling downloadable courses and ebooks that you watch on your own schedule. Its catalog centers on Photoshop and Lightroom, with additional tracks in photography lighting, digital art, video and design — from portrait retouching and compositing to drone shooting and HDR panoramas.
What you actually get
- Downloadable courses and ebooks, not a live class schedule. The site states downloads can be copied to iPads, iPhones and Android devices for anywhere watching.
- Topic-based titles rather than a single structured curriculum: portrait retouching (including skin and advanced techniques), portrait lighting on location, perfect exposure, composition, drone flying and shooting, and cinematic portraiture.
- Instructor-led training from working professionals, including founder Dean Collins, Colin Smith of PhotoshopCafe, photographer Dave Montizambert and retoucher Kristina Sherk.
- A 30-day money-back guarantee, described on the page as "love it, or get a full refund."
Who it suits
If you are a photographer who wants to fix a specific weakness — say, skin retouching or location lighting — the à la carte model lets you buy only that title. If you prefer a guided path with deadlines and feedback, this format will feel loose, since there is no cohort or assignment structure described. The drone and video titles also make it relevant to hybrid shooters, not just stills photographers.
How to choose
Start with the one skill that is currently costing you work or time, and buy the single course covering it. A practical example: a portrait shooter whose edits look plastic might begin with the skin-techniques title before spending on advanced retouching, since clean skin work underpins everything else. Check the trainer's background against your own genre — a commercial retoucher and a landscape photographer will get different value from the same lesson.
For context on the lead instructor's reputation in lighting education, see Strobist; for the Photoshop training background of Colin Smith, see PhotoshopCafe.
Which Software Cinema course should I buy first if I want to improve my portrait retouching?
Start with Portrait retouching for everyone if you are new to retouching, or Photoshop Portrait retouching, skin techniques if you already know Photoshop basics and specifically want cleaner skin work.
Both appear on the Software Cinema catalog page as portrait-focused courses. The site lists Portrait retouching for everyone and Photoshop Portrait retouching, skin techniques at the same listed price, with the latter shown at a discount. If your main frustration is blotchy skin, uneven tone, blemishes, or keeping texture while smoothing, the skin-specific course is the more targeted first buy. If you want a broader foundation before drilling into skin, the “for everyone” course is the safer entry point.
A practical way to decide:
- Choose Portrait retouching for everyone if you want a general retouching workflow: basic cleanup, overall portrait polish, and less risk of getting lost in advanced layer work.
- Choose Photoshop Portrait retouching, skin techniques if you already understand layers, masks, and brushes, and your goal is specifically skin.
- Consider Portrait lighting on location only after retouching basics. Retouching fixes what the camera and light give you; lighting changes the raw material.
- Consider Photoshop Portrait retouching, advanced techniques later, not first. It is better as a second step once you have a repeatable basic workflow.
One useful signal from the page: instructor Kristina Sherk is listed as a retoucher, while other trainers cover photography, Photoshop education, and lighting. If you want retouching taught from a retoucher’s perspective, that is the strongest match on the page. The site also states a 30-day money-back guarantee and says digital downloads can be copied to iPads, iPhones, and Android devices, so you can watch lessons while practicing at your own machine.
Your next step: watch the preview or sample lesson for each portrait retouching course if available, then pick the one whose sample image and workflow match your own work. If you shoot portraits and edit them yourself, start with the skin techniques course when you already know Photoshop; otherwise start with Portrait retouching for everyone.
For broader context on portrait retouching and lighting, official resources such as Strobist and Phlearn can help you compare approaches, but the course choice above should be based on your current Photoshop comfort level.
How do I choose between the drone courses for Phantom 3, Inspire 1, and Phantom 4?
Choose by the drone you actually fly and by what you want to do with the footage. On Software Cinema, the Phantom 3/Inspire 1 course is bundled together, while the Phantom 4 course is separate and cheaper. If you own a Phantom 3 or Inspire 1, take the bundled course; if you own a Phantom 4, take the Phantom 4 course. If you own a different drone, neither is a clean match, but the bundled course covers general flight and shooting ideas that transfer.
H3 What each option covers
- DJI Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 drones: Aimed at owners of those two aircraft. The pairing suggests it treats them as one generation of hardware, so expect overlap in controls, camera settings and flight practice rather than deep Inspire 1-only material.
- How to fly and shoot DJI Phantom 4 drones: Focused on the Phantom 4 specifically. Better if you want instruction tied to that model's flight behaviour and camera.
H3 How to decide
- Match the aircraft first. Training that mirrors your own controller and camera settings is easier to apply the same day.
- Check whether you need flight basics or image-making. If you already fly confidently, a course weighted toward piloting may be less useful than one on shooting and processing.
- Consider the bundle only if you fly both. Buying the Phantom 3/Inspire 1 course for a Phantom 4 means paying for material about hardware you do not own.
A practical example: a real-estate photographer flying a Phantom 4 who mainly needs smooth, well-exposed exterior shots should start with the Phantom 4 course, then look at Jaw Dropping Drone images or Shooting and processing HDR panoramas for the post-production side. Someone with an Inspire 1 who also shoots stills would get more from the bundled course plus the HDR panorama title.
For a second opinion on drone technique generally, DJI publishes official aircraft guides, and Photography Blog covers camera and drone gear in plain language. Neither replaces model-specific training, but both help you confirm which features matter before you buy a course.
Next step: write down your exact model and your weakest skill — flying, exposure, or editing — then pick the single course that targets that gap rather than buying several at once.
Are Software Cinema courses downloadable and usable on mobile devices?
Yes. Software Cinema sells its courses and ebooks as digital downloads, and the site states that those downloads can be copied to iPads, iPhones and Android devices for watching anywhere. So the same purchase can sit on a desktop for editing work and on a phone or tablet for viewing on the move.
H3 What that means in practice
- Downloaded, not streamed. The listed products are downloads you keep, which suits people with unreliable internet or limited data.
- Mobile is for watching. The site frames mobile use as playback ("anywhere watching"), not as running desktop software. Expect to view lessons on a phone or tablet while doing the actual retouching, compositing or editing on a computer.
- Storage and file size matter. Video courses and large ebooks add up quickly, so check free space before copying a whole library across.
H3 Who benefits most
A photographer who learns at a desk but wants to rewatch a lighting or retouching lesson on a tablet during a shoot; a hobbyist who commutes and reviews material on a phone; anyone in a low-bandwidth area who prefers one big download over repeated streaming.
H3 Trade-offs to weigh
Mobile convenience is real, but small screens are poor for judging colour, shadow detail and skin tones — exactly the subjects of many of these titles. Treat phone viewing as revision and tablet or desktop viewing as the main learning session. Also confirm the download format and any device limits before buying, since those details vary by product.
H3 A useful next step
Pick one course, download it, and test the file on your phone and tablet before buying more. If playback is smooth and the file size is manageable, the download model works for you. If you would rather stream and never manage files, this approach will feel like extra work. For broader photography training comparisons, Strobist is a well-known lighting resource, and Photoshop Cafe covers Photoshop instruction.
What is the refund policy if a course doesn't meet my expectations?
Software Cinema states a 30-day money-back guarantee on its courses and digital downloads: if you don't love the purchase, you can request a full refund within 30 days. The site presents this as a straightforward "love it, or get a full refund" policy rather than a partial credit or exchange.
What to check before you rely on it
- Where you bought it. The guarantee is stated on Software Cinema itself. If you arrive through a third-party marketplace or bundle, that seller's return rules may apply instead.
- How you request it. Look for a contact or support route on the site and keep your order confirmation, since refunds are usually processed against the original purchase.
- Timing. Thirty days is counted from purchase, not from when you finally start watching, so a course bought for a later project can fall outside the window.
- Format. These are digital downloads and streaming-style courses, so there is nothing to ship back — but that also means the refund depends on the seller honoring the request rather than on a physical return.
A practical scenario
Suppose you buy Portrait lighting on location for a wedding season starting in three months. If you skim it in week one and find the teaching style doesn't suit you, the 30-day window still covers you. If you buy it now and only open it in month two, you have likely lost the option. Treat the guarantee as a reason to test a course early, not as a long-term safety net.
Next step: before purchasing, email support with a specific question about the course you're considering — for example, whether it assumes prior Photoshop experience. A prompt, clear reply tells you something about how a refund request would be handled.
Who are the instructors and what makes them qualified to teach these topics?
Software Cinema lists four instructors, and the qualifications it presents are professional standing and teaching reputation rather than formal credentials or degrees.
Dean Collins is named as the Software Cinema founder and an instructor. The page's client testimonial, attributed to David Hobby of strobist.com, calls Collins "probably the best lighting instructor there ever was" — a strong endorsement of his lighting teaching specifically.
Colin Smith is identified as the founder of PhotoshopCafe and an instructor. That background points to Photoshop and digital imaging instruction.
Dave Montizambert is listed as a photographer and instructor, which fits the photography, lighting and drone-related material.
Kristina Sherk is listed as a retoucher and instructor, aligning with the retouching and skin-technique courses.
The site's own claim is that all instructors are "world-class experts" who teach "clearly and in plain English."
Practical takeaway: the instructor lineup maps fairly cleanly onto the catalog — Collins for lighting, Smith for Photoshop, Montizambert for photography and shooting, Sherk for retouching. If you are choosing a course, match the topic to the instructor rather than assuming all four teach everything equally. For a photography-lighting beginner, a Collins or Montizambert title is the more direct fit; for portrait retouching, Sherk's courses are the relevant ones. To judge qualification for yourself, watch a preview or sample lesson and check whether the teaching style suits you, since the page gives reputation and role but not detailed biographies or certifications.
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