Samsung and Mobile Photography Courses: Free vs Paid, Compared

Note: One of the paid courses below is offered by us here at Samsung Photography Academy (full disclosure).

We’ve tried to keep this page as unbiased as possible by listing the free options first, omitting ratings & number of students, ours included (these aren’t directly comparable) and checking the accuracy of all prices (as at 5 November 2026, prices checked on each course provider’s website).

Free and paid options at a glance

Here’s what each one costs, whether it’s specifically made for Galaxy devices, and the type of person we think will get the most out of it. Prices are as of 5 November 2026 and are liable to change, often, on both platforms. Udemy displayed euro pricing because we were connecting from Europe.

What the free options do well

Samsung's own help

The Tips app is already on your phone. On a Galaxy S25 Ultra with One UI 9, there are 11 tips under Pictures and videos (as of November 2026), including taking burst shots, using quick video, understanding the Zebra pattern in Pro mode and learning about Exposure memory.

Tips tell you what each feature does and where to find it but don’t explain when you might want to use them or how features might link together, and this is often the gap in knowledge for new camera users.

The Pro mode guide on Samsung's support website (last updated on 22 September 2026) gives an overview of each of the controls available in Pro mode and is fairly detailed but written in a very dry way. It does point out that ISO sensitivity can’t be set to Auto if shutter speed has been manually set, for example. There’s no opportunity to try out what you’ve learnt though.

CamCyclopedia on the Samsung Members community website is similar to the information on the support website but lists all the different Camera Assistant options, which shooting modes they can be used in and which Samsung phones they’re available on. Again, an accurate but dry read!

Samsung UK's Expert Session (published December 2025) runs about 11 minutes and starts with an explanation of Pro mode before moving on to composition and lighting techniques. A good place to start if you’ve never ventured outside of Photo mode before.

Independent YouTube channels

Independent YouTubers are the quickest way to set up a new phone because they cover new phone models and features as they come out. When Samsung releases a new phone, it’s likely that some YouTubers will release a settings video for it. For example, Steven Divish published a video on Samsung S26 Ultra settings in April 2026 (this video was sponsored by Snapdragon and covers Samsung camera settings for both photos and video). Similarly, if you want to photograph the Milky Way with your phone, Desmond Butler has videos on how to take Milky Way photos with both the S25 and S26.

Keep in mind that YouTube videos can jump between Samsung phone models and versions of One UI, so keep an eye out for that as menus and features change from year to year. Also, some YouTubers offer additional paid content, such as courses or LUTs. That’s OK, but just be aware when recommendations are coming from someone with a vested interest.

Our free challenges

We offer two practice plans for free. The 30-day challenge takes one camera decision off Auto each day, with starting settings for every day and a tracker that saves your progress in the browser. Longer (there are six phases), the 90-day challenge ends with a portfolio of twelve photos (edited of course!). The PDF can be printed without having to sign up for anything. Our guides are available to view for free too, from the Galaxy photography guide to the Pro mode presets guide, and the latter comes with a printable cheat sheet if you're happy to hand over your email address.

Where free learning runs out

The cheapest way to get feedback on your photos isn’t a free or paid tutorial, but your local camera club or photo walk group. Having someone else’s feedback about your photos is invaluable, and none of the courses here (paid or otherwise, including our own) can review your photos and give you that kind of personalised feedback.

The other issue with free tutorials is that you can’t learn what you don’t know to ask about. For example, if you don’t yet know that a white sky can be the result of metering, or that using a longer shutter speed instead of a higher ISO is better for stationary subjects, you’re unlikely to think to type those phrases into YouTube’s search bar.

Of course, there’s also the question of which things to learn first. Learning about composition and light is worthwhile for any camera (present or future), but learning how to navigate your phone’s camera menu might become irrelevant the next time Samsung releases a new version of One UI.

What the paid courses include

Udemy

Udemy offers individual courses as well as a Personal Plan subscription, which unlocks many courses on the site. Prices differ by country and frequently change. During our research in Europe on 5 November 2026, both courses we looked at were priced at €19.99 with a banner advertising a sitewide sale ending at a point in time indicated by a countdown timer. Udemy’s Personal Plan cost from €9.00 per month.

Individual courses are yours to keep for life if you pay for them outright, and Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on them.

We looked at two general courses on taking photos with your phone by independent creators. The Complete iPhone & Android Mobile Photography Course by Flor Da Valle was last updated in March 2026 and comprises 64 lectures totalling 2 hours 13 minutes. It includes sections on editing photos using the free Lightroom and Snapseed apps. Smartphone Photography by Alex Dobie, a phone reviewer for many years, comprises 12 lectures totalling 1 hour 19 minutes. It was last updated in December 2019, so the shots of camera app settings are now out of date by a few iterations of Samsung’s One UI camera app software.

Skillshare

Skillshare’s help centre says that when you create an account you’ll be able to see how much it costs in your area. Once you subscribe to Skillshare you’ll have access to all of the classes on the site (your membership will automatically renew until you cancel it).

Flor Da Valle has a couple of courses on Skillshare including one called Smartphone Photography. This is made up of 56 lessons (2 hours 11 minutes in total) and includes a section specifically for Android users looking to make the most of the phone’s camera including using the photo tools right through to Pro mode. She also has a shorter (17-minute) course called Manual Photography for iPhone and Android.

Samsung Photography Academy, the course we sell

Our course is Galaxy-only. The course has four main modules that move from composition to light and then to portraits/landscapes and other real-life situations, as well as some bonus modules covering newer camera features added to Samsung phones and a module on shooting in Pro mode and Expert RAW. Most of the 60+ short video lessons were shot using the camera app on Samsung phones. As of 5 November 2026, the course page says you can get lifetime access to the course for a one-time fee of $39 (or in two instalments of $25). It comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

However, some of the lessons on camera features (say, the 200MP camera sensor) won’t apply to all Samsung phones. Also, there’s no personal coaching with this course. And some of the students have mentioned that some of the lessons don’t have subtitles. Our look at what students say in the lessons presents the negative and positive feedback about the product together.

Should you take a general smartphone photography course or a Galaxy one?

A general smartphone photography course is fine if you mainly want composition, light and editing. Those skills work on any phone. Flor Da Valle's Udemy course teaches Lightroom and Snapseed editing, and her Skillshare class has an Android section that goes as far as Pro mode. The catch is the camera app itself. A general course has to teach two camera apps at once, so it can't walk through every One UI menu, Galaxy-only apps such as Expert RAW aren't its focus, and older courses age quickly. Alex Dobie's Udemy course was last updated in December 2019, so its camera app screens are several One UI versions behind.

If you use an iPhone and a Galaxy, or you're still learning the basics, a general course makes sense. If you want to know what your own Galaxy's Pro mode and settings do, start with Samsung's free help and our free challenges, and only pay for a Galaxy course once you want everything in one order.

Which to choose

Choose based on what you need help with. Start with the free options! For most people, paid classes are useful after they’ve exhausted the benefits of finding answers to specific questions.

How to check any course before you pay

• Check the last-updated date. Features and menus in the camera app change from One UI version to One UI version, so a course made in 2019 is likely to refer to options and menus that no longer exist on your phone.
• Check which phone is featured. If it’s an iPhone, the advice on composition will be just as relevant, but the walkthrough of menus and options will refer to an iPhone’s camera app, not your Galaxy’s.
• Check out the free preview videos. Some videos are marked as previews on Udemy and it’s a good idea to see if you like the presenter’s style before buying as you’ll be watching them for quite a while!
• Check the refund policy. Udemy states that they refund within 30 days of purchasing a single course (ours is 60 days) whereas subscriptions will need to be cancelled before renewal.
• Go for general advice. Courses that focus on composition and lighting will still be relevant when you get your next phone, whereas courses focusing on using specific camera options will become out of date quicker.