Free training and certification
Blackmagic gives away complete DaVinci Resolve training books, videos and lesson files, and its certification exam is online. Adobe and Apple publish free tutorials and user guides, with certification through Certiport and FMC respectively.
DaVinci Resolve: the most generous free training
Blackmagic Design publishes a full training library free on its training page: downloadable videos with project files, and PDF books with lesson media. The current books are the DaVinci Resolve 20 editions: The Beginner's Guide, The Editor's Guide, The Colorist Guide, The Fairlight Audio Guide, The Visual Effects Guide and Advanced Visual Effects. Printed copies are also sold.
Certification: each book links to an online exam. Blackmagic's training partners also run classroom courses. Training providers describe the exam as 50 questions in 60 minutes with an 85% pass mark, leading to a certificate of achievement; Blackmagic's own pages don't state the format, so check before you sit it.
Premiere Pro: Adobe Learn and Certiport
Adobe's free Premiere tutorials cover the basics through to colour and audio, including a clear lesson on three-point edits.
Certification: the current exam is the Adobe Certified Professional in Digital Video Using Adobe Premiere. You take it online or at a Certiport testing centre, which many UK colleges and US schools are. Several UK degrees, including the University of Portsmouth's post-production BA, let students graduate with it.
Final Cut Pro: Apple's guide and FMC certification
Apple's free Final Cut Pro User Guide is thorough and well written, and the best starting point. Apple's own training site now covers IT support only.
Certification: Final Cut Pro certification is run by FMC (Future Media Concepts), an Apple Authorized Certification Provider, through fcpcertification.com. It has three exams: SocialPro, VideoPro and Post-ProductionPro. The older "Apple Certified Pro" scheme has been retired, so be wary of courses still advertising it.
Avid Media Composer
Avid certification (Avid Certified User, then Specialist) is taught through Avid Learning Partners and certified instructors. In the UK, universities that offer it as part of a course include Bournemouth, Goldsmiths, Portsmouth and Queen's University Belfast, and training providers such as Soho Editors run it as short courses. The UK course directory notes which courses offer it.
Is certification worth it?
For most editors, a reel matters more than a certificate: employers want to see your cutting. Certification helps in three situations: applying for assistant editor jobs in film and TV, where Avid certification is a common requirement; teaching, where training centres often require it; and showing a structured grounding when you're self-taught. The free training is worth working through either way.
Free footage to practise on
The Blackmagic and Adobe lessons include project media, which is better practice material than your own footage at first: it's shot properly, with coverage, so you learn editing rather than fixing problems.
Frequently asked questions
Is DaVinci Resolve training free?+
Yes. Blackmagic Design publishes free DaVinci Resolve training books, videos and lesson files on its training page, covering editing, colour, audio and visual effects. The certification exams are taken online.
How do I get Adobe Premiere certified?+
Take the Adobe Certified Professional in Digital Video Using Adobe Premiere exam, online or at a Certiport Authorised Testing Centre. Many colleges and universities are testing centres and run the exam for their students.
Is there an official Final Cut Pro certification?+
Yes. Final Cut Pro certification is offered by FMC, an Apple Authorized Certification Provider, through fcpcertification.com. There are three exams: SocialPro, VideoPro and Post-ProductionPro.
Do employers care about editing certification?+
A strong reel usually matters more. Certification is most useful for assistant editor roles in film and television, where Avid certification is often requested, and for teaching.
Written by Philip Brumpton, a product designer who builds KeyCut. Last checked October 2026.
Learn the keys by pressing them.
KeyCut puts the Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve keyboards on your iPad, colour-coded, and fires each shortcut into your editor on the Mac when you tap it.