YouTube is one of the best sources of inspiration and ideas for creative people from around the globe. Video-based content is in right now and a plethora of innovative YouTube channels have sprung up over recent years. Video-based content is easy to interpret and follow as opposed to text-based content. Given the engaging nature of videos, it comes as no surprise that YouTube channels gather more clicks, traffic, and responses. The return of investment (ROI) on videos is much larger than that of other forms of content.
From the perspective of a photographer, the importance of videos in general and YouTube, in particular, cannot be stressed enough. The visual nature of photography ideally demands tutorials and guides in the form of visuals (images and videos) itself. We are now in the year 2022 and it is paramount to keep in touch with the contemporary advancements. YouTube Channels based on photography give a deep insight into the technical as well as practical aspects of photography. Here are a few of the best YouTube channels for photographers and creatives:
Best YouTube Channels For Photographers
Fstoppers
This YouTube channel with more than 8,41,000 subscribers was founded in the year 2010 by Patrick Hall and Lee Morris. The channel has video guides and tutorials for beginner and professional photographers. The content usually revolves around the technicalities of photography, photography gear reviews, business tips, and recommendations. A brief introduction of the channel can be found on this link. Fstoppers have a website on photography and an online store as well.
SLR Lounge
Founded in 2010, SLR Lounge is a community-based YouTube channel on photography. The content covers photography tutorials, Lightroom Tutorials, Photoshop Tutorials, photography news and lots more. Along with a website, SLR Lounge also conducts workshops on wedding photography, business photography, lightroom, and flash photography. A list of all their workshops can be found here.
Thomas Heaton
Mostly focused on landscapes and outdoor photography, this YouTube Channel is run by photographer Thomas Heaton. Based in the United Kingdom, Thomas Heaton gives an insight into the intricacies of outdoor photography. He also provides valuable tips on gears and processing RAW files. Started as an independent venture in 2014, Thomas Heaton’s Youtube channel has more than 385K subscribers now.
Chris Hau
Photographer Chris Hau is based in Canada. His YouTube channel has videos that allow viewers to understand the finer aspects of photography. He also gives good advice on how to use photography as a mode of making money. Chris’s channel currently has 342K subscribers, grown organically over the years, since 2011. Video-based content creation and management is the strong point of this YouTube channel. The most popular video (1.3 million views) of Chris Hau’s YouTube is a Guide on How to get Instagram followers organically.
Tony & Chelsea Northup
The YouTube channel publishes videos every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The couple travels all over the world creating photography videos. You can learn photography for free via this popular YouTube channel. It has amassed a subscriber count of a whopping 1.38 million. The channel contains photography tips and tutorials, camera reviews, photoshop and lightroom guides, and weekly photography news.
B&H Photo Video
On this amazing photography YouTube channel, you will find videos, podcasts, and tutorials. The B&H team is a community of photography enthusiasts who love to teach all about this colorful art form. There are more than 1000 employees working under the banner of B&H. The team will help you find the right gear for your requirements. Their introductory video has more than 37 million views and gives viewers a peek behind the curtains of the fantastic B&H team.
Photofocus
Photofocus might not be as popular as the rest of the entries on this list, but the content on this spectacular YouTube channel is surely unique. Photofocus aims to provide users with well-curated educational resources for aspiring photographers. If you are an amateur photographer looking for some ideas or tips, Photofocus is the space for you. Along with informative podcasts and technical tutorials, Photofocus also gives camera and gear reviews. They have a dedicated website which you can check out for more information. The website has a store where visitors can buy gears, cameras, tools, and other photography-related stuff.
TheCameraStoreTV
Hosted by the dynamic duo of Evelyn Drake and Dave Paul, TheCameraStoreTV aims to bring to its viewers, the latest information on photography and videography. The official website has more information on the domains that the outfit covers. You can find events and workshops conducted by TheCameraStoreTV. You can find stuff that you can rent. The store contains books and guides, cameras, accessories, etc.
PHLEARN
Dedicated mainly towards photoshop tutorials, PHLEARN, however, has a diverse range of content. It is one of the top subscribed YouTube channels on this list with more than 1.82 million subscribers. You can sign up for 30 days of the free trial if you are interested in learning photoshop, lightroom, and similar Adobe tools for photographers and videographers. PHLEARN is certainly a great channel for young photographers who are looking to make a giant splash in the world of photography.
DigitalRev TV
DigitalRev TV started as a YouTube channel in April 2007, and has since then gathered more than 1.95 subscribers on the video-sharing platform. This makes it one of the most subscribed channels on this list. The description of the channel proudly says ‘The most viewed photography show on the internet’, and rightly so. With 432 million views, DigitalRev TV tops the list with the most views. Content on this channel is diverse and fit for all kinds of people, with a focus on photography gears and gadgets. The channel allows its viewers to keep in touch with the latest tools and techniques. The latest video, for example, talks about photography using the recently launched iPhone 11.
Cooperation Of Photography (COOPH)
COOPH is a vibrant and unique YouTube channel mainly focused on DIY (do-it-yourself) photography tutorials. It is a community-focused YouTube channel with around a million subscribers. COOPH.com, the website has a portal that sells cameras, accessories, and apparel for both men and women. COOPH also has an online magazine that publishes photography-based content from time to time. Apart from that, COOPH has a vibrant Instagram account where you can check out works by different photographers. As aforementioned, the YouTube Channel works in a community of people that are connected to each other via photography.
AdoramaTV
AdoramaTV started in February 2010 as a repository of video-based content focused on photography and videography. The YouTube channel published camera reviews and product releases. Along with that, it has over a dozen hosts that help AdoramaTV connect to viewers from all walks of life. Studio lighting, photoshop tutorials, gear reviews, and photographer interviews; AdoramaTV has it all. AdoramaTV aims to inspire young photographers and amateurs via exposure to experiences of veterans and real professionals. It has a dedicated learning center and a space for rentals as well.
Eric Kim Photography
Eric Kim runs a photography blog and his YouTube channel by the same name has more than 60K subscribers. His content basically revolves around technical tips and guides to help amateurs click better pictures. He runs various blogs across the United States of America. You can also purchase photography related stuff from his online store. All in all, connecting to this photographer’s online vlog and blog will give you all-round access to gear reviews, books, tutorials, guides, hacks, and much more.
CreativeLive
The final entry of this section is another YouTube channel from the United States. It was founded in the year 2010 and has since then accumulated 425K subscribers. Content on CreativeLive is diverse and rich with focus mainly on teaching photography and building an interactive community of teachers and students. Official bio of CreativeLive claims that the venture has empowered more than 10 million students from around the world. With more than 1000 teachers and experts working hard to teach and inspire young enthusiasts, it is safe to say that CreativeLive has succeeded in its mission. However, this inspirational channel just keeps on keeping on!
Best YouTube Channels For Designers
Yes I’m a Designer
This designing channel was started in 2007 by Michael Perhiniak, a certified Adobe Design Master and Instructor. His students voted him to the top 10 Adobe instructors in 2015. Besides imparting technical know-how in his videos, Michael also teaches about design fundamentals, compositional techniques, and best practices while designing digital art. Michael’s great designing experience comes from working on projects in Hollywood such as Toy Story and Cars. You can sign up for design courses or check out his Instagram account for more insights into this wonderfully talented individual.
Will Paterson
Will Paterson is a famous graphic designer, typographer, and illustrator, with a focus mainly on logo designing and brand identity. His YouTube channel will prove to be a wonderful asset for entrepreneurs as well as for designing enthusiasts and students. Apart from teaching how to design logos, Will talks about brand creation and building a brand from scratch. You can check out his portfolio here and get an idea about the brilliant work that he has done with graphic design.
Adobe
Yes. Adobe, the industry veterans have a YouTube channel of their own where the very talented team posts tutorials and guides on how to design using Adobe tools. The ‘getting started with creative cloud’ tutorials are a great first step towards working on graphic designing using Adobe tools. Creative cloud allows designers to save and publish their work directly in a cloud and share it on various platforms such as Behance and Instagram. Adobe’s YouTube channel is a growing repository of fantastic guides, tips, and hacks on how to design flawlessly.
Hello, I’m Alexa
This YouTube channel is a popular space for product designers and people interested in UX designing. Alexa is a product designer from San Francisco and her YouTube channel is a means to ‘help connect people who want to learn more about what a Product Designer does in the Tech industry’. Alexa aims to create discussions that might help people who are interested in creating designs and build something that can help people in the future.
Design Gal
Design Gal is a YouTube channel started by Christine Maggi in the year 2017. A fairly recent venture, Christine looks to teach people about the design industry. Whether you are a student or simply a design enthusiast or a techie who is interested in UI/UX, the Design Gal is a great platform to learn new things about digital designing. Christine herself is a designer with experience in UI/UX, graphic design, copywriting, and advertising.
Best YouTube Channels For Architects
Themodmin
Themodmin is a YouTube channel for architects who want to improve their sketching skills. The channel provides short and easy tutorials on how to get the most out of sketches. Based in Malaysia, Themodmin has more than 117K subscribers as of now. Their most popular video is an instructional on how to sketch human figures in architectural plans. The channel has a bundle of useful videos on techniques as well such as rapid sketching and ink texturing.
Arbuckle Industries
Arbuckle Industries is actually a video production company based out of New York and Portland. It was founded by a former architectural designer, Ian Harris, and landscape architect, David Krantz. The YouTube channel contains videos on architectural designing techniques such as gimbal shots, color correction, animations, and time-lapses. Arbuckle Industries also released its first documentary film in 2013 called ‘Archiculture’. The YouTube channel has 25.7K subscribers and over 1.4 million views.
Nick Senske
Nick Senske is an assistant professor in architecture and a member of the faculty at Iowa State University. His field of research includes computational literacy, computational crafts and workflows, and design educational research. He is the co-founder of ‘Computation+Construction’ Lab. His YouTube channel contains his lectures at the aforementioned university. His subscriber count is over 35K and his videos have been viewed over 2 million times.
How To Architect
How To Architect is a popular YouTube channel with over 200K subscribers. Founded by Doug Patt in the year 2008, the channel boasts of a total view count of over 15 million views. Doug Patt is a licensed architect and has been part of the industry since 1993. He is also the author of the top-selling book ‘How To Architect’. Along with that, you can check out more courses by How To Architect on this link.
ArchDaily
This popular YouTube channel started in 2008, and has more than 4 million views on its videos. Content on this channel ranges from architectural lectures to architect interviews. The channel aims to provide resources to architects and help them build better infrastructures for future generations. They look to give knowledge, inspiration, and tools to the people involved in building the world of tomorrow. You can also find a store on their YouTube channel where you can purchase merchandise.
Best YouTube Channels For Fashion Enthusiasts
Zoella
One of the most subscribed YouTube channels for fashion enthusiasts, Zoella has more than 11 million subscribers and over 1.1 billion views. This whooping statistic is proof of the great quality of content on this YouTube channel. With 15 playlists ranging from beauty tutorials and lifestyle vlogs to interactive Q&A’s, Zoella has created a huge community of fashion enthusiasts on YouTube. ‘Life, Beauty, and Chats’, the tagline of this fashion channel sums it all up in a meager four words. The venture also has a presence on other popular social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Coolirpa
April, the founder of Coolirpa joined the video-sharing and management platform in 2007 and has since gathered 2 million subscribers. Her channel focuses on do-it-yourself fashion tutorials and tips. From topics such as recycling and thrifting to sewing new clothes, the channel has it all. April publishes one video per week and usually posts videos of around 15 minutes which makes them engaging and entertaining.
Dre Drexler
Dre produces videos on men’s lifestyle covering topics like hair, clothes, and fitness. Through his YouTube channel which has 600K subscribers, Dre Drexler aims to help people ‘look powerful while living powerful’. He believes that a certain quality of personality is paramount to sustain a good quality of lifestyle. His YouTube channel has some extra videos of travel vlogs and relationships advice as well.
Use Less
Use Less is a YouTube channel started by a 28-year-old named Signe from Denmark. Her channel has 177K subscribers and through it, she aims to educate women on how to spend less on fashion while maintaining a certain level of standard in clothing. Her videos are focused on educating individuals on how to have a more minimalistic approach towards their wardrobes. You can find hair and makeup tutorials on her channel as well.
Jenn Im (Clothes Encounters)
Jenn Im is a Korean-American YouTuber based in Los Angeles. Clothes Encounter published video tutorials, vlogs, lifestyle tips, etc. Jemm also uploads a ‘favorites’ interactive video every month where she discusses various topics. Her subscriber count is 2.5 million as of now. You can also find out more about her via Instagram and Facebook.
Best YouTube Channels For Graphic Designers
Swerve Designs
Swerve offers graphic design tutorials for amateurs as well as for professionals. The YouTube channel has a subscriber count of more than 171K. The channel contains tutorials on how to use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. Logo designs, techniques, product design, and illustrations are a few other topics that you will find content about on this channel. Based in the United Kingdom, the channel started in 2012.
Every Tuesday
Every Tuesday is a popular YouTube channel meant for graphic designers. As the name suggests, new videos are uploaded every Tuesday. The videos are usually tutorials on how to use Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and InDesign. Started by Teela Cunningham, the channel is growing by the day and currently has 232K subscribers. The content is fashioned to suit people with different levels of skill. The official website has tons of freebies, online courses, and various design merchandise.
PhotoGavin
Gavin Hoey started this YouTube channel in the year 2007 and has since amassed a subscriber following of more than 269K. The channel contains tutorials on photography and Adobe Photoshop. The upload frequency of videos is pretty good so make sure you watch all of the valuable content. Gavin Hoey also heads a website that contains articles, blogs, and photography tips and freebies. The articles are easy to interpret and contain valuable insights into the technicalities of photography and editing.
Roberto Blake
Basically a huge repository of guides and tutorials on Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, this popular YouTube channel has it all. Run by namesake, Roberto Blake, the channel has more than 150 videos and 100+ tutorials on the aforementioned software. Roberto is an entrepreneur with expertise in graphic design. He is also a speaker and author. This highly-subscribed channel has more than 435K subscribers and more than 29 million views on its videos.
Ch-Ch-Check It
Founded by the duo Eli and Brandon, this top graphic designing channel has more than 241K subscribers. Check It Productions is the name of the organization that this channel functions under. The channel contains tutorials for web designing and product reviews. Their popular playlists consist of ‘Tutorial Tuesday’ and ‘FX Friday’. You can find tutorials for Adobe After Effects as well.
Best YouTube Channels For Models
Vanessa Ziletti
Hugely popular Italian blogger and YouTuber, Vanessa Ziletti posts hairstyle tutorials, shopping videos, and challenges, that have garnered a huge following. The channel has 346K subscribers and has been around since 2010. The channel contains a rich and diverse variety of content for models who are looking for ideas and inspiration. The YouTube channel usually has one video uploaded per week.
Angela Kinsey
If you are a fan of "The Office", you’d know Angela Kinsey who plays as the uptight accountant with no room for nonsense, also named Angela. Angela in real life is the exact opposite of the character that she plays on the famous sitcom. She is a bubbly and lively character and her popular YouTube channel reflects just that. You can find videos ranging from baking tutorials to interactive Q&A’s. Angela talks about her experiences in the sitcom industry and aspiring models and actors can find valuable pieces of advice if they follow the channel.
FashionByAlly
Ally aims to empower women around the world by sharing fitness tips and advice on lifestyle choices. Based in the United States of America, this YouTube Channel is a growing hotspot for young models and actresses. Since its inception in 2007, the popular channel has gathered more than 978K subscribers. Her videos and DIY tutorials have amassed a staggering 80 million views.
Withwendy
Withwendy is an innovative YouTube channel with DIY videos on how to sew. Wendy, from Toronto, makes all her clothes on her own, and she uses this platform to empower viewers and share deep insights with her 930K subscribers. Her most popular video, with over 2.3 million views, details resizing your jeans on your own.
Inthefrow
The YouTube channel Inthefrow films two beauty and fashion shows every week. The channel is run by fashion and beauty influencer, Victoria Claire Magrath, based in the United Kingdom. She has studied Design Management for Fashion Retailing from Manchester, England and has a doctorate in Fashion Consumer Behaviour. With such an arsenal of experience and knowledge, Victoria shares her advice to her audience.
Best YouTube Videos For Artists
Proko
Started by artist and painter, Stan Prokopenko, this popular YouTube channel has 1.67 million subscribers. Stan aims to educate young artists with instructional videos. Using simple language, he breaks down concepts and appeals to a large audience. Sometimes, he does collaboration videos with other artists as well.
Bobby Chiu
Bobby Chiu is a Canadian artist who has received many accolades for his work, including the prestigious Emmy Award. You won’t exactly find tutorials on this channel but his thoughtful discussions and conversations with fellow artists provide valuable fresh insights. Click here to find out more about him.
Draw With Jazza
The most popular YouTube channel on this list, Draw with Jazza has over 4.86 million subscribers. It was started by Australian artist, Josiah Brooks, who is passionate about art and teaching people how to draw, paint and animate. His Youtube channel has art related live streams, tutorials, speed painting, and competitions. His videos, focused on cartoons and characters are educational, interactive and really fun. Certainly worth clicking the bell icon for this one!
The Art of Aaron Blaise
Aaron Blaise is a renowned animator, director, illustrator and concept artist for more than 21 years. He has worked with Disney on popular films such as Aladdin, The Lion King, Mulan, Pocahontas, and The Beauty and the Beast. His YouTube channel features insightful animation videos, tutorials, illustration techniques for young artists and animators. His detailed videos make for a truly immersive experience in the world of art.
Sarah Tepes
Sarah Tepes is a 21 year old artist, based in United States. Her YouTube channel features painting tutorials, digital speed painting process, tips, techniques, and inspiring videos. A self-taught artist herself, she explains everything lucidly, sharing valuable tips with young artists all over the world. With over 332K subscribers, her videos have been watched more than 13 million times.
Conclusion
Whether you are an artist, a graphic designer, or an aspiring architect, creativity is one of the most important angles that you need to keep working on. Perfection can never be achieved. What we can aspire to do is reach as close to perfection as we can. These YouTube channels can help you smoothen that learning curve by huge margins. Along with that, you can borrow inspiration from them as well. Even if they don’t do that, we can guarantee that these YouTube channels will make your 2022 entertaining.