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The Successful Freelancer: Web Design Skills That Pay Great (Udemy.com)

From struggling to thriving: learn the business of freelancing from someone who's lived it. Real examples & case studies

Created by: Cristian Barin

Last updated August 2025

Our take

Based on the ratings of 6,614 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in August 2025. No course pays to be reviewed.

Chris Barin's course is two things in one. The first sections cover finding your own clients, 99designs versus other platforms, big mistakes on a one-on-one job, and what frustrates clients. After that come seven project walkthroughs, each tied to a client budget, plus a design feedback section. It runs about 21 hours over 201 lectures, and the description says the design work is optional. About 48,000 students have enrolled.

Reviewers like the teaching. Several call Chris clear and easy to follow, and one says his teaching assistant answered questions within 24 hours. A voiceover artist narrates, which a reviewer appreciated given his accent. Examples of beginner mistakes get specific praise. The complaints are real, though. One reviewer says the last three sections use designs from around 2011 and 2012, so the process feels dated. Another says replies can take hours or days. A recent reviewer disliked an AI direction, and one found it too much talk.

The ratings are strong: 4.4 from 6,614 reviews, with 4,103 of them five stars and only 176 at one or two. The course was last updated in August 2025. It suits beginners who want to watch a freelance job go from pitch to delivery. Experienced freelancers who just want advice on rates may find the business material small next to the design hours, and could skim.

Best forBeginner web designers who want freelancing advice and Photoshop project practice in one place.
Skip it ifYou want current design trends, or only the freelancing talks without hours of Photoshop builds.

Pros

  • Clear, easy-to-follow teaching that reviewers say works even for people new to Photoshop
  • Teaching assistant replied to feedback requests within 24 hours, according to one reviewer
  • Seven client projects with budgets show how a job goes from brief to delivery
  • Design feedback section and beginner-mistake examples show what to avoid

Cons

  • A reviewer says the last three sections use 2011 and 2012 designs, so the process feels dated
  • About 21 hours long, and much of it is Photoshop design work rather than freelancing advice
  • Feedback can be slow, and one reviewer said it took hours to days
Great course. Easy to understand, perfect Pace and fun to learn! I loved how the instructor gives examples at times showing the mistakes beginners usually do
Zubair Ali, a student

Fits true beginners and stuck freelancers alike, though Photoshop must be installed to follow the projects.

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What you will learn

  • Learn how you can make money with Photoshop by making website designs
  • See how I make $4000 from several projects
  • Included 50+ Premium PSD files of mine + other materials to help you develop your skills
  • Learn how to be efficient and cut down the time it takes to complete a project
  • The course includes multiple hours of actual designing, but that is optional. Don't let the length scare you.
  • Create a high constant income by immediately monetizing your work.

Course content

17 sections · 201 lectures · 21 hours of video 1 quiz

  1. 1Welcome! 2 free previews3 lectures · 7 min
  2. 21-on-1 Freelancing: Find your own clients by using these methods15 lectures · 1.1 hours
  3. 3Freelancing on 99designs.com vs other platforms 1 free preview14 lectures · 1.3 hours
  4. 4Freelancing 1 free preview9 lectures · 1.2 hours
  5. 5Working 1-on-1 with a client for $1200 - BIG mistakes12 lectures · 1.3 hours
  6. 6Understand the client's frustrations7 lectures · 41 min
  7. 7How to get a stable job as a designer8 lectures · 50 min
  8. 8Raise your productivity2 lectures · 18 min
  9. 9Project 1 - Client budget: $117517 lectures · 2 hours
  10. 10Project 2 - Client budget: $50013 lectures · 1.4 hours

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

  • This course is for anyone who can use a computer. It doesn't matter if you have days or years experience in Photoshop, I will teach you exactly what you need to know in a simple way to understand.

What you need before you start

  • This course assumes no prior knowledge and shows you everything you need to know, from A to Z
  • You will need Photoshop installed on your computer, preferably a CC (Creative Cloud) version. If you don't have it, I'll teach you how to get it

How it compares

Against the other 188 rated Udemy courses in Photoshop on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.4 out of 5higher than 37% of them
  • Reviews6,614#9 of 189 by number of reviews
  • Length21.1 hourslonger than 94% of them
  • Last updatedAugust 2025more recently than 86% of them

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Quality Score

Content Quality
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Video Quality
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Qualified Instructor
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Course Depth & Coverage
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Overall Score : 88 / 100

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Course Description

Freelancing can be one of the most rewarding career paths for a web designer—but it can also be one of the most frustrating. On one hand, it offers freedom, flexibility, and the potential to earn far more than a traditional job. You get to work with a variety of clients, set your own schedule, and take control of your destiny.

But that’s only one side of the story.

The truth is, freelancing can also feel like a constant uphill battle:

  • Finding clients,

  • Negotiating rates,

  • Chasing payments

  • Dealing with rejection

These can drain your energy, kill your confidence, and leave you questioning your skills. Burnout is real, and without the right systems in place, it’s easy to fall into the trap of working more and earning less.

That’s exactly why I created this course.

I’m Chris Barin, an Adobe Certified Instructor and a successful freelance web designer. I’ve made over $50,000 on the popular platform 99designs, and my freelancing journey has been featured on their official blog.

I’ve been on both sides of the table—as a freelancer and as a business owner who hires freelancers—so I know what it takes to succeed in this competitive space.

This isn’t just another theory-heavy course filled with fluff. I focus on the real-world strategies that helped me stand out, win clients, and build a sustainable freelancing business. I’ll share all the insights I’ve gained over years of trial, error, and success—so you can skip the guesswork and get straight to results.


You’ll learn:

  •     How to find the right kind of clients—and avoid the ones who’ll drain your time and energy

  •     How to set up your portfolio to attract serious business opportunities

  •     How to talk to clients and handle negotiations with confidence

  •     How to present your pricing so clients understand the value behind your work

  •     Why soft skills matter more than flashy designs when it comes to winning projects

  •     Real-life examples and case studies that show why freelancers fail—and how to avoid their mistakes

By the end of this course, you’ll have a crystal-clear understanding of what it takes to thrive as a freelance web designer. You’ll know how to work smarter, not harder. You’ll have actionable tools to get better clients, better rates, and better outcomes.

Whether you're just starting out or you've been freelancing for a while and feel stuck, this course will give you the clarity and confidence to move forward. It’s time to stop struggling and start building a freelancing career that works for you—not against you.

Let’s dive in and make your freelance journey one worth taking.

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Instructor Details

Cristian Barin

Chris Barin is a professional web and app designer with nearly 10 years of Photoshop experience. He's also an Adobe Certified Instructor and Certified Photoshop Expert.

By being self-taught, he managed to gain the trust of over 290.000 students from all over the world through his Photoshop courses. A staple of his materials is a hand-on, down-to-Earth approach that focuses on getting maximum results with minimal effort.

Chris started out as a freelance web designer and built a loyal client base, earning over $50,000 by designing sites part time. Today, he runs his own Android design studio, 20+ strong, creating fantastic looking apps for clients; his apps have over 100 million downloads to date. 

Passionate about teaching, Chris teaches on Udemy because he has been disappointed in the quality of training materials available for people who want to learn design. In his courses, he holds nothing back; he documents and shares his entire experience on how he managed to stand out from the competition and do the work that he loves full-time.    

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Reviews

4.4

6,614 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Ligia Nunes on 5/30/2026

Very disappointed with the AI direction the course and the teacher seem to be taking.

By Aimar Soots on 3/2/2022

Love the new takes on old projects. Really nicely shows how design trends and habits have changed over time. Though I didn't recreate the old designs, but loved the thought process and planning. 4,5/5 EDIT: After seeing Design Feedback #6, You blew my mind Chris, this was a amazing how you destroyed this beautiful design just by paying attention to details. As a designer I feel insulted that there are such people out there, that try to make easy buck by scamming you out with seemingly good product, but in the end can't deliver. 5/5

By Azadeh Khaleghi on 11/28/2021

While I had some Photoshop skills before taking Chris's courses, I lacked the confidence to land a graphic design job. After completing the course, however, I was surprised to secure a position despite my coworkers having years more experience. The knowledge I gained from Chris exceeded theirs, boosting my confidence and improving my work dramatically. I owe my professional growth to him immensely. He's not only a skilled teacher but also a generous individual who readily shares his expertise.

By Bence Erdesz on 4/12/2021

Great course overall. It provides a quite solid basic knowledge of Webdesign, specifically for Photoshop which can help you to start your (freelance) career. The only thing I miss is the introduction of current design trends through the projects presented in the course (there are newer versions of the projects, although these versions should be refreshed based on current trends, in my opinion).

By Kinga Kamilla Gidofalvi on 4/9/2021

It was a very good and professional course. It helped me a lot, because it gave me totally different view about web-designing. I had no idea that is possible to design beautiful websites without knowing how to code, so a big thank you for showing me this side of the web-designing. Though it would have been better if the last 3 section wouldn`t be made with designs from 2011-2012. Even if they were updated with a newer design, at the end, the designing process seemed a little bit outdated. Despite of this, it was a fantastic learning experience and I can`t wait to start my new course from Chris. :D

By Aleksandra Dolna on 2/16/2021

Chris is an excellent teacher. I started the course knowing absolutely nothing about Web Design or Photoshop. Having finished the course, I can say that I now have a decent amount of knowledge and have developed many designing skills. Chris and his Teaching Assistant are very responsive - each time I asked for feedback I received it within 24 hours. I can 100% recommend it and I'm sure that I will buy another one of Chris' courses (if not more). Thank you for everything I've learned!

By Harold Martinez on 11/14/2020

So far everything is good

By Maiada alassil on 11/7/2020

yes i like it
its matching my goals

By Glen Ufton on 11/7/2020

Excellent course, - very clear audio & video, all concepts explained in thorough detail, nothing that leaves you wondering how to do something - I would highly recommend this course to anyone - who wants a good, solid foundation in Photoshop, I'm learning so much. so quickly - the "veil of mystery" & initial intimidation that can be present around Photoshop is being lifted & cleared more with every lesson - 10/10

By Madhur Sharma on 9/26/2020

Great content,Chris has really done a great job in making this course.I'll recommend it to those who want to learn web design

By Tom Kivnek on 9/25/2020

Amazing course, which really introduced me to this kind of business. Great content and on top of it all amazing voice over. Thank you so much for this amazing course!

By Jo Ann Burns on 9/23/2020

The Photoshop Community is an invaluable resource that I am looking forward to participate in. It's encouraging to know there will be support during this course and after its completion. Thank you!

Showing 12 of 347 reviews