Blender has a thriving and prolific online community. Here are our favorite places to watch Blender content and tutorials on YouTube.

A key factor of the Blender community (to me) is that since the software is free, it creates a community that’s so much less gatekeeper-oriented than other software communities. Every Blender-related discord or forum I’ve been on is extremely supportive, excited, and welcoming. Everyone is always just so eager to help. The community really seems to want to see others using blender and having fun with it. This is a huge aspect as to why I’ve enjoyed diving into the software.

This comes in no short order as it relates to knowledge and information about the software. There are mountains and mountains of awesome content and tutorials about Blender, and most of it is completely free and on YouTube.

I thought I’d compile a list of the ten channels that really helped me get up to speed on Blender.

Now, as is often stated when speaking of “good places to get started with Blender,” I’m going to go ahead and skip past what may be some of the more staple choices—like BlenderGuru (if you haven’t, watch the donut and anvil series) or CG Geek. These are AMAZING channels, and I 100% think you should check them out. But, I thought I’d highlight some of the lesser-known or up-and-coming channels here.

Enjoy these ten FANTASTIC Blender channels (listed in no particular order).

1. Polyfjord

Polyfjord is definitely one of my favorite Blender channels. He hasn’t done a ton of tutorials yet, but the ones he has done have definitely changed the way I use Blender. I feel like his videos really capture the essence of what makes Blender special in terms of its feature set. He finds methods and ways to use certain things that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. And, because he’s a good teacher, you retain the information.

2. InLightVFX

InLightVFX is another channel that may not have a huge library yet, but what’s there is truly fantastic. This is a channel that I’m excited to watch as it grows. The thing that I enjoy most about this channel is that the workflows and techniques presented and taught will have you up-and-running in professional environments, as Blender is still kind of incorrectly looked at as more of a hobbyist tool. The techniques you’ll learn and the way it’s presented brings Blender (as a software) into a more production-based echelon, which it’s more than capable of.

This is where you go if you want to learn how to do things the correct way, and be entertained while doing so.

3. CGBoost

CGBoost is definitely one of those channels that provides a wealth of information that you often feel like you should be paying for. While Zach Reinhardt (the host of the channel) does have some paid courses available, he gives quite a bit of his information away for free. I think my favorite part of his channel is that it covers advanced and beginner topics quite evenly. This recent action editor rigging tutorial blew my mind.

4. Peter France

Peter France is someone who you may recognize as a member of the Corridor Crew over at Corridor Digital, but he has his own channel where he hands out some of his easily digestible and impressively efficient techniques for getting super fun and interesting renders. Every time he’s dropped a video on his channel, I learn something I didn’t know Blender could do. I just hope he’s able to find the time to make more amazing content for this channel soon.

5. PopNerd

PopNerd is a newer, much smaller channel than the others (so far). However, the information on this channel is terrific for beginner Blender users, and there are definitely some new tricks for advanced users in here as well. My favorite thing about this channel is that most of the videos are short, and there are no wasted words or time in them. Usually within six to eight minutes, you’ve learned some cool new tricks and learned to make an impressive render.

6. DECODED

DECODED is a channel that pops up for me time and time again as I’m looking for a specific technique or answer. I find that the information in his videos is always succinct and presented well. He does a lot of videos about up-and-coming changes in the software as updates roll out. I like to head to his channel periodically to stay updated with what’s going on with Blender.

7. Ian Hubert

Ian Hubert has become somewhat synonymous with Blender as of late, and for good reason. So, I’m sure it’s no surprise I’ve included him in this list. I’ve always been a fan of his work. And, through my time with Blender, I’ve found his channel to be one of my most frequent visits for learning and getting inspired. He’s generous with information about some of his mind-blowing techniques and has become popular for his lazy tutorials.

8. Blender Secrets

Blender Secrets is a channel that pops up for me all the time when I’m searching for things. This channel consistently delivers on quick, to-the-point tutorials that do exactly what they say on the tin. Most of the videos are one to two minutes and, when it’s over, you know how to do the thing you were looking for. You can’t ask for more than that!

9. Gleb Alexandrov

Gleb Alexandrov is a newer discovery for me, but I’ve been digging everything I’ve watched so far. The videos have tremendous production value, and are all taught extremely well. His results always look fantastic, which makes it inspiring to do the same thing and try for a similar quality level in your result. I love when people show what Blender is capable of, even for beginner users.

10. CG Cookie

CG Cookie is kind of a staple Blender channel. As one of the bigger channels on this list, I’ve always enjoyed and appreciated the content they put out for free. If you want, you can pay for some of their much larger courses, but in true Blender fashion, they also provide amazing value at no cost right on their YouTube channel. You can’t go wrong with anything you’ll find on this channel.

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Top Image via Polyfjord’s Real Time Animation Tutorial.