Editing a sunset photo involves more than just increasing the brightness or contrast. It's about enhancing the mood and bringing out the rich, vibrant tones that make sunsets magical. Using Lightroom, you can transform a good photo into something extraordinary with a few precise adjustments.
Coming to you from Christian Möhrle of The Phlog Photography, this in-depth video walks through the process of turning a landscape photo into a vibrant sunset masterpiece. The first step is to adjust the basic settings. Möhrle starts by changing the color profile from Adobe Color to Adobe Landscape, which boosts the base saturation of the image. By raising the shadows and blacks, he reveals details in darker areas without overexposing the highlights. These adjustments set the stage for more creative tweaks.
White balance is a crucial step in adding warmth to the scene. Möhrle increases the temperature to introduce rich, golden hues while slightly reducing the tint to remove a subtle magenta cast. Adding texture and clarity sharpens the image and boosts mid-tone contrast. A touch of dehaze and vibrance further enhances the colors, making them more vivid without crossing into artificial territory.
Masking takes the edit to another level by using localized adjustments. Möhrle uses a sky selection mask to darken specific areas of the sky, ensuring the top portion doesn’t overpower the rest of the scene. He then layers multiple masks to fine-tune exposure and color in the brightest parts of the sky, introducing more yellow and red tones through the temperature slider and tone curve. This method adds depth and variety, making the sunset appear more dynamic.
Möhrle also focuses on the foreground, applying a linear gradient to emphasize the icy textures and snowflakes while ensuring a natural balance. By increasing contrast and adding blue tones, he creates color contrast that enhances the visual appeal. The central rock is given a 3D effect through selective brightening, making it a strong focal point in the composition.
Color grading ties the entire edit together. Using the color mixer and split toning, Möhrle enhances warm highlights and cool midtones to create a harmonious balance. A final adjustment in the calibration panel shifts blue tones toward cyan, softening a purple color cast and refining the overall look. Möhrle finishes with sharpening and spot removal, ensuring the image is crisp and clean. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Möhrle.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out our latest tutorial, "Photographing the World: Japan II - Discovering Hidden Gems with Elia Locardi!”
