Photoshop Tutorial - Improving Sunsets

1. Introduction

Here's a nice way to improve a sunset image or create one, so long as you're shooting against the sun to produce a good contrast between the subject and the sky.

2. The Effect

2.1 Click here to see the original image and click on the original image to return to this page.

2.2 Click here to see the effect and click on the effect image to return to this page.

2.3 Click here to return back to the main Photoshop page.

3. Keystrokes

3.1 Open the selected image; File>Open, and navigate to the folder holding the image to be processed and open it.

3.2 Check that the default colours in the toolbox are set for black and white as the foreground and background respectively.

3.3 Carry out any general editing work prior to creating the effect and reduce the image size to around 1035 x 690 pixels.

3.4 Selecting the 'background' layer, copy it and rename it 'sunset'.

3.5 Working from the 'Sunset' layer, create a Gradient Map by clicking onto the 'create an adjustment layer' from the bottom of the layer palette, selecting 'Gradient Map' from the drop menu.

3.6 Click into the window of the 'Gradient Map' and the 'Gradient Editor' window will appear. From the 'Gradient Editor', double click on the left hand side colour stop, selecting a red say 'cc0000' from the colour picker. Click OK. Double click on the right hand side colour stop, selecting a yellow say 'ffcc00' from the colour picker. Click OKand click OK to the Gradient Map.

You will notice that the darker pixels in the image will have been replaced by red and the lighter pixels replaced by yellow ones.

3.7 Click on the 'Blending Mode' drop menu within the 'Layers Palette' and select 'overlay'

3.8 Reduce the 'opacity' of the 'Gradient Map' to suit your taste.