Learn how to make your sunrise and sunset images pop with this simple colour enhancement technique. By using either natural colour sampled from the image or adding a similar tone selected from the Color Picker in Photoshop, you can make your golden hour shots even more eye-catching while maintaining a natural appearance.
The great thing about this technique is just how effective it can be for enhancing the colours that already exist in a sunrise or sunset shot. And the results are so natural even the keenest eye wouldn’t be able to identify the technique has been used. And it doesn’t matter whether the sunrise or sunset was muted or bursting with colour because this technique will work perfectly with both. So how does it work?
The technique works by sampling natural colour that already exists in the sunrise or sunset. The next step is to paint this colour into an empty Layer over the sky and to then use Blending modes and Apply Image to add a degree of transparency, and to target lighter tones for a more natural looking result. It’s so simple and incredibly effective. Not to mention addictive because of how it enhances landscape photography.
Enhance sunrise and sunset images tutorial
Before and after sky enhancement
Before
After
In the before and after example above you’ll see how the technique warms up the sky on the right and ultimately enhances the image in a way that looks completely natural. This image features a fairly subtle sunset, but even vivid sunsets can benefit from this technique. So if you want to make your sunrise and sunset shots pop, this is how to do it.
Check out more of my tutorial videos here on my blog or visit www.youtube.com/jamesabbottphoto
To take a look at more of my landscape photography click here