Give Photos a Dreamy Twilight Glow with Curves in Lightroom (VIDEO)
If you want a simple post-processing method for creating unique landscape photos that stand out from the crowd, we’ve got you covered in the next five minutes. Instructor Scott Davenport does the trick by demonstrating how to imbue images with a soft, dreamy twilight glow that can’t be ignored.
Davenport is an accomplished landscape photographer and post-processing instructor whose popular YouTube channel is devoting to shooting techniques and editing methods that are appropriate for beginners and experienced shooters alike. Today’s quick episode explores how easy it is to craft this beautiful look in Lightroom using a simple, effective set of three color curves.
The goal of this straightforward edit is to retain a believable, atmospheric look by gently lifting the red channel, pulling down the greens, and subtly raising the blues. He promises that “these targeted adjustments shape color, and light in a natural way, giving you a peaceful, cool-toned glow without pushing things too far.”
Davenport says this selective tweak is particularly useful when your scene includes a strip or band across the frame like a mountain range or other prominent element. It’s one of those “finishing touches” that involves nothing more than a simple mask or two to transform a shot from meh to WOW!
His demonstration image is a beautifully composed landscape shot with a clearly defined foreground, snow-capped peaks across the middle, and a beautiful pink-and-blue sky overhead. The original photo looks pretty great as is but watch the spectacular transformation that occurs after making a trio of simple color-curves adjustments.
Once Davenport determines the specific effect desired, he limits the enhancements to a precise band across the mountains using a pair of linear gradients. The technique involves positioning one gradient from the top down and another from the bottom up, “intersecting them to isolate the band to where the fading twilight kisses the peaks.”
The beauty of this tidy approach is that it enables you to keep the effect where is really matters while retaining clean shadows below and the pretty sky above. Davenport’s instructional YouTube channel offers many image-editing videos like this one, so don’t forget to takes a close look.
And be sure not to miss the related tutorial we posted from another popular instructor who demonstrates how to transform drab landscape images into jaw-dropping photos by adding natural-looking light rays in Lightroom Classic.
