step By step right on target

Use Lightroom’s HSL sliders to enhance and fine-tune the colours in your photos

01 Go Solo

Import TYLR17.DNG into the Develop module. Rightclick on any panel and choose Solo Mode; now, when you click to open one panel, the previous one closes. Open the Basic panel. Drag the Shadows slider right to +47. This targets and lightens the shadows.

02 darken the Sky

Click the Graduated Filter icon. Choose Exposure from the Effect menu. Set the Exposure slider to -1.39 and other sliders to 0. Click at top of the frame and drag down to the horizon to create a gentle graduated tonal adjustment that darkens the image top. Click Done.

03 Expand the tonal range

The histogram doesn’t reach the far right, indicating the photo lacks strong highlights. Click the far right of the histogram window and the Whites slider becomes highlighted. Click-and-drag right to set the Whites slider to +45. You now have a wider ranger of tones.

04 Selectively boost the Colours

Click the HSL panel, then the Saturation tab. Drag the Orange slider to +71 to boost the sunset without altering the rest of the photo. If you’re not sure which colours are present in an area, click on the Targeted Adjustment tool, then on a green hill to target it.

05 Make targeted adjustments

Click-and-drag upwards on the hill to sample its colours and increase their saturation. This causes the Green and Yellow sliders to move to the right. Stop dragging up when Yellow is around +49 and Green +26. You can manually tweak individual sliders too.

06 lighten the hills

Click the Luminance tab. Click on a hill with the Targeted Adjustment tool, drag up until Yellows hit +71. Drag the Green slider to +86. The lighter yellows have blown out the sky. Click on the Graduated Filter icon, then its Edit pin, and drag Exposure to -1.93.