STEP by STEP / Enhance scenes with the Develop persona

1 Crop and darken

Grab the Crop tool, set Mode: Original Ratio in the tool options then drag to crop the photo. Next go to the Basic panel. Lower the exposure to darken the image, revealing detail in the sky, then check Shadows/highlights and lift the Shadows. Increase Clarity to enhance the textures.

3 Lighten the gap

Go to the Overlays panel on the right and click the new Paint Overlay icon at the bottom. Use the Overlay Paint tool to paint over the gap in the cliffs, then go to the Basic panel and lift Exposure and Shadows to lighten the area, creating greater contrast with the cliffs in front.

5 Apply colour toning

Go to the Overlays panel and click on ‘Master’ then go to the Tones panel. Check ‘Curve’ and plot an S-shape curve line as shown to boost the contrast. Next check Black and White and Split Toning, then choose colours for the highlights and shadows as shown.

2 Lift the cliffs

Grab the Overlay Paint tool and check ‘Edge Aware’ in the tool options at the top, then paint over the cliffs.

If the brush messes up, switch to the Overlay Erase tool to remove areas. Go to the Basic panel and set Exposure 1, Blackpoint 3%, Brightness 24%, Contrast 30%.

4 Boost the sea

Use the Overlay Gradient tool, set Mode: Linear in the tool options then drag down from the top of the frame to add a gradient to the sky. Then go to the Basic panel and lower Exposure to darken. Next add a new Overlay Paint adjustment, then paint over the sea and lighten the area.

6 Reduce noise

Go to the Details panel, check Detail Refinement and use the sliders to apply sharpening. Increase the Noise Reduction Luminance slider to remove noise. A before/ after split view can be helpful (click the circle icon at the top). Once done, click the Develop button at top left.