MIMIC NATURAL-LOOKING LIGHT

With care and practice, it’s possible to replicate soft sunlight

1 PROCESS THE RAW FILE

First the RAW file is processed to retain detail across the tonal range. It is important not to clip the highlights in the sky, but similarly you don’t want to crunch the shadows and make them too dark.

2 SET BACKGROUND TONALITY

Photoshop was used to lighten the image and set the basic exposure. In this example, a combination of Curve and blend mode adjustment layers have been used, but there is no single formula.

3 LIGHTEN THE FOREGROUND

A Curves adjustment layer lightens the foreground, but note how the mask has a hard edge along the hill’s edge, in order to keep the distant hills unchanged.

4 CREATE DIRECTION

A suggestion of light travelling from right to left is created by darkening the outsides of the image. Note the mask used: all edges are soft and its shape reflects the landscape below it.

5 FINESSE THE IMAGE

The image is refined by darkening down the clouds, vignetting the edges and adding some colour saturation. In practice, these refinements are made at various stages throughout the process.

6 ADD THE SUNBEAM

To enhance the light as though there were a sunbeam hitting the centre of the foreground hill, we need a mask using a hard edge for the top of the hill, but soft edges to mimic sunlight in the foreground.