Photo How To

So you scouted out a promising location, used your best tools and techniques, yet the photos you captured are far less impressive that you expected due to problematic daytime light. You can return just before sunset and try again, or you can mimic a stunning Golden Hour effect by using the editing technique demonstrated in this beginner-friendly Lightroom tutorial.

Instructor Roni Sidu is an accomplished British pro specializing in shooting and post-processing tutorials for capturing spectacular moments in time. This 12-minute video is the latest installment in his series of straightforward Lightroom lessons for accomplishing a variety of common tasks.

Sidu's method involves seven simple steps that result in a transformation that's nothing short of remarkable. We're pretty sure you'll be convinced as soon as you compare his before/after images. And if you download the sample file with a link beneath the video you can make the changes yourself as they're explained. Then it will be easy to apply the technique to any of your own daytime shots.

The process begins by darkening the photo in a somewhat surprising way. He pulls Lightroom's Exposure slider all the way down until the image almost appears black. He then creates a mask and selects a Linear Gradient, drags it all the way to the top, modifies the Feather, and intersects his mask with the sky.

Now that you have a perfect mask of the sky, it's time to Invert it so that Lightroom will create a mask of everything but the top portion of the shot. Then you can easily adjust various attributes in the lower half of the image. Sidu modifies exposure, tint, whites, saturation, and other variables that contribute to a vibrant and eye-catching sunset effect.

Next comes a quick enhancement with Lightroom's Curves tool, followed by the addition of Texture to the familiar buildings in the frame. Now London's iconic Big Ben and Westminster Bridge really come to life. There are a few more tweaks required for refining the edit, so be sure to watch until the end.

Sidu's popular YouTube channel is a great source of information for outdoor photographers who want to elevate their image-editing skillset, so pay a visit when you have time to explore.

We also suggest watching another Lightroom tutorial we posted in which you'll learn how to rehabilitate images with an ugly color cast that will ruin an otherwise great photograph.