Photographing sunsets can be tricky for even more experienced photographers. The sheer amount of light available and how our cameras process it makes it difficult.

The truth is, even if you expose the highlights when photographing a sunset (another discussion entirely), a good portion of your image will likely be too dark. Additionally, sunset images can become oversaturated at the point of capture.

In this tutorial, we will show you several different ways to edit a sunset in Photoshop, covering three very common scenarios.

How to Edit a Whitewashed Sunset in Camera Raw

When we let our smartphone camera's automatic adjustments make the decisions for us, our sunset images run the risk of turning out way too bright or "whitewashed." It’s also easy to make this mistake in the editing process.

In the following example, we make use of the Radial Filters available in Adobe Camera Raw to darken the image selectively. This will help make your sunset photo more interesting, and not so flat in appearance.

Related: How to Use Adobe Camera Raw as a Smart Object in Photoshop

You can download the same image from Pexels and follow along.

Let’s get started!

  1. Press Ctrl + J to create a duplicate layer. 
    create a duplicate layer tree
  2. Right-click on the duplicate layer, and select Convert to Smart Object.
    convert to smart object tree
  3. Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.
    go to Camera Raw Filter ocean
  4. Select Radial Filter in the far-right vertical menu. Left-click on the middle of the sun.
    create radial filter ocean
  5. Using the four Box Handles, expand the Radial Filter until the circle fills the screen, and the top and bottom portions vanish outside the frame.
    expand handles of circle ocean
  6. Enter these values for each of the following sliders: Temperature +59; Exposure -.45; Contrast +69; Highlights -60; Shadows -20; Whites +18; Blacks -46; Saturation +16.
    Enter values for radial filter ocean
  7. Click on Edit. Next, scroll down to Effects and enter these values: Grain 20; Vignetting -32. Then, click Ok to return to Photoshop.
    add vignette ocean
  8. With the duplicate layer highlighted, reduce the Opacity to 82 percent.
    reduce opacity ocean

Since we have created a Smart Object, it’s possible to return to Camera Raw and make further adjustments. All you have to do is double-click on the Camera Raw Filter in the layer.

How to Add the Sun Using Camera Raw

There will be times when you'll want to create the sun from scratch if it’s completely missing or obscured by elements in the background.

Once again, we will make use of Radial Filters to get the job done. We will also use the Brush tool to shape the sun realistically.

You can download the same image from Pexels and follow along.

  1. Press Ctrl + J to create a duplicate layer.
    duplicate layer boardwalk
  2. Right-click on the duplicate layer, and select Convert to Smart Object.
    convert to smart object boardwalk
  3. Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.
    go to camera raw filter flower
  4. Select Radial Filter in the far-right vertical menu. Left-click where you estimate the middle of the sun would be just below the horizon.
    create radial just below sun boardwalk
  5. Using the four Box Handles, reduce the Radial Filter until the circle is accurate enough to portray the actual size of the sun.
    use handles to make radial smaller boardwalk
  6. Enter these values for each of the following sliders: Feather 59; Exposure +4.00; Contrast +65; Highlights +34; Whites +36; Saturation +21. Then, click Ok to return to Photoshop.
    enter these values in sliders boardwalk
  7. With the duplicate layer highlighted, create a Layer Mask by clicking on the Add a Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the screen.
    add a layer mask boardwalk
  8. Press B for the Brush tool. Then, select Soft Round Brush in the brush settings.
    press B for the Brush tool boardwalk
  9. Toggle the X key to make the Foreground Color Black.
    Toggle foreground color to Black
  10. Using your mouse, paint out the sun from the mountains to give the appearance of a setting sun.
    Paint out the sun boardwalk

As you do this, here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • You can zoom in on the image to make painting easier by clicking Ctrl and the + key. To decrease zoom, click Ctrl and the - key. To return to full screen, click Ctrl + 0.
  • To navigate around the screen using the Hand tool, keep the spacebar pressed and move your mouse.
  • Use the bracket keys [] to increase or decrease the size of your Brush.
  • You can press Ctrl + Z to easily undo any mistakes.

How to Edit an Underexposed and Oversaturated Sunset

One of the most common problems with sunset photos is a combination of underexposure and oversaturation. This is to say, there are portions of the image that are way too dark and have too much of a certain color, either in the reds, yellows, or both.

In this example, we will build upon what we’ve already learned using Radial Filters by adding a second one. Additionally, we will add Graduated Filters to finesse the fine details out of the darkened areas of the photo.

You can download the same image from Pexels and follow along.

  1. Press Ctrl + J to create a duplicate layer. 
    duplicate layer city
  2. Right-click on the duplicate layer, and select Convert to Smart Object.
    convert to smart object city
  3. Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter.
    go to camera raw city
  4. Select Radial Filter in the far-right vertical menu. Left-click to place your first Radial Filter near the middle of the sun.
    create radial filter city
  5. Using the four Box Handles, increase the size of the filter so it’s slightly larger than the sun.
    make radial larger than sun city
  6. Enter these values for each of the following sliders: Feather 59; Whites 46; Blacks +2; Saturation -31.
    enter slider values city
  7. Left-click to place another Radial Filter among the buildings in the midground. Right-click and select Reset Local Correction Settings.
    create second radial filter city
  8. Using the four Box Handles, increase the size of the filter so it expands well outside the screen in order to cover the entire image.
    adjust the handles outside the frame city
  9. Enter these values for each of the following sliders: Feather 100, Exposure +.65; Highlights +7; Shadows +26; Blacks +19; Saturation +17.
    enter these values city
  10. Click on the Graduated Filter icon in the far-right vertical menu. Create your first Graduated Filter by clicking on the bottom of the screen and dragging the handle all the way to the top of the screen.
  11. Then, enter these values for each of the following sliders: Exposure -.35; Contrast +100; Highlights +21; Shadows +100; Blacks +31; Dehaze -42.
    create first graduated filter city
  12. Create your second Graduated Filter by left-clicking the top of your screen. Then, drag the filter down towards the middle of the image. From here, right-click and select Reset Local Correction Settings.
  13. Then, enter these values for each of the following sliders: Exposure +.70; Contrast -7; Highlights -100; Shadows +19; Dehaze -11; Saturation -21. Click Ok to return to Photoshop.
    create second graduated filter city

Let’s continue editing in Photoshop. We’re going to create a Saturation Mask and then group our layers together in order to mask out some of the effects.

Related: How to Creatively Use Hue/Saturation Adjustments in Photoshop

Adding a Saturation Mask and Grouping Layers

  1. Make sure the duplicate layer is highlighted, then click on the Create a New Layer icon. 
    create a new blank layer city
  2. Create a Stamp Visible layer by hitting Shift + Ctrl + Alt + E.
    create stamp visible layer city
  3. Go to Filter > Other > HSB/HSL.
    create HSL adjustment city
  4. In the popup dialogue box, make sure RGB is selected under Input Mode. Under Row Order, select HSL, and then click Ok.
    choose HSL city
  5. Go to Channels. Select RGB + Ctrl.
    click on RGB city
  6. Go back to the Layers tab. Delete the duplicate layer by dragging it down to the Trash icon.
    delete duplicate layer city
  7. With the Background layer selected, create a Hue/Saturation layer.
    create hue saturation layer city
  8. A Saturation Mask will be created above the Background layer. Click on RGB in the dropdown menu and then choose Reds. Change the Saturation to -39 and the Lightness to +19.
    go to red channel city
  9. Then, select Yellows in the dropdown menu. Change the Saturation to -19 and the Lightness to +42.
    go to yellow channel city
  10. Click on the Hue/Saturation layer and then Shift + Click on the duplicate layer below it. Then, click on the Create a New Group icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
    Group layers city
  11. Click on the Create A Mask icon at the bottom-right corner of the screen.
    create a layer mask city
  12. Press B for the Brush tool. Then, select Soft Round Brush in the brush settings.
    choose soft round brush city
  13. Toggle the X key to make the Foreground Color Black.
    change foreground color to black
  14. With Flow set to 10 percent, paint away the effects to create a natural-looking vignette.
    paint in vignette in mask

Tackling the Steep Learning Curve of Editing Sunsets

Photographing sunsets (and editing them) could probably be one of the most difficult tasks that millions of picture-takers around the globe contend with. After reviewing these examples, it’s easy to see why. There are so many variables that need to be considered in order to make that perfect sunset photo.

kicking water at sunset

It is our hope that you now have a better understanding of how to edit your sunsets in Photoshop. But if by chance you end up with a bad sunset, there are other editing options available to make your photos shine nevertheless.

Image Credit: Abhiram Prakash/Pexels