In just five minutes, witness the incredible transformation of a New York street scene, showcasing the transformative capabilities of Lightroom.

 

Introduction

The golden hour has long been celebrated by photographers for its ability to add warmth, depth, and a sense of calm to images. But what if you missed that perfect moment? Or perhaps your image was shot during a bright midday, and you wish to give it that serene twilight feel? Lightroom’s latest masking tools, combined with the power of curves, enable you to create realistic and enchanting twilight effects from any daytime photo. Let’s dive into how to turn your daylight street scenes into stunning evening images.

Step 1: Underexposing the Image

The first step in this transformation is to adjust the overall exposure of your image. Start by underexposing the image by minus five stops. This lays the foundation for creating a darker, evening-like atmosphere. The goal here is to set the stage for more focused adjustments that will bring out specific elements of the scene, helping to guide the viewer’s eye and build the mood.

Step 2: Applying a Linear Gradient Mask

To begin shaping the image into a twilight scene, we use a linear gradient mask. Drag this mask from the bottom of the image all the way to the top, then intercept the mask with the sky. This step ensures that the mask covers everything except the sky.

Invert the mask, so the entire image but the sky is selected. Then, increase the exposure by around 2.5 stops. You’ll notice that the image lightens up, but not too drastically. To further control the effect, boost the whites and use the curves feature to enhance the exposure even further. Because the mask was created as a linear gradient, the effect will be more prominent at the bottom of the image, gradually darkening toward the sky. This gradual transition mimics the natural light gradient seen at twilight.

Step 3: Darkening the Sky with a Sky Mask

Next, let’s focus on the sky to reinforce the evening atmosphere. Create another mask specifically for the sky, and use the curves feature to reduce the exposure. Pull down the whites as well to keep the sky looking darker and moodier. While this might make the image look strange at first, the scene will start to come together as we add more elements.

Step 4: Warming the Image with White Balance Adjustments

Since we’re aiming for a twilight effect, it’s essential to adjust the white balance to warmer tones. Increase the tint to around +25 to add a reddish hue to the image, reminiscent of a setting sun. Additionally, bump up the global whites for better overall contrast, and add a touch of vibrance to bring out those warm colors.

Step 5: Creating the Sunset Horizon

The horizon is one of the most critical elements in a twilight scene. To mimic a sunset, we need to create a new radial gradient mask and place it across the horizon. A wider mask works best to cover more area, creating a smooth transition between the sky and the foreground. Once again, intersect the mask with the sky, and restore the exposure slightly while pulling down the highlights.

Use the temperature and tint sliders to inject those warm sunset tones, and adjust the hue to push the colors slightly into the reds. For an even stronger effect, tweak the curves on the red channel to push those warm tones further, giving the horizon that beautiful evening glow.

Step 6: Enhancing Details on the Buildings

Now that the sky and horizon are looking good, it’s time to focus on the buildings, especially the iconic structures in your scene. Create a radial mask and drag it over the top portion of the buildings that may have lost detail in the darkening process. Use the subject selection tool to focus the mask on the buildings, and then increase the exposure slightly to match the lower part of the structure.

Add warmth using the white balance sliders, and adjust the whites and blacks to ensure the buildings don’t get lost in the shadows. This step helps keep important architectural details visible, while still maintaining the overall evening ambiance.

Step 7: Bringing Attention to the Foreground Elements

Foreground elements, like cars, play a crucial role in creating depth and interest in your image. Select the car (or any other key object) in your foreground using Lightroom’s object selection tool, and create a mask around it. Slightly increase the temperature for a warmer tone, and add some clarity (around +25) to make the object pop against the darker background.

Step 8: Enhancing the Traffic Lights

To add a final touch of realism to the scene, enhance the traffic lights in the image. Boost the saturation to around +50 and increase the luminance to 100 on the brake lights and traffic lights. This subtle touch helps bring out those lights, making them stand out against the evening atmosphere.

Step 9: Adding Creative Flare with Masks and Curves

Now comes the creative part. Illuminate the brake lights by drawing a small radial circle over them and using the curves tool to push the reds. Duplicate the mask to apply the same effect to all the brake lights, adjusting the size to match the light sources.

For green traffic lights, simply drag the red channel in the curves tool toward the aqua greens. This small adjustment creates glowing green traffic lights, adding a realistic and cinematic touch to the scene.

Conclusion

In just a few simple steps, you’ve transformed a bright daytime street scene into an enchanting twilight image. Lightroom’s masking tools and curves make it possible to manipulate light and color with precision, enabling you to create compelling and atmospheric photos even when the original shot was taken in broad daylight.