5 Tutorial: Warm Golden Sunsets With Gradient Maps preview

In this Adobe Photoshop tutorial, we're going to look at how to easily improve and enhance a photo of a sunset using a Gradient Map!

When I think of the perfect sunset photo, my mind immediately fills with lots of warm reds, oranges and yellows as the sun gently sets across the water or beyond the hills. Sunsets are one of the most commonly photographed aspects of nature, and yet photos rarely manage to capture their intense beauty. What was once a sky filled with rich, golden hues often ends up looking cooler, less vivid, and ultimately less interesting.

Here's a photo I took one summer evening at the beach:

I like how the sun is getting ready to dip below the horizon as a boat heads out across the lake, but the colors are quite muted and dull. They could definitely use a little help.

Here's how the photo will look after a quick and easy adjustment using a Gradient Map: