Graduated Filter - why 100% applied “behind” the starting point?

[Jonas Weiss]

Lightroom Version Number

Classic

Operating System

1. Windows 10

I have situations in which the fact that the grad filter applies at 100% behind the direction you drag is problematic. I want it to start where I click, not just start fading there. Does that make sense? I have a tree line in the middle of a field of flowers that I want affected — just that slice. I don’t want the entire sky above it changed.

So far I’ve had to use the erase brush. Any other way?

Hello to all, and thank you very kindly for any ideas!

Jonas

 

[prbimages]

I would use the radial filter. Create a very wide and narrow one, centred on the area you want most affected (the tree line you mention). You can set the zoom level in the Navigator panel to something very low (12% maybe) so that your image appears small in the workspace, then you can drag out the radial filter much wider than the image itself. If you do this, the top and bottom curves of the radial filter will be almost horizontally "flat", similar to using the graduated filter.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Yes, either that or add a second graduated filter that only covers the part you do not want to change, and has the opposite settings of the first filter.

 

[Jonas Weiss]

I would use the radial filter. Create a very wide and narrow one, centred on the area you want most affected (the tree line you mention). You can set the zoom level in the Navigator panel to something very low (12% maybe) so that your image appears small in the workspace, then you can drag out the radial filter much wider than the image itself. If you do this, the top and bottom curves of the radial filter will be almost horizontally "flat", similar to using the graduated filter.

Thank you so much! I’ll try this.

 

[Jonas Weiss]

Yes, either that or add a second graduated filter that only covers the part you do not want to change, and has the opposite settings of the first filter.

Thank you! I don’t think I understand how this will work. it will not fully erase the area I want unaffected, right, it will cast a gradient instead. Correct?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Thank you! I don’t think I understand how this will work. it will not fully erase the area I want unaffected, right, it will cast a gradient instead. Correct?

Of course I do not know what exactly your gradient does, but suppose it increases the exposure with +0.5. Then the second gradient that you put on top of it (but that you do not drag as far as the first) should be -0.5 exposure. The result is that in the area where both gradients overlap, it’s like there is no filter at all because +0.5 and -0.5 cancel each other out.

 

[dpirazzi]

Sounds like you could use the masking feature of the gradient filter to eliminate applying the effect on the sky. Either luminance or color masking might work, hard to say without seeing the image. I do this frequently to prevent a filter from affecting the sky.

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Sounds like you could use the masking feature of the gradient filter to eliminate applying the effect on the sky. Either luminance or color masking might work, hard to say without seeing the image. I do this frequently to prevent a filter from affecting the sky.

With ‘masking feature’ I suppose you mean ‘range mask’. I use that a lot too, but I doubt it will be useful for what the OP wants in this case.

 

[prbimages]

Another possibility is to use the brush tool. To brush along a straight line, click at one end of the line, then press SHIFT and click at the other end - the tool will automatically fill in the area between the two clicks in a straight line. Adjust the "Size" and "Feather" amounts appropriately before you start.