Luminar 4: Controlling the Image with Gradient Masks

[@chiangmaicharlies]

Classically great tutorial - thank you.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much for watching!

[@Ilene1020]

Thanks Jim for this gradient masking tutorial and the other on radial masks. So powerful!

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Ilene!

[@take2studio187]

Wonderful videos! I just recently got Luminar 4. I’m going back and watching all your tutorials. Thank you.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much and hope the videos help!

[@SRWatcher]

Great tutorials. They've helped tons. Extremely helpful.

[@JimNix]

I'm glad to hear that, thanks for watching!

[@LonStar3000]

Another great tutorial! Please keep on making them! Your workflow is pure genius! Love it!

[@JimNix]

oh awesome, thanks so much and glad you enjoy these Lonnie! more soon for sure!

[@colinmelhuish1254]

Superb result. learning more about masking.Great presentation.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Colin!

[@RSX28]

Thanks Jim. Your videos have been very helpful and educational.

[@JimNix]

I'm glad to hear that, thanks for watching.

[@trevorwright6165]

hello Jim and thank you for the lesson I will be watching this a few times to get it to sink into my brain cell this view is only along the coast from me in East Sussex I am in west Sussex so nice to know you have been around here thank Jim for a fun edit all the best from trev

[@JimNix]

thanks much and it's a lovely part of the world!

[@JensChrStrandos]

Excellent tutorial!

[@JimNix]

thank you so much!

[@brucewiebe6490]

Think I might finally be getting a handle on when and why to use layers. Thanks

[@JimNix]

thanks Bruce and hope these videos are helping!

[@jackhill8246]

Great tutorial Jim!

[@JimNix]

thanks so much Jack!

[@jeffupton5899]

Thanks Jim...I always learn a lot from your videos...on rare occasion I have had AI Sky Replacement not recognize the sky (sky and foreground were very similar)...do you know if I am able to use a gradient mask to set the sky area and then apply a sky replacement?

[@JimNix]

Hi Jeff and thanks for watching, and yes you can add a new image layer of the sky, then use a gradient mask to mask in onto the base layer. It works great if you have a flat horizon like in this example photo, but if you have a bumpy horizon or trees etc it would be hard to get right. Thanks.

[@myraposner486]

This is exactly what I needed help with! I definitely will rewatch. Thank you!

[@JimNix]

glad to hear that Myra and thanks for watching!

[@Scubabuddy9958]

I have really enjoyed you series on masking and have been experimenting with more with masks. In this video, you mention aspect ratios. An idea for a future video would be on when to use which aspect ratios. You mention 21x9 is great for landscape - I have never used it but will try this as I have a number of landscape photos. When would other aspect ratios be suitable? Thanks again for all the great advice.

[@JimNix]

thanks much Mark and truthfully I just change aspect ratios when I feel like it will enhance the shot - a wide one like 21:9 would cut out a lot of dead space so it works on an image like this one but otherwise I just experiment with them and go by feel mostly

[@ipadwong9507]

Hi Jim, a nice presentation on Gradient masks/layers. May I know do you recommend such 4 layer practice for similar landscape pictures [original (untouched), gradient mask for lower portion, gradient mask for the sky and the last touch up layer]?

[@JimNix]

Thanks much and I actually recommend that you experiment and find out what works best for you. I use this technique a lot, but not on every landscape. It really just depends on the picture and what you need/want to do with it. Thanks for watching!

[@ipadwong9507]

@@JimNix I shall practice per your video step by step, thank you for your quick answer.

[@davidbloom2968]

Hi Jim, Another beautiful edit. A question please. I am seeing a reddish halo around the sun. It goes into the clouds, below the sun and carries off to the left. What causes that? It doesn't look natural. thanks

[@JimNix]

Good question and that was slightly there in the base photo but of course it got amped up with my use of Golden Hour. Thanks for watching.

[@adidiewald6230]

Hi Jim, it's so much fun to watch your tutorials on image editing and improve my skills in the process. Much better than some cinema movies :-) It's amazing every time how you transform a RAW file into a moody photo. Some things remind me of the creation of Bob Ross' paintings on TV - with the difference that I never managed to bring similar pictures to the canvas. So working with Luminar is much easier... especially thanks to your inspiration. Thank you very much and stay healthy, Adi.

[@JimNix]

thanks so much for the kind words Adi, I appreciate it very much and stay healthy out there as well!

[@1derment]

Thanks Jim just what I needed to understand gradient masks. I was right there on the hill in Eastbourne last summer but sadly didn't stay for the sunset.

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching and that's a good excuse to go back ;-)

[@bradmeacham6982]

Jim... I really liked your editing end result. A lot. However, I'm confused about some of the global adjustments layer changes versus the masked foreground and sky layers adjustments. I fully admit I may be missing something important, but aren't some of the masked layer adjustments being negated, or reversed by the global layer adjustments?

[@JimNix]

thanks Brad and good question, and depending on the edit, yes some global changes can (partially) negate what I did earlier, and that happens a lot in my videos - I generally go by how the image feels and looks to me, and just focus on getting to an end result that I like, so inevitably some of my edits tend to slightly reverse some previous edits, and that is ok with me - hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@onthemove301]

I've been using Luminar, off and on, for a couple of years and I just learned something useful. I think some of the edits a little OTT, but there's no doubt the final result is more attention grabbing than the original.

[@JimNix]

thanks Tony and yes I do like big bold colors but glad you learned something here - and thanks for watching!

[@bendesignsmedia]

Thanks for your videos Jim. I am trying to learn Luminar and really struggling with how the different layers system works because it is very different than Lightroom. Do you have a video on the layers system? It seems like I can only copy edits that are on adjustment layers and not edits that are applied to the base photo, is that right? It also seems like I can't turn off a lower layer without turning off all layers above it.

[@JimNix]

Hi there and yes here is a video about how Layers work in Luminar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iX7MdK2CfbOnY68 Hopefully that helps. You can copy edits in different ways, depending on what you are trying to do.And yes if you click on a lower layer, the ones above it turn off. Thanks.

[@bendesignsmedia]

@@JimNix Thanks a lot Jim, that helps out

[@JimNix]

@@bendesignsmedia you're welcome

[@jer3006]

Your initial image looked pretty good until we got into the editing and saw what it could become. A funny thought occurred to me: What is the most edited area in the image? The part between the foreground and the sun. That skinny region was affected by the base layer global edits, then by the fading area of the first gradient mask, then again by the inverted fading area of the 2nd gradient mask, then again by the touch up layer global edits. Those little pixels had their heads spinning! Pixel abuse, maybe? 🤣 But I understood what you were doing, Jim. I'm learning. Thank you! 👍

[@JimNix]

haha thanks, pixel abuse, that's pretty funny! I had a good time with this image for sure - thanks for watching!

[@amaabdul7908]

You can do this in Light-room more effective, what is the difference ?

[@JimNix]

Well, the difference is that this is in Luminar and I am demonstrating how it works. Plus Luminar has a lot more to offer than LR does in my opinion.

[@JimNix]

@Mike Armstrong LOL that's true, forgot about that one

[@dilipparasu7476]

Sorry no words 😁😁

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching!

[@vincepalmer9518]

Oh my...I have to confess after watching all of your Luminar tutorials I did not realize a Gradient Mask only affects the lower portion of the image...shame on me!!

[@JimNix]

Hey Vince, it will impact EITHER the top or the bottom, depending on how you place it. When you set up the mask you can set it up either way. Hope that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@mbrylewski]

I know Beachy head!

[@JimNix]

it's a beautiful spot for sure!

[@guy3206]

should I say Peeerfect ? Yeah :-))

[@JimNix]

thanks for watching Guy!