Using the Affinity Photo Gradient Tool for Landscape Photo Editing

[@howardeurovine127]

Thanks Robin, your gentle relaxed style gets the message across nicely. Just what I needed! 👍🏻

[@RobinWhalley]

You’re welcome 😊 Thank you

[@JohnPal-ek9gq]

There are other folk doing these sorts of instructional clips about Affinity. But from the many others I've tried, Robin is simply the best and is my go to guide.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you. It's good to know that I can help.

[@Patricksstrategy]

Robin, you display a combination of consummate knowledge and relaxed learner orientated skills. Thank you so much for your inspiring tuition.

[@RobinWhalley]

Wow, thank you! I'm pleased that you like it.

[@tompatton2086]

This could not have been explained any better. Thank you Robin for a very helpful tutorial. 🙂

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ozymet]

@@RobinWhalley Very Very helpful, thank you

[@RobinWhalley]

@@ozymet You're welcome

[@marktaylor9579]

Brilliant Robin, thank you. I've tried to use the gradient tool before but never been successful - until this wonderfully easy to understand video. Thank you again.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MRAminDE]

After stopping using Photoshop and Lightroom I was feeling a bit stuck. Now slowly overcoming these technical obstacles. with others help. Thank you so much for your very helpful video and your efforts to teach us this valuable technique. :)

[@RobinWhalley]

Happy to help and I'm glad you are fining my videos useful.

[@trevorburton4429]

Thank you Robin. This is a masterclass in a tool that I find more confusing than any other in Affinity Photo. Like an earlier commentator I will need to watch it again, but also have to write it down for my own future reference. Many thanks again.

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome. It isn't the easiest of tools to use because it isn't obvious what you can do with it.

[@meicharries2249]

I thoroughly enjoyed watching your video which encapsulates many of the techniques I need to improve my landscape photography. It was an enjoyable tutorial. I have subscribed to your channel and will look out for your videos as you release them. Thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you. I'm gald you enjoyed the videos and I hiope you enjoy others in the future.

[@lerkkweed]

Wonderful. Gonna watch it again to glean every last detail. Thanks.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you

[@elmafudd9703]

Thank you. This needs a Macro recording to keep my life from ebbing away evertime I want to grade something.

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome.

[@duncanlawler6426]

Top Drawer tutorial. Clear and eazy to follow. Thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you.

[@marekp2845]

Thanks for your movie. Now it is clear and very simple!

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks

[@SalahSalahez]

Thanks for this. You are great

[@RobinWhalley]

You're very welcome! Thank you.

[@paulreid7761]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you.

[@walkingtalkies3566]

Nice video Robin... Can you please do a complete tutorial on Affinity Photo with examples ? There are very few comprehensive tutorials..

[@RobinWhalley]

I'm sorry but that would be just too much to do and effectively a very long course. There is just too much in Affinity Photo.

[@etclife4060]

super useful man ..

[@RobinWhalley]

Glad it helped Thanks

[@dexmcluskey4832]

Brilliant! Thanks!

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome! Thank you

[@ianbrowne9304]

Thanks for that idea Robin; I will look into it seeing Affinity can't make a simple grad like the one in Lr5 or as remember On1 has. To be totally honest, I find the Ap grad tool (and in the past PS) too complicated/powerful/overkill for basic graduations that most photographers might use.

[@RobinWhalley]

You need to use the Overlays feature in the Develop Persona if you want a simple gradient like Lightroom.

[@kenalexander8714]

Thank you for this video on using the gradient tool to change the bright sky. I've been looking for a gradient/ND tool as in LR, PS and DxO. Perhaps these are more simplistic but seem a lot more straight forward to use. I guess it's going to take more practice as this seems more powerful. The demo use of this tool in your Essential Affinity Photo book seems more like how I've been used to using a graduated filter in these programs.

[@RobinWhalley]

I think the example you are refering to in my book might be the Overlay Gradient Tool rather than the regular Gradient Tool covered in this video. That could account for the different way it's used. Thanks also for buying my book. I hope that you are finding it helpful.

[@kenalexander8714]

Thank you Robin and yes it's the overlay. Enjoying the book and working through. I've also got your other book AFFINITY PHOTO on Kindle which I will go through after. It's so handy having the images to follow the explanations and work throughs. Regards Ken Alexander.

[@RobinWhalley]

@@kenalexander8714 That's great to hear. Thank you.

[@meicharries2249]

Hi Robin. Thank you. I have, since last post tried (and tried and tried) to extend your technique by isolating the foreground and background using a Mask Layer with no success. ( I have a similar image but with a small mound of stones in the centre foreground which extends into the sky and therefore want to mask the fill effect from this and the foreground). Is this possible or perhaps you can suggest a few steps that I can explore to investigate this approach - if viable. I consider myself an enthusiastic amateur. Many thanks Meic

[@RobinWhalley]

Yes it is. See my recent video about how to blur the background of an image. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2SQY6t-iqySbJY You can use the same technique to select the foreground and separate it from the background (sky). It's then possible to apply the Gradient technique to only the sky.

[@meicharries2249]

Thanks Robin. Your solution works well. Also, the video tutorial you created relating specifically to background blur was great too! I tried the technique using an image downloaded from Pixabuy. Thanks again and Nadolig Llawen - Merry Christmas to you.

[@David-Neilson]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@RobinWhalley]

Thanks for watching.

[@justalittledaf]

Question: Say you make an Eliptical Gradient Overlay on one part of an image. Is there a way to "invert" this same overlay, so you can basically mask out whatever adjustments you just did on the Eliptical Gradient Overlay you just worked on, so you can now Only affect the other portion of the image ONLY? NOTE: I realize you can just create a 2nd Gradient Overlay for the other portion of the image and then seperately do whatever adjustments you want to on this 2nd Overlay, but this seems like a long way to go about getting the desired results. I want to know if while working on the initial Eliptical Gradient Overlay if you can just "invert" that overlay, and then just go straight to working on the other portion of the image, or do you have to create a 2nd overlay?

[@RobinWhalley]

When you have the Gradient Tool seelcted, there is a button in the toolbar at the top showing a curved arrow. It's next to the last on the right. Click this and it will reverse the gradient.

[@justalittledaf]

@@RobinWhalley Is there a way to do this ("invert" an OVERLAY) in the DEVELOP Persona (NOT in the PHOTO Persona?

[@RobinWhalley]

@@justalittledaf No, there isn't. Sorry, I was confused by your question because this video is about Gradients and not overlays.

[@freetibet1000]

Thanks for a useful tutorial! An additional useful function is to be able to set individual opacities (0-100%) for each colour point on the gradient scale to further fine-tune our gradient.

[@RobinWhalley]

You're quite right and it's a very useful feature. I decided not to cover that or adding new points to the gradient because I felt the video was starting to get complicated.

[@freetibet1000]

@@RobinWhalley Ah, I hade a feeling that was the reason Robin! Maybe a subject for a follow-up video for the future? Thanks for all the fantastic tutorials you have produced throughout the years. It has been immensely helpful to me. Especially those concerning Affinity Photo and Capture One.

[@RobinWhalley]

@@freetibet1000 Quite possibly. It's a tricky task trying to make a video as simple as possible but not too simple.

[@freetibet1000]

@@RobinWhalley I think many of your followers would agree that so far you have done a marvelous job at accomplish just that Robin!

[@RobinWhalley]

@@freetibet1000 Thank you

[@dt..retired8462]

Thanks for this Robin. Can I ask a question. I understand how this tool can be used when there is virtually a straight line, like a horizon, to separate the gradient. But how do I deal with, for example, a picture of a group of people where those seated at the front are in more shadow than those standing at the back and I want to lighten just those seated. There is obviously no defined horizontal line to work with. Any suggestions?

[@RobinWhalley]

From your description, I wouldn't use the Linear Gradient Tool. Depending on the image and exactly what you wanted to achieve, you may be able to achieve the results by switching to a radial gradient. It's the same tool but you can change the gradient type in the toolbar. But for most irregular shaped areas I would brush in an adjustment using the levels or curves adjustment layer and a mask. If you're not confident using masks, I covered some of the basics in this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZ3PaYmgjKmDnpo

[@javiervvgarcia9650]

Excellent vídeo! Question: is there any way to apply a bilateral (or double linear) graduate filter? Thank you.

[@RobinWhalley]

I’m sure you can using two layers.

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

As usual, 👍👍👍🙏

[@RobinWhalley]

Thank you

[@Argyll9846]

Why does a radial gradient fill outside the dragged extend with a solid colour? In Photoshop it's transparent but this is not the case in Affinity. Gradient implies that the colors fade from the strongest colour to secondary then to nothing. Although I can see that Affinity is powerful, it does some nutty stuff with layers and gradients.

[@RobinWhalley]

When Adobe upgraded the Gradient tool a couple of years ago they made the Gradient layer work a lot like the Affinity Photo gradient. This allows you to continue adjusting the gradient and transition. Where Photoshop is better is that it has presets you can select between. It sounds like you have been using the transparent to black preset which Photoshop then defaults to. In Affinity Photo the default is the White to Black transition. To make this transparent to black you just select the Gradient editor, click the white swatch and set the Opacity to 0%. It isn't nutty, it's just a different way of working.

[@rbelatamas]

thanks

[@RobinWhalley]

You're welcome!

[@nigelblanchard5571]

Be great if you made the image available so that we could follow along with you on these videos.

[@RobinWhalley]

Sorry, I can't make this one available as a very similar one is for sale with my agency.

[@Dr23rippa]

This Castleshaw?

[@RobinWhalley]

It’s Standedge but yes, that’s castleshaw reservoir in the distance. Well spotted.

[@allanmarshall4582]

Have to watch again I think. A little too much to take in. In one go.

[@RobinWhalley]

I hope that's a good thing.

[@petermaddern6653]

I set up a laptop next to my desktop and follow along stopping and starting your instructions. Have to go through the process several times for ones like this. Thank you Robin.

[@Genesis_3v15]

Maybe im just dense, but these programs seem phenomenally difficult and time consuming 🥴

[@RobinWhalley]

Yes they are difficult and time consuming, but they are designed to be pro level photo editing and compositing tools. If you don't need total control over every aspect of the editing workflow then they are probably too cpomplex for your needs.

[@Genesis_3v15]

@@RobinWhalley Yes I can appreciate that. I think it may be a good time for me to subscribe to your channel :) Thanks for your reply.

[@tonywhittle6520]

Affinity insanely complicated, non intuitive.

[@RobinWhalley]

Probably not the software for you then.