How to Add Sunlight in Photoshop

Co-authored by Jessica McKnight

Last Updated: May 13, 2024

Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program that has been released in 12 versions by Adobe Systems. It is included as part of Adobe's Creative Suite, along with Illustrator, After Effects and other illustration, graphics and animation programs. Photoshop is mostly used to edit pixel-based images, like photography; however, it can also edit vector graphics. Some of the ways you can edit a graphic include: masks, clipping, brushes and filters. This article will tell you how to add sunlight to an image in Photoshop.

Steps

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Do you want the whole thing to be brightened, or do you want to create the illusion of light coming from 1 area in the sky, like the sun?

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You can either use the button on the Layers Palette or select Control and the letter "N" or Command and "N," to get a new layer.
Go to the Filter Menu. Choose "Render" and then "Lighting Effects." A large dialogue box should pop up.
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Choose the style of your lighting. Some good Photoshop sunlight styles of lighting are Default, Soft Spotlight or Soft Omni.
- Experiment with different lighting styles as they will likely differ from picture to picture, depending upon the direction of the light.
Open it to change the color of the light. Sunlight is often yellow or orange, so you will want to experiment with these colors.
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Choose your light properties. These include: Gloss, Material, Exposure and Ambience.
- Similar to the style of paper you use for printing photographs, Gloss determines how much light is reflected on the surface. Choose between Matte and Shiny.
- Material decides if the object color or the light color is more prevalent. You decide on a scale between Plastic and Metallic. Plastic shows the light's color, while Metallic reflects the object's color more.
- Similar to a photograph, exposure decides if the light is negative or positive. Increasing the exposure will lighten the photograph.
- Ambience diffuses the light between different light sources. Similar to how a large light bulb diffuses in a room.

Expert Q&A

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How do you recommend shooting photos in natural light?

Jessica McKnight
Photographer
Jessica McKnight is a Photographer & Business Coach based in Southwest, Florida. She first fell in love with photography at the age of 12 and has maintained that passion ever since. Her studio is currently in downtown Punta Gorda, but she also often travels for her work. Her award-winning technique has earned her "Best of the Best" twice from the Tampa Bay Times. Her work has been featured in countless magazines & publications. Her studio offers boudoir, fashion, headshot/branding, commercial, event, senior portrait, family, children, and engagement/wedding sessions. Jessica McKnight also runs Brilliance Key, a photography coaching & mentoring business that provides one-on-one mentoring, 8-week mastermind groups, workshops, and photography retreats around the globe featuring some of the biggest names in the industry.

Jessica McKnight

Photographer

Expert Answer

First, you need to find a shaded area with minimal harsh shadows, such as under a tree or a building. This helps avoid intense shadows under the eyes. Another option is to shoot on a cloudy day, benefiting from the softbox effect created by the clouds, providing a more natural and soft light. Additionally, consider shooting during sunrise or sunset when the sun's position yields softer light compared to when it's at its peak.

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Save a different copy of the image in its original state.

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The Lighting Effects Filter is available on later versions of Photoshop and CS5.

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Warnings

If you have a 64-bit version of Mac OS, you cannot use Lighting Effects unless you open Photoshop in is 32-bit mode. Open your Photoshop application in Finder. Choose "Get Info" and select "Open in 32 bit mode." Close and restart the program.

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