Tips and Tricks

Using Glamour Glow on Skies and Clouds

3 Comments
I used the Glamour Glow filter on the sky (right) to tone down the harsh look of the clouds in this HDR image.
I used the Glamour Glow filter on the sky (right) to tone down the harsh look of the clouds in this HDR image (click to enlarge).

Of the 55 filters in Color Efex Pro 4, one of the most versatile is “Glamour Glow.” This filter creates a softening effect with a mild glow that is most often used in portraits. However, I’ve found it to be a perfect choice for smoothing out skies in HDR images and landscapes. To get this effect, you’ll want to add the Glamour Glow filter in Color Efex Pro 4 and dial up the saturation slider a bit. Then, use Control Points to restrict the effect to just the sky. You may need to use a combination of plus (+) and minus (-) Control Points to get the look just right.

Here’s a video tutorial of how I use Glamour Glow on HDR/Landscape images:

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/2sGj97ZztI0″ title=”Color%20Efex%20Pro%204%20Glamour%20Glow%20effect%20on%20skies%20and%20clouds” autohide=”1″ fs=”1″]

Master all 55 Color Efex Pro filters with the complete guide from Jason Odell
The Photographer’s Guide to Color Efex Pro 4.

3 thoughts on “Using Glamour Glow on Skies and Clouds”

  1. That’s just plain brilliant, Jason! The clouds look so much better.

    Thanks,

    Danielle

  2. Great tutorial. Shows me that I need to really dig into my C 4 and really learn that plug-in.
    Thanks Much,
    Jerome

  3. Well, well, so you have deleted my comments again?:) You still only want to hear the nice words isn’t it Jason? Nice this, nice that? It seems a bit of criticism is not your piece of cake, is it?

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