Create lighting effects using Gradient Maps in Photoshop

Create lighting effects using Gradient Maps in Photoshop

In this Photoshop tutorial by Unmesh Dinda from Piximperfect you will learn an interesting technique to completely mold and control light in Photoshop using Gradient Maps along with amazing light effects to add drama, depth, and dimension.

In this video, learn how to manipulate multiple levels of light. Whether you want to remove shiny flash hotspots or add more shine, make harsh light soft or soft light harsh, with Gradient Maps, you can control almost everything. Gradient Map allows you to control what happens in different brightness/darkness levels of the photo. It goes further than highlights, shadows, and mid-tones and lets you divide the tones into even more smaller pieces. As many pieces as you desire. In this tutorial, we will learn how to use this to our advantage and controls every aspect and level of light.

Get tutorials & freebies delivered to you.

Subscribe to the Photoshop Roadmap newsletter, a weekly roundup of new tutorials, insights and quality downloads, trusted by 6500+ readers.

You might also like

How to Use AI Object Masking in Camera Raw for Targeted Exposure Adjustments

Selecting complex foreground elements — detailed trees, people, motion-blurred figures — used to mean hours of careful masking work. The AI-powered object selection inside Camera Raw changes that entirely, letting you make rough brush strokes and still walk away with a precise, editable mask. Combined with a non-destructive smart...

How to Remove Wrinkles and Replace Backdrops in Post-Production

Wrinkled fabric backdrops, uneven lighting, and backgrounds that don't quite fill the frame are common problems when shooting on a budget. Fixing them manually through dodge and burn, frequency separation, or content-aware fill can eat up significant editing time — especially across a full shoot's worth...

Pixel Stretch Effect in Photoshop Using the Single Column Marquee Tool

The pixel stretch effect takes a single column of pixels from a subject and extends it horizontally across the frame, creating a sharp, graphic streak that suggests speed or energy. It works on portraits, athletes, and objects alike, and the entire process relies on just a few basic Photoshop tools...

How to Assign a Custom Keyboard Shortcut to Select Subject in Photoshop

Navigating to Select > Subject every time you need to isolate a subject adds up to a surprising amount of wasted clicks. Photoshop lets you assign a custom keyboard shortcut to almost any menu command — including Select Subject — so you can trigger it instantly without touching the menus. Watch the...

You’ve successfully subscribed to Photoshop Roadmap
Welcome back! You’ve successfully signed in.
Great! You’ve successfully signed up.
Success! Your email is updated.
Your link has expired
Success! Check your email for magic link to sign-in.