Lightroom Classic · Lesson 19Masking: Linear Gradient
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Lightroom Classic — Lesson 19
The Oldest Darkroom Trick.
Landscape photographers once held glass filters in front of their lenses to tame a bright sky. The Linear Gradient mask in Lightroom does the same thing — with far more control, applied after the shot.
🌅The Linear Gradient is your digital graduated neutral density filter — adjustable, non-destructive, and powerful enough to replace glass entirely.
Where to Find It
Masking Panel → Linear Gradient
Press M in Develop to open the Masking panel and immediately arm the Linear Gradient tool. Or click the Masking icon and choose Linear Gradient from the dropdown.
1
Open the Masking panel — press M or click the mask icon
The Masking panel unifies Graduated Filter, Radial Filter, and Adjustment Brush from older Lightroom versions. Everything is here.
2
Click "Create New Mask" → Linear Gradient
A mask layer is created and the crosshair cursor appears, ready to drag. Adjustment sliders appear in the right panel.
3
Drag across the image — hold Shift to constrain to 90°
Click and drag from full effect to zero effect. Shift+drag keeps the gradient perfectly horizontal or vertical — essential for sky work.
⌨️M is the fastest path — it opens the panel and arms the tool in one keystroke. Learn this shortcut.
Core Concept
Full Effect → Zero Effect
Linear Gradient — Mask Density
100% — Full Adjustment
0% — No Effect
Where you start draggingWhere you stop dragging
🎯
Start point = 100%
Full adjustment strength. For a sky gradient, start here at the top of the frame.
🔚
End point = 0%
No adjustment here. For a sky gradient, release at the horizon line.
💡The distance you drag = how gradual the fade is. Long drag = soft transition. Short drag = sharp edge.
Handle System
The Three Pins
After drawing, three handles appear. Each controls a different aspect of the gradient.
▲
Top Pin — 100% Effect Edge
Drag to reposition just the full-strength edge. Move it up to reduce the amount of image affected. Move it down to extend where the full effect reaches.
●
Center Pin — Move the Whole Gradient
Drag to reposition the entire gradient without changing width or rotation. Also: hover the cursor near the centerline to get a rotate cursor — drag to angle the gradient.
▼
Bottom Pin — 0% Effect Edge
Drag to reposition where the effect fades to nothing. Move it farther from the top pin for a wider, softer transition. Bring it closer for a sharper edge.
✅All three pins are adjustable at any time. Nothing is locked in when you release the mouse — you can always come back and refine.
Repositioning
Moving and Rotating
Two different interactions — know which one you need.
↕️
Move — Drag Center Pin
Click and drag the center circular pin. The entire gradient slides with it — position, width, and rotation all stay fixed.
↻
Rotate — Hover the Line
Move the cursor to the centerline between top and bottom pins. Cursor changes to rotate icon. Drag to pivot the gradient. Useful for tilted horizons.
⇅
Widen or narrow — drag top or bottom pin independently
Drag the top pin farther from center to widen the transition. Drag the bottom pin to adjust the other side. Both can be set asymmetrically.
⇔
Hold Shift while dragging to constrain to 90° angles
Keeps the gradient perfectly horizontal or vertical. Critical for landscape sky gradients — a slightly tilted gradient is visually obvious.
🔁To delete a gradient: click its center pin to select it, then press Delete/Backspace. The whole mask is removed.
Classic Use #1
Darkening a Bright Sky
Start here — 100% darkening
End here — foreground unaffected
1
Press M · Hold Shift · Drag from top of frame down past the horizon
Starting above the frame edge ensures the very top of the image gets 100% effect — no lighter strip at the top edge.
2
Reduce Exposure –0.5 to –1.5 stops
Watch the sky darken while the foreground stays untouched. Also pull Highlights down to –50 or lower to recover cloud detail.
3
Optional: reduce Texture and Clarity in the sky
–Texture cuts haze in the sky. –Clarity softens the overall feel. Both work inside the mask without affecting the foreground.
☁️Start the drag above the top edge of the frame for a wider, more natural-looking sky transition.
Classic Use #2
Brightening a Dark Foreground
Start here — 100% brightening
End here — sky unaffected
⬆️
Drag Bottom-Up
Start at the bottom of the frame and drag upward to the horizon. Raise Exposure +0.5 to +1.0 and push Shadows up to lift shadow detail.
🌿
Add Clarity
Increase Clarity +15–25 inside the foreground mask to bring back texture in rocks, vegetation, and water — often crushed in the shadow areas.
🌿Use Shadows + Blacks rather than just Exposure for a more natural foreground lift — targets dark zones without clipping midtones.
Color Application
Adding Color to the Gradient
Every mask has its own Temperature, Tint, Saturation, and Color swatch — same sliders you use globally, now zone-specific.
🌅
Warm the Sky
On the sky gradient: push Temperature +15–30. Add +Magenta (+10) to make sunset tones richer. Cuts the flat gray-blue of overcast skies.
🌊
Cool the Foreground
On the foreground gradient: pull Temperature –10–20. Shadows naturally feel cooler. This color contrast between sky and ground adds depth.
Color Swatch — Inside Every Mask
At the bottom of the mask adjustment panel there is a Color swatch. Click it to add a direct color tint to the gradient area — like a colored gel over that zone only. Use sparingly for natural looks.
🎨Warm sky + cool foreground = immediate depth and cinematic separation. This is the most common creative landscape color technique.
Gradient Width
Feathering the Transition
The drag distance controls how gradual or abrupt the transition is.
Wide — Subtle
Long drag → gradual fade. The edge is hard to see. Best for natural exposure correction. Usually preferred.
Tight — Dramatic
Short drag → sharp edge. Visible if adjustment is strong. Use intentionally for graphic or cinematic looks.
⚠️ Visible band problem: If you can see a hard line where the gradient ends, the gradient is too short or the adjustment is too strong. Fix: drag the top or bottom pin to widen the transition, or reduce the Exposure value.
📐For sky gradients: drag at least one-third of the image height for a natural-looking result. Shorter is riskier.
Stacking
Multiple Gradients
Each gradient is a separate mask layer with its own independent adjustment sliders.
Mask 1 — Sky (Top → Down)
Exposure –1.2 · Highlights –60 · Temperature +18
Mask 2 — Foreground (Bottom → Up)
Exposure +0.6 · Shadows +45 · Clarity +20
Mask 3 — Edge (Left → Right)
Exposure –0.4 · Natural edge vignette
Add New Mask = independent mask with its own sliders (use this for sky + foreground) Add to Mask = adds area to the same mask (use for touch-up brushwork on an existing gradient)
➕After drawing the first gradient, click "Add New Mask" in the Masking panel to start a second independent gradient. Each has its own full slider set.
Advanced
Range Mask
Restrict the gradient to only affect specific tones — the biggest upgrade over any glass filter.
1
Draw your sky gradient as normal, apply your adjustments
At this point the gradient may be darkening bright foreground elements near the horizon — sunlit peaks, reflective water, etc.
2
Scroll down to Range Mask — change "None" to "Luminance"
This adds a brightness filter on top of the gradient. Only pixels within the set luminance range receive the adjustment.
3
Click the eyedropper — click on the sky in your photo
Lightroom auto-sets the luminance range to match sky tones. Dark foreground elements within the gradient zone are automatically excluded. Shift+click to expand the selection to include more sky areas.
4
Adjust Smoothness (50–80 for natural results)
Smoothness controls how gradually the boundary between included and excluded tones feathers. Too low = harsh, artificial edge. Too high = the Range Mask loses its precision.
⭐A physical GND filter darkens sunlit peaks at the horizon. Range Mask excludes them. This is why digital beats glass.
Hands-On Challenge
Try It Right Now
Find a landscape with a bright sky and a dark foreground. Work through both gradients. Click each step as you complete it.
Press M · Hold Shift · Drag from top of frame down to the horizon line
Reduce Exposure –1.0 and pull Highlights to –50 — watch the sky darken
Push Temperature +15 on the sky gradient for a warmer feel
Click "Add New Mask" → Linear Gradient · Drag from bottom up to horizon
Raise Exposure +0.6, Shadows +40, Clarity +15 on the foreground mask
Try a Luminance Range Mask on the sky gradient — use the eyedropper to sample sky
Press \ (backslash) to compare before and after your edits
Recap + What's Next
3 Things to Remember
1
Drag = Direction + Width
Start where you want 100% effect. Stop at 0%. Long drag = soft. Short drag = sharp. Shift constrains to 90°. All adjustable after.
2
Stack Independent Masks
Sky gradient + foreground gradient = two separate masks with their own sliders. Add New Mask for each zone — not Add to Mask.
3
Range Mask = Precision
Add Luminance or Color Range Mask to restrict the gradient to only the tones that need it. Excludes bright foreground areas automatically.
Lesson 20 — Lightroom Classic
Masking: Radial Gradient
The same power as the Linear Gradient — in an ellipse. Spotlight a subject, add directional vignettes, and use the Invert toggle to apply adjustments to everything outside a circle. The most flexible masking tool in Lightroom.