How to Create Dramatic Moody Landscapes in Lightroom

Lightroom Post Processing

Capturing a dramatic and moody landscape can transform an ordinary scene into something truly breathtaking — full of depth, emotion, and mystery. And recreating this atmospheric look in Lightroom is much easier than you might think. Today, I’ll show you how you can create a dramatic moody landscape effect, and by the end, you’ll also have your very own preset ready to apply to future images with just one click.

But before we begin, and if you want to follow this tutorial exactly as described, please download the following free image from Unsplash: Download

Step 1

Open your image in Lightroom.

Step 2

Go to the Develop tab.

Step 3

Expand the "Basic" tab and apply the following settings.

Step 4

Next, expand the "Tone Curve" tab, be sure to have the "Point Curve" selected and and click 3 times anywhere on the curve to add 3 new control points.

Step 5

Set each control point to the following Input/Output values:

1. 0-15
2. 65-60
3. 128-128
4. 190-195
5. 255-255

Step 6

Expand the "Color Mixer" tab and apply the following settings.

Step 7

Expand the "Color Grading" tab, select the "Shadows" and apply the following settings.

Step 8

Still in the Color Grading tab, select the "Highlights" and apply the following settings.

Step 9

Lastly, expand the "Effects" tab and apply the following settings.

Step 10

If you plan to use this effect on more images, a good idea is to save all of these settings as a new Preset. To do that, on the left panel, click on the "Add New Presets" icon and from the dropdown menu select "Create Preset".

Step 11

In the "New Develop Preset" window, give your preset a name and click the "Create" button. This will create a new preset that you can later use over any other image you want.

Conclusion:

Now that you know how to create a Dramatic Moody Landscape effect in Lightroom, you can easily apply your new preset to any other landscape photo and make small adjustments as needed to perfectly match the mood and atmosphere you’re aiming for.