Backlight sunset filter & preset
Backlight is a rich sunset look: amber highlights, warm shadows that keep their depth and a glow across the sky, like shooting straight into the last of the sun. Try it on your own photo here, or take it with you as a free Lightroom preset.
Runs in your browser. Your photo is not uploaded.
Free Lightroom preset
On your phone
- Open the .dng in the free Lightroom app, the way you add any photo.
- Open it, tap the three dots at the top, then Create Preset.
- Name it Backlight and tap the check. It now sits in Presets for every photo.
On a computer
- Open Develop in Lightroom Classic, or Edit in Lightroom.
- In Presets, choose Import Presets: the + in Classic, the three dots in Lightroom.
- Pick duper-backlight.xmp. It shows up in the Duper group.
The settings
Every value the preset sets, to dial Backlight in by hand in Lightroom or any editor with the same sliders.
| Exposure | +0.05 EV |
|---|---|
| Contrast | +22 |
| Highlights | -24 |
| Shadows | +4 |
| Whites | +10 |
| Blacks | -16 |
| Clarity | -6 |
|---|---|
| Dehaze | +4 |
| Vibrance | +30 |
| Saturation | +12 |
| Temp | +38 |
|---|---|
| Tint | +10 |
| Shadows | H 20 S 26 L +0 |
|---|---|
| Midtones | H 28 S 12 L +0 |
| Highlights | H 32 S 42 L +0 |
| Blending | +50 |
| Orange | H +0 S +25 L +0 |
|---|---|
| Yellow | H -18 S +5 L +0 |
| Green | H -25 S -20 L +0 |
| Blue | H +0 S -25 L +0 |
| Grain | 10 |
|---|---|
| Size | 25 |
| Roughness | 50 |
| In 0 | Out 4 |
|---|---|
| In 64 | Out 56 |
| In 192 | Out 210 |
| In 255 | Out 254 |
Fujifilm recipe
Shoot the look straight out of camera on a Fujifilm with X-Trans IV or V. A starting point, tuned by eye.
| Film Simulation | Classic Chrome |
|---|---|
| Grain Effect | Weak, Small |
| Color Chrome Effect | Strong |
| Color Chrome FX Blue | Weak |
| White Balance | Daylight, +4 Red & -5 Blue |
| Dynamic Range | DR400 |
| Highlight | -1 |
| Shadow | +1 |
| Color | +3 |
| Sharpness | 0 |
| High ISO NR | -4 |
| Clarity | -2 |
| ISO | Auto, up to 3200 |
| Exposure Compensation | +1/3 |
Shoot toward the low sun and expose for the sky.
On other photos
Copy any look
Found a photo with an edit you love? Share the post to Duper from Instagram or Pinterest and its look lands on your photos and videos, matched to each one. You get its Lightroom preset and Fujifilm recipe too. Coming from filter packs? See how Duper works as a VSCO alternative.
Questions
Is the Backlight preset free?
Yes. Both files are free to download and use on your own photos, with no sign up. The .dng works in the free Lightroom mobile app and the .xmp in Lightroom Classic or Lightroom on a computer.
What photos does Backlight work on?
Photos shot toward a low sun: the hour before sunset, a sunrise, light coming through hair or grass. On a flat daytime photo it still warms everything up, but the glow comes from light that is already in the shot.
How is it different from Golden Hour?
Golden Hour is soft and pale, a honey tint over lifted shadows. Backlight is richer and deeper: stronger amber in the highlights, warm shadows that keep their depth, and more colour in the sky.
Does this page upload my photo?
No. The look runs in your browser, on your device. Your photo is never sent anywhere, and closing the page clears it.
