Common photo problems and how to fix them in Photoshop: #15 My sunsets look insipid

Photoshop white balance and channel mixer
(Image credit: James Paterson)

Oh no! You get those fabulous sunset images on to your computer and discover they show a fraction of the vibrance and colour you saw with your naked eye. There are various technical and perceptual reasons for this, but the bottom line is that you need to fix it, and we show you how!

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James Paterson

The lead technique writer on Digital Camera MagazinePhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine and N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine, James is a fantastic general practice photographer with an enviable array of skills across every genre of photography. 


Whether it's flash photography techniques like stroboscopic portraits, astrophotography projects like photographing the Northern Lights, or turning sound into art by making paint dance on a set of speakers, James' tutorials and projects are as creative as they are enjoyable. 


He's also a wizard at the dark arts of Photoshop, Lightroom and Affinity Photo, and is capable of some genuine black magic in the digital darkroom, making him one of the leading authorities on photo editing software and techniques.