Travel & Photography Magazine
Six steps to add a warm, cinematic tone to your tropical and coastal images! Scroll to find @awonderseeker’s editing process, and read below how he achieves this look step by step! #ColorProWithMe
“This series features some of my favorite images from Ao Nang—especially the first, with Krabi’s iconic cliffs. The RAW felt flat at first, but in post, it began to match the memory I had.
My goal with the edit was to enhance the tropical feel by balancing warmth with natural richness, using deep greens and soft peachy-beige tones for a harmonious, summery look. Let’s take a closer look at how I approached the photo:
Camera settings
Nikon D3500
Nikon AF-P 18-55 F3.5
ISO 200
Aperture 6.3
Shutter speed 1/250 seconds
RAW file
The RAW palette, with soft gray-green, near-white sky, muted warm gray, deep green-black, and earthy olives, had a cool-toned, natural look. To add emotional depth, I followed these steps:
Step 1) Basic adjustments
1.1) Tone
Exposure -0,70
Contrast +15
Highlights -80
Shadows +55
Whites -15
Blacks +25
1.2) Presence
Texture +5
Clarity -15
Vibrance +10
Saturation -5
Step 2) Remove distracting elements
Step 3) Masking to accentuate light sources
Step 4) Curve adjustments
Step 5) Color mixer
5.1) Green
Hue +15
Saturation -25
Luminance +10
5.2) Yellow
Hue +15
Luminance +5
5.3) Aqua
Saturation -20
Step 6) Color grading
Edited palette
f9e8de – Warm, peachy highlight
495549 – Deep forest green
7d7f71 – Softer mid-gray with a green tint
b5aa92 – Warm beige
5d7036 – Vibrant olive-lime tone
With a few steps, the palette shifts toward a warm, cinematic tone—golden light, deeper greens, and muted shadows—making the image more inviting and atmospheric.
The balance of cool and warm tones mirrors tropical lighting, where lush foliage meets soft sunlight. Muted greens paired with warm highlights create natural contrast without tension, gently guiding your eye through the scene without loud colors.” @colorpro: We hope you enjoyed this detailed process by @awonderseeker! Join our #ColorProWithMe contest to win the ColorPro VP2776T-4K monitor by showing us how you capture #StillStreets with emotion! 🎨📸