Fix Blown Out Highlights in ON1 Photo RAW Using Gradient Masks
- ON1 Photo RAW
- 04:35
- Beginner
Blown out skies can ruin an otherwise great landscape photo. In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to use a gradient mask in ON1 Photo RAW 2026 to target overexposed highlights and recover detail without darkening your entire image.
You’ll learn how to:
- Detect highlight clipping
- Apply a gradient mask for precise local adjustments
- Recover detail in clouds
- Protect foreground tones while fixing the sky
This is a fast, practical workflow you can apply to almost any landscape image.
App & Feature
Skill Level
11 Comments
Jude PereiraFebruary 23, 2026
Thank you!!! Please keep these tutorials coming, they really help.
Pradeep KumarMarch 2, 2026
I want regular tutorials like these. Please keep posting.
Kathy RodgersMarch 2, 2026
Excellent tip – thank you!!
LARRY FANSLERMarch 2, 2026
Thank you!!! Please keep these tutorials coming, they really help.
John AndersonMarch 2, 2026
Thanks, Dylan. I do forget to consider the gradient mask in some of these less obvious situations. But, why wouldn’t you just use the “Sky” mask to fix a blown-out sky?
Inder DaftariMarch 2, 2026
A great tip. Thanks a lot
Peter ByeMarch 2, 2026
Thanks. I have the same question as John Anderson. Why not just use the “sky” mask to select the sky. It may be necessary to adjust the mask a bit, especially where it meets the snow, but there would be no need to adjust for having darkened the mountains.
Barry CooksonMarch 4, 2026
More on daily tasks such as swapping faces between groups
Solving issues in portraits such as not being able to auto remove red eye.
Ability to add shapes eg arrows to photos.
Phillip BurnMarch 5, 2026
Another option would be to use Local adjustment, select sky and use that mask to do the same. I have been doing this to a lot of my photos with blown out highlights in the sky. I usually use the highlights slider and sometimes combined with exposure to get a very satisfactory result. Admittedly I sometimes have to brush out areas close to the horizon that the mask assumes is part of the sky.
Joseph ApiceApril 15, 2026
Excellent tuorial. Maybe the developers of ON1 might want to consider adding an option for Top or Bottome when using a gradient Mask. I know it’s not much work but a quick clik of the mouse might make it easier tan rotating the gradient and probable keep the mask straighter along the horizontal. Just a thought.
Uli BenkeMay 12, 2026
…great tip
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