Table of Contents
- Why Are Twilight Photos So Powerful in Real Estate?
- How to Create Twilight Photos Without an Evening Shoot
- PhotoUp Can Help You Create Stunning Twilight Photos
Twilight photo editing is one of the most captivating edits to showcase real estate photography. The warm, glowing lights of a home against a vibrant, dusk-colored sky create an inviting and luxurious atmosphere that grabs viewers’ attention.
However, capturing the perfect twilight shot can be a challenge, as it requires precise timing, additional lighting, and ideal weather conditions.
Fortunately, professional day-to-dusk conversions offer a simple and effective alternative to achieve stunning twilight images without the need for an actual evening shoot.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to transform ordinary daylight photos into breathtaking twilight shots and why this technique is essential for real estate marketing.
Why Are Twilight Photos So Powerful in Real Estate?
According to recent studies, using a twilight image as the listing’s main photo averaged 76% more views than listings without the use of twilight images.
Twilight images evoke a sense of warmth, comfort, and elegance, making properties appear more inviting and desirable.
Here’s why they are so effective in real estate marketing:
| Increased Visual Appeal – The soft, warm glow of interior and exterior lights against a twilight sky creates a striking contrast that draws the viewer’s eye. |
| Emotional Connection – Twilight photos evoke a sense of home and relaxation, helping potential buyers imagine themselves living in the space. |
| Enhanced Listing Performance – Listings featuring twilight photos tend to attract more clicks and engagement compared to standard daytime shots. |
| Highlight Distinctive Architectural Elements – During the twilight hour, the play of light and shadow works wonders in highlighting the unique architectural features of a property. |
| Stand Out from the Competition – With many real estate listings featuring standard daytime images, a well-executed twilight photo sets a property apart in a crowded market. In fact, twilight photography, which captures properties during the golden hour, increases showings by 3x times. |
| Will Help Sell Listings Faster – Real estate twilight photos enhance a property’s appeal, attracting more inquiries and increasing the chances of a quick sale. |
With their ability to captivate buyers and elevate a listing’s appeal, twilight photos are a powerful tool for making properties shine in a competitive market.
Here are some more statistics on the powerful impact of twilight real estate photography:
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Knowing the powerful impact of twilight images, let’s take a look at how to create them in post-processing.
How to Create Twilight Photos Without an Evening Shoot
Rather than waiting for the perfect twilight moment, professional day-to-dusk conversions allow you to achieve the same effect using advanced photo editing techniques.
To learn how to perform this edit, you can either watch the video tutorial or continue reading the text below:
Here’s how the process works:
Capture a High-Quality Daytime Photo
To get started, take well-exposed photos of the property during daylight hours with a clear sky if possible.
Ensure that the lights inside and outside the house are turned on to create a natural glow during the editing process.
Now, let’s move on to the actual editing process.
Start With the Windows
Step 1. Import your image into Lightroom and do basic adjustments. Make it a little darker as it’s a dusk image.
Step 2. Next, create a Virtual Copy.
Step 3. On that copy, adjust the glow of the windows to make it look like the light is on. Boost the Exposure and Temperature to create a glowing effect.
Step 4. Now, move your images into Photoshop.
Step 5. In Photoshop, make the Window Layer on top and add an Inverted Mask (press and hold the ALT key while clicking the Masking button).
Step 6. Select the windows using the Pen Tool (P), then press the Delete button.
Step 7. Next, add an Outer Glow using the Layer style.
Step 8. Within the Layer Style, use the Sliders to adjust to an appropriate level.
Next, Edit the Sky
Once you’re happy with the windows of the house, it’s time to work on the sky:
Step 1. Duplicate the base photo and go to the Channel panel and duplicate the Blue channel.
Step 2. Adjust the Levels in the Sky by pressing CTRL – L on your keyboard.
Step 3. Select the Non-Sky area, make it black, and use the Dodge Brush (O) to lighten the sky.
Step 4. Now, you want to Load the Channel as a Selection, and then click the Masking button.
Step 5. Next, Import the dusk sky photo that you want to use behind the building.
Step 6. Adjust its position and make sure to Blend it properly with the house. E.g you may want to use the Burn Tool to darken the house overall. Then, Save the new image.
Step 7. Back in Lightroom, you can make one or two adjustments to the white balance until you’re happy with the final product.
Use the Dusk Scene to Showcase the Property
Keep in mind that you’re showcasing a home for a potential buyer and not trying to create an award-winning nature photograph.
The dusk scene is there to show off the best features of the property and put the viewers in a calm, welcoming state of mind, so they look favorably on the listing.
The goal is to make home buyers think of themselves living in this incredible home and taking in the beautiful evening sunset.
Final Adjustments for a Seamless Look
To make the final adjustments to your images, make sure to remove any unwanted elements and clutter. Also, remember to edit out harsh shadows or artificial lighting discrepancies to create a flawless image.
Lastly, ensure high-resolution images and vibrant colors to optimize your images for real estate listing platforms.
And there you have it! You’ve now learned the 101 of twilight photo editing.
If you don’t have time to develop these editing skills and just want to be out in the field shooting amazing property photos, we have the perfect solution for you – introducing PhotoUp!
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PhotoUp Can Help You Create Stunning Twilight Photos
If you’re a real estate photographer or agent looking to add professional twilight photos to your listings without the hassle of an evening shoot, PhotoUp offers a reliable and high-quality solution.
Our expert real estate photo editors specialize in day-to-dusk conversions, transforming ordinary daytime shots into eye-catching twilight masterpieces.
Except for twilight editing, we also offer other common edits like:
- Improper exposure levels
- Harsh shadows, lack of light, etc.
- Blurred images that were taken without a tripod
- Images that need cropping or other effects
- Lawn greening and sky replacements
- Clutter and object removal
- Line and angle corrections
- HDR blending
- And much more!
We will handle all types of issues – from basic to complex editing!
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Why Choose PhotoUp?
Here are some reasons why you should consider outsourcing your editing to PhotoUp:
One of the Most Affordable Photo Editing Services
Starting at just $1.50 per image for on-demand editing, PhotoUp offers cost-effective solutions that fit within any photographer’s budget.
With a dedicated editor, the price can go as low as $0.50 per image depending on the editing batch.
Fast Turnaround Time
Get your edited photos back in less than 24 hours for basic editing and 48 hours for virtual staging, allowing you to meet tight deadlines without compromising quality.
User-Friendly System
Easily upload, manage, and store your photos with PhotoUp’s intuitive platform.
It also allows you to provide feedback and communicate with your editing team in just a few clicks.
High-Quality Edits All the Time
Whether you need basic corrections or advanced enhancements, PhotoUp ensures that your images are polished and professional, helping you stand out in the competitive real estate market.
More Time to Shoot Properties
By outsourcing your editing to PhotoUp, you can focus on what you do best—capturing stunning images—while their expert team takes care of the post-processing.
This allows you to deliver impeccable photos to clients, correct common mistakes effortlessly, and elevate your real estate photography business to the next level.
A One-Stop Shop for Real Estate Marketing
Additionally, PhotoUp offers other powerful real estate marketing services like:
- Virtual staging
- Virtual house tours
- Real Estate Photographer Websites
- Single property websites
- House portraits
- Property flyers
- Floor plans
- And Virtual Assistants
Adding these additional services to your toolkit will allow you to expand your product offerings and become more valuable to your agent clients.
Together with PhotoUp, you can quickly grow and scale your business!
How to Get Started
Here’s a step-by-step guide to using PhotoUp:
Step 1. Sign up for a free PhotoUp account.
Step 2. Upload your photos to our easy-to-use software.
Step 3. Choose the level of editing that you need and provide instructions (optional).
Step 4. Wait for PhotoUp professional editors to edit and return the photos in less than 24 hours (48 hours for virtual staging).
Step 5. Download and start using your beautifully edited photos.
PhotoUp Real Estate Photo Editing Uploader Demo
Watch how easy it is to get started with PhotoUp in our real estate photo editing uploader demo:
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With PhotoUp’s professional twilight editing services, you can create compelling real estate photos that attract more buyers and close deals faster—without ever having to wait for the perfect sunset.
Sign up for a free PhotoUp account today and let our team of expert editors help you create stunning and eye-catching real estate photos!
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We hope this blog post helped you learn how to create stunning twilight photos without an evening shot. Before you go, you may also want to check out some related resources:
