ON1 Photo RAW 2026: HDR sunrise editing tutorial

Austin Jackson demonstrates an HDR sunrise edit in ON1 Photo RAW 2026, starting with a merged image that has bright highlights and deep foreground shadows. The tutorial assumes the HDR merge is already complete; it does not walk through that step.

An opening field lesson explains exposure bracketing and the spacing between shots. Jackson suggests five images at one EV intervals as a cautious option, or three at one EV for a scene with less dynamic range. These are his shooting recommendations rather than fixed requirements.

The edit begins with global tone adjustments, followed by a curves preset for contrast. Jackson applies an Orton glow preset, then uses an inverted sky mask to restrict the glow to the sky. In the Local tab, he adjusts the sky separately and inverts another sky selection to brighten and warm the foreground without changing the sky's color balance.

For the finishing steps, he selects the yellow tones on the treetops in Color Editor and adjusts their lightness and saturation. He builds a custom vignette with an edges shape, increases its feathering, and shifts it off center. Lowering saturation within the vignette addresses the oversaturated sky corners he wants to avoid. The demonstration uses presets from his Landscape Photography A to Z PhotoKit.