The early morning, subdued landscape can be a wonderful sight. Here’s how to create a similar sort of effect in Photoshop
Before
After
Start by adding a new Levels adjustment layer from the Layers palette. To dim down the light, shift the midtones marker to the right towards the highlights. A setting of about 0.53 works well. Under Output Levels, move the white marker to the left to about 223. This will reduce the overall strength of the highlights.
We can do this step using the Photo Filter adjustment layer. Choose the Warming Filter (LBA) within the adjustment and set the Density slider to around 86%. Tick the Preserve Luminosity box in this menu. The image should turn a nice shade of sunrise orange.
To create a stark contrast in the image, add a new adjustment layer, this time call upon Brightness/Contrast. Push the Brightness slider up to 20 and then pump up the contrast to around 60. As these are adjustment layers, they can re-edited/removed at any stage.
To top off the effect mist can be added into the landscape. A quick way to do this is with the Brush tool set to white. A low opacity is also needed, such as 20%, and a large soft brush tip. On a new layer, brush over the horizon area to apply soft white mist. Use the Opacity slider that comes with the layer to reduce the impact of the mist if required.
