A high-definition photo of the aurora borealis

Northern Lights


Northern Lights free Lightroom preset was specially designed to draw out the delicate colors of the Aurora. It finely adjusts tones to help bring out the phenomenon’s magical and ethereal feel. It stays true to the intricate colors that you see in the sky; the preset loyally refines the image and does not alter any of its elements.

Collection: Night Presets
Best for: Aurora Borealis and Australis, Night sky, Outdoor Night Photography
Style: Vivid, Brilliant, Clear Tones, Vibrant Colors

It is a versatile preset to use in outdoor nighttime photography, but it does specialize in bringing out the colors of the night sky and landscape.

If you are looking for a filter that will improve the hues in your photograph, Northern Lights is the one to use. It will look great in print and on-screen, from casual Instagram shots to professional astrophotography.

Amplifies Light and Color

A vibrant display of the the Aurora in green and blue

Lively Hues. At the base of its specialized improvements are the basic adjustments in exposure and contrast. The preset first lowers the exposure of the image to make way for the brilliance of the Aurora; it is a darkening of the night sky so that the colors would pop more. Think of it as having a dark canvas to display a wash of vibrant hues.

It then increases the contrast to heighten the colors. Look at the sky in the above After example: the colors look intensified and even more stunning. You get deeper greens in the streaks and a stronger blue haze tracing the mountain peaks.

Adds Depth With Intensified Tones

A vibrant image of the Aurora in the night sky

Crisp Tones. This next set of adjustments focus on tone and moderates the light in the photograph. It darkens light areas and further intensifies dark tones, even in the image tone curve.

This Northern Lights preset for Lightroom also lowers both the highlight and shadow sliders. Its darkened tones give a bold look — again to act as a nice and effective background for the Aurora.

In addition to this effect, the preset improves depth and texture. You can easily notice this in the above example. Examine the mountains’ crisper details and the night sky’s more complex tones.

Illuminates the Sky

A man standing with outstretched arms in front of an Aurora streak

Brightens. While the preset balances out tones, it also brightens. It does this by lightening blacks and whites in an image, even more intricately in its tone curve. This adjustment is one of the primary reasons why it belongs in our top free Lightroom presets for night photography.

Boosts Color Hues

A vibrant streak of the Aurora in the night sky

Vivid Skies. Now for the colors: to boost hues, the Northern Lights preset adds clarity, vibrance, and saturation. This means that colors are amplified in every way. You, therefore, get an exciting display of colors in the night sky.

More specifically, your resulting photos will have richer midtones, bright hues, and deep colors. Just compare the Auroras in the example above.

Optimizes Color Saturation and Luminance

A dark but vibrant image of a man viewing the Aurora

Intricate Hues. You can see how the aforementioned tweaks come together in this last photo example. The sky looks darker, the lights are more vivid.

To draw out the colors more minutely, Northern Lights preset also adjusts saturation and luminance per color. This helps balance hues and show a more complex swathe of colors. It softens the saturation of red and orange and amplifies the luminance of aqua and green.

Even without the aurora, this light leaks preset for night photography will give you a similar splash of colorful brilliance.

Northern Lights preset is for Lightroom Mobile, Desktop and…

Like all our Lightroom Presets, you can absolutely use Northern Lights as is, right out of the box. With any preset, you might need to make adjustments to accommodate your specific camera, settings, lighting, and subject matter.

  • Entirely Adjustable
  • Designed for Adobe Lightroom for PC, Mac, and Mobile
  • Includes Lrtemplate and XMP preset formats for Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic desktop apps
  • Includes DNG preset format for the free Lightroom mobile app
  • Applicable to both RAW and JPG images
  • 100% Free Preset Download

Need help with the presets? You can visit our guide to learn how to install Lightroom presets.


Free Lightroom Preset by Presetbase

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *