Want to achieve the classic Photoshop day to night transformation without spending hours on manual adjustments? Photoshop 2025’s Landscape Mixer Neural Filter does it in literal seconds – perfect for beginners!
What You’ll Need
- Adobe Photoshop 2025 (or 2024 with latest updates)
- Any daylight landscape or cityscape photo
Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Open Your Photo and Duplicate the Layer
File → Open your image. In the Layers panel, press Ctrl+J (Cmd+J on Mac) to duplicate the Background layer. Rename it “Day to Night” – always work non-destructively!
Step 2: Launch the Landscape Mixer Neural Filter
Go to Filter → Neural Filters → Landscape Mixer (under the “Beta” or main section depending on version).
Step 3: Adjust the “Night” Slider
Adjust the “Night” slider until you are happy with the result:
Step 4: Apply and Compare
Click OK to apply. Back in the main workspace, toggle the “Day to Night” layer visibility to reveal the jaw-dropping transformation.
Before
After
Pros & Cons of the Landscape Mixer Method (Photoshop Day to Night)
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Lightning-fast – literally seconds | AI sometimes adds unrealistic elements (e.g. random moons or stars) |
| Zero masking or manual painting required | Less control over exact lighting direction compared to full manual |
| Perfect for beginners and social media | Can over-darken or lose subtle details in very complex scenes |
| Non-destructive (Smart Filter) | Occasional colour casts (too blue or magenta) |
| One-click city lights & star fields | Not ideal for portraits with people (faces can look odd at night) |
Additional Tips for Even Better Photoshop Day to Night Results
Try these if you want to further improve your result:
- Start with Blue Hour or Golden Hour originals Photos taken around sunrise/sunset convert most believably because the original lighting direction already matches dusk/dawn.
- Lower the filter strength to 60–80 % After applying Landscape Mixer, double-click the Smart Filter name and reduce Opacity or use the Blend If sliders. This keeps original highlights (street lamps, windows) while adding night mood.
- Add a manual “Light Pollution” glow Create a new layer → soft orange/yellow brush around city areas → set to “Linear Dodge (Add)” at 10–20 % opacity for realistic urban night glow.
- Finish with a subtle Color Lookup adjustment Add a Color Lookup layer (e.g. “NightFromDay.3DL” or “Moonlight.3DL”) at 20–40 % opacity to unify the colour palette and remove any leftover daylight warmth.
That’s it for this tutorial! Drop me a comment below if you have any questions. Until next time, have a great day!