# Photoshop how-to question (changing day to night)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 12, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090 "2008-05-12T21:54:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090/1 "2008-05-12T21:54:09Z")

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Caveat: I actually only have Photoshop Elements, not the full package.

I’ve got a jpeg image I want to alter to make it appear to be a nighttime scene. I’ve tweaked little things with Photoshop before, but I’ve never tried to do something like this, so I’m completely at sea as to which tools to use. I’m imagining that essentially what I want to do is remove most of the colors from the picture and make it more or less blue/gray all over, but I’m not even sure if that’s the right approach.

Thanks in advance.

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**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090/2 "2008-05-12T22:34:10Z")

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[http://www.adidap.com/2007/12/10/photoshop-tutorial-turning-day-into-night/](http://www.adidap.com/2007/12/10/photoshop-tutorial-turning-day-into-night/)

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090/3 "2008-05-12T22:38:30Z")

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Excellent. Thanks, **x-ray vision**!

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**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photoshop-how-to-question-changing-day-to-night/449090/4 "2008-05-13T01:16:41Z")

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IIRC, the way they do day-for-night in the movies is by shooting through a blue filter and underexposing by about 2-3 stops. This makes daylight look something like moonlight.

Of course, the instructions in the link **xrv** gave you deal with much more sophisticated stuff, like the lit windows and light falling from them.

But the basic principle – lower the brightness and add a blue cast – would be a starting point.