A graduated ND filter is a rectangle or disc of glass or resin that is dark at the top and clear at the bottom. Placed so the dark part covers the sky, it holds back bright light and lets one exposure capture detail in both the sky and the ground.

How to Use a Graduated ND Filter to Balance Sky and Foreground

Why You Might Need One

Sunrise and sunset scenes often have a sky far brighter than the land below. If you expose for the ground, the sky turns white. If you expose for the sky, the land goes dark. A graduated filter narrows that gap in the camera. You can also merge bracketed exposures in editing, but a filter gives a natural look in a single frame, which helps with moving water or clouds.

Understand the Types

  • Soft edge: a gradual change from dark to clear, suited to uneven horizons with hills or trees.
  • Hard edge: a sharper transition, suited to flat horizons like the sea.
  • Reverse: darkest at the center band, made for sunsets right at the horizon.

Strengths are usually described in stops, with 1, 2 and 3 stops common. Filters are made as square or rectangular plates held in a holder, or as screw-in circular versions. Check the maker’s page for the sizes that fit your lens.

Step-by-Step Use

  1. Mount the camera on a tripod and compose the scene.
  2. Set your exposure for the foreground using spot or center-weighted metering, or check the histogram.
  3. Meter the sky separately and note the difference in stops.
  4. Choose a filter strength close to that difference. As a general guide, a 2 stop filter suits many scenes.
  5. Slide the filter into the holder and line the transition up with the horizon, using live view to see the effect.
  6. Take a frame, look at the histogram and rear screen, then move the filter or switch strength as needed.
  7. Shade the front of the lens from stray light that can reflect between the filter and the glass.

Common Mistakes

  • Placing the transition too high or too low, which creates a visible dark band.
  • Using a strong filter on a scene with tall objects crossing the horizon, which darkens them unnaturally.
  • Leaving the filter crooked, so one side of the sky is darker.
  • Forgetting that color casts can appear in older or lower grade filters. Check the maker’s description and try a custom white balance.

When to Skip the Filter

If the scene has a jagged skyline or fast action, bracketing or a single raw file with edits may work better. Modern cameras hold a lot of shadow detail, so some scenes need no filter at all. Try both in practice and compare.

FAQ

Can I use a graduated filter without a tripod?

You can hold it by hand against the lens, but a holder and a tripod give far more control and consistent placement.

How many stops should I choose?

Meter the sky and ground, find the gap, and choose a filter near that number. Many scenes suit one to three stops.

The Short Version

Meter the ground and sky, choose a strength close to the difference, and line the transition up with the horizon on a tripod. Check the histogram and adjust the placement until the dark band disappears.