Beyond the Haze: Mastering the Art of Fixing Cyan and Purple Skies in Your Photos

How to Fix a Cyan or Purple Sky After Applying a Preset (Lightroom Workflow)

You apply a preset, the scene looks amazing… and then you notice it: the sky is suddenly electric cyan or weirdly purple. If you’re trying to fix a cyan or purple sky after applying a preset in Lightroom, you’re not alone. Skies are one of the easiest areas for presets to “break” because they’re smooth gradients with lots of blue/aqua information—and even a small push in HSL/Color Mixer, white balance, or the tone curve can turn natural blue into something that looks synthetic.

The good news: this is one of the most fixable preset problems once you know the order of operations. In this guide, I’ll show you fast fixes (60 seconds), precision fixes (masking), and “pro” fixes (curve + color grading), plus how to prevent it from happening again.

If you want a flexible starting point that’s easy to adapt across different lighting (so the sky doesn’t go nuclear every time), explore the 1000+ Master Lightroom Presets Bundle and browse the Lightroom Presets for Lightroom Mobile & Desktop collection. If you’re building your toolkit, you can Buy 3, Get 9 FREE when you add 12 items to your cart.

Why Presets Turn Blue Skies Cyan or Purple

Presets are saved slider moves. They don’t “understand” your photo’s lighting—they just push the image in a direction. Skies are sensitive because they often sit in the brighter midtones/highlights and contain a tight mix of Blue + Aqua hues.

Blue/Aqua saturation gets boosted: Many “crisp” or “teal” looks increase aqua/blue saturation. On a clear day, that can push blue toward neon cyan.
White balance shifts collide with sky color: A warm preset plus a cool sky can create a purple/magenta tug-of-war (especially if Tint gets pushed).
Tone curve changes distort channels: Curves can change contrast in ways that shift color in smooth gradients, making skies band, clip, or go magenta.
Color grading hits the highlights: If the preset adds cool/teal to highlights or midtones, the sky takes the hit first.

Once you know which lever caused the shift, the fix becomes repeatable.

The 60-Second Sky Fix (Best for “Rave Cyan” or “Alien Purple”)

Use this when you need a clean, natural sky fast—without destroying the preset’s vibe on the rest of the photo.

Mask the sky first (so you don’t ruin skin/foreground): Use Lightroom’s sky selection tools. For the official steps, see Adobe’s guide to masking in Lightroom (Select Sky).
In the sky mask, reduce Saturation slightly: Start small. Think “tap the brakes,” not “mute the whole photo.”
Open HSL/Color Mixer and target Aqua + Blue: Nudge Aqua Hue away from green if it looks cyan, and nudge Blue Hue away from magenta if it looks purple. (If you want the official reference: Adobe’s Color Mixer (HSL) overview.)
Adjust Blue/Aqua Luminance to restore realism: Cyan skies often look “glowy.” Lowering luminance a touch can bring depth back. Purple skies sometimes look too dark—raise luminance slightly to recover the gradient.
Only if needed: micro-adjust Temperature/Tint inside the sky mask: A tiny move can neutralize the cast without changing the whole image.

Quick rule: Fix sky color with Hue first, intensity with Saturation, and realism with Luminance. Most people do it backwards and fight the edit.

The HSL/Color Mixer Method (The Most Reliable All-Purpose Fix)

If your sky went cyan or purple because the preset pushed blues too far, HSL/Color Mixer is usually the cleanest correction—especially on RAW files.

Step-by-step: Blue/Aqua cleanup

Identify the problem channel: If it’s “pool water cyan,” it’s usually Aqua (and sometimes Blue). If it’s “grape purple,” it’s usually Blue + Magenta.
Hue (color shift):
- Too cyan: Move Aqua Hue slightly toward Blue (away from green). Then nudge Blue Hue slightly toward a deeper blue.
- Too purple: Move Blue Hue slightly toward Aqua (away from magenta). If the sky still looks magenta, reduce Magenta Saturation a bit.
Saturation (intensity control): Reduce Aqua Saturation and Blue Saturation in small steps until the sky looks believable again.
Luminance (realism control):
- Lower Aqua Luminance if the sky looks “glowy” or fake.
- Raise Blue Luminance slightly if the sky looks too heavy or bruised.

Pro tip: If the gradient starts looking “steppy” (banding), you pushed too hard. Undo a little, and do the rest with a sky mask so the correction stays gentle.

Masking for Precision: Fix Only the Sky (Not the Whole Photo)

Skies are big and noticeable. That’s exactly why you should isolate them. The mistake I see most: people “fix” the sky globally, then wonder why skin turns gray or buildings lose warmth.

Best masking setups for sky correction

Select Sky (fastest): Great for most landscape/travel shots. After selection, refine edges with Add/Subtract if needed.
Linear Gradient + Brush (best for horizons): If the problem is strongest near the horizon, use a gradient and feather it gently upward.
Two-zone sky masks (best for sunsets): Make one mask for bright highlights near the sun and one for deeper blues overhead. Correct each subtly.

Inside the sky mask, your go-to controls are: Temp/Tint, HSL tweaks, and Highlights (to prevent the “cyan glow” look).

When Hue Isn’t Enough: Fix Purple Skies with Tint + Curve (Cleanly)

Sometimes the sky isn’t purple because “blue hue is wrong.” It’s purple because the preset introduced a magenta bias (often through Tint, grading, or curve contrast). Here’s how to fix it without flattening the whole photo.

1) Check Tint (small move, big result)

If the sky is magenta-leaning, a small Tint move toward green can neutralize it. The keyword is small. If you swing too far, clouds and highlights can go sickly.

2) Use the Curve to protect highlight detail

Many “purple sky” disasters happen when the preset adds heavy contrast and the sky highlights clip, which makes the color feel harsher. Use the Curve (Light panel) to smooth the highlight roll-off. For Adobe’s reference on curve-based tonal control, see Adobe’s guide to editing with presets and fine-tuning with Curves.

Lift highlights slightly (or reduce them if they’re blown) until the gradient looks smooth again.
If the sky still looks purple, return to HSL and reduce Magenta/Purple saturation a touch.

Why this works: A smoother highlight transition makes color shifts look natural instead of “painted on.”

Presets vs Manual Editing for Skies (Which One Wins?)

Both are useful—you just need to know when to trust each approach.

Presets (fast, consistent, but global)

Best for: Batch edits, consistent mood, quick starting point.
Risk: Skies can shift dramatically if lighting differs from what the preset was designed for.

Manual sky correction (slower, but controlled)

Best for: Travel/landscape work, sunsets, big skies, client images where realism matters.
Win: You can fix the sky without touching skin, buildings, or foreground colors.

The sweet spot: Apply the preset for the overall look, then do a targeted sky mask + HSL cleanup. That’s the “pro” workflow.

A Real-World Before/After Example (The “Electric Cyan” Travel Sky)

Here’s a scenario I see all the time: midday travel shot, clean blue sky, preset applied to add crisp contrast and punch. Suddenly the sky looks like neon.

Before: Sky shifts toward cyan, clouds look slightly gray, and the whole top half feels artificial.
Fix (my repeatable recipe):
1. Select Sky mask.
2. Reduce Aqua Saturation first (small move).
3. Nudge Aqua Hue toward Blue.
4. Lower Aqua Luminance slightly to remove the “glow.”
5. Micro-adjust Temp inside the sky mask (tiny warm-up) if needed.
After: Sky returns to a natural blue gradient, clouds brighten, and the preset still looks cinematic on the foreground.

I tested this exact workflow on a bright outdoor travel frame where the preset looked perfect on the street—but the sky went cyan. The moment I treated the sky as its own “mini scene” (mask first, HSL second), the edit snapped back into place without sacrificing the preset’s style.

Prevent Cyan or Purple Skies Before They Happen

Fixing is great. Preventing is better—especially if you edit lots of landscapes or travel photos.

Shoot RAW whenever possible: You get more color information in the sky, which makes corrections cleaner.
Expose to protect highlights: If the sky is clipped, color corrections look harsher and gradients can break.
Start with a neutral baseline: If a preset includes strong WB shifts, consider dialing them back and doing WB manually per scene.
Use “Neutralize then Stylize”: If the original photo is too cool/warm, fix that first—then apply creative mood.
Keep an eye on Blue/Aqua early: If you notice those channels are extreme, correct them before you add extra contrast or dehaze.

If you want a deeper troubleshooting workflow for color shifts, these related guides pair well with sky correction: Why Lightroom presets look different on every photo (and how to fix it) and how to fix flat presets with depth and pop.

Recommended Presets & Collections for Cleaner Skies (Less “Weird Tint”)

If your goal is a cinematic look without turning skies radioactive, choose presets that give you a strong foundation and then let you fine-tune. Here are solid options depending on what you shoot:

All-in-one variety (best for experimentation): Download the 1000+ Master Lightroom Presets Bundle for lots of starting points you can adapt per sky.
Travel + outdoor scenes: Travel Cinematic Lightroom Presets (great for consistent mood across changing daylight).
Landscapes with big skies: Lightroom Landscape Nature Presets (nice base for blues/greens, then refine with HSL).
Urban scenes with strong color contrast: Cinematic Film Street Lightroom Presets (useful when skies are small but color shifts are obvious).

For browsing, start here: Lightroom Presets for Lightroom Mobile & Desktop and the AI-Optimized Lightroom Presets for Mobile and Desktop collection.

Final Thoughts: Your Sky, Your Rules (But Make It Look Intentional)

A cyan or purple sky is rarely a “bad photo.” It’s almost always a preset pushing Blue/Aqua too hard, plus a little white balance or curve pressure. Once you build the habit of mask first, then HSL second, your skies stay natural—and your preset still does the heavy lifting for the overall mood.

If you’re ready to apply cinematic looks without fighting weird tints every time, start with the 1000+ Master Lightroom Presets Bundle, then browse the Lightroom Presets for Lightroom Mobile & Desktop collection for the best match to your style. And remember: you can Buy 3, Get 9 FREE when you add 12 items to your cart.

FAQ

Why does my preset make the sky cyan in Lightroom?

Most often the preset boosts Aqua/Blue saturation or shifts Blue/Aqua hue toward green. Fix it by reducing Aqua saturation, nudging Aqua hue toward blue, and doing the adjustment inside a sky mask so the rest of the photo stays intact.

How do I fix a purple sky after applying a preset?

Start with a sky mask, then check Tint (a small move toward green can help). If the sky still looks magenta, reduce Purple/Magenta saturation slightly and smooth highlight roll-off with the Curve.

Should I fix sky color using Temperature/Tint or HSL?

Use Temperature/Tint when the whole image has a color cast. Use HSL/Color Mixer when the problem is mostly Blue/Aqua (common with skies). For best results, do global WB first, then fine-tune sky color in HSL inside a mask.

What’s the fastest way to fix sky color without affecting skin tones?

Create a Select Sky mask and do the correction inside that mask. Then use Color Mixer (HSL) to adjust Aqua/Blue Hue and Saturation in small steps until the sky looks natural.

Do RAW files help when fixing cyan or purple skies?

Yes. RAW gives you more color data in the sky and smoother gradients, so HSL and masking adjustments look cleaner and are less likely to cause banding.

Written by Asanka — creator of AAAPresets (10,000+ customers).