What does a graduated filter do?

A graduated neutral density filter (GND ) helps balance strong differences in brightness in an image. Especially in landscape photography, it's common for the sky to be very bright while the foreground remains comparatively dark. The camera often can't capture this extreme dynamic range correctly. Either the sky is overexposed or the foreground is too dark.

This is where the graduated filter comes in: The upper part of the filter is darkened, while the lower part remains clear. This way, the sky is deliberately darkened while the foreground remains exposed. The result is a harmoniously balanced image, without any complex post-processing.

Typical areas of application:

• 🌅 Sunrises and sunsets
• 🏞️ Landscape shots with high dynamic range
• 🌊 Sea, lakes and coastlines
• ⛰️ Mountain landscapes with bright skies

What variants are there?

Graduated filters are available in different shades, depending on the subject:

• Soft GND: Smooth transition – perfect for irregular horizons (mountains, hills, trees).
• Hard GND: Clear, hard transition – ideal for flat horizons such as the sea, coast or desert.
• Reverse GND: Dark in the center of the image, brighter towards the top – especially for sunsets where the sun is directly on the horizon.
• Center GND: Dark area centered – for special lighting situations when the sun is high in the sky.

Why is it worth using graduated filters?

With a graduated filter you get:

• ✅ More natural images without burnt-out skies or drowning shadows
• ✅ Better control directly during recording
• ✅ Less post-processing on the computer
• ✅ Perfect exposure balance even in difficult lighting conditions

FILTERFOTOGRAF® – because every detail counts.