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Highland Thin, a trail above the treeline

Thin air. Violet sky. Black shade.

Highland Thin grades the light of a high plateau: the sky deep and violet overhead, the shade near black, the sun hard on rock. One tap in the free Lightroom app on iPhone and Android, or in Lightroom Classic.

For trekkers and expedition shooters who work above the treeline.

Get Highland Thin for $79.99 See it: all 18 presets
Graded with Highland Thin: The lake at altitude. Sky pulled down, shade left unfilled. Ungraded version of the same scene
The lake at altitude. Sky pulled down, shade left unfilled.

see it

Same trail, one tap apart

Graded with Highland Thin: The gate, thin air Ungraded version of the same scene
The gate, thin air
Graded with Highland Thin: Sun on the fence, no fill Ungraded version of the same scene
Sun on the fence, no fill
Graded with Highland Thin: Noon, unfiltered Ungraded version of the same scene
Noon, unfiltered

Up here the air scatters less. The sky overhead is the darkest thing in the frame, shade is lit only by that sky, and the beam hits rock with nothing in the way. Every preset in the set starts from that physics and grades toward it.

Three legs. Sky drops the blue toward violet and holds the zenith dark, from the reference Plateau Blue to Indigo Sky. Shade sets the deep end and cools it, then opens just enough to read the rock face beside the trail. Sun handles the glare: highlights held far down for wet or icy stone, scree kept from going flat, a hard-edged beam given a hard-edged curve.

Apply, check the sky, move on. Breath is short; the grade is not.

the trail

The Trail

Every preset on the same four frames: a lake at altitude, a gate, a fence in sun, a lane at noon.

Sky

6 presets

Blue turned toward violet, the zenith held as the darkest thing in the frame.

  1. marker 01Plateau Bluethin air scatters less, so the zenith sky is deep and the shade is unfilled: blue luminance is dropped and the shadows opened together
    Plateau Blue applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Plateau Blue applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Plateau Blue applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Plateau Blue applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Plateau Blue. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  2. marker 02Rare Airat low air pressure the Rayleigh path is short, which darkens the sky without touching saturation
    Rare Air applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Rare Air applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Rare Air applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Rare Air applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Rare Air. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  3. marker 06Cobalt Skya thin-atmosphere sky runs toward violet, which is why the blue hue is turned that way and purple given saturation
    Cobalt Sky applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Cobalt Sky applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Cobalt Sky applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Cobalt Sky applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Cobalt Sky. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  4. marker 10Ultraviolet Edgeshort-wave energy is higher up here; the purple and blue bands carry that rather than the saturation slider
    Ultraviolet Edge applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Ultraviolet Edge applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Ultraviolet Edge applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Ultraviolet Edge applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Ultraviolet Edge. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  5. marker 12Blue Zeniththe sky overhead is the darkest part of a high-altitude frame, and this grade preserves that inversion
    Blue Zenith applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Blue Zenith applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Blue Zenith applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Blue Zenith applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Blue Zenith. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  6. marker 17Indigo Skya violet-leaning sky is a physical consequence of a short scattering path, and the midtone wheel places it
    Indigo Sky applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Indigo Sky applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Indigo Sky applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Indigo Sky applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Indigo Sky. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

Shade

5 presets

Unfilled shade set deep and cooled, then opened only as far as the rock face needs.

  1. marker 04Hard Shadeunfilled shade at altitude is close to black, so the blacks set deep and the shadow slider does the recovery
    Hard Shade applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Hard Shade applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Hard Shade applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Hard Shade applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Hard Shade. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  2. marker 09Void Shadeshade at altitude is lit only by a deep sky, so the shadow grading wheel is lowered and cooled
    Void Shade applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Void Shade applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Void Shade applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Void Shade applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Void Shade. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  3. marker 14Shade Wellfor the deep shade beside a rock face, opened by the shadow slider and cooled by the grading wheel
    Shade Well applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Shade Well applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Shade Well applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Shade Well applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Shade Well. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  4. marker 16Stark Ridgean exposed ridge under thin air, with the aqua luminance dropped so distance does not go pale
    Stark Ridge applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Stark Ridge applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Stark Ridge applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Stark Ridge applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Stark Ridge. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  5. marker 18Bare Slopefor open ground at altitude, graded cool on the white balance and restrained on global saturation
    Bare Slope applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Bare Slope applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Bare Slope applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Bare Slope applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Bare Slope. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

Sun

7 presets

The beam on rock. Glare held down, scree kept from going flat, hard edges given a hard curve.

  1. marker 03Airless Noonfor a high plateau near local noon, where the beam is nearly unattenuated and the highlights are pulled hard
    Airless Noon applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Airless Noon applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Airless Noon applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Airless Noon applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Airless Noon. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  2. marker 05Sun Stingthe direct beam at altitude carries more short-wave energy, and this grades the resulting cool bite
    Sun Sting applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Sun Sting applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Sun Sting applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun Sting applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Sun Sting. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  3. marker 07Scree Fieldloose rock under brutal light, graded on red and aqua luminance to keep the stone from going flat
    Scree Field applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Scree Field applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Scree Field applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Scree Field applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Scree Field. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  4. marker 08Altitude Burnfor the extreme range of a high plateau, with the highlight parametric band held and the toe left deep
    Altitude Burn applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Altitude Burn applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Altitude Burn applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Altitude Burn applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Altitude Burn. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  5. marker 11Granite Glarebare stone in unfiltered sun, where clarity and texture separate the surface that colour cannot
    Granite Glare applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Granite Glare applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Granite Glare applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Granite Glare applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Granite Glare. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  6. marker 13Sun Cuta hard-edged beam makes hard-edged shadows, so the curve is set for the transition rather than the tone
    Sun Cut applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Sun Cut applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Sun Cut applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun Cut applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Sun Cut. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

  7. marker 15Peak Glareat altitude the specular return from wet or icy rock is intense, so the highlights are held far down
    Peak Glare applied to Zenith, dark Before: Zenith, dark
    Zenith, dark
    Peak Glare applied to The gate, thin air Before: The gate, thin air
    The gate, thin air
    Peak Glare applied to Sun on the fence, no fill Before: Sun on the fence, no fill
    Sun on the fence, no fill
    Peak Glare applied to Noon, unfiltered Before: Noon, unfiltered
    Noon, unfiltered

    Drag the handle. Left is the original, right is Peak Glare. Rendered from the preset's own settings, not a Lightroom export, so the real thing carries a little more bite.

how it works

Yours in two minutes

  1. Buy the setCheckout takes a card; you get a receipt by email.
  2. Download instantlyThe preset files download right after payment. Re-download any time from your account.
  3. Import to LightroomOpen the files in the free Lightroom app (iOS or Android) or Lightroom Classic. Lightroom saves them as presets automatically.
  4. Tap a presetOne tap applies the full look. Every setting stays editable after.
  • Single-user license. Yours to use in personal and client work.
  • No redistribution. Don't resell or share the preset files themselves.
  • Free app is enough. No Adobe subscription needed for Lightroom mobile.
  • Keep it forever. Files live in your account for re-download.
Netzah Elad Topaz, the photographer who makes these presets

the maker

Why I Make These

I am Netzah Elad Topaz. I take photographs and I build software, and the two keep leading me back to the same problem. You were there. The light was doing something you will not see again. Then the photo comes back flat, and it is not what you were looking at.

Closing that gap is the whole job. Every preset here is built from Adobe defaults by hand, with a written note for what it should do to a picture, and it is judged on real photographs before it ships. Nothing is a filter dropped on top of your work.

What I want is simple. You open a photo you almost gave up on, you tap once, and there it is: the day you remember, not the file your camera handed you. That is worth doing properly.

Netzah Elad Topaz, photographer and software builder

get it

Get Highland Thin

Highland Thin

$79.99

All 18 presets · one-time payment · instant download

Works in the free Lightroom app · keep forever

Instant download after payment. The download link is also sent to your email and stays available in your account.

questions

Asked and Answered

Will it work below the treeline?

Yes, but the look is built for thin air. On a valley frame the violet sky and unfilled shade read as a choice rather than a record. Rare Air is the mildest place to start.

Do these work in the free Lightroom app?

Yes. Import the .xmp files in the free Lightroom app on iPhone or Android, no subscription needed. They also work in Lightroom Classic and Lightroom on desktop.

What exactly do I get?

All 18 presets from Highland Thin as .xmp files in an instant ZIP download. The link also lands in your email, and the purchase stays in your account so you can re-download any time.

How do I install them?

Two minutes: unzip, then import inside Lightroom. The step-by-step guide covers iPhone, Android, and desktop.

Can I use them for client work?

Yes. The single-user license covers personal and commercial photography. The one thing you can't do is share or resell the preset files themselves.

Can I tweak a preset after applying it?

Always. A preset is a starting point; every slider stays yours to adjust.

What if it's not for me?

Before your first download we refund, no questions asked. After a download, sales are final except a technical fault we cannot fix or a duplicate charge. Details on the refunds page.