Gradated filters that are colored

Selectively subdue light & alter color

We recommend you read Gradated neutral density filter before reviewing this section.

A gradated density filter that is colored instead of gray in the dense portion of the filter will not only reduce the amount of light reaching the film through the dense portion of the filter, but will also change its color in that half of the image. The name for such a filter is generally shortened to just “gradated filter” or “gradated color filter”, and the word “neutral” is not part of its name because the filter isn’t neutral; it’s colored.

The idea behind these filters is that you can selectively color a portion of the light reaching your film or the sensor of your digital camera while allowing the unaffected area of the scene to be rendered in its actual colors. A gradated filter that has salmon or tobacco coloring in the dense portion, for example, can be used to give the impression that the sun is setting.

In fact, some filter manufacturers make a gradated filter just for sunset effects, called, not surprisingly, the "sunset" filter. It has a dense upper section, a relatively-clear mid-section and a moderately-dense lower section to also give the bottom part of the picture a sunset effect. This can be important if the bottom of the scene is reflective, such as when there is water in the foreground.

A gradated blue filter can be used in place of a gradated neutral density filter to really bring out the blue color of a sky – particularly useful if the sky is overcast or if you are shooting into the light.

More than one gradated filter can be used at a time. They can be combined either in the same positions to affect only one portion of the image (useful if the effect of one filter is not enough) or in opposed positions to subdue light intensity and to add color (or different colors if two differently-colored filters are used) to both sides of an image.

Since the expected results can be pre-judged through the viewfinder of an SLR camera, the filters can be adjusted as you look through the viewfinder for the best effect.

Remember, as with the gradated neutral density filter, the smaller the aperture, the sharper is the boundary between the denser (colored) section and the clear section. Use the camera's viewfinder and stop down the lens to check the effect before deciding on your aperture setting.

Some of the colors available (depending on the filter-maker) include blue, green, mauve, orange, pink, purple, red, sepia, tobacco, yellow, wine red and each color is usually available in at least two different densities.

Colored gradated filters, especially red, orange and yellow, can be used for black and white photography to change the contrast of a part of the image.

Colored gradated filters do not have to be clear in the non-gradated portion. Normal filters for color-balancing are also available in gradated versions.