Simulated Sun / Light Source via Radial Gradient + Negative Dehaze

A Lightroom Mobile technique for fabricating a light source (sun, directional light) in a landscape photo rather than just correcting existing light.

Mechanics:

Place a Radial Gradient mask at a naturally brighter spot in the frame (don't invent a location that contradicts existing light logic).
Push feather to maximum for a gradual, non-obvious blend.
Raise whites, add warmth.
Reduce clarity heavily (~-40) to mimic lens-flare softness.
Drag dehaze negative — this is the step that sells the effect: negative dehaze produces a soft glow/bloom that makes the fabricated light look like it's physically bleeding into the lens, rather than reading as an obvious edit. See Texture vs Clarity vs Dehaze (Lightroom Mobile Effects Sliders) for the slider's normal (positive) use.
Duplicate the same radial-gradient mask (tap-and-hold → duplicate) and reposition/resize copies to simulate sunlight striking multiple points on the landscape — each copy gets its own whites/warmth/tint/clarity/dehaze pass rather than reusing one huge mask.

Contrast pairing: works together with cooling the sky mask (see Layered Sky Masks to Avoid Banding (Hard Selection + Soft Gradient Overlay)) — warming the light-source masks against a cooled sky produces a top-to-bottom gradient consistent with a rising/setting sun.

Related but distinct from Subject Glow via Foreground-to-Transparent Radial Gradient + Inverted Mask, which uses a radial gradient for portrait subject glow rather than fabricating an environmental light source.