Blue sky

[pardo]

Im sure that this question has already been asked ( so sorry ) but can someone give me easy instructions on how i can change the color of the sky from a gloomy grey to a nice sunny blue sky. please be detailed as i am a fev when it comes to elements. Also my camera has no attachments for filters like the polarizer to help with the nice sky any ideas on how elements can help with this?

Thx

[Mary]

Fortunately Wendy did a tutorial for us on this very subject of changing backgrounds. I think it will get you off to a good start - if not someone will be able to fill in the blanks.

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1872

[pardo]

Thx i tried it this way a little confusing is there another way.

[gheartland]

http://www.lonestardigital.com/blue_sky.htm

This is one way to improve the sky using the gradient tool.

[Wendy]

I do tend to use the gradient method to make skys a little more blue ... its a quick and easy method to lift a sky but don't try to add too much colour or it starts to look artificial.

Another simple way is to carefully select the sky then delete it (don't forget to work on a duplicate of your image) now find a new image that has a good sky and copy it onto a new layer behind your original one.

Wendy

[imported_admin]

Pardo,
I'm with Wendy, usually prefer to replace the sky if it can't be easily improved with gradients or slight adjustments to color saturation.

Here's an image of the roofline of St. Paul's Cathedral in London. There was an overcast sky on the day I shot the photo. So I chose a spare sky image that I had on hand, cut the gray sky and dropped in the blue one.

I think it really added a lot to the image and (here's a little secret...) this was the first sky I had attempted to replace, so that proves that anybody can do it! :wink:

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1koLOtzwzElxkQ6h8utjJS1Rue7p8t

[MikeH]

Jan,

wow that sky does make all the difference to the picture of St.Pauls... :)

Mike

[Jodi Frye]

Nice work Jan !

looked like a fun challenge.

[Wendy]

Jan,

It amazing how much difference it makes .... :)

Wendy

[pardo]

Jan that really looks amazing, i'll try it myself.

[pardo]

Ok i'm starting to get frustrated with this...I tried doing the copy background of the sky on to a new layer and then copy to the picture i want but can't get it to work. HELP!!!!! I really want to get this.
:cry: :cry: :cry:

[Mary]

I know how frustrating these things can get - could you post a jpg of what you are working with to http://www.pixentral.com/ and then post that link to us here? We can then look at what you are seeing and maybe offer some more constructive ideas.

[pardo]

ok this is my picture that i like the sky.
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1l3NOWeRZchh5tO6Ajlf4nG1qqGlB0

[pardo]

opps i think i did something wrong.

[Childsplay904]

Great sky at St. Paul's. I have a few 'sky photos' but am going to start a collection! I am off to try this,,,,,thx...suzanne

[pardo]

and this is the sky i want to replace. I'm only playing around trying to learn. I know that the first sky is not very good either.hehehe

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1MjEJVKj0vN0B7P9lXP16orf6ehn1

[Wendy]

OK ... So work on a duplicate of your image and lets look at one simple way to deal with that sky.

Open up your sky image
Do Select All then Edit>Copy
Now open your photograph, open the layers palette and double click on the thumbnail ... (this brings up a dialogue box asking you to name the layer ... just click to accept it)
Now do Edit>Paste
Go to the layers palette again and drag the sky below your image then click on the thumbnail of your photograph to select it.
Select the Magic Wand and click on the sky ... it will select most of it but you will need to click on small areas that it doesn't.
When you are happy with the selection do Edit>Cut

.... you should have a new sky showing in your image and you will be able to move it around, resize it etc.

Wendy
PS ... when you have mastered this method it will be time to move on to using a mask to remove the old sky rather than erasing it. ... but lets leave that one for a while :)

[sandie]

gheartland,
I followed you totally until you got to make the forground transparent. I know how to change backround and forground to colors but transparent? Where do you find that?

[Wendy]

Sandie,

It actually says ... :

... Click on the Gradient Tool in Photoshop's Toolbar.
.... Select Foreground to Transparent.

So select the gradient tool then click on the gradient at the top of the screen and a pop up box will appear (like the one shown in the tutorial) the Foreground to Transparent (that just means it is made up of the foreground colour and transparent) gradient is second from the left.

Wendy

[imported_admin]

So, Pardo...
Is this what you're shooting for? Or close to it?
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1RlrGSLgIV3yHFm3BOkoucm9r38J

Let me know and I'll wallk you through it...

[sandie]

Isn't easier to pull up your picture and magic wand the sky making sure you get the whole sky, then call up your picture of a sky and select all(Ctrl A) and then copy(Ctrl C), call back up the picture the sky is going into and go to edit and click on "copy into selection" That should put the sky where it belongs or you can move it with the hand.

[pardo]

Thx guys that's what I wanted. I now know how to do it myself. Sorry it has taken me so long to reply I just came back from Kauai today with a ton of pictures, I'm sure i will have more questions for you all very soon.

[Wendy]

Sounds like you are going to busy over the next few weeks :)

Hope you had a great time in Kauai.


Wendy

[pardo]

I have been playing around with some landscape pictures changing the sky but on some the edges of the mountains and the sky dont look realistic.

[Wendy]

When you change skys you really have to make sure that where you make the cut is perfect ... otherwise it can look as though the sky has been inserted.

If you have one that doesn't look too good then why not post a link to it and we can see if there is anything you can do to improve it :)


Wendy

[pardo]

what do you guys think?

the before:
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1PUiXa6n3UY99bRuyhuy0c5yrBBUH

and the after:

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?pic=1KLDQZznYuCktZij7F3CIGNNmuKBcT

let me know what you think and if you have any other ideas to make it better.
:D :D

[pardo]

Sorry gor the large pic's i dony know how to make smaller. :cry:

[imported_admin]

Hi Pardo,
To make the image smaller, make sure it's no larger than 650 pixels in length.

I might make the sky brighter on this one. Because the mountains in the foreground are lit so well, you might want to brighten the sky a bit. It's difficult, though, because the mountains in the background are shaded. Often when you change a sky, you have to compensate for lighting differences in the original photo.

To make the mountains and sky look more natural together, you can either feather the selection before you delete the original sky, or you can use the Blur tool with a small, soft brush. Just drag the brush over the line that separates the sky and the mountains and it will soften and look more natural.

[Wendy]

Hi Pardo,

To make the image smaller use "Save for Web" ... then when the box opens up there is a section where you have the chance to reduce the pixel length ... if you change that it will give you a much smaller image.

One thing I did notice is that you have a light fringing on your mountains you could contract your selection and remove it that way but Jan's idea of using the blur tool on it will probably give you the best effect.


Wendy