Replacing the Sky

Replacing the Sky in Photoshop

There are many ways to replace a sky in a Photoshop. It’s not something I do all the time but occasionally you’ll have a really great image with a really dull sky. A sky without clouds just isn't exciting to look at.


The technique described here is only one of a multitude of ways to replace a sky in Photoshop.


Add drama to a dull sky

Before

Open both your dull sky (main) image and your new sky. Choose something that won't look out of place or just plain odd. Try to pick a sky with similar conditions and shot from a similar perspective Copy and paste main image as a layer in the new sky image. 

1. Use your preferred selection method (in this example, I used the quick select tool) to make the selection that isolates the sky, then from the menu bar to go Select > Invert selection.
2. With the selection active, add a layer mask to the foreground layer to hide the bad sky (invert the layer mask after adding if necessary, depending on how you created your selection)
3. Use the Select and Mask tool in Photoshop to refine the edges of your layer mask for all those fine details
4. Use curves adjustment layers to brighten the sky and darken the foreground until the balance between the two looks natural.

The new sky is in place, making the overall picture more interesting. 

After

The sky's the limit...Never suffer a dull sky again!

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