better clouds

[Erik]

Try this: open a new document, rather big (I chose 1000x1000pixels), set your foreground colour to white and your background to some sky blue ( I chose 115,149,219). Next apply the clouds filter. You cannot use this result for a cloudy sky, but:
Depending on your monitor settings, you zoom out (zoom tool with Alt). Then you press Ctrl+A to select all and you go to Edit>Distort. You drag the bottom very wide to both sides, and the top left and right towards the centre and at the double height of the document (see why you had to zoom out?). The result is like a pyramid with the top cut off.

Finally you crop. Wow. these are better clouds, aren't they?

• 
  :::EDITED:::
  just wanted to add that zooming can be done using the Ctrl key (Cmd for Macs) with the + & - keys also.
  
  theKeeper...[/list:u]

 

[Erik]

And with two layers of reddish and yellowish colours, blended with dissolve, merging down and the same distort technique, you get even more fascinating results:

 

[vogonpoet]

Cummulus Stratus I believe! good tip Erik!

 

[Erik]

Of course, the Liquify tool comes to mind (do you also have the impression that it is in fact nothing but Goo?), dodge and burn etc etc.

Enjoy! The sky's no limit!

(hello, my friend mod squad: seems that we posted together...)

 

[Erik]

With liquify, dodge, burn and some curves...hey this begs for further experiments...

 

[sfm]

hey Erik can you hear me up there on cloud 9? he he he

good tips might give it a whirl
sfm

 

[Erik]

Digging deeper and deeper with this technique: using the displacement filter etc you get textures that do not seem to be computer-generated anymore...