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Help with sky and clouds.


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de8212

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New here so hopefully this is the right place to post this.

I have a picture that I want to get printed and maybe framed but it needs a bit of work. Mainly the sky is what I would like to accentuate. It's already blue but I want to replace it with a blue sky with clouds that kinda "pops" if that makes sense.

I have seen some tutorials by searching Google but haven't tried any yet. First problem is I can't really find a blue sky that looks like what I want. Is there a free sample somewhere of what I am after? The original picture is a resolution of 3000 x 4000 if that matters.

And if you have replaced the sky in a picture and have any tips or a tutorial you know works good I would like take a look at it.
 
Hi de8212, welcome to the forum.

IDK about helping you find an image. Deviantart.com has a lot of downloadable skies. You might even find some here on the forum. I remember at least one person offering his work for the taking. Otherewise, whatever you find, make sure it is available for use. Sometimes you can contact an artist and get permission. I've never gone that route but have heard of it.

Putting a blue sky on top of a blue sky is relatively easy since it doesn't have to be a precise selection. Just place your new sky selection more or less on top of the sky area in the original picture. Add a layer mask to the new sky. Use the gradient tool with the black & white layer mask color default. Start the gradient with the black at top of mask so that it fades out as it reaches the horizon. Then select a brush, vary the opacity and hardness, and blend the edges together some more. If necessary, add a hue adjustment to one layer or the other to bring the hues closer. You may need to do levels or curves on your new sky to bring it in line.

If you need a tutorial, look for one or several on using layer masks. I assume you know how to make selections, cause if you decide to change the blue in your original sky you may want to select that sky and make a hue adjust on it. Making the original layer a smart object allows you to paint on adjustment filters and soften the adjustment.

I hope this isn't too confusing. If you need, I can do more detailed step by step but that will have to be much later, 7 or 8 hours from now, or possibly tomorrow. Hopefully, you'll get what you need before then.
 
Thanks for the info.

I found a nice picture of the sky and with your help and a tutorial I ran across I think I got what I wanted.

I appreciate your help.
 
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