HOW TO CREATE A DRAMATIC BEAUTIFUL SKY IN A PHOTOSHOP PHOTO
By: Everything Cj
Tags: Pictures, Guides And Tutorials, How To, Photoshop, Photography

HOW TO CREATE A DRAMATIC BEAUTIFUL SKY IN A PHOTOSHOP PHOTO

Sometimes you take a photo, a photo of a scene, or a city and you know your sky looks dull. This happens when the sky is clear without clouds, or it is too open. But do not rush to delete this photo, you can change the washed sky with a few simple steps using Photoshop.

In this article, I will walk you through the process of changing the sky in Photoshop, two ways. The first method is simple, and you will need the Layer Mask and some adjustments to apply the two images simultaneously.

If you have a photo on your subject, you should select a photo with the sky you are using. It is important to remember that the time of day, the direction of the sun, and the level of the sky should all be the same in the same images. I know, this is photo manipulation and a Photoshop instruction, but you have to follow the composition rules.

Here is the photo I will use for this instruction. You see a beautiful sea-going image with a woman at the pier, but I don’t like the boring empty sky here. Let’s change the sky with a completely different picture.

Photoshop sky

Method 1

Let’s start with a quick and simple method. I saw a nice image of Unsplash with pink sunset and empty sky.

Photoshop sky

Open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop.

Photoshop sky

Then you need to find an accurate photo with sky cover (in this case) that fits the subject perfectly. I chose the sunset photo because it almost overshadowed the original photo. The colours are warm and yellow.

Photoshop sky

It took a while to find a suitable Unsplash image.

Also open your photo at sunset in Photoshop. And then you need to paste it in the original photo. Click Ctrl + A, Ctrl + C to select and copy it, and then click Ctrl + V to paste it in the same window with a female image.

Photoshop sky

Select the Transformation Tool to resize the sunset shape to fit the original, and click Enter.

Photoshop sky

Lower the transparency so you can see the front and the line where the sky begins in the image.

Add a Layer Mask using the panel in the lower right corner.

Photoshop sky

Press G for the Gradient Mask and paint the front from transparent to black.

Photoshop sky

Then continue Shift and go from the bottom of the image up to replace the sky. If you want to cancel some Photoshop actions, press Ctrl + Z (or Ctrl + Alt + Z to cancel many actions). Here is what I got:

Photoshop sky

If the replaced sky goes to your subject (a girl in my case), choose Brush tool and black color to erase her.

Photoshop sky

Keep the scene the same as the original image, but add detail to the top of the photo to make it look realistic. Even if the sky is lighter than the skyline, it is much better.

Photoshop sky

Images are linked to Layer Mask by default; you can unlink it to move your gradient up and down. Just click on the chain icon. If these layers are attached, they will work together. Now you can move your sky up and down.

I want to make these two images fit a little more. That is, I will illuminate the sky to make this image more believable. I will do it in Curves.

Be sure to click Alt + Ctrl + G to make your Curves adjustments just to apply the image to the sky. If you do not do that, you can change the colors of the whole image.

Photoshop sky

If you have a different intensive image in the sky, it is important to make it bright. For those of you who want to leave the realistic photo. It will not move in the dark sky there.

Now I want to mix these two images further by applying the same color correction.

Select Color Balance and drag the slider to get the effect you want. I decided to make this photo more red and yellow because of its overlap and these colors look great.

Photoshop sky

There are tons of ways to achieve the exact look in Photoshop, but this is one of the easiest. This method will help you if you want to change the sky.

Here is my resulting image.

Photoshop sky

Method 2

Open a photo you want to use in Adobe Photoshop.

I opted for a nice city skyline for an hour at sunset with warm sunny colors, water, and almost completely blank skies.

Select the buildings in the sky using the Quick Selection Tool.

Photoshop sky

The tool will work automatically, but if you get as many places as you need, you can use the same Quick Selection Tool, but the Alt key control.

Photoshop sky

Then, select Layer Mask again in the right corner.

Photoshop sky

Click Ctrl + I to change the Clipping Mask. You get the following result:

Photoshop sky

Next, open an image with the sky you want to use for the original Photoshop image. Copy and paste it into the window with the image. It has been modified to fit the photo, if necessary.

Click Ctrl + [(open bracket) to change layers in places, such as here.

Photoshop sky

As I mentioned earlier, you need to keep the image realistic and try to see where the sunlight comes from. In my image, I know that the sun is coming from the left corner of the high corner because the buildings reflect light. But in the photo with the sunset, I see that the sun is from the right, so I have to turn it over. I did this with the Change tool.

Photoshop sky

Then reshape and adjust the image of the sky to fit the original.

Select the Brush Tool and remove the background from the original image to avoid white blanks. Lower the Opacity on your brush by 70% to make it more accurate.

Photoshop sky

It looks almost perfect, but in order to implement the image extension, I wanted to make a few more adjustments.

Select the Curves tool and place the layer to the right above the sunset image. Your settings do not have to affect the original image.

Photoshop sky

Then play Brightness and Contrast to blend these images.

See the result I have:

Photoshop sky

If you liked this piece why not check out some of my other pieces here.