Replacing a Boring Sky - Part 2

With the two pictures open in Photoshop, drag the sky picture into the main picture and Photoshop will automatically create a new layer for it. This layer will probably be on top of the main layer but you can drag the layer down in the layers palette so that the sky sits behind the main picture. I have moved the picture around so that I have an interesting bit of sky in the corner where I want it. The only two problems I have to solve now are, the picture runs out before the end of the main frame, and you don't normally see clouds that come quite so low in the sky.

The first thing to do is sample the blue color in the sky with the color picker' tool. This operation makes the color you choose the foreground color in the toolbox. Next make a new layer by choosing new on the 'layers palette' menu, fill it with the blue color, using 'fill' on the edit menu, and drag the layer to the bottom of the layer stack.

Now it's time to get 'arty' and blend everything together using a layer mask. With the sky layer selected, click on the 'layer mask' icon at the bottom of the 'layers palette Notice that when the layer mask is selected the colors in the toolbox change to black and white. If you paint onto the layer mask with black the layer beneath is revealed, so you can blend your clouds with your plain blue layer. If you make a mistake you can paint the mask with white to make it opaque again. Use a large soft brush to create a gradual blend. Looking at the layers palette in the picture above you can see what I've done. I also added a layer mask to the main picture to tidy up bits of the horizon that I didn't like.

You can see from this short example that the 'layers palette' is a very powerful tool, and the beauty of it is, it's all reversible non-destructive editing, which to a guy like me, who can never make his mind up, is really great.

Finally I have added a 'curves' adjustment layer to tweak the brightness and contrast in the sky so that it matches the landscape. see my Contrast tutorial for a quick introduction to curves.

If you would like to watch some videos that I found on the net, here is a series of four short videos covering the use of layers. photoshop_video_tutorial_compositing.php

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Photoshop Tutorial	Description	Level
Size	Scaling your files.
Contrast	Balancing those pixels.
Colour	Dealing with colour casts.
Levels	A short video showing how to use the levels adjustment to control contrast.
Processing RAW Files	An introduction to Adobe Camera Raw.
Processing RAW Files using HSL	Advanced use of ACR.
Sharpening	Using the unsharp mask.
Using the Quick Mask	Masking parts of your picture to edit certain areas.
Adjustment Layer Masks	How to build accurate layer masks.
Straightening Horizons	A must for landscape and building photographers.
Replacing Boring Skies	Using layers in Photoshop.
Videos on Compositing	Video tutorials on using layers.
Using the Channel Mixer	How to make a better job of changing images from colour to black & white.
Using Curves on Adjustment Layers	laying with contrast and tones to give a more dramatic effect.
High Dynamic Range	How to shoot and process HDR pictures with Photomatix Pro software.

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