Changing a Sky
- Open the image with the bland sky.
- Open a suitable sky image.
- Try to ensure that the light direction and colour match the picture.
- For example, a Mediterranean sky would not match the Scottish highlands on a rainy day.
- Resize the sky layer to match the size of the picture. (Image – Size)
- Select all of the sky [Ctrl A].
- Copy [Ctrl C]
- Go to picture and paste in the sky [Ctrl V]
- This will probably obscure the underneath image.
- [Ctrl T] for Transform.
- Use the corners etc. to size the sky to fit the sky area of the image.
- Consider the blending options and the opacity to match as close as possible.
- Keeping on this layer (original picture) choose Blending Options (fX at the bottom of the adjustment layers.)
- A drop down menu appears. Choose Blending Options.
- A new window opens. Go to the sliders at the bottom.
- Choose the bottom slider (Background Layer) and drag the leftmost slider to the right.
- The underlying image now appears through the sky.
- Click OK
- Depending on the underlying image you might need to paint out any sky that interferes with the image.
- (Make a layer mask and using black paint over the areas where you do not want the sky to show).
Anthony Scott-Morley