We have used Photoshop Elements 2.0 throughout this tutorial, though it can also be done in Photoshop. You may also be able to follow along using other photo editing software with some slight modifications to the steps. Right-click and save the picture below to your computer and then continue to the next page.
Getting a Better Sky Photo
You’ll also need to save the image above to your computer. Open both images in either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and begin the tutorial.
The New Sky Needs Tweaking
The majority of our work is done and we could stop here but there are some things we don’t like about the image as it is now. For one thing, there are some obvious fringe pixels that don’t blend well around the dark hair on the two people on the right. Also, the sky darkens the picture too much and overall it just looks fake. Let’s see what we can do to make it better…
Adding an Adjustment Layer
If you’ve ever observed the sky, you may have noticed that the blue color is lighter the closer it is to the horizon and the sky darkens farther away from the horizon. Because of the way my sky photo was shot, you do not see this effect in the photo. We will create that effect with an adjustment layer mask.
In the layers palette, click on the Sky layer, then click the new adjustment layer button (the half black/half white circle at the bottom of the layers palette) and add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer. When the Hue/Saturation dialog box appears, just click OK for now, without changing any settings. Notice in the layers palette the new adjustment layer has a second thumbnail to the right of the Hue/Saturation thumbnail. This is the adjustment layer’s mask.
Selecting a Gradient for a Mask
Click directly on the mask thumbnail to activate it. From the toolbox, select the Gradient tool (G).In the options bar, choose the black to white gradient preset, and the icon for a linear gradient. The mode should be normal, opacity 100%, reverse unchecked, dither and transparency checked.
Editing the Gradient
Now click directly on the gradient in the options bar to bring up the gradient editor. We are going to make a slight change to our gradient.In the gradient editor, double-click the lower-left stop marker on the gradient preview.
In the HSB section of the color picker, change the B value to 20% to change the black to a dark gray. Click OK out of the color picker and OK out of the gradient editor.
Using the Gradient to Mask the Adjustment Layer
Now click at the very top of the sky, press the shift key, and drag straight down. Release the mouse button right about at the top of the little girl’s head.The mask thumbnail in the layers palette should show this gradient fill now, though your image will not have changed.
Adjusting the Hue and Saturation
By adding a layer mask, we can apply the adjustment more in some areas and less in others. Where the mask is black, the adjustment will not affect the layer at all. Where the mask is white, it will show the adjustment 100%.
Now double click the regular layer thumbnail for the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Drag the Hue slider to -20, Saturation to +30, and Lightness to +80 and notice how the sky changes as you slide. See how the lower portion of the sky is more affected than the upper portion?With these values, click OK to the Hue/Saturation dialog.
The Final Result
Notice there is less fringing around the dark hair and the sky looks more realistic. (You can also use this technique to create a very unrealistic ‘alien’ sky effect, but it would be harder to blend into your original image.) Now there is just one more minor adjustment we would make to this image.
Click the people layer, and add a Levels adjustment layer. In the levels dialog, drag the white triangle under the histogram to the left until the input level on the right reads 230. This will brighten up the image slightly.
That’s it… We’re happy with the new sky and we hope you learned something from this tutorial!
