Sky replacement tool in Photoshop

[Bill Brooks]

On 13/02/2021 at 06:22, Allan Bell said:

The camera has lied from the day of the very first image. It was a mono image and the subject had colour.

 

Allan

 

 

There is the story that when Picasso was having a argument with a critic about how unrealistic his cubist paintings were, he asked the critic to show Picasso a picture of the critic's girlfriend.

 

Picasso looked at the photograph and said "but she is so small". The photograph was about 2X3 inches.

 

When replacing the sky make sure that the replacement sky is not so sensational that it detracts from the subject matter.

[Autumn Sky]

I think sky replacement is acceptable for landscapes/travel.   It must look natural & it is not easy to get edges right.

This photo of Ocean Beach pier in San Diego, CA originally had dull grey sky;  I really like replaced version

 

 

I follow this sequence:  https://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-editing/replace-sky/

and find it works well.  Hardest part is selection;  in example above it was easy because horizon was very clean cut

 

In this example selection / blending was hell & spent almost an hour.  

Also not sure it looks very natural, but it's maybe because I know how original scene was

 

Skies are my own photos;  whenever I see great sky I take a shot and save it for such purposes

[Liam Bunce]

On 07/11/2020 at 20:06, M.Chapman said:

Are there any copyright issues or usage restrictions with the skies that Adobe is providing?

 

Mark

Take your own sky images, problem solved.

[Betty LaRue]

I’ll resurrect this thread. I’ve taken a few new, and scoured my HD for old, and began amassing sky images and adding them via my own folder in the sky replacement tool. I do have a need for more evening and sunset skies, so I’ll be watching my environment with interest.

This is really a brilliant tool, one if Adobe hadn’t gone CC and was still putting up new software to buy like of old, I would have paid to update just to get this.

[Betty LaRue]

On 24/01/2021 at 07:55, Ed Rooney said:

 

Lovely images in your port, Rico. Thanks and viva la Canada! Plus, eh. I'll try that after I get some new pics. 

Ed, if you create a folder down at the bottom of the app by the plus sign, you can keep your own skies in that folder and not get confused about which ones are yours.

[Michael Ventura]

I just had a shoot last week for a builder client to shoot some exteriors of porch at the back of the house.  We had no choice but to shoot on an overcast gray day...the shoot day was locked in for that day.  Well, the Photoshop Sky Replacement tool saved the day and it made the client VERY happy!!!  My first time using it and its existence was brought to my attention thru this forum!!  Such a great community we have! Thank You Stokie for starting this thread!

 

This a shot from the shoot where the sky was pure white (or light gray).

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Michael Ventura

[Ed Rooney]

You are right on all those points, Michael. The new sky saved this and a few other Rome snaps. 

 

[Betty LaRue]

Brilliant tool, right up there with the Upright tool. I remember before CC when I didn’t update to every single new release of PS until a new tool was offered I had to have. Often about every other release.  It’s great to get them automatically, now. Very worth it to pay for the subscription model, for me.

I’m still investigating places to get unobstructed views of the sky, but believe I found a good area a couple of days ago. Of course there are trees, but low down and far off across a big field.  Easily eliminated with careful framing.

I want a few more sunset images, but I’m not looking for spectacular ones. Rather soft and subtle, reflected off soft clouds so they won’t overpower an image but add something nice to the right image.

 

Like this one, that had a dark, cloudy sky much like what I used here, but the bits of color in the new sky changes the feel.

 

 

 

Edited April 19, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[Johnnie5]

Maybe think of your self differently.  "A content creator is someone who creates appealing and awe-inspiring content for the viewers".

[aphperspective]

Today for some stupid reason PS  Sky Replacement tool is acting up, selecting a sky from the available presets just gets "unable to find file" error message. Anybody else had this?🤬 

[Rico]

15 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

Today for some stupid reason PS  Sky Replacement tool is acting up, selecting a sky from the available presets just gets "unable to find file" error message. Anybody else had this?🤬 

I had that same problem a month ago, so I went to the Adobe forum. According to them, delete all the default folders:"Click on the cog icon at the top right corner of the sky preset window, select "Append Defalt Skies...". All the default sky preset folders should be appended to the end of your presets list now. You can then delete all your old presets folders.

I deleted all of the preset folders (scary I know) then restarted either the filter or PS, I can't remember. Good luck

[Betty LaRue]

I just nosed around in one of my HDs and found a couple more really pretty dawn sky images. You can crop out the sky, and even if it is fully wide but short up & down, it can still work for some images. I know because I did it.

Edited April 19, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[aphperspective]

1 hour ago, Rico said:

I had that same problem a month ago, so I went to the Adobe forum. According to them, delete all the default folders:"Click on the cog icon at the top right corner of the sky preset window, select "Append Defalt Skies...". All the default sky preset folders should be appended to the end of your presets list now. You can then delete all your old presets folders.

I deleted all of the preset folders (scary I know) then restarted either the filter or PS, I can't remember. Good luck

I found the same fix, open any image, Open the Sky Replacement delete all the folders and groups, close the Sky Replacement, Re Open it and its all back to normal.

[Sally]

Sky replacement in Luminar AI is far better and much easier than using Photoshop IMHO. It blends very well.

[Stokie]

On 02/05/2021 at 20:25, Sally said:

Sky replacement in Luminar AI is far better and much easier than using Photoshop IMHO. It blends very well.

 

I haven't used Luminar but Photoshop couldn't be any easier.

 

Click on sky replacement, click on sky image, click OK - easy!

 

John.

[Betty LaRue]

8 hours ago, Stokie said:

 

I haven't used Luminar but Photoshop couldn't be any easier.

 

Click on sky replacement, click on sky image, click OK - easy!

 

John.

I agree. Easy as can be.

[Sally]

2 hours ago, Betty LaRue said:

I agree. Easy as can be.

I think it’s the blending options that are better. But I haven’t experimented a lot with both.

[Vincent Lowe]

Taken a couple of weeks ago on a dull overcast day.  Sky added (Photoshop) then I flipped the image vertically and added the same sky image again to create the reflection.  I tried adding a few extra ripples using the Flood Filter plug-in from Flaming Pear but in the end decided it was better without them.  A few tweaks and job done.

 

The Llangollen canal at Wrenbury, Cheshire.

 

[Betty LaRue]

2 hours ago, Vincent Lowe said:

Taken a couple of weeks ago on a dull overcast day.  Sky added (Photoshop) then I flipped the image vertically and added the same sky image again to create the reflection.  I tried adding a few extra ripples using the Flood Filter plug-in from Flaming Pear but in the end decided it was better without them.  A few tweaks and job done.

 

The Llangollen canal at Wrenbury, Cheshire.

 

Great job, Vincent!

[Vincent Lowe]

1 hour ago, Betty LaRue said:

Great job, Vincent!

 

Thanks Betty.

 

Incidentally, talking of great jobs, the lifting bridge is still the original bridge built by the great engineer Thomas Telford around the year 1790 though now, as it's on a main road, it has a modern electrical lifting mechanism.  Over 200 years and still in use.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Vincent Lowe

[Betty LaRue]

16 minutes ago, Vincent Lowe said:

 

Thanks Betty.

 

Incidentally, talking of great jobs, the lifting bridge is still the original bridge built by the great engineer Thomas Telford around the year 1790 though now, as it's on a main road, it has a modern electrical lifting mechanism.  Over 200 years and still in use.

Is the lifting bridge the part with yellow rails? And what exactly is a lifting bridge? I have never heard the term before. I assume it lifts autos, but know nothing about how it works. Is it lifting them over a channel of water, thus physically moves in a direction to deposit them on dry land somewhat like a ferry does? But one wouldn’t use a ferry for a small body of water.
It seems like a simple bridge would do.

Ahh, never mind. Wikipedia explained it. Not moving autos at all, but getting a piece of the bridge out of the way for boats to pass. I’ve only ever seen ones here that break in the middle and swivel vertically.

Edited May 9, 2021 by Betty LaRue

[Vincent Lowe]

16 minutes ago, Betty LaRue said:

Ahh, never mind. Wikipedia explained it. Not moving autos at all, but getting a piece of the bridge out of the way for boats to pass. I’ve only ever seen ones here that break in the middle and swivel vertically.

 

That's right.  This type of bridge is also called a bascule bridge.  The upper arms carry a counterbalance weight at the back.  There are two other original Thomas Telford bridges nearby which now only carry foot traffic and which are manually operated.  Here's one which is not far from the road bridge, the Wrenbury Church bridge - taken on the same day and also a victim of the Sky Replacement Tool.... 🙂

 

When I first did this one I noticed that the the upper counterbalance arms were tainted with a hint of blue from the sky replacement tool.  So I duplicated the background layer then, after adding the sky, I used the eraser tool to clear the counterbalance arms of the blue tint.

 

[Betty LaRue]

3 hours ago, Vincent Lowe said:

 

That's right.  This type of bridge is also called a bascule bridge.  The upper arms carry a counterbalance weight at the back.  There are two other original Thomas Telford bridges nearby which now only carry foot traffic and which are manually operated.  Here's one which is not far from the road bridge, the Wrenbury Church bridge - taken on the same day and also a victim of the Sky Replacement Tool.... 🙂

 

When I first did this one I noticed that the the upper counterbalance arms were tainted with a hint of blue from the sky replacement tool.  So I duplicated the background layer then, after adding the sky, I used the eraser tool to clear the counterbalance arms of the blue tint.

 

I have noticed the sky bleeding over onto light things occasionally, also. So....did you back out of replacing the sky, then duplicate the background, then do the sky replacement before using the brush?  Whatever you are doing is working. I love this tool.

[Vincent Lowe]

On 10/05/2021 at 01:18, Betty LaRue said:

I have noticed the sky bleeding over onto light things occasionally, also. So....did you back out of replacing the sky, then duplicate the background, then do the sky replacement before using the brush?  Whatever you are doing is working. I love this tool.

 

Apologies for late reply.  Yes, I did exactly as you describe.    I love it too..!

[sb photos]

I've never replaced a sky, but now have an image where I'll experiment replacing a bland blue sky with a black menacing one. When shooting skies for potential later use, do you shoot at a range of different iso's to match the iso of the image it could be used with, or simply shoot at the lowest practicable iso?