transfering blue sky from one picture to another

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

Nadia wrote:

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

There are a few ways. The important and usually most difficult part is to make a good selection of the foreground of the target image. After you've done that it's a matter of bringing the sky image into that document and putting it on a layer below the main image.

Then the transparent area will allow the sky to show through. That transparency can be defined by having a Layer Mask based on your selection on that main layer, but it's not necessary. You can also just delete the old sky so the new one shows through.

A Layer Mask gives you better editing leeway since you can paint or use filters, etc. on it.

Look around for tutorials on removing backgrounds and Layer Masks. There are several on the web. In fact I seem to remember seeing one on replacing a sky.

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being able to make a good selection of either the sky or the rest of the pic is the key - selections can be made in various aaways and with variious tools - research selections as a subject unto itself. Once you have a good selection, you can past into it or use the selection as a mask

"Nadia" wrote in message

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

Instead of trying to select around these features, use a solid selection that goes right over them. Use darken mode and reduce the opacity somewhat (try 40%). You get a paler sky but eliminate haloes around slightly out-of-focus branches and telephone wires. Darken will decide whether or not they should be seen as sky or something else. Your selection must merely avoid bright-colored objects in the foreground.

Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

In article <ZwHUe.26476$>, frankg
wrote:

being able to make a good selection of either the sky or the rest of the pic is the key - selections can be made in various aaways and with variious tools - research selections as a subject unto itself. Once you have a good selection, you can past into it or use the selection as a mask
"Nadia" wrote in message

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

Tom
I dont follow - how do you do this ? Do you make a "solid" selection by painting over the "branches & telephone lines" in quick mask or ? And then copying that selection into a duplicate background layer ? Frank

"Tom Nelson" wrote in message

Instead of trying to select around these features, use a solid selection that goes right over them. Use darken mode and reduce the opacity somewhat (try 40%). You get a paler sky but eliminate haloes around slightly out-of-focus branches and telephone wires. Darken will decide whether or not they should be seen as sky or something else. Your selection must merely avoid bright-colored objects in the foreground.

Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

In article <ZwHUe.26476$>, frankg
wrote:

being able to make a good selection of either the sky or the rest of the pic
is the key - selections can be made in various aaways and with variious tools - research selections as a subject unto itself. Once you have a good
selection, you can past into it or use the selection as a mask
"Nadia" wrote in message

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

......or do you simply mean to copy the new sky image and paste it onto the original as a layer above the bkgrnd and change the new layer mode to Darken at about 40% ?
........ but doesnt it lay the new sky over everything including the branches and whatever and so you'd have to remove it from unwanted areas (non sky) with a layer mask?

"Tom Nelson" wrote in message

Instead of trying to select around these features, use a solid selection that goes right over them. Use darken mode and reduce the opacity somewhat (try 40%). You get a paler sky but eliminate haloes around slightly out-of-focus branches and telephone wires. Darken will decide whether or not they should be seen as sky or something else. Your selection must merely avoid bright-colored objects in the foreground.

Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

In article <ZwHUe.26476$>, frankg
wrote:

being able to make a good selection of either the sky or the rest of the pic
is the key - selections can be made in various aaways and with variious tools - research selections as a subject unto itself. Once you have a good
selection, you can past into it or use the selection as a mask
"Nadia" wrote in message

Hi,
Is it possible to transfer blue sky from one picture to another with photoshop, using a layer or mask, or is there another way? I am new to photoshop, can this be done fairly easily? please excuse my ignorance.

Regards, Nadia

In article <VlzVe.1731$>, frankg
wrote:

Tom
I dont follow - how do you do this ? Do you make a "solid" selection by painting over the "branches & telephone lines" in quick mask or ? And then copying that selection into a duplicate background layer ? Frank
.....or do you simply mean to copy the new sky image and paste it onto the
original as a layer above the bkgrnd and change the new layer mode to Darken
at about 40% ?
....... but doesnt it lay the new sky over everything including the branches
and whatever and so you'd have to remove it from unwanted areas (non sky)
with a layer mask?

Make a rectangular selection that contains all of the sky and adjacent background features but avoids bright foreground objects like white walls, light sources, etc. (anything as bright as the sky). You may need to paint such features out of the selection in Quick Mask mode if they fall inside your rectangle. Back in marching ants mode, notice that you have a selection of sky and some nearby darker objects.

With the selection still active, make a new blank layer. Fill it with a blue gradient. You may want to sample the actual sky and use darker values of those colors. Skies are paler near the horizon, so go from light blue to darker blue. Your gradient fills the selection you've made, covering trees, phone wires, buildings...

Change the blend mode of the gradient layer to Darken. Those darker elements reappear. Look at the horizon at 100%. There will likely be a rather artificial boundary between sky and trees. Lower the opacity of the layer to about 40% and that artificial look will go away.

The technique is faster to do than to describe.
Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

Thanks - I'll look for a couple of images to experiment with and try it out - pretty seamless huh, I usually struggle with selections around bare branches & similar - often end up with a 'halo'

"Tom Nelson" wrote in message

In article <VlzVe.1731$>, frankg
wrote:

Tom
I dont follow - how do you do this ? Do you make a "solid" selection by painting over the "branches & telephone lines" in quick mask or ? And then
copying that selection into a duplicate background layer ? Frank
.....or do you simply mean to copy the new sky image and paste it onto the
original as a layer above the bkgrnd and change the new layer mode to Darken
at about 40% ?
....... but doesnt it lay the new sky over everything including the branches
and whatever and so you'd have to remove it from unwanted areas (non sky)
with a layer mask?

Make a rectangular selection that contains all of the sky and adjacent background features but avoids bright foreground objects like white walls, light sources, etc. (anything as bright as the sky). You may need to paint such features out of the selection in Quick Mask mode if they fall inside your rectangle. Back in marching ants mode, notice that you have a selection of sky and some nearby darker objects.
With the selection still active, make a new blank layer. Fill it with a blue gradient. You may want to sample the actual sky and use darker values of those colors. Skies are paler near the horizon, so go from light blue to darker blue. Your gradient fills the selection you've made, covering trees, phone wires, buildings...

Change the blend mode of the gradient layer to Darken. Those darker elements reappear. Look at the horizon at 100%. There will likely be a rather artificial boundary between sky and trees. Lower the opacity of the layer to about 40% and that artificial look will go away.
The technique is faster to do than to describe.
Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

"frankg" wrote:

.....or do you simply mean to copy the new sky image and paste it onto the original as a layer above the bkgrnd and change the new layer mode to Darken at about 40% ?
....... but doesnt it lay the new sky over everything including the branches and whatever and so you'd have to remove it from unwanted areas (non sky) with a layer mask?

As Tom wrote, you set the top layer to darken mode. Since branches usually are more or less black when photographed against the sky, they will not be affected by the top layer. This method will fail with a photograph of aspens in the sunset against the black sky of an upcoming thunderstorm - but who would want to change such a sky against the light blue sky of a summer morning?

Peter

The tough part of most sky replacements is anything slightly out-of-focus, which can be everything in some digital photos. The plain darken mode at 100% moves the sky into that blur boundary until it finds the pixels which are darker, then stops. The result is an unnaturally abrupt transition. Lowering opacity gives a gradated boundary just as you'd see with a real sky.
Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

In article , Peter Wollenberg
wrote:

As Tom wrote, you set the top layer to darken mode. Since branches usually are more or less black when photographed against the sky, they will not be affected by the top layer.

Just tried it and it works great.
thanks

"Tom Nelson" wrote in message

The tough part of most sky replacements is anything slightly out-of-focus, which can be everything in some digital photos. The plain darken mode at 100% moves the sky into that blur boundary until it finds the pixels which are darker, then stops. The result is an unnaturally abrupt transition. Lowering opacity gives a gradated boundary just as you'd see with a real sky.
Tom Nelson
Tom Nelson Photography

In article , Peter Wollenberg
wrote:

As Tom wrote, you set the top layer to darken mode. Since branches usually are more or less black when photographed against the sky, they will not be affected by the top layer.