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Tutorial #4 - Replacing Sky

Sometimes when we take a photograph the sky doesn't come out very well - either it's overcast or too close to being a very light grey. What this tutorial aims to do is show you how to remove the original sky and bring in one of your own.

Click on Patch to download the graphics associated with this tutorial.

::DOWNLOAD FILE::

When you see Patch, click on him to download the images used in the tutorials

1.	Double-click on the Layer titled Background and accept the default name of Layer 0. This makes it into a floating layer.
2.	With our image open in Photoshop, select the Magic Wand Tool. Change the Tolerance settings to about 32.
3.	Click on an area of sky - you should see a selection of marching ants.
4.	From the Selection menu choose the Similar command. This will select anything that is similar to the last colour we used the Magic Wand Tool. If you now have selections anywhere else apart from the sky, remove them by using the Lasso Tool (press "L"). Hold down the Alt key while drawing around the area you want to remove the mask from.
5.	When only the sky is selected, choose the Feather command from the Select menu and enter a value of 1. Press the Delete key to remove the sky. You should now be able to see the chequered background of the canvas.
6.	Open a file that contains the sky image you want to use - click and drag it onto the original file. Move the sky layer down one so it is below the layer titled "Layer 0". You should now have the sky set behind the foreground layer.
7.	Once you have the sky in the position you want after moving it and rescaling it, select the Eraser tool and choose a small soft-edge brush. Remove any unwanted areas on the Layer 0.
8.	Finally, choose the Defringe option from the Layer... Matting Menu. This will tidy up the edges a little.
ALTERNATIVE: Another way of adding a new sky is by using the Clouds filter from the Filters -- Render Menu. NOTE: If you are replacing a sky on an image that contains water, like my example, don't forget you need to place a reflection of the sky in the water. Check out my tutorial "Making Reflections" to see how it's done.