Enhancing a washed out sky

If you have a sky that lacks signficant contrast or definition in relation to the rest of subject matter in your photograph, it may be because the dyamic range of your camera was unable to preserve sufficient definition while also trying to retain enough detail in the foreground of your image. The technique below provides a means for improving the sky definition independent of the rest of the image. For this technique to be successful you will want to avoid any telltale halos that may appear on the horizon if you overdo this processing. Pay particular attention to steps 5 and 6 with this approach.

1. Duplicate the background layer.
   Menu: Layer -> New -> Layer from background.
   or
   In the Layer palette, drag the background layer down to the new layer icon.
2. On the background copy, select the sky via the “Color range” tool.
   Menu: Select -> Color range
   Use black matte to identify your selection and move the slider accordingly.
3. Turn the sky selection into a layer mask.
   While the sky is still selected, In the layer palette, click on the “add layer mask” button
4. Enhance the sky by changing the blend mode for the new mask to “multiply”
   Use the layer palette selecting the “multiply” option of the various blending modes available.
5. Adjust the blending between the sky and foreground to avoid that distinctive photoshopped halo. This is done via using the Gaussian blur filter mode.  With the filter mask selected:
   Menu:  Filter -> Blur > Gaussian blur
   Slide the radius bar to your satisfaction.
You can also apply the same basic technique to enhance the foreground.
For example if the foreground is too dark, you can apply the same steps above on a separate copy using an inverted mask to select the foreground. Then use the blending mode “screen” instead. Use the opacity control to vary the degree of lightness.
6. Adjust the opacity on the new layer to control the degree of impact due to this enhanced sky. Too much can very garish and unrealistic, also resulting in a telltale sharp border at the horizon.
   
   The biggest challenge with this technique is controlling the edge of the mask where the sky meets the horizon. Sometimes skipping step #5 produces better results.  Alternatively with the mask selected you may want to play with the edge via the 'Refine edge' under the select menu.  This edit capability allows you to move the edge of the mask, feather it, or round the sharper edges. In a way, it allows you to create the equivalent of a softer gradient between the layers.

 

All content and images are property of Stephen Fischer Photography, copyright 2009.      Last updated: 12/26/2009