Replacing sky and blending in...

[Denjw]

Hi all,

Have attempted to replace sky but need help in blending skyline/horizon and the sky colour to be reflected in the sea.

Original



http://images.fotopic.net/?id=36347329&noresize=1

Sky replaced



http://images.fotopic.net/?id=36347330&noresize=1

What would you do? Please feel free to play.

Thanks

Dennis
--
http://dennis-wehner.fotopic.net/
http://aussieden.bigblog.com.au/blog.do

E-300, 14-45mm & 40-150mm

 

[Bart Hickman]

What I did was mirror the sky, then mask it and extend it (using clone) as needed to fit the water. Set the blend mode to overlay, then clipped a levels adjust layer to it and adjusted the output and input sliders to make the color intensity in the water look good.

Then, merge the overlayed sky and levels layer--be sure to set the blend mode of this merged layer back to overlay. Then applied lens blur filter to that. Used a vertical gradient as the blur map. What this does is blur the sky's reflection the most in the nearby water and blur progressively less as you get further away (the ocean gets relatively smoother as it gets further away so reflected light is reflected gradually sharper). Lens blur is interactive, so you can slide the focal point and radius around until it looks right.

I also darkened the cape on the horizon to more of a silhouette.



Bart
--
http://www.pbase.com/zumbari

 

[Denjw]

Thanks a lot

Dennis
--
http://dennis-wehner.fotopic.net/
http://aussieden.bigblog.com.au/blog.do

E-300, 14-45mm & 40-150mm

 

[RayGuselli]

Just picked up your invite to play in another thread...

Here goes and hope it's ok

Best wishes

Ray

 

[sgiza30]

Can any one break it down a little better. I don't exactly understand what Dennis said. Mirrow sky? Anyway is there a tutorial out there to get a better understanding.
Scott

 

[RayGuselli]

Hi Scott

What is suggested is

copying the sky into a new layer

Transform> flip> vertical on the new layer

Drag over the water.

Adjust opacity

Mask and paint out where the sky reflection is not needed.

(I think!!!)

Ray

 

[sgiza30]

Hey that makes more sense. Thanks, I will give it a try.......I appreciate it...

Scott

 

[Barry Fitzgerald]

Nothing against those who want to sex up a sky...but do bear in mind the lighting....you have soft diffused light..and slapping in a intense..contrasty sky with light breaking through the clouds..just looks plain fake, not to mention wrong..as the light in the rest of the picture is clearly not the same..

By all means play people..but do so in a more restrained way! It is a tad on the corny side so of the retouching going on here.

My advice to the op is keep the original and tweak it if you wish..

Else go out when you like the light...you cant make photoshop a substitute for the right conditions..

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[Cigar]

Scott:

I thought I had a tutorial because I just practiced this just yesterday, looking for it I found that it is in a book called "Photoshop 57 Advanced Tools", a Focus Guide. I don't see it anywhere online, I bought it at a bookstore.

1) Select Sky and copy, deselect.
2) Select water, "paste into".
3) New layer will be created, change opacity to about 20%.
4) Edit> Transform> Flip Vertical.
5) Use Move Tool to position.
6) Blur> Radial Blur, Amount= 10, Method= Zoom, Quality= Good
7) Some Levels, Selective Color, and Curves adjustments
8) Flatten Image.

9) Filter> Render> Lighting Effects> Spotlight to suit to reflect the sunlight back.



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