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Sky editing or replacement
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Sep 14, 2021 05:43:36   #
BadPhoto Loc: Maryland
 
Cubanphoto wrote:
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had some amazing views (that I captured the best I know how in manual) of city and landscape. Unfortunately, for about 4 days the skies were as overcast and bland as it can be.
I have used sky replacement with PS Elements, but that is tedious and time consuming work. I search the internet and came up with a couple of options. In no particular order:

1. Landscape pro
2. Luminar
3. PhotoShop Sky Replacement
4. Befunky
5. PicStart

My questions:
what do you recommend or use?
How intuitive is it? Easy?
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had s... (show quote)


Nearly every example of sky replacement I see is simply horrible. Bad masking, color mismatch, inconsistent sun direction, inconsistent focal lengths. On top of that, using canned skies means you didn't take the picture.

I do sky replacement occasionally, but it is a lot of work. I have my own library of sky photos. I do 360 degree sweeps at different times of day. I use skies that match the lighting (direction of sun, angle of sun, amount of cloud cover) and I adjust the sky photos to match the focal length of my shot. The new Photoshop sky replacement is pretty good; it generates a mask for sky replacement and a mask for ground lighting. But I always have to dig in and edit those masks. I've tried Luminar, but I don't care for their editing tools so adjusting the masks is difficult.

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Sep 14, 2021 07:36:51   #
jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana
 
Luminar does an excellent job. It is easy to use, allows adjustments, and lets you add your own sky images.

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Sep 14, 2021 08:53:20   #
DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
 
I don’t do a lot of sky replacement but I have done it with PS a few times.

PS also produces a layer that modifies the foreground to match the new sky. However you have to be careful with that. If you have faces in the foreground they can take a bluish cast. Since the foreground modification is done with a masked layer you can paint on the mask to remove the facial problem.

Have not tried other software so I can’t say whether they do something similar.

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Sep 14, 2021 08:55:17   #
camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.
 
I tried inPixio Studio 11, not perfect but pretty good and reasonably priced. When they updated the software the nightmare began. With the new update and trying the sky replacement the software will open a window stating that errors have occurred and the sky replacement could not be done. Customer support at inPixio was never able to resolve the problem.

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Sep 14, 2021 09:00:58   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
Cubanphoto wrote:
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had some amazing views (that I captured the best I know how in manual) of city and landscape. Unfortunately, for about 4 days the skies were as overcast and bland as it can be.
I have used sky replacement with PS Elements, but that is tedious and time consuming work. I search the internet and came up with a couple of options. In no particular order:

1. Landscape pro
2. Luminar
3. PhotoShop Sky Replacement
4. Befunky
5. PicStart

My questions:
what do you recommend or use?
How intuitive is it? Easy?
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had s... (show quote)


Sky replacement in Photo shop is very easy to use. They have a new selection tool, you can just select the area you want, go to sky replacement and BOOM, your done.
Below is an example of how easy it was, I had a plain overcast sky and used sky replacement in photoshop to improve it, I am not a photoshop expert, and you really do not have to be to use it.
I also copied and pasted some of the sky into the water for a reflection prespective.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.



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Sep 14, 2021 09:59:15   #
Bayou
 
BadPhoto wrote:
Nearly every example of sky replacement I see is simply horrible. Bad masking, color mismatch, inconsistent sun direction, inconsistent focal lengths...


Indeed

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Sep 14, 2021 10:39:37   #
Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara
 
As much as I question Skylum business practices I feel Luminar AI is currently the easiest sky replacement tool in most cases. It has several sliders which will help you make the sky and foreground match. But as was said it really doesn’t have a lot of value beyond that and can be flaky. They just announced a new product (not an upgrade or replacement to Luminar AI) called Neo. It will have new AI features.

The reason I said currently as many apps are upgrading their game with sky replacements.

PhotoShop is getting close with every release

On1 2022 is due out soon (end of the month)

Etc. All of these have way more value than Luminar.

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Sep 14, 2021 10:48:33   #
waynetgreen Loc: Florida
 
Cubanphoto wrote:
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had some amazing views (that I captured the best I know how in manual) of city and landscape. Unfortunately, for about 4 days the skies were as overcast and bland as it can be.
I have used sky replacement with PS Elements, but that is tedious and time consuming work. I search the internet and came up with a couple of options. In no particular order:

1. Landscape pro
2. Luminar
3. PhotoShop Sky Replacement
4. Befunky
5. PicStart

My questions:
what do you recommend or use?
How intuitive is it? Easy?
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had s... (show quote)


I faced the exact same situation. Pics of Stonehenge, Eiffel Tower and more, all grey skies. I used landscape pro. It has a library of skies, plus you can add your own. There are probably more recent software programs available but I've used landscape pro for years. Turns blah photos into wall hangers.

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Sep 14, 2021 11:01:32   #
DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
 
billnikon wrote:
Sky replacement in Photo shop is very easy to use. They have a new selection tool, you can just select the area you want, go to sky replacement and BOOM, your done...


It's even easier.

You don't have to select the sky. Photoshop will do that for you. And it will get between the leaves of a tree that's in the view.

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Sep 14, 2021 12:02:49   #
bobbyjohn Loc: Dallas, TX
 
I use Luminar AI which I believe has the easiest and best Sky Replacement. The app has a standard set of skys which are good, but maybe not enough to please everyone. I also downloaded several "skys" from the internet, ranging from standard blue with clouds, to tornadoes, to an airliner about to crash. You can get some unique photos by selecting which sky you use. With the exception of the obvious "fake" skys, you must be careful not to make the sky look over-cooked or unnatural. If the initial sky replace is too over-cooked, you can lower the slider in Luminar AI to reduce the cooking.

Attached is a ZIP file of some of my favorite downloaded skys from the internet. I hope you find these helpful!

Attached file:
(Download)

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Sep 14, 2021 12:27:11   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
BadPhoto wrote:
Nearly every example of sky replacement I see is simply horrible. Bad masking, color mismatch, inconsistent sun direction, inconsistent focal lengths. On top of that, using canned skies means you didn't take the picture.

I do sky replacement occasionally, but it is a lot of work. I have my own library of sky photos. I do 360 degree sweeps at different times of day. I use skies that match the lighting (direction of sun, angle of sun, amount of cloud cover) and I adjust the sky photos to match the focal length of my shot. The new Photoshop sky replacement is pretty good; it generates a mask for sky replacement and a mask for ground lighting. But I always have to dig in and edit those masks. I've tried Luminar, but I don't care for their editing tools so adjusting the masks is difficult.
Nearly every example of sky replacement I see is s... (show quote)


I have found the opposite to be true. Interesting isn't it how two people can have such a wide disparity of thought.

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Sep 14, 2021 12:44:22   #
mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD
 
billnikon wrote:
Sky replacement in Photo shop is very easy to use. They have a new selection tool, you can just select the area you want, go to sky replacement and BOOM, your done.
Below is an example of how easy it was, I had a plain overcast sky and used sky replacement in photoshop to improve it, I am not a photoshop expert, and you really do not have to be to use it.
I also copied and pasted some of the sky into the water for a reflection prespective.
Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.
Sky replacement in Photo shop is very easy to use.... (show quote)


Since you posted the photo for all the world to see, I'm going to assume you're a big boy and can take a little constructive criticism. That is not a very good example of sky replacement. The white balance of the sky and landscape are fighting against each other. Also the reflections in the water do not match the sky.

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Sep 14, 2021 12:47:51   #
mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD
 
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
My favourite software with a sky replacement option is Landscape Pro. I like it because it has many presets and manual sliders, and most importantly it enables easily coordinating the landmass with the colour, tone and mood of the selected skyscape. It also has a selection of other specific enhancements of objects, persons, foliage, grass, land, sand, stones, trees, ground, etc., as well as other elements, components in the scene.

Frankly, I do not use sky replacement in my "fine art" work where I try to interpret the scene and mood as is. In my commercial and industrial work, it is a godsend. We are usually working on last-minute assignments when machines and manpower are available on various sites, and if the weather is bad or the sky is blad, there is no time, with the deadlines looming, to come back for a reshoot for a more dramatic scene.

Attached are two images, one for a cover of an agricultural trade journal and the other for a trade show display.
My favourite software with a sky replacement optio... (show quote)


The direction of the lighting in your first photo does not match the sky

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Sep 14, 2021 12:55:52   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
mflowe wrote:
Since you posted the photo for all the world to see, I'm going to assume you're a big boy and can take a little constructive criticism. That is not a very good example of sky replacement. The white balance of the sky and landscape are fighting against each other. Also the reflections in the water do not match the sky.


That is all true. But I am also a creative photographer, using the latest technology to increase my creative palate, and the locals around the lake love it BECAUSE it is sooooo different from the STANDARD image of the gatehouse.
I print this image on metal and have sold it over 20 times so far.
So, yes, again, everything you have said is correct, and I agree with you 100%. Thank god people love it so much because sky replacement makes it look different, the sun never sets in that direction, but thanks to sky replacement, it does now.
Sky replacement used creatively can be rewarding, it is, in my opinion, what sky replacement was meant for, at least it has for me.

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Sep 14, 2021 12:58:22   #
mflowe Loc: Port Deposit, MD
 
Cubanphoto wrote:
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had some amazing views (that I captured the best I know how in manual) of city and landscape. Unfortunately, for about 4 days the skies were as overcast and bland as it can be.
I have used sky replacement with PS Elements, but that is tedious and time consuming work. I search the internet and came up with a couple of options. In no particular order:

1. Landscape pro
2. Luminar
3. PhotoShop Sky Replacement
4. Befunky
5. PicStart

My questions:
what do you recommend or use?
How intuitive is it? Easy?
Just recently I went on a trip to Europe and had s... (show quote)


I know I'm in the minority on this forum and don't do sky replacements because I think it is dishonest unless it's disclosed to a client or customer. However I have played around with Luminar and PS CC. Luminar is very easy to use and they have reflection AI that I don't think PS has unless it's been updated. I think Luminar is more intuitive than PS. That being said, I wouldn't purchase from Skylum anymore because of their deceptive practices.

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