EASY Sky Replacements in Photoshop! NEW A.I. Tech
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- 0:00 Introduction
- 0:29 Sky Replacement Panel Fully Explained
- 1:32 Masking Sliders Explained
- 2:46 The Sky Brush Explained
- 4:44 Sky Adjustment Controls Explained
- 5:30 Foreground Adjustment Controls Explained
- 8:14 How to Import Your .Sky files in Photoshop
- 8:48 Import .jpg or .png sky images.
- 10:05 Use the Sky Replacement for Day To Night Transformations
- 14:14 Replace Skies in Video with Photoshop
- 18:00 Final Thoughts
Your choices stick across every tutorial on this device.
Sky replacements in Photoshop use an AI-powered panel to mask, color, and blend a new sky into any photo or video in seconds.
It has never been easier to do sky replacements in Photoshop! Check out this jaw-dropping new tool that allows you to easily replace skies using AI
Key Takeaways
- The Sky Replacement panel builds its mask with Photoshop’s AI, then lets you fine-tune it with the Shift Edge and Fade Edge sliders.
- The Sky Brush paints directly on that mask, so you can add back sky the AI missed or remove sky it added by mistake.
- Every slider in the panel generates its own adjustment layer or mask, so nothing about the swap is permanent once you output to new layers.
- Sky Replacement will not run on a video layer or a video group. Convert the clip to a Smart Object first, and only use footage shot on a locked tripod.
- A day-to-night sky swap only looks real once you color grade the rest of the photo to match the new sky, not just drop in a night sky.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- PTC Custom Skies
- Sky Replacements in Photoshop: The Panel Fully Explained
- Masking Sliders Explained
- The Sky Brush in Sky Replacement Explained
- Sky Adjustments in the Sky Replacement Panel Explained
- Foreground Adjustment Controls Explained
- Sky Replacement Output Layers
- How to Import Your Sky Images into Photoshop Sky Replacement
- Import .jpg or .png sky images
- Use the Sky Replacement for a Realistic Day To Night Transformations
- Replace Skies in Video with Photoshop
- Add a Sky Reflection to the Water in Photoshop
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to open the Sky Replacement panel and choose a new sky
- How to fine-tune the mask with the Shift Edge, Fade Edge, and Sky Brush
- How to blend a new sky into the scene with the Sky Adjustments and Foreground Adjustments sliders
- How to import your own sky images into the panel
- How to build a day-to-night composite with a sky swap
- How to replace the sky in a locked-down video clip
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0 or later) or the current version
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Fill the mask with the background color | Ctrl Backspace | Command Delete |
| Preview the mask, or split a Blend If point | Alt click | Option click |
| Group the selected layers | Ctrl G | Command G |
| Free Transform, to flip the reflection layer | Ctrl T | Command T |
| Duplicate the layer | Ctrl J | Command J |
PTC Custom Skies
You can download the two PTC custom skies here.
Sky Replacements in Photoshop: The Panel Fully Explained
The Sky Replacement panel is a feature in Photoshop 2021. It uses Photoshop’s AI to analyze the image and select the sky.
You can find it under Select > Sky.
But there is an even more impressive feature that will use the same technology to replace the sky in your image.
To start using this new sky replacement feature, choose Edit > Sky Replacement.
From the Sky dropdown you can select a new sky for your photo from a collection of skies under 3 categories: Blue Skies, Spectacular, and Sunset.
You can also upload your own sky images as you will see later in this tutorial.
The best thing about this sky replacement feature in Photoshop is that all the sliders and controls will generate a corresponding Adjustment Layer, or Layer Mask.
Masking Sliders Explained
The first set of sliders in the Sky Replacement panel allow you to control the mask generated by the A.I,
The Shift Edge expands or contracts the sky’s mask edge.
The Fade Edge controls the blurring or sharpening of the mask edge.
The Sky Brush in Sky Replacement Explained
The Sky Brush controls the masking by allowing you to paint over areas you want to add or subtract from the mask.
You can think about it as painting on a layer mask to reveal or conceal more of the pixels on the selected layer.
In this case, adding to the mask will show more of the new sky, and subtracting from the mask will conceal the new sky.
Sky Adjustments in the Sky Replacement Panel Explained
The Sky Adjustments section contains the Brightness, Temperature, and Scale sliders which adjust the appearance of the sky and help you achieve a realistic look.
- Brightness – controls the brightness or darkness of the sky, and becomes a Brightness/Contrast adjustment layer.
- Temperature – controls the coolness and warmth of the sky’s color, and becomes a Color Balance adjustment layer.
- Scale – controls the size of the new sky.
Note: You can control the positioning by using the Move tool in the Sky Replacement window.
The Flip checkbox flips the sky image horizontally, which allows you to match the light direction.
Foreground Adjustment Controls Explained
The Foreground Adjustments controls the foreground image, in this tutorial,it controls the appearance of the hill, the tiny house, and the trees.
The Lighting Mode makes the foreground darker or brighter to help blend with the background better. The two dropdown options are: Multiply, which darkens the foreground, and Screen, which lightens the foreground.
The Lighting Adjustment slider will darken or brighten the main background image where it blends with the new sky. As an Output, it will appear as a gray pixel layer and blend depending on the Lighting Mode selected.
The Color Adjustment slider harmonizes the background and foreground’s colors. It will output as a Curves adjustment layer.
Set the Output to New Layers to keep everything editable.
Sky Replacement Output Layers
Once you apply your sky replacement, you should see a group in the layers panel that contains all the adjustment layers, and masks generated by this adjustment.
From this point you can adjust any of these layers to further enhance your sky replacement in Photoshop.
How to Import Your Sky Images into Photoshop Sky Replacement
To import your own sky images, choose Edit > Sky Replacement.
One method is by clicking on the Gear icon (you can access it through the drop-down menu for Sky options) and selecting Import Skies which only imports .SKY file type.
Click here to download the sky set used in this tutorial!
Import .jpg or .png sky images
To import images with .JPEG or .PNG file types instead, click on the + icon. Then locate your images in your computer. Currently, in Photoshop 2021, you can only import one image at a time to the Sky Replacement.
Use the Sky Replacement for a Realistic Day To Night Transformations
To do a realistic day to night transformation you could use the Sky Replacement in Photoshop.
Most sky replacement techniques look unnatural because they never take into account the sky. But as you will see, even with a simple color grade and a sky replacement you will get GREAT results!
Start by color grading your image by using a Color Lookup Adjustment Layer.
Go into the New Adjustment Layer icon and select Color Lookup.
Then, click on the 3DLUT File drop-down menu, and select either Moonlight.3DL or NightFromDay.CUBE to start the day to night transformation.
Depending on your image, you may have to further adjust this effect with the Hue and Saturation adjustment layer or Curves.
In this case I used the Hue and Saturation adjustment layer to desaturate the image and the curves adjustment layer to darken the image.
You can then select your original background image, go into the Sky Replacement and add a night sky image. Then adjust the controls to match your background and output the layers when you’re done.
To truly make a convincing nighttime composite after applying the Sky Replacement, add a few lighting details. Create glowing windows from indoor lighting, and add a soft glowing horizon to mimic light from a distance.
Replace Skies in Video with Photoshop
The Sky Replacement in Photoshop is very powerful, but unfortunately it doesn’t work on video layers or video groups.
But we can trick Photoshop into applying the sky replacement to video via a Smart Object!
Choose File > Open and choose your file from the window. You can only use video that was recorded on a tripod without moving. Photoshop cannot track the background.
If you have a more complex shot try using Adobe After Effects to replace the sky in video.
From your Layers panel, right-click on your video and convert it into a Smart Object. As a Smart Object photoshop will analyze the video layer and apply a sky replacement.
Then, you can choose Edit > Sky Replacement and it will replace the sky as it would with a photo. You can also enjoy editing the adjustments to enhance the scenery.
Add a Sky Reflection to the Water in Photoshop
For a more compelling scene, add the reflection of the sky onto the river water. Select the Sky layer and press CtrlJ (Windows) or CommandJ (macOS) to duplicate it.
Select the original layer and unlink it by clicking on the Unlink icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Then, delete the Layer Mask.
Now, you only have the sky which you can transform to flip it vertically, add a Layer Mask, and use the Brush tool to gradually reveal the sky “reflection.”
Then, change the Blending Mode to Overlay.
For an added effect, open the Layer Style window to use the Blend-If option to hide the sky over the dark pixels in the water.
For every option in that dialog, see How to Use Blend If in Photoshop (Complete Guide).
To do that, drag the Underlying layer’s black point to the left.
Then, hold Alt (Windows) or Option (macOS) to split the point in half and spread it out to achieve a gradual transition.
When you’re done editing the video, click on the Flyout menu icon and select Render Video.
With Photoshop’s new update, this is how you can easy enhance any of your landscape images or change the setting of any scenery!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sky Replacement is a Photoshop feature that uses AI to find the sky in a photo and swap it for a new one. Go to Edit > Sky Replacement to open the panel. Sky replacements in Photoshop generate their own adjustment layers and masks, so nothing gets baked into the original image.
Go to Select > Sky to select only the sky in a photo. Photoshop’s AI analyzes the image and builds the selection on its own. Use the full Sky Replacement panel instead if you want to swap the sky for a new one, not just select it.
Use the Shift Edge and Fade Edge sliders in the Sky Replacement panel. Shift Edge expands or contracts where the mask thinks the sky ends. Fade Edge softens or sharpens that same edge.
Click the Sky Brush in the Sky Replacement panel, then choose the plus or minus icon. Painting with the plus icon adds the new sky, and painting with the minus icon brings back the original sky. This works like painting on a regular Layer Mask: black hides, white reveals.
Yes. Click the gear icon in the Sky Replacement panel to import a .SKY file, or click the plus icon to import a single JPEG or PNG image. Photoshop only lets you import one JPEG or PNG at a time.
Sky Replacement does not work directly on a video layer or a video group. Right-click the video layer and choose Convert to Smart Object first, then run Edit > Sky Replacement as you would on a photo. The clip needs to come from a locked-down tripod shot, because Photoshop cannot track a moving camera.
Add a Color Lookup adjustment layer and choose the Moonlight or NightFromDay preset to grade the photo toward night. Then run the Sky Replacement panel and choose a night sky to match. Finish with Hue/Saturation or Curves adjustments to sell the effect.
A sky swap looks unnatural when only the sky changes and the rest of the photo does not. Match the sky’s brightness and color to the scene with the Sky Adjustments and Foreground Adjustments sliders. For a night scene, also color grade the whole photo and add small details like glowing windows.
Conclusion
You now know how sky replacements in Photoshop work, from the masking sliders to the Sky Brush and the Sky Adjustments controls.
The same panel handles day-to-night composites, and even video, once you convert a locked-down clip to a Smart Object.
Watch the full video above, and comment on the video if you have a question.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, learn how to change an entire background in Photoshop.
Related Links
Final Image
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