How to Edit the Sky in Photos

Have you ever taken a photo and thought, “this is amazing, but the sky is so flat.”? Or maybe you’ve taken a lovely shot of some scenery or people, but there’s an ugly, grey sky in the background which seems to ruin everything.

The truth is that it’s not always easy to have the perfect sky in photos due to weather changes and other factors beyond human control.

Luckily, there’s a relatively simple way to edit the sky. All you need is Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom.

This article will show you how to use these tools to edit the sky in your photos and create perfect albums that pop.

How to Edit the Sky in Photos in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop is undoubtedly one of the best post-production photo-editing tools ever developed.

It can help you do it all – from quick fixes like correcting color, adjusting contrast, and sharpness. It can also handle more complex tasks like removing objects or introducing something that never existed.

But Photoshop can help you do much more.

If your photo has a sky depiction that doesn’t fit your artistic vision, you can easily edit it into something infinitely more inspiring. For example, you can add some clouds and color to the scene or go all out with dramatic stormy skies.

Here’s how you can edit the sky in photos using the Sky Replacement Feature in Photoshop:

1. Open the image you’d like to edit in Photoshop.
   
2. Click on “Edit.”
   
3. Select “Sky Replacement.” This should open a dialog containing several sky presets.
   
4. Scroll through the list of the available presets and select the one you prefer.
   

And with that, Photoshop’s algorithms will work in the background and replace the original sky with the preset chosen. You can modify the sky and adjust colors using the sliders below the photo for an even more seamless look.

If you’d like more sky images, you can easily get some on the Adobe Discover Website.

How to Edit the Sky in Photos in Lightroom

Although Lightroom is primarily a photo organizing and processing tool, it still comes with excellent photo-editing tools. It has various features that can help you retouch, enhance and edit photos with incredible results.

More importantly, it can help you add a blue tint to dull, unattractive skies, thereby making your photo more vibrant.

Here’s how it works:

1. Import the photo of interest into Lightroom.
   
2. Select the Brush Tool in the top right corner of the sidebar. The tool will help you map out the sky on your photo so for quick editing.
   
3. Check the box next to “Auto Mask” at the bottom of the brush panel. This will limit the brush to the sky and prevent it from mapping out and tweaking the color of midground or foreground objects.
   
4. Move the Temp slider left or right to adjust the blue tint you’d like to add to your photo. Dragging it to the left will increase the amount of blue in the sky.
   
5. Brush over the sky to introduce the blue tint, making sure the center of the brush doesn’t touch any object below the sky.
   

And just like that, you should end up with a beautiful blue sky that makes your photo stand out.

How to Edit the Sky in Photos in Lightroom Mobile

One of the best things about Lightroom is that it comes with a mobile version that’s just as effective and efficient as the desktop version. The mobile version allows you to tweak the colors of the sky and make it more beautiful.

Here’s how to go about it:

1. Open Lightroom mobile and then open the photo you’d like to edit.
   
2. Tap on the “Color” tab at the bottom of your screen. Depending on your device screen size, you may have to swipe the tools at the bottom toward the left or right to get to the “Color” tool.
   
3. Tap on “Mix” in the top right corner of the Color panel. At this point, you should see different colored dots. Each dot edits the corresponding color in the photo.
   
4. Since you want to edit the sky, tap the blue dot.
   
5. Below the colored dots, you should see three slider bars named Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.
   Here’s what each of these bars works:
   • Hue: Makes the blues in the photo greener or more purple. For example, to make the blues more teal, slide the bar to the left.
     
   • Saturation: This makes the blues less saturated, resulting in a “filmy” look.
     
   • Luminance: This makes the blues darker or lighter. For example, slide to the right if you’d like the sky to be lighter and brighter.
     
6. Tap on “Done” and then tap on the three small dots in the top right corner of your screen to save the photo to a folder or album of your choice.
   

Set the Tone of Your Image

The sky is a key element in any photo. It can set the mood and tone of your image, add drama or romance to an otherwise mundane scene, or even create that perfect balance between light and dark.

Although numerous tools can help you edit the sky, the process can be painstakingly long and tedious if you don’t pick the right one.

Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom are some of the best photo-editing tools on the market. They come with tools that allow you to edit the sky in any photo of your choice and transform it into an unforgettable masterpiece. All you need to do is load the image in the application and follow a few simple steps.

Even if you don’t have a computer, you can download and install Lightroom Mobile on your device and have access to a fantastic set of sky editing tools.

Have you used Photoshop or Lightroom to edit the sky in your photos? How did it go?

Let us know in the comments section below.