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07/19/2010 09:32:17 PM · #1 |
Surely, this must be something others have had to do as well, but I was unable to find much information through google, maybe I'm missing something.
Basically, I have a photo where the sky is blown out because of the inclusion of the sun. However, if I turn down the exposure/levels in post, I get a very nice sky. I am using CS5.
So I made two copies of the original layer and adjusted them accordingly, one to darken the sky, the other to lighten the foreground. I tried just about every blending option, with each on top of the other. It looks like I'll need to use masks (oh boy, never played with those before =\) but I'm hoping I can avoid it. I couldn't get the effect I wanted with CS5's new HDR toning either.
Any help is VERY appreciated as this is something that happens quite often.
Best,
Eddy |
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07/19/2010 09:47:39 PM · #2 |
| Sounds like masking is your solution. That's what I do with such a situation. It's a technique that took me some effort and practice to learn. Once you finally wrap your head around the concept, it's not difficult to do. Good opportunity to learn something new, right? |
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07/19/2010 10:20:09 PM · #3 |
Its very simple eddy,
click on a layer.
Menur bar ->> layer --> mask --> hide all. ( i have older photoshop so can't write the exact name )
( you would notice that effect of layer has vanished from you picture )
select a brush, white color.
simply paint of the image. You would see the "layer image" being shown where every you have painted white....
This is one way of using mask.... |
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07/19/2010 11:21:41 PM · #4 |
Thanks a lot guys. What I did was take the layer with the blown out highlights and quick select it, then fill the corrected layer's mask with white (I learned something new!). The problem? There are trees, and other objects in my picture that contain the sky would simply be too tedious to correct. This picture is nice, but certainly not worth the effort.
Any suggestions? |
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07/19/2010 11:39:18 PM · #5 |
When masking something like that I use a brush with a fairly soft edge to it (Usually 30-50%), that way the transitional edges between the sky and the ground elements is not harsh and unnatural looking. I know I did that on this image, which had a blown sky. I had to layer two raw conversions and mask in the sky, as you are trying to do.
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07/20/2010 03:25:25 AM · #6 |
Here are a couple of web articles that may help.
How to fix the sky.
Tonal Adjustments with Blend Modes
Tim
Message edited by author 2010-07-20 07:25:37. |
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07/20/2010 05:57:32 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by eddi3:
Thanks a lot guys. What I did was take the layer with the blown out highlights and quick select it, then fill the corrected layer's mask with white (I learned something new!). The problem? There are trees, and other objects in my picture that contain the sky would simply be too tedious to correct. This picture is nice, but certainly not worth the effort.
Any suggestions? |
Methinks you may have to revisit your definition of "too tedious." |
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07/20/2010 06:07:47 AM · #8 |
| Does using "ctrl, alt, tilde" still work in CS5 for a quick select of all the blown parts? Then make the mask from the selection. |
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07/20/2010 06:15:03 AM · #9 |
| The answer for this type of adjustment is often to use a *very* soft selection, more like a gradient. You may need to use a circular gradient for the area directly around the sun, and another more complex shape (but still very gradual transition) for the rest of the sky. You should be able to get a very natural look this way. |
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07/20/2010 06:51:34 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by Prism:
Does using "ctrl, alt, tilde" still work in CS5 for a quick select of all the blown parts? Then make the mask from the selection. |
Yes, cntrl+alt+tilde (~) will make a graduated selection of the brightest parts of the image.
R. |
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07/22/2010 10:46:26 AM · #11 |
I appreciate all the advice, some of it was very helpful. Still, I was unable to get quite what I wanted. However, the things I have learned will certainly help with future photos and, more importantly, compositions.
Thanks everybody!
P.S. If anyone is interested I can send the original jpeg or even psd file via e-mail, since I cannot upload here. I don't think it is worthwhile, I've never seen that much flare in a single image :) |
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