Fix dreary skies

It’s easy to lose detail in the bright skies of your landscapes, but fear not! Dan Mold shows you how to replace an overexposed sky with ease

- Dan Mold

THE MISSION

Use our free sky library to replace a dull sky in Elements

Time needed

15 minutes

Skill level

Beginner

Kit needed

Photoshop

Elements 2020

Even the most advanced digital cameras on the market will struggle to handle the exposure between a bright sky and the foreground, as they have to meter to expose for one or the other. This often leads to sky details being blown out and lost, but fear not, you can replace the sky in Photoshop to save it!

We’ve been busy shooting a library compiled of 50 sky images that you can download for free and add to your landscape to transform a shot that would be great if it didn’t have an overexposed sky. See the link (bottom left) to get hold of your free sky library today.

Weather is such a varied part of landscape photography that you could turn up to a great location only to have no clouds in sight, or have it be totally overcast, both of which can make your scene look flat. Ideally, you want a good mix of cloud and blue sky to give your landscapes good, punchy, contrast. So, adding a new sky to shots like this will also help breathe new life into them.