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This was a great picture – but the sky was less than perfect. It was a hot, hazy day, and the sky was a washed out gray and nearly cloudless. My sister wanted a bright blue background, so while this is slightly unrealistic, it was exactly what she wanted. Luckily, this is a pretty easy fix in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements, and the results can be as fun as you desire!
First, open your picture in Photoshop.
Next, find a blue sky picture. You can use an image you already have (for example, I have some stunning sky pictures from a vacation in Florida in 2006) or find a stock image that you like. Open the cloud image in Photoshop.
On your original image, select the sky using the magic wand tool. While this is selected, click “Select” in the top toolbar and choose “Similar.” This will select the dull sky behind the image. Hit “delete” to remove the sky.
Copy the image of the sky you opened (Command-A then Command-C), then paste (Command-V) the image on the picture you are adjusting. In the layers palette, drag your background to the top of the list so the blue sky moves to the background.
If needed, enlarge the sky background. That’s it! I did some additional adjustments to the picture to make the subject brighter, the sky a bit lighter, and to add some highlights to the tree so they looked more realistic with the vibrant sky.
