New Sky

This tutorial requires the user to have a basic knowledge of the interface for Photoshop 3 or above.

There are a number of ways to separate an object (or series of objects) from a background. This tutorial teaches how to use the Pen tool as a precision selection method.
Step 1
Open newsky.jpg (download the file from this link and open it in Photoshop).
 
Step 2
Duplicate the layer "background" ( Create New Layer ). Name the new layer "Buildings". Turn off the visibility ( Visibility ) of the background layer. The background layer is retained in case an error occurs on the "Buildings" layer. Another copy can be made if needed.
 
Step 3
Select the Pen Tool ( Pen Tool ) from the toolbox and choose the Paths tab on the Layers palette.
 
Step 4
Create a new path ( New Path ). Double click the new path and rename it "Sky Area".
 
Step 5
Position the pointer where you want to begin the path, and click to define the first anchor point. The anchor point remains selected (Solid) until you define the next point. "Loosely" click near the 12 anchor points needed to outline the visible sky (don't worry about accuracy, we'll move the points in step 8). The 13th click will be on the first point of the path, a small loop will appear next to the pointer when it is precisely aligned with the anchor point (this will close the path).
 
Step 6
Expand the image's display window (by dragging the sides of the window) to about 130% of it's original size (this will give you room to move safely, without clicking outside of the boarder).
 
Step 7
Select the Direct-Selection Tool ( Pen Tool ) in the toolbox.
 
Step 8
Click an anchor point and move it into the desired position. Use the Zoom Tool ( Zoom Tool ) to enlarge an area for greater precision, then select the Direct-Selection (see Step 7) tool to move the anchor point where you want it.
 
Step 9
Once you have positioned the points around the image, select the "Buildings" layer. Drag the "Sky Area" path down onto the Make Selection icon ( Make Selection ) on the Paths palette. The path will be converted into a selected area (the "marching ants" will be visible around the selection).
 
Step 10
Press the "Backspace" button on the keyboard (the selected area will be deleted). Since the background image is invisible, the area where the sky was will be checkered (Photoshop's way of indicating transparency).
 
Step 11
Create a new layer and name it "Sky". Reposition the "Sky" layer between "Buildings" and "background".

Choose a blue (from a color swatch or color picker) as a foreground color, select "All" (from the Selection menu), and fill (Alt + Backspace (Win), Option + Delete (Mac)) "Sky" with the blue. Select "None" (from the Select menu).

 
Step 12
Reset your foreground and background colors to the default black & white. Use the Eyedropper tool ( Eyedropper Tool ) to select the blue color chosen for the "Sky" layer.
 
Step 13
In the Filter pulldown menu, go to the Render group and select Clouds. The "Sky" layer will now have a new cloud look. The Clouds filter uses your foreground and background colors to make cloud-like textures. Reapply this filter a number of times to get the best match with your foreground image (in this case, our buildings).
 
Step 14
Save the document.
   
Last Modified March 12, 2005
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