Using Layer Masks to Replace Sky
Ben Willmore
Lessons
Introduction To Adobe Photoshop
04:05 2Bridge vs. Lightroom
06:39 3Tour of Photoshop Interface
18:21 4Overview of Bridge Workspace
07:42 5Overview of Lightroom Workspace
11:21 6Lightroom Preferences - Saving Documents
08:19 7How To Use Camera Raw in Adobe Photoshop 2020
05:10 8Overview of Basic Adjustment Sliders
13:09Developing Raw Images
30:33 10Editing with the Effects and HLS Tabs
09:12 11How to Save Images
03:37 12Using the Transform Tool
04:48 13Making Selections in Adobe Photoshop 2020
06:03 14Selection Tools
05:55 15Combining Selection Tools
07:37 16Using Automated Selection Tools
17:34 17Quick Mask Mode
05:07 18Select Menu Essentials
21:28 19Using Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020
13:00 20Align Active Layers
07:29 21Creating a New Layer
06:15 22Creating a Clipping Mask
03:02 23Using Effects on Layers
11:24 24Using Adjustment Layers
16:44 25Using the Shape Tool
04:39 26Create a Layer Mask Using the Selection Tool
04:39 27Masking Multiple Images Together
15:15 28Using Layer Masks to Remove People
10:50 29Using Layer Masks to Replace Sky
10:04 30Adding Texture to Images
09:11 31Layering to Create Realistic Depth
05:35 32Adjustment Layers in Adobe Photoshop 2020
05:29 33Optimizing Grayscale with Levels
10:59 34Adjusting Levels with a Histogram
03:37 35Understanding Curves
06:18 36Editing an Image Using Curves
18:41 37Editing with Shadows/Highlights Adjustment
07:19 38Dodge and Burn Using Quick Mask Mode
07:14 39Editing with Blending Modes
08:04 40Color Theory
05:59 41Curves for Color
16:52 42Hue and Saturation Adjustments
08:59 43Isolating Colors Using Hue/Saturation Adjustment
13:33 44Match Colors Using Numbers
16:59 45Adjusting Skin Tones
05:25 46Retouching Essentials In Adobe Camera Raw
10:52 47Retouching with the Spot Healing Brush
07:53 48Retouching with the Clone Stamp
06:51 49Retouching with the Healing Brush
04:34 50Retouching Using Multiple Retouching Tools
13:07 51Extending an Edge with Content Aware
03:42 52Clone Between Documents
13:19 53Crop Tool
10:07 54Frame Tool
02:59 55Eye Dropper and Color Sampler Tools
08:14 56Paint Brush Tools
13:33 57History Brush Tool
06:27 58Eraser and Gradient Tools
03:06 59Brush Flow and Opacity Settings
04:17 60Blur and Shape Tools
11:06 61Dissolve Mode
09:24 62Multiply Mode
15:29 63Screen Mode
14:08 64Hard Light Mode
14:54 65Hue, Saturation, and Color Modes
11:31 66Smart Filters
11:32 67High Pass Filter
13:40 68Blur Filter
05:59 69Filter Gallery
07:42 70Adaptive Wide Angle Filter
04:43 71Combing Filters and Features
04:45 72Select and Mask
20:04 73Manually Select and Mask
08:08 74Creating a Clean Background
21:19 75Changing the Background
13:34 76Smart Object Overview
08:37 77Nested Smart Objects
09:55 78Scale and Warp Smart Objects
09:08 79Replace Contents
06:55 80Raw Smart Objects
10:20 81Multiple Instances of a Smart Object
12:59 82Creating a Mockup Using Smart Objects
05:42 83Panoramas
13:15 84HDR
11:20 85Focus Stacking
04:02 86Time-lapse
11:18 87Light Painting Composite
08:05 88Remove Moire Patterns
06:11 89Remove Similar Objects At Once
09:52 90Remove Objects Across an Entire Image
05:46 91Replace a Repeating Pattern
06:50 92Clone from Multiple Areas Using the Clone Source Panel
10:27 93Remove an Object with a Complex Background
07:49 94Frequency Separation to Remove Staining and Blemishes
12:27 95Warping
11:03 96Liquify
14:02 97Puppet Warp
12:52 98Displacement Map
10:36 99Polar Coordinates
07:19 100Organize Your Layers
11:02 101Layer Styles: Bevel and Emboss
02:59 102Layer Style: Knockout Deep
12:34 103Blending Options: Blend if
13:18 104Blending Options: Colorize Black and White Image
06:27 105Layer Comps
08:30 106Black-Only Shadows
06:07 107Create a Content Aware Fill Action
08:46 108Create a Desaturate Edges Action
07:42 109Create an Antique Color Action
13:52 110Create a Contour Map Action
10:20 111Faux Sunset Action
07:20 112Photo Credit Action
05:54 113Create Sharable Actions
07:31 114Common Troubleshooting Issues Part 1
10:23 115Common Troubleshooting Issues Part 2
07:57 116Image Compatibility with Lightroom
03:29 117Scratch Disk Is Full
06:02 118Preview Thumbnail
02:10Lesson Info
Using Layer Masks to Replace Sky
The other thing I used layer Mass for quite frequently is when I need to replace a sky in an image. So here I have a photograph in that's overcast skies rather boring, and I would like to put this guy in it, so I'll use my move tool. In this case, I'll click within the sky image. I'll drag up onto the tab for the other document. And then before I like over the mouse button, I'll make sure to move my mouse into that image. So it's not on the tab and said it's within the image and I'll let go. And then I can reposition this and hopefully get it to fill the frame. I'll close the other file because I already have incorporated into this one. So click it's Little X on the other tab to get rid of that, and now I'd like to use a layer mask, too. Be able to see the building that was there now I could work this way where the sky is the top most later, and Adam asked to it, or I could reverse the order of my layers input the image on top and in this case, with only two layers. It doesn't really m...
atter. But let's say I wanted to try out five different skies, and I want all five of them to be in the same document. So when a client shows up, I could just quickly change the eyeball icons in the Layers panel to show them various versions where they have different options for which sky to use. If that was the case, it would probably be better to have the building on top because of the buildings on top. And it was the layer that contained layer mask. I could just have multiple layers underneath and just turn off or on their eyeballs, and it would determine what shows up behind the building. If, on the other hand, I do it in the order it's currently in, I would put my layer mask on the layer that contains the sky in. If I need to put three or four more skies in the picture and they're gonna be above the building, each one of them would need to have a layer mask attached to prevent it from covering up the building. So I'm gonna change the order of these layers. But when you have a layer called background, I won't be able to drag a layer underneath it. And I won't be able to grab the background and put it on top. The background layer is stuck at the bottom. That is, unless I double click on it to change its name or I click this lock symbol toe. Unlock it. Now it's a normal layer. And now you could either move it on top or move the other one underneath. However you'd like at this point I want to select the background. So maybe I could come up here to the Selectmen, you and see if it would work. Just told to select the subject. Be nice if it knew where everything waas. Yeah, it looks like it didn't select the right side of the building, so that's not gonna be quite good enough. So instead, I'll come over here. Maybe I'll use the, um, object selection tool. I couldn't hold down the shift key to say Add to the selection. We already have enough circle around this area here to indicate what I really want selected about like that. And it looks like the area it got the building and it got part of my wife, Karen, but down below her, it's not selected. If you can't tell what selected, you can type a letter. Q, which will turn on quick mask mode in any area covered in red, is not selected, so you can see that we have a lot of the building. But the road in the portion in between the arms and legs there are not type queue again. To get out of that all, then hold down the shift key to say when I add to my selection and I'll tell it, I want to add this bottom portion and hopefully the object selection tool will be able to accommodate me. It still wants to not select the one area, so I'm going to say, Screw it, I'll do it. After it's a layer mask, I'm gonna add a layer mask to this layer by clicking on the layer mask icon. It'll convert my selections on Lee. The areas that are selected will be visible, and therefore that area between the legs and arms will disappear. Won't look right, but I can always grab my paintbrush tool in any area where I paint with white is going to become visible. So in this case, I'm just gonna come in here and paint with white right here. I see this. Ah, the word stop in the road is broken up. I can see my wife's hand is missing. Well, let's see how it could be how it could be easier for me to paint, cause right now it's hard for me to tell exactly where I needed paint in where I shouldn't. So there's a way to disable a layer mask. I should do that. In previous image. You hold down the shift key and you click on the layer mask, icon or the layer mask a thumb. Now, then you're layers panel. But now I can't tell what was hidden by the layer mask because it's disabled, so everything's visible. Well, there's a trick. There is a way to make the layer mask show up as an overlay on top your picture where it looks like quick mask mode where you get that red overlay, and the way you do it is on your keyboard right above the return or enter key. There's the backslash key, and if I hit back slash, it should make that layer mask. Be a red overlay now in some international keyboards that might not work, and if it doesn't work, let me turn it off by hitting back slash again. I don't know of, ah, alternative keyboard shortcut, but I can show you the manual method for doing it. If you have a layer mask attached to a layer in that slayer that's active, you should be able to switch to the channels panel. And if you do, you're going to see that the layer mask is actually a temporary channel showing at the bottom of your channels panel. And it'll be what's active and right there. You see a hint of that keyboard shortcut. There's the backslash. You just don't need to command backslash. It's just backslash all by itself. But if backsides doesn't work, just click right here to turn on that eyeball because that's all the backslash is doing is toggle ing that eyeball. So if the keyboard shortcut doesn't work because you're on a non English keyboard and they just didn't wire it up, that's how you can get around it. So now I'm gonna paint with White and I'll click right here if you want to draw a straight line, you can hold shift and click somewhere else. It'll snap a straight line between the two. Actually got too far up there, though some shoes undo and manually do that. Any way to get that overlay? I just work on a layer that contains a layer mask, and I end up hitting the backslash key. And then I can touch up all sorts of things. Like here. I can see the red is overlapping. The building red is what's gonna be hidden. So I don't want the edge of the building to be hidden. I'll click down here near the bottom, and here I might try to do a straight line. If you hold shift and click somewhere else, it will draw a straight line from where your last clicked, where you're clicking now and so I can probably touch this up as long as I don't go too close to that edge. Maybe look down the other side to make sure that side of the building looks appropriate. I think I see just the tiniest bit of a red overlay there. There's just a little nook right there that it's missing. I doubt it would be important. We put a new sky in, but I might as well fix it anyway, I'm going to paint with black right now. We've been painting with White and I'm going to hit the letter X, which exchanges my colors. I'm just gonna fill in that little gap and then I'll hit extra paint with white and get the over spray. I just added off of her foot. Here we go pink with black down here. Touch it up wherever you need to. And so it could be a nice way to double check that your mask was accurate for the purpose you need. And I'm guessing I might have an issue right at the tip of this. You see how the red is kind of overlapping that? So if I turn off the overlay with backslash and I enable the mask again by shift clicking on the mask to turn it back on, watch the tip of that tower, you see how it's going away. So I'm gonna disable it again by shift clicking on the mask and I'm gonna show it as an overlay again with backslash. So you see how that's useful. Then I'll paint with white and click about their hold shift Click about there to make a straight line. Same with on the other side. If I need that little what would you call it? Little Spike at the top. I just need a smaller brush. Just be careful. As you brush gets smaller, it gets harder edged. And so if I end up with a tiny brush to prevent it from being too crisp of an edge, I probably gonna need to bring the hardness down here. So I'm just gonna click where that spire, or whatever it is, would connect. Hold down the shift key and I'll go up here the top so draws a straight line. All right, command zero, zoom out, controls their own windows. I'm gonna turn off the red overlay. That was the backslash key. Or if the backslash key didn't work, then I would be coming in here to channels and just turn off the eyeball that's there. It does the exact same thing. Then I'm going to ah, disable or re enable I should say, my layer mask by shift clicking on it. And now we have our sky. I can then use the move tool in reposition that sky wherever I'd like or try different skies. Then we got everything. Even the little, uh, tip. There's a lightning rod at the top, so it's nice. Four sky replacement.
Class Materials
Ratings and Reviews
Noel Ice
I am an avid reader of photoshop books, and an avid watcher of photoshop tutorials. I have attended (internet) several hundred of presentations. In the course of this endeavor, I have found my own favorite photoshop websites and instructors. Creative Live is probably the bargain out there as well as among the top three internet course sites. I have to say with great enthusiasm that the best Photoshop instructor is Ben Willmore. There are many great ones, but truly, he is the best I have come across, and, as indicated above, I have watched literally 100s of tutorials on Photoshop. I have seen all of Ben's courses, I think, and among them, this one is the best by far, and that is saying a lot, because that makes this course the best course on Photoshop to be found anywhere. I am going back and watching it twice. Not only is it comprehensive, but Ben is so familiar with his subject that he is able to explain it like no other. This is crème de la crème of Photoshop classes. I have been wanting to write this review for some time because I have been so thoroughly impressed with everything about this class!
ford smith
Highly recommended if you want to take your Photoshop skills to the next level. Ben Willmore is clear, concise, and professional. He also has a good speaking voice that is not distracting but also keeps you engaged. Lastly, I would recommend that as you become more advanced, increasing the speed of the video (one of the options given on the menu)...especially if you've gone through the course once before and maybe want to watch it again. The double speed is very efficient as you become more advanced in Photoshop. Thanks for the help Ben!
a Creativelive Student
Wow. I cannot communicate the value of this course!! The true value in this course is how the instructor identifies workflows you'll need before you'll ever realize it, repeats important information without it becoming annoying, and explains the "why" behind the techniques so well that even if you forget the exact method, you can figure it out via the principles learned. Excellent value, excellent material, excellent instructor!!!