Sky Replacement: An Example

The following image come out of my Zion National Park collection.  Zion has two major sections and the photo below was made in the western section of the park.  The top photo is an original jpg image so adjustments are restricted or limited.  In the following example I want to show how powerful Luminar AI is when it comes to replacing the sky.  The direction of the road is looking south and the sun is to the right or west.  When replacing the sky one needs to be aware of how the clouds are illuminated so the insertion makes sense.  Luminar AI, with their latest version, does a great job of showing the cloud reflection in the water.  Earlier versions failed this test.

Original Image

This photo was made driving south in the western section of Zion National Park.  The sun was still high and off to the right.  I began with a jpg image so further enhancements were restricted.  The fact that it is a jpg image does not impact the sky replacement as the new sky is also a jpg image.

Enhanced Image

In this image I did not want to “overdo” the sky.  At high altitudes it is not unusual to see deep blue skies in Zion, particularly in the spring when this was photographed.  I toned down or warmed the sky a tad so it does not look fake.  Some viewers would tone it down even more.  This is a matter of taste.  There are enough clouds to add interest without detraction from the surrounding terrain.

In addition to replacing the sky I enhanced the scene a small amount and increased the resolution of small, medium, and large objects.  Then I added a very small amount of smart contrast to mid-sized objects.  Within Luminar AI I added a few more touches to landscape to bring out the reds and yellows.  This is difficult to see without the ability to quickly A-B test the two images.  Take great care with the vegetation slider as one can quickly make the greens look too bright and fake.

Questions and Comments are always welcome.  Drop your ideas in the Comment section located below.