How to Darken the Sky in Photoshop CS
- 1). Open Photoshop, click “File” and select “Open.” Browse to a photo with a sky to darken and double-click the file name to open the image in the Photoshop workspace.
- 2). Click the “Lasso” tool on the “Tools” palette on the left side of the screen. Draw an outline around just the part of the sky to darken. When you see blinking dotted lines appear, right-click them and select “Layer via Copy.” Nothing changes in the picture, but if you look at the “Layers” palette on the right side of the screen, you’ll see a new Layer 1 with just your sky. If you don’t see the “Layers” palette, open it by clicking the “Window” menu and clicking “Layers."
- 3). Click the “Image” menu at the top of the screen, click “Adjustments” and click “Levels.” Move the white slider triangle under the “Output Levels” section to the left and watch how your sky instantly gets darker. Slide to your preferred level of darkness and click the “OK” button.
- 4). (Optional) Click “Image” and “Adjustments” again, this time selecting “Hue/Saturation.” Move the “Hue” slider bar to the left or right to recolor the sky; this is ideal if your sky started out very blue and you want to change it to a darker shade. Move the “Saturation” bar to the left to remove some of the depth of color from the sky, which is helpful if you captured a very deep, vibrant blue sky. Click “OK” when satisfied.
- 5). Click the small lines icon at the top of the “Layers” palette and select “Flatten Image.” Click the “File” menu and select “Save As.” Rename the picture; don’t save it on top of the original or you won’t be able to access the undarkened version again.
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