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DPChallenge Forums >> Tips, Tricks, and Q&A >> Black Sky
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 08/18/2004 10:44:39 AM · #1
How does one achive a sky like this?

Filters?
 08/18/2004 10:47:37 AM · #2
dunno - possibly infra-red?
 08/18/2004 10:49:51 AM · #3
You can achieve similar results in Photoshop by combining Photo Filter + Channel Mixer.
 08/18/2004 10:50:37 AM · #4
looks like it was selected and edited (desaturated), if you look along the tree lines where the sky meets the trees you can see its lighter close to the trees

James
 08/18/2004 10:59:09 AM · #5
Originally posted by jab119:
looks like it was selected and edited (desaturated), if you look along the tree lines where the sky meets the trees you can see its lighter close to the trees

James


It was a basic editing challenge so I hope not! :P
 08/18/2004 11:03:04 AM · #6
though the sky has a vague 'IR look' I'm sure it isn't because the trees look quite normal...it just looks like a heavily Burned sky using the burn tool in Photoshoppa..and actually it is quite a poor/sloppy job at burning to boot.
 08/18/2004 11:05:07 AM · #7
Originally posted by jab119:
looks like it was selected and edited (desaturated), if you look along the tree lines where the sky meets the trees you can see its lighter close to the trees

James


Well that was my first thought with the hazed edges and blowouts- also the top left sky is pretty much pure 'zero' black.

however I am trusting he did not edit that way so i am intrigued as to how I too can obtain nice dark skies in basic editing! As I loike them a lot :D
 08/18/2004 11:07:00 AM · #8
My entry for Vanishing Point:


Remove the cloud and you have a black sky.
08/18/2004 11:15:07 AM · #9
A dark yellow or orange filter on your camera would yield a black sky in grayscale.
 08/18/2004 11:17:44 AM · #10
Jonpink,

If you use a red filter on the lens, it allows red light through (filtering out green and blue - you would notice trees go dark too).

An infra-red filter allows infra-red light through, which trees reflect very well, so in a pic like your example the trees would have come out very light.

Likewise, if you use a blue filter it will filter out red i.e. make red in the image appear as black or near black.

This works on black and white film - I've never tried it on digital in colour and then converting to gray, so the effect might be different.

However, looking at that pic again, see the edge of the trees have a "glow" about them, especially in the distance? This to me shows that quite a bit of burning has been applied to the sky area, but not quite down to the tree line.

Hope this helps,

Tim
 08/18/2004 11:20:45 AM · #11
I'd normally achieve this through multiple layers of dodging & burning and use of the Overlay, Linear Light, Linear Burn adjustment layers. You can tell where it's been given this selective treatment through the halos around all the land areas.
 08/18/2004 11:26:15 AM · #12
Originally posted by WobblyLegs:
Jonpink,

If you use a red filter on the lens, it allows red light through (filtering out green and blue - you would notice trees go dark too).

An infra-red filter allows infra-red light through, which trees reflect very well, so in a pic like your example the trees would have come out very light.

Likewise, if you use a blue filter it will filter out red i.e. make red in the image appear as black or near black.

This works on black and white film - I've never tried it on digital in colour and then converting to gray, so the effect might be different.

However, looking at that pic again, see the edge of the trees have a "glow" about them, especially in the distance? This to me shows that quite a bit of burning has been applied to the sky area, but not quite down to the tree line.

Hope this helps,

Tim


I thought they only work (colored filters) with B&W film



Message edited by author 2004-08-18 11:50:51.
 08/18/2004 11:42:59 AM · #13
In Photoshop, you can do a pretty good job on this with the Calculations dialog from the Image menu. Just select the red channel in one or both of the "source" dropdown menus and your sky should turn satisfyingly dark. I think that's how I did my Palomar shot:

//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=94967

08/18/2004 11:47:55 AM · #14
I definitely agree with stark. Looking at the image on my graphics workstation monitor it looks blatantly obvious that someone got a tad too heavy handed with the burn tool: there is just a lot of unnatural blotchiness between where they chose to use the tool and where they chose not to, not only at the horizon but all over the sky/clouds.

Message edited by author 2004-08-18 11:48:59.
 08/18/2004 11:53:21 AM · #15
Originally posted by strangeghost:
In Photoshop, you can do a pretty good job on this with the Calculations dialog from the Image menu. Just select the red channel in one or both of the "source" dropdown menus and your sky should turn satisfyingly dark. I think that's how I did my Palomar shot:

//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=94967


can't get it to work myself..
08/18/2004 12:08:58 PM · #16
Originally posted by jonpink:
How does one achive a sky like this?

Filters?


Looks like selective burning done...
 08/18/2004 01:12:51 PM · #17
You can adjust the blue and cyan colors globally to deepen the sky before converting to grayscale. That would even be legal for Basic challenges.
 08/18/2004 01:47:32 PM · #18
I thought this was very cool and was wondering how this was done?



thanks
 08/18/2004 01:48:26 PM · #19
Try shooting with a polarizer, then converting using channel mixer with RGB respectively set at 100, 100, -100, and you should be close (and legal for Open Challenges). That's the easiest way I know.

E
 08/18/2004 01:53:34 PM · #20
Originally posted by e301:
Try shooting with a polarizer, then converting using channel mixer with RGB respectively set at 100, 100, -100, and you should be close (and legal for Open Challenges). That's the easiest way I know.

E


That tends to bring huge noise and also darkens the floor when I do it.

Message edited by author 2004-08-18 13:53:46.
 08/18/2004 02:06:59 PM · #21
Given that most people here don't care about getting it right in camera just plaster your shot with adjustment layers, dodge & burn (maybe even paste in another sky from a different shot) and - voila! - the perfect end result.

: )
 08/18/2004 02:08:52 PM · #22
Eeeeasy there, Jon. Take a deep breath.

(Jon Lucas, not jonpink)

Message edited by author 2004-08-18 14:09:30.
 08/18/2004 02:38:22 PM · #23
Originally posted by Imagineer:
Given that most people here don't care about getting it right in camera just plaster your shot with adjustment layers, dodge & burn (maybe even paste in another sky from a different shot) and - voila! - the perfect end result.

: )


TeeHee :D

08/18/2004 02:39:34 PM · #24
Originally posted by jonpink:
can't get it to work myself..

Make sure the blending is set to "multiply." I just tried it on a few other images with blue sky and while it doesn't get as dark as my Palomar image it does work. Maybe works best with a deep blue to begin with (polarizing filter)?
08/18/2004 03:05:59 PM · #25
Finally got something half OK.

Here are my findings if anyone is interested.

The Channel Mix, whilst working to some degree really adds lots of noise so is unsuitable for print (although burning likes to give noise too)

But it also blows out the opposite channels it seems -look at the colors of the bricks.

The burning method is great, you can be more precise with the tool and leave other parts of the images intact.

I would like to see burning added to basic editing, because people will just try to get around it via other methods which hinders their photography and also teaches bad photoshop practice.

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