Blown out sky?

Probably a very basic and simple task to you seasoned editors out there, but I'm just starting to have a bit of fun so...

How do I stop the sky being blown out during editing without making everything else under exposed using aperture?

Thanks

You may not be able to do so in PP.

The aim is to correctly expose both sky and land correctly in camera and make only small adjustments PP.

The way to do this may involve the use of hard or graduated filters, or bracket your exposures then merge in PP.

Best way is to post an example and let us check it out for you.

Lincolnshire Poacher wrote in post #15471403
You may not be able to do so in PP.

The aim is to correctly expose both sky and land correctly in camera and make only small adjustments PP.

The way to do this may involve the use of hard or graduated filters, or bracket your exposures then merge in PP.

Best way is to post an example and let us check it out for you.

Thanks for the reply, but I'm afraid not much of that makes much sense to me, sorry! Very very new to the world of editing!

But here's an example of one I'm playing about with now, I quite like it myself (others probably won't) but I'm just not happy with the sky! What do you think?

The day was very, very misty/foggy too which I think is making it more difficult.

And would you find it easier with the original too?

ISO100 f7.1 1/100

That just looks like a drab, dreary, foggy and uninteresting sky. The only way to fix it would be to wait for better light before pressing the shutter button.

Numenorean wrote in post #15471456
That just looks like a drab, dreary, foggy and uninteresting sky. The only way to fix it would be to wait for better light before pressing the shutter button.

Fair shout. This was at about 12/1 in the afternoon so there wasn't really much hope of the light getting any better! This was at the bottom of a valley as well, so the fog was pretty thick too. What do you think of the editing over all? Anything you like/don't like? Any changes you'd make?

That image looks as if it was quite misty, so you would be unlikely to extract any sky detail whatever you did.

In then vast majority of occasions, the sky is much brighter than the subject you are photographing. Unfortunately, the camera sensor has a far less dynamic range than the human eye, so whilst you can see detail in the subject and sky, the camera can see detail only in one or the other, depending on the setting of your meter and where your viewfinder was aimed. (Yes this subject is complicated for a start, but the more you use your camera, the easier it will become). This, along with composition is the very essence of photography.

I could type on here all night and still only scratch the surface of exposure and exposure compensation, so I suggest you read some tutorials freely available on the net, or buy a good book which will explain all.

Can I assume you know nothing of the use of "exposure lock"? This is a technique which can help in getting a balanced exposure of light and dark portions of an image. Some information on the use of this may be in your camera manual, but again book learning will be time well spent.

Lincolnshire Poacher wrote in post #15471512
That image looks as if it was quite misty, so you would be unlikely to extract any sky detail whatever you did.

In then vast majority of occasions, the sky is much brighter than the subject you are photographing. Unfortunately, the camera sensor has a far less dynamic range than the human eye, so whilst you can see detail in the subject and sky, the camera can see detail only in one or the other, depending on the setting of your meter and where your viewfinder was aimed. (Yes this subject is complicated for a start, but the more you use your camera, the easier it will become). This, along with composition is the very essence of photography.

I could type on here all night and still only scratch the surface of exposure and exposure compensation, so I suggest you read some tutorials freely available on the net, or buy a good book which will explain all.

Can I assume you know nothing of the use of "exposure lock"? This is a technique which can help in getting a balanced exposure of light and dark portions of an image. Some information on the use of this may be in your camera manual, but again book learning will be time well spent.

Oh okay, so it's not user error in editing more the actual shooting then?

I've literally just started reading about exposure lock from this post so I do understand it a little bit, but I'm still not 100% about it so I'll do some more research. I've got a couple of books as well that I'm getting stuck in to as well.

Would you mind giving me an honest opinion of this photo by the way? As in what you think of it, how you'd edit it etc...?

kjonnnn wrote in post #15471533
I think you also should understand that this isnt about editing, its about understanding the dynamics of trying to get very bright and very dark all on the same exposure .... exposure latitude. That begins before you press the shutter, choosing the right location, the right time of day in the right lighting. understanding what to meter, and how to meter it, and on a really basic level how your meter really works and what it is trying to do. A blown out sky will always be a blown out sky even in the best post.

No I know it's not all about editing, but this was pretty much as good as it got all day, so I've got what I can from a bad bunch, I think. Like I say, I'm still very new to photography and trying to get in as much as I can, but it doesn't always stick!

OK. Overall the composition is fine, but it appears a half to a full stop under exposed. Given the conditions, the colours are the best you could expect, so go back there in clearer weather and try again, using what you will have learned by then about exposure.

Focus looks a tad soft. Did you use a tripod? If so you also need to read about hyperfocal distances and the correct use of aperture for effective depth of field. If you did not use a tripod, you should have done.

The small twigs upper left need cloning out as they are distractions and add nothing to the shot.

Sorry if this comes across as negative, but you are on a steep learning curve. Keep at it and keep posting shots for critique and you will grt there. If you have a local photography club, that may well be an excellent place to develop your skills. Or try a learning day with a good tutor.

Very simple, don't adjust the whole frame. Not sure about aperture, but in other photo editing programs you can create an adjustment layer, then make your adjustments on that layer, then use the GND effect to blend the two layers.
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=fl5bROuI4GQ

gjl711 wrote in post #15471625
Very simple, don't adjust the whole frame. Not sure about aperture, but in other photo editing programs you can create an adjustment layer, then make your adjustments on that layer, then use the GND effect to blend the two layers.
http://www.youtube.com​/watch?v=fl5bROuI4GQ

This technique won't work with a completely blown sky.

Lincolnshire Poacher wrote in post #15471601
OK. Overall the composition is fine, but it appears a half to a full stop under exposed. Given the conditions, the colours are the best you could expect, so go back there in clearer weather and try again, using what you will have learned by then about exposure.

Focus looks a tad soft. Did you use a tripod? If so you also need to read about hyperfocal distances and the correct use of aperture for effective depth of field. If you did not use a tripod, you should have done.

The small twigs upper left need cloning out as they are distractions and add nothing to the shot.

Sorry if this comes across as negative, but you are on a steep learning curve. Keep at it and keep posting shots for critique and you will grt there. If you have a local photography club, that may well be an excellent place to develop your skills. Or try a learning day with a good tutor.

No no, I appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback! I posted a pic or two a while ago, and no one seemed bothered, this was in the C&C section too!

No, I'm waiting for my tripod to be delivered actually, my head arrived today, but the tripod is going to be another week or two at least.

Yeah, I appreciate it's a steep learning curve so I'm taking in what I can, hopefully going to be going on a photography course as and when I can, bit short of money at the mo.

Brelly wrote in post #15471654
bit short of money at the mo.

Another thing to learn: The next bit of kit you need is always just outside your budget!

Lincolnshire Poacher wrote in post #15471636
This technique won't work with a completely blown sky.

No, can't be totally blown out. Once blown, it's gone. All you can do is turn it gray.

Just one other piece of advice on composition. When deciding on a landscape view, if the sky is grey, dull or otherwise uninteresting, you can often compose so as to cut out or minimise the sky in the shot by, for instance taking the shot from a slightly higher level and pointing your camera lower.