Photoshop not quite believable, but I can't put my finger on it.

Maybe the sky is too blue? Looking out the window, it's more blue than that right now.

Maybe it's a difference in the color temperature between the sky and the building.

Maybe it's those little reflective areas on the top/sides of the "parapets" on the ends of the building? Those should reflect more blue than white? Maybe a little more blue reflected in the K logo?

I don't know. Something's not quite believable. I'm sure the client will be very happy with it, but I'd like to get this resolved for my own peace of mind. The Uncanny Valley is driving me mad.

Final:

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …nathancarter/10​100240755/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …nathancarter/10​100273276/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …nathancarter/10​100292683/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …nathancarter/10​100205444/

The soft edge around the building where it meets the sky kinda makes it look the building has a drop shadow

Your fundamental problem is that the building is brighter than the sky lol

Well, the sky reflected in the glass doesn't match the sky behind the building (temp and texture), but I don't know if that is really what's getting you. Burning and cooling down those edges of the building you mentioned might help as well. Of course, the real issue could simply be that it's too clean.

Maybe it is that the building is too bright. Maybe I'll take it the building down by half a stop or a full stop, and see what happens. In the shots from later in the day, the building actually is brighter than the sky, but obviously that wasn't the case here.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16347960
Well, the sky reflected in the glass doesn't match the sky behind the building (temp and texture), but I don't know if that is really what's getting you. Burning and cooling down those edges of the building you mentioned might help as well. Of course, the real issue could simply be that it's too clean.

Ha ha, that might be it. The store is only about three weeks old, so they wanted photos inside and out before it gets too beat up.

Try reducing the saturation until it doesn't look like they used day-glo paint.

The sky is too uniform in both tone and intensity. I know it's a "real" sky, but to our eyes a "real" sky is a bit deeper and slightly violet at the zenith, as compared to the horizon where it has a very slight green tint. (I picked that up from an old book on color written for paint artists.) Here's my attempt with a graduated filter set to -0.14 EV and Hue 284 degrees, saturation 25%. I also added a brush near the horizon set to hue 117 degrees, saturation 33%. These settings might be a bit too strong, but will illustrate the idea.

Edit: I think you have some sensor dust on the right side of the building, and a cloning artifact (duplicated cloud detail) on the left.

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There are weird lines coming off the top left of the building, and halos between the edges of the building and the sky - but not too bad.

It looks as though you have cyan fringing on the edges of the building, also you can see the 'real' white background through the foliage. The image also looks quite flat and unnatural, as there's a lack of contrast/depth.

It's not believable because it's a Circle K and there is no trash anywhere near the store entrance / blowing around in the parking lot.

Jarvis Creative Studios wrote in post #16348299
It's not believable because it's a Circle K and there is no trash anywhere near the store entrance / blowing around in the parking lot.

They knew I was coming so they cleaned it up

I find the sky and building very flat....lacking in depth like a cardboard cutout. The lighting is not the best.
I say this as perhaps, this is what you perceive also and find it lacking reality (depth)

Tried this blend from your light and dark versions. More natural, I think, but not exactly client ready. Still needs work.

I think the problem lies in that you're trying to create a sky that appears blue and nearly cloudless while in reality it was quite cloudy. A clear blue sky would indicate to the viewer to expect a bright sun causing very directional lighting, more contrast and harder shadows...but your photo does not reflect that and therefore seems "off". That's my guess

Thanks everyone for all the help and thoughts.

kjonnnn, I like that last one quite a bit, and I think it will appeal to the client as well. I have a handful of sky photos around here somewhere for cases just like this; I'll find one that works out of my stock, or take a new one.

I find store shots like this to be much more appealing if shot from an angle. Makes the 3D effect easier to comprehend.