need advise on clouds

so i know i need advise on lots of things when it comes to PP.
but one thing that sticks out to me more than anything in this photo is that the clouds look obviously worked.
how can i achieve the look of these without the obvious processed look?
and unfortunately i messed up the hood too as i cloned the emblem out for fun (actually wanted it in the shot) but then went to far on other things and i couldnt figure out how to delete the step of the clone.....oh well

so heres my before and after shot for comparison

I like the clouds.

I like the clouds. And the cloning mistake is less distracting then the haloing or brush marks or whatever is going on at the rear of the car. The underneath of the car is a bit bright as well. I'd like to see the green highlights on the car a little more subdued. They suck me right in like a black hole. But the clouds are cool. Nice attempt!

wow that was fast.
the halo bothers me too. thats my lack of experience and patience with the brush.
im actually going to rework that over the weekend.
so a little darker on the green highlights? will do that too

See what they look like less saturated as well. It's a really nice shot to work with. Lot's of possibilities.

Your using adjustment layers and masks, right?

well i just tried some minor tweeks on the halo really fast, and thats an easy fix.
no masks though. to be honest i am very new to PP.
only layers i use is for dodge and burn tweeking. i have really no clue what im doing with photoshop

To get the emblem back, just clone it back from the original picture.

team haymaker wrote in post #8536478
went to far on other things and i couldnt figure out how to delete the step of the clone.....oh well

Two ways: You should have worked in a layered file. Otherwise, History brush would have done the trick as long as you didn't close the document...

Use a separate layer for cloning, that way you aren't damaging pixels you can't get back.

And always keep a layer that is the original unaltered image.

Duplicate the layer.
On the top layer, erase everything that's not clouds.
Set the layer mode to Multiply or Linear Burn.

This is Multiply - Linear Burn was too strong. I also reduced the blue saturation on the clouds layer. And I know I screwed up the bottom left clouds...

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This is actually a scene that would have been perfect for HDR composition since the clouds and the highlights in them are way above the limits of what you were metering for off the Kia.

For what you have (I assume JPG and not a RAW) you can try to clone the background to multiple layers and then mask out everything but the clouds and then apply progressively more levels curve changes to the layers and decrease the opacity until it gets to the level that you desire.

If you keep an eye on the entire tonal range as you are composing and then shoot with that in mind it can really save a ton of time in post. HDR is killer for that.

thanks for all the help.
looks like i know what im doing for the next few hours.

here's a quick 2 minute edit. I used topaz adjust, levels and saturation ajustment on the clouds. I tried to keep them looking natural as that is what you wanted, but IMO this image is begging for some over the top processing.

thanks again for the help.
i guess i should have been more clear.
i love the way the processed picture looks, the colours, the clouds, satyration, everything. i did it all on purpose. i just dont like how noisy and grainy the clouds turned out. thats my concern. how can i get that colour out of the clouds and not have it so noisy?

I like the dramatic clouds, they go with the rugged styling of the Kia and suggest it is capable of surviving the worst of conditions. I'd lose the wall behind and to the right and replace it with more tree line as on the left.