Processing for consistent sky color?

Here's the problem statement - I shot an air show where the sun was in front of me and overhead. As the aircraft go by, and I take a sequence of shots, the sky color saturation is different for each depending on how far off the sun's axis I was shooting. The circular polarizer I used seemed to aggravate the problem.

Using CS5, what would be a good workflow sequence of actions I can automate that would make the sky a consistent color? I figure I could then go back, mask out the aircraft and color correct them separately. Does anyone have a good action already saved for doing this that they would be willing to share?

I don't understand why you want to do it? Even a perfectly clear blue sky is different from the horizon to the zenith and depending on which direction you face. It seems a pointless exercise.

mm, interesting question. As Richard implies, I don't know that you could come up with an automated approach that would do you much good -- you could have an action that added a couple layers for things like Levels and Hue/Saturation that targeted the Blue color channel, but then you'd still need to adjust each one according to the things that cause the variation (orientation to the sun, etc). The shots where the sun is in front of you will be the worse simply because of that. You won't be able to get the same deep blue sky that you get when the sun is toward your back or somewhat to the side where the polarizer can get good mileage.

I myself do sky stuff in the Raw processor where I work a lot with blue channel luminance. I use Lightroom, but if you're using Photoshop ACR has the same tools in the HSL section. I do get some nice mileage doing that either with the blue channel or using the targeted adjustment tool to drag down luminance in the sky. To automate something like that? Well, a preset, but again each shot from a different orientation will take a different "stroke"!

I do emphathise -- I really don't like a scene where you have to battle with the sun! Sometimes of course you don't have a choice, like in a lot of event or sports photography, but still...waahh!

I wouldn't want to, but if you must (for a collage or so): Select sky (should be quite easy and probably can be done quite roughly) and play with hue/sat or curves or (in ACR) HSL.

René Damkot wrote in post #11261386
I wouldn't want to, but if you must (for a collage or so): Select sky (should be quite easy and probably can be done quite roughly) and play with hue/sat or curves or (in ACR) HSL.

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I know how to do that, and that is what I did to a certain extent. I also can build an action to automate that to a large extent once the image is opened in CS5. Is there anyway though, other than eyeballing it, to match the sky ues across multiple image while still in ACR before opening image in CS?

Using a CPL makes it really difficult. Don't use one if you need things to match, or if you're using a wide lens.

match color tool in photoshop?