Creating Realistic Skies with Clouds in Photoshop

Creating a realistic rendered sky image in Photoshop requires a combination of built-in tools, filters, and a bit of creativity. Here’s a step-by-step guide to achieve this:

Contents

1. Create a New Document:
2. Set the Background Gradient:
3. Create Clouds:
4. Enhance Clouds (Optional):
5. Add Sun and Flare (Optional):
6. Color Adjustment:
7. Add Stars (for a night sky) (Optional):
8. Final Touches:
9. Save and Share Your Work:

1. Create a New Document:

Open Photoshop.
Go to `File > New`. Set the desired width, height, and resolution (e.g., 1920×1080 pixels, 300dpi).

2. Set the Background Gradient:

Select the `Gradient Tool` (G).
Click on the gradient editor (the gradient preview in the options bar at the top).
Choose a blue gradient that resembles the sky (e.g., from light blue at the top to a deeper blue or white at the bottom).
Click and drag from the top to the bottom of your document to apply the gradient.

3. Create Clouds:

Create a new layer by clicking on the `New Layer` button at the bottom of the Layers panel or pressing `Shift+Ctrl+N`.
Go to `Filter > Render > Clouds`.
Set the blending mode of this layer to `Overlay` or `Soft Light` in the Layers panel.
Adjust the opacity if needed to make the clouds look subtle.

4. Enhance Clouds (Optional):

Duplicate the clouds layer by right-clicking and choosing `Duplicate Layer`.
Use the `Free Transform Tool` (Ctrl + T) to scale and move the clouds to your liking.
Experiment with blending modes such as `Multiply` to intensify cloud shadows or `Screen` to amplify cloud highlights.

5. Add Sun and Flare (Optional):

Create a new layer.
Select the `Brush Tool` (B) with a soft, round brush. Choose a bright yellow or orange color.
Click once where you’d like the sun to be.
Go to `Filter > Render > Lens Flare` and choose a flare that complements your sun. Adjust the brightness and positioning accordingly.

6. Color Adjustment:

Go to `Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Color Balance` to subtly adjust the color tones.
Play with the color sliders for Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights to give a warm or cool tone to the sky.

7. Add Stars (for a night sky) (Optional):

Create a new layer.
Go to `Edit > Fill` and choose Black.
Go to `Filter > Noise > Add Noise`. Adjust the amount around 10-20%, choose `Gaussian` and check `Monochromatic`.
Set the blending mode to `Screen`.
Go to `Image > Adjustments > Levels` and move the sliders to narrow down the range, making most of the noise disappear and leaving just a few specks for stars.

8. Final Touches:

Use the `Dodge` and `Burn` tools to brighten or darken specific areas of the sky.
Consider adding a new adjustment layer (e.g., Curves or Levels) to further adjust the overall contrast and brightness.

Save the file in the PSD format to retain layers for future edits (`File > Save As > PSD`).
For sharing or use in other applications, save a copy in JPEG or PNG.

Remember, the key to creating a realistic sky is subtlety. Keep things simple. Overdoing effects can make the image look artificial. It’s also worth checking out free or premium cloud brushes, sky overlays, and other resources to enhance your creations.