Trying to replace the background on a pic...

[The_Drifter]

Hi all,

I'm a first time poster, but I've been doing photography off and on for a few years now. For the most part, I avoid photoshopping my pictures, but I had a situation where I wanted to make a poster of a picture I took - and I didn't much like the background.

You can see the pictures here:
http://findmycountry.ca/pictures/photoshop/photoshopattempt-001.jpg
^ Photoshop
http://findmycountry.ca/pictures/photoshop/photoshopattempt-002.jpg
^ Original

To me, the photoshop is as blatent as night and day, but I was wondering if it really looks that bad to the rest of y'all? If you have some advice about what to do (or if you think I should just leave it as is), I'm totally opent o suggestions.

Thank you very much

 

[LaFoto]

Hallo Drifter, and welcome to ThePhotoForum,
let me tell you that to me here - amateur PS user who I am and not very well versed - the photoshopped version looks ok since the changes in the sky are subtle and go well with the original light that you had. The only thing that distracts me, much more than the sky that I might well take "for real" if I didn't know it was photoshopped in, is the slanting horizon line. Your lake runs out of the left of the frame :shock: ... other than that though... its ok.

Now let the real PS-experts speak!

 

[chroix]

I would add more red and yellow to the sky as the highlights look like dawn/dusk but the sky looks later in the day. I think the tint difference is what is making it look unnatural to you.

 

[Philip Weir]

Hi, If I may chuck in my opinion.
[1] The horizon isn't horizontal, this is distracting to me.
[2] The Rocks the subject is standing on plus the light section on his trouser leg give it away. Have you "modified" the top layer. Play with you colours and densities of each layer until you obtain an acceptable result.
[3] Photoshop is, without doubt the greatest tool modern photography has to work with. If you like post both images and I will have a go at it for you. Philip
www.philipweirphotography.com

 

[The_Drifter]

Hi Philip,

When I took the picture, it was the horizontal figure which was who I was trying to capture. I didn't realize who distracting the background was until someone pointed it out, ironically enough :/

The original (pre-photoshop) can be found here:

http://findmycountry.ca/pictures/photoshop/photoshopattempt-002.jpg

I don't recall which picture I used to modify the sky, but I will take a look and see if I can't find it.