picture from @ 1900

[bart_hickman]

So you correctly selected the pole (see the first attachment). Then feathered the selection with a 1.5pixel radius (also sounded correct.) Then created the new layer. If you turn off the bottom layer, you'll see the feathered pole sitting all by itself on your new layer (should look like the 2nd attachment.) Turn the bottom layer back on, but select the new layer. Then select "Image->adjustments->curves" and adjust the curve to make the pole darker. (see the 3rd attachment.)

Incidentally, there's nothing magical about the 1.5 pixel radius--some other choice might look better.

Bart

[bart_hickman]

The method I used to replace the sky involves a mask based on the image itself. I think knowing how to make and use image-based masks is one of the most useful things you can learn. Here's a link to a basic tutorial in case you're not familiar with it:
http://av.adobe.com/russellbrown/AdvancedMasking.mov

So the first thing I did was roughly select the sky (although I was a bit more careful along the tent edge because it's close to the same color as the sky.) The rough selection looked like this:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret..._selection.jpg

Then I created an initial mask based on the luminance of that selection. It looks like this:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...itial_mask.jpg

Black is opaque, white is transparent, and grey is in-between. The eventual intent is for this mask to be applied to my new sky. Since both the sky and trees are still grey in this mask, the new sky will partially show through both the trees and old sky. I want the trees to completely block the new sky and the old sky to completely disappear and let the new sky show through. So I apply a curve to this mask to enhance the contrast. It now looks like this:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...with_curve.jpg

It's pretty clear how this mask will work--the black will block the new sky (thus making the original image visible) and the white will be where the new sky shows. Here's what the new sky looks like:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...p4_new_sky.jpg

Here's how it looks after the mask is applied to it:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...sky_masked.jpg

Now turn on the original image under the masked sky and you're just about done:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...d_original.jpg

I apply my repaired tent pole and enhanced handwriting:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...nd_writing.jpg

Viola! Well, not quite. I'm leaving out some brightness adjustments here and there I did to the sky, but that's a separate topic. I showed these steps because it shows what the mask looks like and how it behaves and I'm not sure what level you're at with masks. However, when I actually did it, I applied the initial mask to the sky and had the original image turned on underneath that first. THEN I adjusted the curve on the mask so I could see my final result changing in real time.

The new sky is actually the easy part (just takes a few minutes). The cloning and scratch-removing is actually far more time-consuming. The cool thing here is once you have the mask, you can drop in another sky almost instantly. Here's a color sky for fun:
http://home.comcast.net/~zumbari/Ret...ferent_sky.jpg

Bart

[AtlanaAnna]

I'm trying to absorb the Russel Brown tutorial. Wow! Now that's the way to make a mask! Right now, I'm stuck trying to understand where both you and he came up with your replacement background. Did you have an image of a nice sky background that you applied. To me it sounds like you're working with 2 different pictures and then merging them into one via layers and masks. If I'm understanding that correctly, then where to I find a nice replacement image to merge with my image?

Thanks,
Sylvia

[AtlanaAnna]

And how do I merge them??

[bart_hickman]

I have my Casio Z750 with me at all times, so if I see a good looking sky, I'll take a picture of it (I believe the sky for your photo came from the parking lot at Home Depot :-)

As for merging, did you see step 3 in my previous post? That was a picture of a mask. It was generated using the same trickery you see in the Russel Brown tutorial. Then you apply that mask to the replacement sky to get the picture in step 5. Then you put the original image on a layer under all that (that's where the merging happens.)

I attached a little picture of how the layer palette will look in PS (I used PSP, but the technique is the same.) Layer 1 has the sky with the mask applied to it. Layer 3 is the original.

Bart

[AtlanaAnna]

I knew my question was a little unclear. Let me try again. How do I get a completely different picture transplanted into a layer pallet of the primary picture I'm working on? Before I can do any of that merging shown in the Russel Brown Tutorial, I have to get the second picture somehow transplanted into the layer pallet. I'm still not sure if my question will make sense to anyone but me......

Sylvia

[bart_hickman]

In photoshop you just open your 1900 image and the cloud image in photoshop, do select all on the cloud image, copy the cloud image, then go to the 1900 image and paste. This will automagically put the cloud image onto another layer (and you'll see it show up in your layers palette.)

It sounds like you need to learn about working with layers--that's even more foundational than masks (which is actually a pretty advanced topic.) I'm sure Photoshop has a great tutorial built into it on using layers (I must confess I'm not really a photoshop expert--I moved over to paintshop pro a few years ago although I make a point of downloading the 30 day trial version of photoshop everytime it gets updated just to see if there's something new I can't live without.)

Bart

[AtlanaAnna]

I'm stuck again. I found a jpeg picture of clouds on the Internet and followed the steps but it's not working for me. After I select all and Copy, I go to my other image and choose Paste but this is where things aren't working right. It seems to paste the image right inside the picture and it creates a transparent layer in my layer pallette but sometimes after I selected Paste, it seemed to just put a transparent layer in my layer pallette and I didn't see the picture itself anywhere.

Sylvia

[bart_hickman]

It really sounds like you need a tutorial on layers in Photoshop. Layers is a huge topic and any good tutorial would probably take an hour or more to be useful, but it'll be worth it.

Bart

[Cameraken]

Sylvia

These may help.

http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/index.php?m=show&id=27

http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=166

http://retouchpro.com/tutorials/?m=show&id=63


Ken

[bart_hickman]

Here's a link to a basic tutorial about layers I saw referenced in a thread in the tutorial section. I'm also pretty sure there's something in the photoshop online help. After you learn about layers in general, then you'll want to learn about adjustment layers, and THEN mask layers. To have a complete picture, you'll also want to learn about layer groups and applying masks to layer groups.

Here's your first step which covers the basics of layers, layer blending, and layer linking:
http://www.sketchpad.net/psdlayer1.htm

Bart