Add sky to picture

[dtally@comcast.net]

Novice.  OK with Lightroom, but cannot fathom this program.  Really need someone to walk me step by specific step through

adding a sky to a picture without one.  I am usually a geek, but this is beyond me.

 

I have the trial of this program, and bought an iMac Retina solely to try this program. Normally a PC guy.

This is the only thing I need to master to take my professional Landscape photography to the next level.

You can see my work at davetallyphotography.com. 

 

Please save my sanity.  I viewed the only video I could find on this topic, and could not follow it as to me,

it assumes you are already versed in this program. 

 

Any help appreciated, and if you are really good, I might send you one of published books.

 

Thanks.

Dave Tally

[Callum]

Hi Dave 

 

Welcome to the Forums :)

 

I would advise watching all of our videos in the order they are given in this post. Watching them all should give you a much greater understanding of the app and should help you with following the sky replacement tutorial. Which specific parts of the tutorial is it that you have been struggling with?

 

C

[dtally@comcast.net]

All of it.  It starts out very quickly, and is about some other topic, then he brings in a RAW

image to play with from I don't know where.  I used to be a teacher.  This is the only

specific video on this subject, and the guy may know Affinity, but he isn't a teacher and

has no clue on how to do a straightforward presentation, especially for the beginner.

If that is the best you can offer, let me know and I will close out my trial period and return

the iMac. I almost got how to do this on Gimp, but could never finish correctly, again, due

to poor instructions.

 

I have multiple degrees, and while I am 66, I like to think that I am intelligent.  It took me

about 2 hours to figure out Lightroom.  I need serious help with this, from the first step to

the last.

 

Again, any help appreciated.

[anon1]

Well I suppose you´ve got a RAW image somewhere imported from your camera.

If it´s in your file system, right click and choose open with Affinity Photo....

If you use Aperture or Photos there are plenty threads in this forum explain those 

 

on vimeo there is a dedicated beginner tutorial and theres no special intelligence needed to follow these instructions which are presented very well IMO - I can compare them to quite a ton of other YouTube Tutorials I´ve watched so far!

 

I find the Vimeo Videos incredible - perfect speed (and voice) and nice hints!

 

PS: it´s core that you understand LAYERS, that´s the difference to LR and that´s what makes AP so much more capable!

[Madame]

Hi, Dave. I agree with you that if you need to know more to follow the tutorial, it doesn't help to be told that the tutorial is good.

 

Well, I have grown to love Affinity, but all isn't obvious to a "newbie".

And the tutorials are excellent, but sometimes I need to know more to follow them.

 

What is your picture like that you want a new sky in?

Every picture has a different approach. Is the sky blown out?

Are there trees? Skyline?

Do you have any experience with photo editing in layers?

 

There is a learning curve to editing, if it isn't steep, it certainly can be very long.

 

I have Lightroom too, and it works very well with Affinity.

[jmac]

Dave,

 

I agree that some of the tutorials aren't perfect and, at times, assume to much about the viewers level of experience. But I find it interesting that after a very short time you are ready to "close out my trial period and return

the iMac" because you don't understand the instruction in one video tutorial. As a former teacher I wonder what your response would be to a student, taking a class on an unfamiliar subject, who in the first week decides they are going to trash the instruction materials and drop the class because they just don't understand. Pardon the pun but learning a photo editing software is a process, not an event. There are people on this forum who have spent years understanding and perfecting the techniques they use to "take they're photography to the next level". I am not a professional photographer and while I have used other software to move a sky from one photo to another, I do not have the expertise to instruct you in using Affinity for that purpose. But there are many here who can. You stated that you are a novice and I think that it might help to take a step back and re-evaluate your expectations and realize as there is a learning curve here and it may take more than 2 hours.

[dtally@comcast.net]

I appreciate your response, and understand what you are saying.  I have solved my problem.

I am quitting this program, taking the iMac Retina back (no real difference in my current i7 PC),

and will never take another picture without outstanding sky.  Problems solved.  Maybe I should

run for President.

[anon1]

I really wish this was a troll....

IMO Great answer jmac btw.

 

Or these people who be like:

Oh my eyes are so bad and I can't see the icons on my 5k iMac.

So why did buy an 5k iMac when you can't even see the icons?

[jmac]

I appreciate your response, and understand what you are saying.  I have solved my problem.

I am quitting this program, taking the iMac Retina back (no real difference in my current i7 PC),

and will never take another picture without outstanding sky.  Problems solved.  Maybe I should

run for President.

 

If at first you don't succeed, never try again...If that is your response then you do not understand what I said.