Post processing replacement sky

[Cheezman]

Here are three versions of a single snap. One is HDR. I'm not crazy about HDR, but sometimes the exposure range just isn't broad enough to interpret as I'd like. In this case it seemed to me that the lower part of the photo with much color and tonal range contrasted unfavorably with the house above and the white sky. In the second version, I replaced the sky. It's just a quick job with Elements and some quick dodging to try to match it up. I'm not sure I like the more active sky over the original, white sky and it also looks fakey. The third version is as-shot, with an overlay blend applied at about 25% opacity.

My questions are: Does the white sky original detract from the photo? Does the replacement sky improve the photo? Do you have any advice on how to better execute a replacement sky? Which version do you prefer?

Thanks for any help.

The middle photo is HDR

exif: 1/60 sec, f/8, ISO 400

[fletch]

The fake sky looks fake.
The HDR looks overprocessed.

The white sky one is probably OK. Its not a landscape shot, its a candid people shot so you don't need a dramatic sky. You could crop closer to the house and eliminate a lot of the empty space. The missing feet are a big issue for me though anyway.

[Cheezman]

Oh man, I agree with you about the feet! I didn't notice before you mentioned. I'm a stickler for feet also, but not a posed photo so I wasn't conscious of the issue. I agree the HDR is a tosser, and the more I look I like the cold distant house on the hill. It gives me a "Christina's World" type feeling. In the end, it's a near-pretty good shot. If only I'd had a higher shutter speed to stave off blurring the kids. Thanks for your thoughts and time.

[fletch]

Originally Posted by Cheezman

I agree the HDR is a tosser,

LOL - I presume you're not from the UK as that means something completely different here!

Originally Posted by Cheezman

If only I'd had a higher shutter speed to stave off blurring the kids. Thanks for your thoughts and time.

Think you hit the nail on the head with that one. At least you have learnt for next time.

[PhotoMartin]

I just came across this video tutorial on replacing skies. I tried it on a couple of my photos and it worked great!

Here' the link: Fixing The Cloudy Day Blues| Free Photoshop Video Tutorials | The Digital Photography Connection