Adding Simple Clouds Tutorial

Once you've redrawn your sky, you may want to add some transparent clouds to make it even more realistic.

Step 1:

Create a new layer and name it Clouds.

Set your foreground color to white and with the Paint tool and a feathered brush size of about 20, start painting a few horizontal clouds.

Don't be afraid to have them cut off by the photo edge or slightly overlap the mountains.

Step 2:

Use the Motion Blur filter to make them look more realistic.

I used an angle of -3 and a distance of 198.

This stretches them out so they look more like they are moving and less like you painted them with your finger.

Step 3:

Now add a Gaussian Blur filter to round them out and add a bit more realism.

I used a radius of 17, but you can try experimenting with other settings.

Step 4:

The clouds may overlap with the foreground, so you'll want to use a soft brushed eraser to remove the sections that overlap.
Once you erase the overlapping clouds, you're done.

Try using shades of grey when painting your clouds.

If the clouds appear too prominent when you are done, adjust the opacity of the clouds layer.