Create Dramatic Skylines
  Suitable for Adobe Photoshop CS CS2 & CS3
Skill Level - Intermediate

This lesson demonstrates how to create dramatic skies. The images I am working with can be found Here.  Unzip the file and open the land and sea images onto Photoshop’s workspace.

Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards. Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.

Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,

or the Zoom Tool.

Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way.

1/
Open your images onto Photoshop’s workspace.


2/
Then activate the Move Tool.

Then double-left-click and drag the water image onto the scenic image. Reposition the water image as shown below-right - the bottom of the water image is parallel to the scenic image’s horizon - or thereabouts.

     
3/
Ensure the water image Layer 1 is active.

Then from the top menu, choose Edit then choose Transform then choose 180.

To save PC resources, delete the original water image.


4/
In the Layers palette, change Layer 1’s Mode from Normal to Hard Light. Lesson.

Then reduce Layer 1’s Opacity to around 79%.

          
5/
Now, activate the Eraser Tool. Tutorial.

And set an Opacity of approximately 5%. Then with a (largish) medium density brush, blend the transition line between the two images. Then increase the Opacity to back
100% and remove the white speckles from the silhouetted tree.