This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,039, Feb. 17, 2026. Today's theme is, "Is Sky Replacement OK If It's Your Sky?" I'm Derrick Story.
The Sky AI tool in Luminar Neo is sooo tempting to tap. With it, you can replace the drab no clouds background in your landscape images with any type of heavenly image. The question is: should you? I'll answer the question with an another question: Is it OK if it's your sky you're using to replace it? I'll grapple with this nebulous issue in today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.
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Is Sky Replacement OK If It's Your Sky?
Let's start out by setting a few ground rules. First, we're not talking about photo journalism, documentation, or any type of realistic representation. In those instances, sky replacement is a no-no, as is any other type of replacement.
But what about artistic endeavors? If the goal is to create a pleasing images that viewers will respond to, is sky replacement still frowned upon. Indeed, this is a hazy area. And to puff up the issue even more, is it more acceptable if you use sky images that you personally photographed?
I'll give you a few minutes to mull over the options while I describe how the Sky AI feature works in Luminar. You can access this tool in the standalone version of the app, or as an editing extension for Photos.
In Edit mode, Sky AI is near the top of the right-hand panel of tools. Click on it and your first task is to choose a look from the available options. Click on Sky Selection and Luminar shows you all of the available options. You can click on the drop down menu for various categories such as Blue Sky, Dramatic Sky, Sunset, etc. You can buy collections from Skylum and add them to your list of options.
Once you choose a look, the app uses its intelligence to place it via a sophisticated mask in the proper area of your composition. At this point, you have a number of options that include Sky Orientation, Mask refinement, Scene Relighting, Reflection, and Sky Adjustments. Using those tools, you can tailor the sky to the rest of the photo making it look very natural.
If you've been collecting your own shots of interesting skies, those can be added here as well. Choose Show Custom Skies and copy your own JPEG files into the folder that opens. Skylum recommends that you limit your additions to 50 to maintain good performance. I have more than that now, and everything is still running fine. Once you've added your new sky, you can keep editing the image as you normally would.
The difference can be incredible. For example, we had outstanding fall foliage color during last year's Eastern Sierra Workshop, but mostly plain blue skies. I enhanced a few of those images with my own skies, and it was transformative. Still the same location, trees, and lakes, just with a few lovely clouds added.
If this is interesting to you, I have a few suggestions:
- Comb through your current library and gather up a collection of interesting skies to add to Luminar, or whatever app you use for this type of editing.
- As Spring approaches, begin taking pictures of pure skies that you can add to your library.
- Pay attention to light direction and other elements in your composition when adding a sky. Luminar can help you adjust these elements for a natural looking, including adding sky reflections to lakes.
So what's your verdict? As you can probably tell by now, I'm fine with sky replacement when I've photographed all elements in the composition and have tried to maintain a realistic rendering of the scene.
If you're in that camp as well, I highly recommend playing with Sky AI in Luminar Neo. It's beautiful.
This Week in the News
AI Has Made It Absurdly Expensive to Capture and Store Your Photos as featured on PetaPixel.com
The Most Disruptive Photography Company of 2025 Isn't Who You Think as featured on DigitalCameraWorld.com
OM‑3 Astro: OM System's classic body gets a cosmic upgrade as featured on DPReview.com
Virtual Camera Club News
Workshops!
The 2026 TDS Photography Workshop Season. We are featuring webinars, online workshops, and in-person events focused on creating impactful images in the company of those who love photography as much as you. Our workshops are like no others, and we think you will throughly enjoy the camaraderie and the tips and techniques.
We now have the dates set for the Hot Air Balloon Classic and Micro Brewery Photography Workshop that begins on July 17th and ends on July 20th. We'll go behind the scenes at the Balloon Classic for an inside look at how these beautiful aircraft are designed, maintained, and piloted. We'll photograph the Dawn Patrol launch, the big bash, and even rise up in a balloon if you want. We'll also explore the vibrant Micro Brewery culture in Sonoma County, home for Russian River Brewery, Lagunitas, and more. And if you add on to your adventure, there are days and days of photographic opportunities from majestic redwoods, to rugged coasts, to hillside vineyards. What a wonderful getaway. Place your deposit today!.
This week I want to feature the Becoming a More Creative Photographer online workshop. It's easy to study the technical aspects of photography to improve your camera skills. There are endless books, videos, classes, etc that cover aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, but what about creativity? What techniques can we employ in order to create more compelling and expressive photos? This course will seek to answer those questions. The first session is on March 5, 2026. Online participation begins a week before that.
Stop by The Nimble Photographer Workshop Page and reserve your spot today.
Inner Circle Bold. Sign up for the Annual Membership that's only $75.60 a year, you will receive all of the regular Inner Circle benefits, plus a coupon for your choice of a 2026 Online workshop hosted by me.
Great Photography Articles on Live View - If you check out our publication and appreciate what you see, be sure to follow us and clap for those authors. You can find us at medium.com/live-view.
If you're interested in writing for Live View, drop me a line at dstory@gmail.com.
The Nimble Photographer Newsletter is now publishing every Thursday. Readers will enjoy a variety of content spanning from short photo essays, to commentary on weekly events, to reviews of the latest and coolest photo gear.
Inner Circle Members: A big thanks to those who support our podcast and our efforts! We are having a blast at our new Inner Circle hangout, the private group I've set up at DerrickStoryOnline. We'd love it if you join us. You can become an Inner Circle Member by signing up at our Patreon site. You will automatically be added to the new hangout.
The New Donation Kit for Carefree Shipping of Found Film Cameras - If you've discovered a film camera that's no longer being used, our new Donation Kit makes it easy to pack and ship. Just visit the Contact Form on thenimblephotographer.com, click the box next to Donating a Film Camera, and let me know what you have. In your note, be sure to include your shipping address.
Affiliate Links - The links to some products in this podcast contain an affiliate code that credits The Digital Story for any purchases made from B&H Photo and Amazon via that click-through. Depending on the purchase, we may receive some financial compensation.
Red River Paper - And finally, be sure to visit our friends at Red River Paper for all of your inkjet supply needs.
See you next week!
You can share your thoughts at the TDS Facebook page, where I'll post this story for discussion.
