How to bring out the blue sky in those grey sky pictures

We're going to show you how to bring in some blue sky on some of those grey sky pictures. This technique involves dodging in the blue sky with a brush. This technique is not limited to blue skies - use it on water or any other part of your picture that you would like to bring out the darker colors like for instance green grass or dark surfaces.

Step One :

Create a new layer by selecting Layer -> New Layer
Select overlay as the mode
Check 'Fill with Overlay-neutral color (50 % gray)'

Choose overlay and choose the option box

Select a soft brush with a diameter of about 45px, and set the brush opacity to 25%

Step Three :

Start painting over the picture in the areas where you want to bring out the darker colors. You can start of light, as each additional stroke will intensify the effect.

Step Four :

Once your done, merge the layers and sharpen.

Before

After