It’s deceptively easy to set your polarising filter slightly off-kilter when you’re taking a landscape shot and not realise you’ve done it. However, it can result in an image in which the sky is either too dark or uneven in tone. In some cases, the foreground may also be too dark as well. In this feature we’ll explain how to correct both problems using a rather extreme example.
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It’s deceptively easy to set your polarising filter slightly off-kilter when you’re taking a landscape shot and not realise you’ve done it. However, it can result in an image in which the sky is either too dark or uneven in tone. In some cases, the foreground may also be too dark as well. In this feature we’ll explain how to correct both problems using a rather extreme example. Step 1: Assess the original image.  Sample image The left side of our sample image is much too dark, while the right side is correctly exposed. This was caused by over-polarisation and an incorrect assessment of the sun’s angle. Step 2: Select the sky.  Step 2a Step 2a: To select the sky, click on the Magic Wand tool, then set the mode to Add Pixels and the Tolerance to 40. Click on the sky, holding down the shift button and continuing to click until all of the sky is surrounded by ‘marching ants’. Note: this often includes pixels you don’t want in the selection. 
Step 2b 
Step 2c  Step 2d Step 2d: The refined selection should look like this. (above) Step 3: Adjust the sky.  Step 3a Step 3a: Using the Eyedropper tool, select an area in the sky that is the colour you would like the entire sky to become. The sampled colour will appear in the patch towards the bottom of the toolbar. (You may need to make several selections until you find a tone that looks just right; use the Edit>Step Backward function to go back and make a new selection. Then select the Gradient tool.  Step 3b Step 3b: Set the Gradient to grade from colour to transparent and select the orientation of the gradient direction. The blending mode should be set at Normal.  Step 3c Step 3c: Click on the Gradient tool. This turns the cursor into a small cross. Place the cross on the top margin and drag it about three quarters of the way down to the lower edge of the image before releasing it.  Step 3d Step 3d: When you release the mouse, the sky should become uniformly blue. However there may be some small irregularities along the horizon where the initial selection didn’t quite line up. These should be corrected. Step 4: Touch up the horizon.  Step 4a Step 4a: Start by Deselecting the sky. This removes the ‘marching ants’ around the selection and allows you to work on the whole image.  Step 4b Step 4b: Next click on the Magnifying Glass icon and enlarge the image at least 100% to see the areas that need touching up.  Step 4c Step 4c: Click on the Clone Stamp tool. Set a small brush diameter (5 to 8 pixels) and adjust the Hardness to 100%. Make sure the Mode is Normal and the Opacity and Flow are 100%.  Step 4d Step 4d: Using the Clone Stamp tool, select an area of sky just above the horizon and use it to ‘paint in’ the lighter areas that were missed in the initial selection.
Step 5: Brighten shadowed areas.  Step 5a Step 5a: Click on the Quick Selection tool and use it to outline the area that needs to be brightened.  Step 5b Step 5b: Right-click on the selected area and select Layer via Copy from the drop-down menu. This opens a new layer for working on.  Step 5c Step 5c: Open the layers menu in the Panel (or Palette) on the right side of the workspace and select Screen from the left side drop-down menu.  Step 5d Step 5d: Adjust the Opacity slider until you have the right balance and have opened up the shadows. Step 6: Flatten the image.  Step 6a Step 6a: Click on Layer in the top toolbar and select Flatten Image from the drop-down menu. This merges the layers, locking in the adjustments you have made.  Step 6b Step 6b: Save the end result with a different name from the original file.
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