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How to replace the sky in a photo
Open the photo in Plate and choose Image → Replace sky…. The sky is found on your computer, a new one goes in as its own layer, and a Relight layer warms or cools the land to match. It is free, nothing is uploaded, and you can repaint the edge afterwards.
- Open the photo in Plate. Go to colurvist.com/photo and drop the photo on the page. A landscape with a clear horizon works best.
- Choose Image → Replace sky…. Plate finds the sky by its colour and brightness, keeping only what touches the top of the picture — a lake reflecting the sky stays a lake.
- Pick a sky. Six built-in skies — Clear blue, Sunset, Dusk, Overcast, Golden hour and Night — or Photo… to use a sky picture of your own.
- Tune the edge and the light. Sensitivity decides how much counts as sky; Edge softness blends the horizon. Relight warmth and brightness tint the land so it looks lit by the new sky. Hold Before to compare.
- Apply and touch up. Apply adds two layers: Sky, with a mask cut from your picture, and Relight. Paint on either mask to fix an edge — around trees and rooftops a soft brush at low opacity works well.
When the automatic edge needs help
Select → Sky makes a precise selection of the sky — it asks the object finder that runs on your computer, so it handles busy horizons like tree lines better. Use it before Replace sky, or load it onto the Sky layer’s mask afterwards. Select → Select and mask refines it further.
Make it believable
- Match the direction of the light: a sunset sky behind a scene lit from the front looks wrong.
- Warm the land a little for a golden sky, cool it for a dusk or night sky — that is what Relight warmth is for.
- Water reflects the sky. If there is a lake, duplicate the Sky layer, flip it vertically and lower its opacity over the water.
- Finish with a colour look over everything (Layer → Adjustment layer → Look) so the sky and the land share one grade.
Questions
Is Replace sky free?
Yes. It runs on your computer and costs no credits.
Can I use my own sky photo?
Yes — choose Photo… in the Replace sky window. The sky photo is fitted to cover the picture.
Can I change the sky later?
Yes. The sky is its own layer under a mask, so you can move it, swap it, paint the mask, or delete it.
Why did part of the land turn into sky?
Lower the Sensitivity, or paint black on the Sky layer’s mask over that part. Very bright, unsaturated land (snow, white walls) can look like sky.
Is there an AI option?
AI → Replace background… (3 credits) can rebuild the whole scene behind a subject from words or a photo, which suits product shots and portraits more than landscapes.
Read next: Plate, the photo editor · Remove a background · Remove objects from photos · Retouch a portrait · Color grade a video · All models
Last reviewed 1 October 2026. Prices are in Colurvist credits and show on each button before anything runs.