Adding sun effect in PS for pictures taken in very cloudy day.

[PutinHuilo]

Wonder if effect of sun dropping on the trees can be somehow simulated in Photoshop.


Moment clouds cover (or uncover) the direct sun rays create uneven lighting on the trees.



I'd like to simulate same light for this picture:

Sun is behind clouds, no light falls on the trees.



Can someone teach me how to do it? Could you upload PSD with all edits for me. Also if you use Camera Raw filter convert layer to Smart Object so it saves all your settings you did in ACR rather than just applying them to raster layer. Thanks.

 

[JeffK]

Played with a few ways but here's one - open your image and add a new blank layer above it:



With the blank layer active, using lasso tool, select an area around top of trees:



Now with the layer and selection still active, use your white-to-transparent gradient tool and draw down from the top to the bottom of the selection:



Deselect the area (Ctrl+D) and change the blend mode to overlay:



Now go to the top menu, click on Filters>Blur>Guassian blur and set the blur radius to your liking - I set it to 45 on the above image. Then click OK



Here is your finished image:



You can play with the different settings to highlight larger or smaller areas and masking to remove areas you don't want highlighted.

 

[IamSam]

This is an extremely difficult effect to mimic and requires multiple adjustment layers with a "Curves Adjustment layer" being the primary method of lightening the trees using their own natural coloration as well as maintaining the random contrast of how light interacts with trees and foliage.

This can be seen in the image with the REAL sunlight. No white occurring here.


Original color of the image to be edited.


Lightened using Curves Adjustment layer.


Now reverse the Curves Adjustment layers-layer mask and use the Brush Tool to add the lighting effect in natural colors.
By using the Curves Adjustment layer method, you can always go back in and make changes like darkening or lightening the effect.


It also helps to insinuate the suns rays in the sky

 

[JeffK]

Decided to have another go at it but this time followed a tutorial using camera raw:

I didn't take advantage of every step since this was a different kind of image but just played with the camera raw settings until I got to where I wanted to go.
No painter myself but used my imagination along with Photoshop:

 

[PutinHuilo]

In case someone wants to practice more i included two images (not Photoshop) taken today, one with light on the trees and other with shade.