16 Free Sky Overlays to Make Photos Pop

Make Your Skies Stand Out

Sky overlays save photographers and retouchers time, making it easier to add a little pop to their skylines.

Some of my favorite types of posts to write are those with all free resources. Not only do these freebies help beginner designers out when they’re starting, but it also keeps seasoned designers well stocked.

Today, our freebie is a list of sky overlays. These helpful little tools are a perfect way to add a little oomph to a picture that’s lacking a bit in the sky department. What makes these overlays awesome is that they can be used to bring an image together, rather than serving as a loud distraction.

And the best part? They're all free!

If using a sky overlay is something new for you, take the time to check out our very own overlay tutorial. Created by Diego Sanchez, the easy to follow tutorial walks through two different methods to add fog overlays to any photo. And the same method can be used to add sky overlays to images.

Check out How to Add Easy Fog Overlays to Any Image to get started.

Mist and Fog Overlay Textures

Tony Thomas has created this combination of eight black and white mist and fog overlays. The gorgeous textures add just the right amount of fog to enhance your photos. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can completely transform the atmosphere of your photos.

Sample Sky Overlay Pack

If you’ve never tried sky overlays before, this freebie is the perfect way to start. The set of six samples gives plenty of options for you to test out the overlays before committing to a bigger pack. The skies included in this set are stunning and vibrant.

JPEG Sky Overlays

Designed specifically for landscapes and portraits, these six free overlays can be used in two different ways. The first is to enhance an already existing sky in an image. The second option is to use the overlays to completely replace a sky, which can come in handy if things go wrong during a photoshoot.

Sky Overlays

While there isn’t a lot of information about these free sky overlays, there is an accompanying tutorial that will make using them a lot easier. The eight overlays are a combination of billowing sunsets and calming dusk skylines.

Photoshop Sky Overlays

You get ten free overlay options with this huge collection, with the option to purchase if you find one you really love. The overlays were created by experts who know how time consuming adjusting the sky in an image can be.

English Sky Photo Overlay

If you miss the golden hour during your photoshoot, you can turn to this English sky overlay. The beautiful yellow and orange hues of the overlay will add a pop of the dramatic to any of your images, all without making them look fake.

Realistic Sky Overlay

Some of the best sky overlays are those created out of necessity by photographers who are desperate to make their photos look better. This set of overlays was created by a Hawaii based photographer who strives to create realistic, unaltered options for other photographers.

Sky Overlay for Photoshop

With this freebie, you won’t just get a beautiful overlay, you’ll also get plenty of support in how to use it. The blog post includes several tips as well as a couple of tutorials to help walk through how the free overlay can be used best.

20 Mysterious Fog Overlays

While these are technically fog overlays, when used properly, they can add just the right amount of mystery to your sky. The 20 free overlays, which vary between fog and smoke, are easy to use and can be adjusted to match your dream design.

Cloud Photo Overlays for Photoshop

Perfect for enhancing a beach sky, this overlay is subtle while also being effective. With light pink, purple, and indigo hues, you can use this natural looking overlay to add a bit of romance to your beach shots.

Summer Blue Sky Overlay

This blog post has a lot to say, but if you’re just here for the free overlay, scroll all the way to the bottom. There you’ll find a beautifully blue and cloudy sky that is perfect for spring and summer images.

20 Sky Overlays

What a combination of skies you’ll get with this set of 20 free overlays! From dark and stormy to bright and vibrant, these sky overlays will add just the right touch of the dramatic to your images. And when used right, they’ll blend in perfectly, enhancing rather than distracting.

Sunset Sky Overlay for Photoshop and Elements

Everyone loves a good sunset picture, but the hard truth is that capturing just the right image at just the right time can be difficult. With this free overlay, images get the same hazy, romantic sunset skies without the stress of shooting at just the right time.

Desert Sky Overlays

These sky overlays are so extremely unique and special. So many sky overlays are created from beach skies, but very few are made from dessert skies. This set of freebies was crafted from the gorgeous and ever changing dessert sky, creating a truly distinctive look for your images.

Sunset Sky Overlays

Because free sky overlays are hard to come by, this photographer decided to create brand new ones using old images. The result is a set of free sunset sky overlays that are more rare than the other freebies found all over the internet.

Simple Sky Overlay

We’ll end on a classic.

Sometimes you just want a sunny, blue sky to lighten up your image. This freebie works towards exactly that purpose. The clean, unpretentious overlay adds to a photo without being distracting. And it looks natural because it is natural.