How to Swap a Cloudy Sky for a Sunset in a Photo
Cleanr by MRVL includes a dedicated Sky Replacement tool with 6 presets, including a Sunset option, that replaces flat or cloudy skies in seconds without manual brushing or learning curves.
The Quickest Way: Sky Replacement Presets
Open your photo in Cleanr, tap the Sky Replacement tool, and select the Sunset preset. The app detects your sky and replaces it automatically. No selection needed. The Sunset preset delivers warm, golden-hour tones that work on most landscape and portrait shots. If pure Sunset feels too saturated, try Golden Hour or Dusk for softer alternatives. As of January 2026, Cleanr offers these six sky presets: Blue Day, Golden Hour, Sunset, Dusk, Overcast, and Stormy. Each is curated to look natural, not artificially composited. The replacement respects edges around trees, buildings, and people, so your subject stays sharp and untouched.
Why Sky Replacement Beats Manual Editing
Other photo editors force you to manually select the sky with brushes, which wastes time and often leaves visible lines. Cleanr's vision-detection approach identifies the sky boundary automatically, then applies your chosen preset uniformly. You get a professional-looking sunset in one tap. This matters if you're editing many photos. The free tier includes 2 sky replacements per day, enough to test it. Plus subscribers get unlimited sky replacements, batch editing of up to 10 photos, and priority processing. Pro users can process 50 photos in a batch with a commercial licence, ideal if you're building a portfolio or selling product shots for small business.
When to Use Each Sunset Preset
The Sunset preset suits warm, evening-lit subjects and landscape photos. If your original sky was midday blue, Sunset will inject orange and pink tones that feel authentic. Golden Hour works for softer, more romantic moods and works well on portraits. Dusk adds deeper purples and cooler shadows, perfect for moody or dramatic shots. Overcast and Stormy are useful if you want to replace one type of cloud cover with another (e.g., flat grey to dramatic storm clouds). All six presets are non-destructive. You can undo and try another preset without degrading image quality. Cleanr doesn't compress or shrink your photo during the replacement.
Beyond Sky Swap: Full Photo Cleanup in One App
Sky replacement is one of 22 tools in Cleanr. Once you've swapped the sky, use Auto Enhance for one-tap colour and sharpness, or tweak Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Warmth with live sliders. Object Removal (content-aware PatchMatch) clears unwanted branches or people from the edges. Portrait Blur adds bokeh to soften backgrounds. Night Denoise cleans grainy low-light shots. Face Retouch (AI Pro tier) smooths blemishes without looking plastic. Batch Process lets you apply the same edits to 10 photos at once on Plus, or 50 on Pro. This workflow saves hours if you're editing event photos, product shots, or social media feeds.
Getting Started: Free Trial Included
Download Cleanr from the App Store or Google Play. The free tier gives you 2 sky replacements per day, no watermark on exports, and access to all 6 presets. Try it on your cloudiest photo. If you hit the daily limit, wait until tomorrow or upgrade to Plus (£3.99 per month or £29.99 per year) for unlimited edits. Plus also unlocks HD export, cloud history, full Faith Mode presets, and batch processing of 10 photos. Pro tier (£59.99 per year) adds commercial licensing and 50-photo batches. AI Pro (£99.99 per year) includes HSL colour grading, tone curves, selective adjustments with a brush mask, and generative fill for painting in missing details. There's also a Core Lifetime unlock (£4.99) for the foundational toolkit forever.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I use Sky Replacement on portraits without removing the person's head?
Yes. Cleanr's sky detection only replaces the sky, not faces or bodies. Your subject stays intact. The edge detection respects hair, hats, and shoulders.
Does the Sunset preset look natural or overly filtered?
The Sunset preset is curated to look naturally lit, not cartoonish. If it feels too saturated, try Golden Hour or Dusk. All presets are adjustable; you can dial down Saturation or Warmth after applying the sky.
How many times can I use Sky Replacement on the free tier?
Free users get 2 sky replacements per day. Plus and Pro subscribers get unlimited replacements.
Can I replace the sky on an older, faded photo?
Yes. Use Photo Restoration first to bring back colour and sharpness, then apply Sky Replacement. Auto Enhance also brightens dull shots before you swap the sky.
What if the sky replacement leaves a visible line at the horizon?
Cleanr's vision detection is designed to avoid hard lines. If one appears, undo and try a different preset, or manually adjust the Saturation and Warmth sliders to blend the edge. Selective Adjust (AI Pro) lets you refine the sky area with a brush mask.
Can I batch replace skies in 20 photos at once?
Free and Plus users can batch edit up to 10 photos; Pro users can batch up to 50. Open Batch Process, select your photos, apply Sky Replacement, and choose your preset. All 10 or 50 photos will be processed in one go.