Need Help Replacing Sky When Foreground Trees Blend Into the Background

[ruby tiger]

I’m trying to replace the sky in a photo using Photoshop 2022. The problem is that the background trees are very soft and have almost the same color as the original sky, so the automatic “Select & Mask” or “Sky Replacement” tools can’t separate them cleanly.

I’ve tried adjusting Levels and using Select & Mask, but the edges around the trees and hair still look messy.
Do you have any tips or step-by-step methods to create a clean mask in this situation?
Any advice, detailed workflow or youtube tutorial would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[tiny elk]

srry if too late lol
try select > color range, select the dark green, and increase fuzziness, either masking that out or deleting

[hardy tide]

I am not saying it will work here, but you can still try "calculations"
It's a very effective method when it comes to tricky selections
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCThXwhwTOA
That said, I am afraid that in your case, you will have to put in some elbow grease and do your selection by hand (that happens, I do that all the time! 😉)
Using either masks or quick mask mode, painting by hand, and refining the mask with tools like the smudge tool, or a very soft brush. You could even try the pen tool for a preliminary selection, and finesse on a mask.

[wanton kraken]

I’d like to rebound on the brushing masks idea, I’ve seen some use grass-like brushes in this case to get a organic shaped mask.

[rain crow]

Something to keep in mind: In this kind of situation, you don't have to be perfectly accurate. In many cases, it's not even possible to be "accurate" because there isn't enough detail there to work with, or it's too soft. You do have to be believable. Custom brushes can often give you a fantastic result applied to a mask. Jesus Ramirez is a working pro whose Photoshop Training Channel has great tutorials. Here's one on masking that will help:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8kUpM2Qaqo

[ruby tiger]

I just realized that I’ve been focusing way too much on tiny details that most people would never even notice