Ok, so I am designing something for a competition, so my overall image will not be about space, but there will be some space aspects within it.
As I work through my image, I will be sharing some of the steps I use to create it.
This step, is how to create a space galaxy in Photoshop without any photography.
These tutorials will work as stand alones, but you are welcome if you wish to follow the whole series and create along side me.
This was all done in Photoshop CS2, but as no specialist tools are used, most versions of Photoshop will suffice.
Have fun – and here we go.
1. Open Photoshop and create a new black image 1400 wide x 1000 high
2. Duplicate this layer [up the top, click on the word layer, then on duplicate, click ok on the box that appears] so that you have 2 identical layers in the layer palette [bottom right hand corner]
Layers Palette
3. On your keyboard, hold ctrl and press D once to set the foreground/background colours to Black and White
4. Working on the top layer in the layer palette [make sure its highlighted, click on it if it isn’t] – click on the word filter [up the top], then on Pixelate, then on Pointilize – a window will appear. Set the cell size to 7 and click on OK to apply the filter. you now should have something similar to the image below
Image after Pointilize filter has been applied
5. Working on the same layer, select the eliptical marquee selection tool on the left hand toolbar. Set the Feather [up the top] to 40 pixels, and draw a selection like the one below by clicking and dragging the mouse on the image
Eliptical marquee selection
6. Click the word Select [up the top], then click inverse – to inverse the selection, and press delete on the keyboard. This will remove all the dots and texture outside the eliptical selection.
7. Click on the word Image [up the top] then on adjustments, then on Levels – a box will appear. Change the settings to match that of the image below and click ok.
8. Click on the word Filter [up the top] and click on Distort, then on Twirl. Change the settings to that of the image below and click on OK.
Your image should now look similar to the one below.
9. Now click on the word Edit [up the top] then click on Transform, then on Distort. This will place lines and points around your image. Drag the bottom right corner point upward and to the right until you get something similar to the image below. Once you are happy with it, hit enter on your keyboard to apply the effect.
10. Use the move tool over on the toolbar on the left to move this layer into the centre like shown below.
As you will see, you now have your galaxy and all we need to do now, is add some life to it.
11. Change the foreground colour to a very light creamy yellow and click on the paintbrush tool in the toolbar over on the left. Set the brush size to about 250 with ZERO Hardness and the brush opacity [up the top] to about 75. Click the brush on the centre of the galaxy once. Now reduce the opacity to 25, click the mouse slightly to the left of your last click position, and then do the same to the right – this will give a disc shape light in the centre of the galaxy.
12. Now click on the Dodge tool over on the left toolbar, Set the brush size to 75, the Range to Highlights and the Exposure to 60. Now drag the mouse from the centre of the galaxy in outward spirals to create the galaxy trails. Finish off by adding a little dodge to the centre of the galaxy to brighten it right up.
13. You now have a fihished galaxy which you can rotate to suit. Once you have the position you want and are happy with all the brightness, contrast etc, to finish click on the word Layer [up the top] then on flatten image, and then save your file.
It should look similar to this after you have rotated it etc.
You can have a different colour galazy by changing the foreground and background colours at stage 3 of this tutorial, and can have different shapes by changing the amount of dodge and rotation at the end.
The one below was created using light blue and purple instead of black and white at stage 3, and a lot of dodge applied at the end.
Hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear how you get on.
Jul
