Welcome To VertexTemplates.com Photoshop Tutorials Area - Realistic Planet

Photoshop Knowledge Required : Medium
Difficulty : Tough
External Plugins Required : None

After many flaws and complaints in the first tutorial, I have made this easier and provides quite different results!
This tutorial has been designed completely by me. The steps are many but the result is great.
Okay now...
(Before starting Reset your workspace by Window ---> Workspace ---> Reset Pallete Locations

* First of all start with a 800x800 image.
* Select the "Elliptical Marquee Tool". Set it's style to "Fixed Size" and Width and Height to 750 , 750 and click to create the selection
* And drag it in the center
* Create a new layer and name it "Water"
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds
* Now goto Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 100 ---- Mode : Normal}
* Lock the layers transparency by clicking on the small checkerboard icon in the layers windows
* Filter --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur {Radius : 50}
* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 218 ---- Saturation : 25 ---- Lightness : -20}



* Now create a new layer and name it Land
* Select the layer "Land" and ( Ctrl + Click on the water layer)
* Press "Q" to enter the "Quick Mask Mode"
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds
* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 100 ---- Brightness : May range from -20 to 20 according to the size of the land}
* Press "Q" again to get out of the "Quick Mask Mode"
* Press "Ctrl+Shift+I" to inverse the selection.
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Difference Clouds {Press Ctrl + F until you get a balanced texture, usually 1 time}
* Edit --> Fade Difference Clouds { Opacity : 50 ---- Mode : Normal}
* Ctrl + Click on the water layer again.
* Now goto Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 100 ---- Mode : Normal}
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects and use the settings below.
* Then Ctrl+Click the "Land" layer.
* Select --> Modify --> Contract (2 px)
* Press "Ctrl+Shift+I" to inverse the selection.
* Filter --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur {Radius : 2}
* Press Ctrl+D



* Now create a new layer and name it Clouds
* Select the layer "Clouds" and ( Ctrl + Click on the water layer)
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds { Don't worry if the planet is hidden }
* Change the layer "Clouds" blending mode to "Screen"
* Image --> Adjustments --> Brightness/Contrast { Brightness : -50 ---- Contrast : 30 }
* Now select the "Elliptical Marquee tool" and set it's style to "Normal"
* Now create a small oval shape (around 1/3rd the shape of the water layer) anywhere inside the clouds layer.
* Select --> Feather (60 px)
* Filter --> Distort --> Twirl (180 degrees)
* Press Ctrl +D
* Goto Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects and use the same settings but (White is High : Yes ---- Height : 30~40)
* Ctrl + Click on the water layer. Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 50 ---- Mode : Normal}

Now your planet should look like this



* Click on the layer "Land" and drag it to the New Layer button to duplicate it.
* Click on the "Add Layer Mask" button in the layers window. (The one with a small circle inside a rectangle)
* Filter ---> Render ---> Clouds
* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Brightness : 0 ---- Contrast : 70}
* Now click on the "Land Copy" layer {Click on the thumbnail of the planet !!! not the cloud in the layers window}
* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 139 ---- Saturation : 25 ---- Lightness : 0}
* Click on the "Land" layer
* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 35 ---- Saturation : 40 ---- Lightness : -30}
* Click on the Background layer, Press D and then Press Alt+Backspace
* Filter ---> Noise ---> Add Noise { Amount : 70 ---- Distribution : Uniform ---- Monochromatic : No }
* Edit ---> Fade Add Noise ---> { Opacity : 50 ---- Mode : Dissolve }
* Filter ---> Blur ---> Gaussian Blur { Radius : 0.5}
* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 100 ---- Brightness : according to the number of stars}
* Create a new layer just above the background and goto Filter ---> Render ---> Clouds
* Select the blending mode to "Screen" and "Opacity" to 50
* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 238 ---- Saturation : 15 ---- Lightness : -15}
* Press Ctrl + E

Now your Planet should look like this,



Don't you think it lacks someting??

* Select the layer "Land Copy" and press Ctrl+E twice to merge the three layers.
* Select the layer "Clouds" and press Ctrl+E. Now you should have two layers only.
* Select the layer "Water" and apply the following layer properties to it.

Now it looks beautiful. Thank you for your patience.