Create a Glowing Surreal Planet Design
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This time I’ll show you how to create a glowing planet design. You’ll learn how to create a planet from a panoramic picture, use the Lens Correction Filter, create complex background patterns, and more.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let’s take a look at the image we’ll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our Psdtuts+ Plus membership.
Step 1
First, search for a panoramic or skyline picture, I found this one. Try to use a big resolution and wide format picture. This is because when creating the planet view, you’ll reduce the image’s width a lot. Next make a new document with the same dimensions as your picture. Then paste your image into a new layer.
Step 2
Details are the most important. Draw a horizontal guide to ensure the horizon is fine. In this case, the horizontal perspective it’s a little up on the picture’s right side. To fix this, go to Filter > Distort > Lens Correction. Then set the angle a tiny bit down on the right side (356,78º it means less than one degree).
You can play with the Perspective angles when you’re using a different picture. This is a crucial step. If you don’t do it well, you’ll have more to do on Step 4 by changing the Offset. Finally, crop the image deleting all the extra sky and sea that we don’t need.
Step 3
Using a soft Dodge tool (O), highlight the sky. Try to get almost white on both the left and right sides of the sky. Also, highlight the right side water a little bit.
Step 4
To create the "planet" we need to change the Offset of our image. Go to Filter > Other > Offset. Then change the horizontal value to change the offset to the center of the image. I learned this effect a long time ago watching a video tut on the SXC blog (Create a Photo Planet).
Step 5
Now using the Healing Brush tool (J), fix the hard offset line over both the sky and the water. Also, using a small Blur tool (R), blur the sharpen line of the building next to the offset.
Step 6
Now go to Image > Image Size and resize the image. Try to keep the height of your original document to preserve the good quality. In this case, I’ll make it a little bigger 1000 pixels by 1000 pixels.
Step 7
Go to Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates and select Rectangular to Polar. This way you have a nice "planet" view, but its still needs a few more adjustments.
Step 8
Using the Liquify Filter window, select the Bloat tool. Then use a large brush, like 600 pixels, and make a few clicks to inflate the center of the planet.
Step 9
Apply a quick Filter > Sharpen > Sharpen More. Then you’ll can see the building’s windows glowing better.
Step 10
Using the Lasso Tool (L), select the building’s shapes. Leave some space between the selection and the buildings. Feather the selection (Ctrl + D) 30 pixels. Then hit Ctrl + Shift + I to invert the selection. Then delete it. Finally, add a new Solid Color Layer (#7F5E6F) below the "planet" layer.
Step 11
Rotate the "planet" a few angles to put most of the buildings on the top.
Step 12
Now we’ll create a pattern background. For this I’ll use some default shapes that come with Photoshop CS3. Create a new document 150 pixels by 150 pixels. Draw a shape in the middle of the document and apply a Drop Shadow to it.
Then draw more objects over the four corners using the same Drop Shadow effect. Use any color, I used #75455D, #572D41, and #8B5B71. Then delete the background. Go to Edit > Define Pattern and type some name for it.
Step 13
Apply the pattern overlay to the background layer. Use the values shown below.
Step 14
Duplicate the "Planet" layer. Then go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur and apply a Zoom Blur. Do it twice while pressing Ctrl + F. Finally, change the "Planet copy" Layer Blending Mode to Color Dodge and Opacity to 75%.
Step 15
Render some Clouds (Filter > Render > Clouds) into a new layer above the "Background" layer. Use a Foreground color of #583144 and Background color of #C29CAB. Then change the Blending Mode to Hard Light and Opacity to 50%.
Step 16
Create a new background layer (#583144) below the pattern background. Select the pattern background, and apply a Layer mask > Hide all, filled with a radial (black – white) gradient.
Step 17
Apply an Outer Glow to the "Planet" layer using the values shown below.
Step 18
Now draw Photoshop’s default "Sun" shape. Below is the list of the effects applied to that shape to make it more impressive.
Step 19
Duplicate the "Sun" layer. Make the copy smaller than the original. Rotate it a little bit. Then change the colors of the Gradient Overlay to make it lighter.
Step 20
Duplicate the "Sun copy" layer, resize it, and place the copy above the "Planet copy" layer. Make it 60% smaller, and rasterize the copy including the effects. A quick way to do it is by creating a new blank layer above the shape, select both, and press Ctrl + E to merge them. Then change the "Sun rasterized copy" Blending Mode to Hard Light and Opacity to 75%. Make two more copies of it and put them somewhere around the planet.
Step 21
Now let’s add some text to our design. I found this old school font called Pacmania. Type the text, "Psdtuts+." Then apply all the Layer Styles in the image below to the text.
Step 22
Finally, I decided to apply a Layer Mask > Hide All (filled with a white-black gradient) to the "Clouds" layer. You can skip this step if you want to. It’s used to add a finishing touch, but at this point it’s up to the eye of the designer.
Conclusion
And that’s it! A very quick way to get a glowing planet, try your own! Remember the higher quality the panoramic picture, the best the result. I hope you found this tutorial fun and useful.
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By Alvaro Guzman
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nice one
Wow, great ;)
City looked a bit too real at the final outcome , but still , Nice!
nice one!
Awesome, I like it! I think a bit more could be done to the text and symbol behind it. But apart from that, very good tutorial! Some nice techniques! :)
niceeeeeeeee
Nice one. It’s been seen many times before, but I like the idea with using liquify to make it look better…
I like it a lot – thanks for sharing Alvaro. :)
Sweet tutorial, as usual. Going to try this later today. =)
Hmm.. Some nice steps and techniques here, but dont like the final outcome so much..
Nice one though!
not bad, study some technique thats all!!
+91 9965859603
laranz.joe@gmail.com
Nice Tutorial. I am going to try this out for sure.
This freaking Rocks!
excelent ;)
Nice effect. I really like how simple and effective the background pattern was to make.
Awesome!!! :D can’t wait to try it!
Nice Tut!
I’ve seen tut’s like this on several other sites, but they aren’t as in depth and good looking as this one. For sure gonna have to try this one with the Detroit Skyline.
Thanks PSDTuts
Um, that’s really random, haha. But still a pretty cool effect!
Nice Well Done, Thanks For Sharing
The first half of this was enough, but the rest was good too. I think just the right amount went into this. IF you want more, elaborate on it your self, that is what its all about.
nice n cool!
nice tuts
Some great techniques in this, thanks.
Great tutorial :)
Let me guess what inspired you to do this tutorial,
SIM CITY SOCIETIES LOL :)
Regards.
San Diego represent!
background is ok lame but thanks for the tut
the idea isn’t bad at all
this tuts so so amazing and good
it’s to nice design thx alot and we r waiting more of tuts from u
good work and good luck for u
that’s pretty awesome!
Great tutorial! (as usual)
thanks!
that looks great. nice one
great technique.
Great work, keep doing :)
I have seen this same tutorial right up until step 17, where this one does something different in a major Photoshop magazine.
wow great very creative awesome, thanks for sharing… I like it.
the outcome is meh…
WOOO thats very cool. I love i a lot expect for the scary looking figure in the middle of it. :)
vau !!! great tutorial
Love it! Very “over the top”, very “Tokyo – up all night”.
Very creative….. I love it.
http://www.fan2band.com/dynamiclink/127490_1174_64_2271
thats really creative. thanks for sharing
I don’t really like the end result at all…but there’s definitely a few parts of the tutorial that are useful.
Thanks!
Impressive…. these techniques will definitely come in handy!
gracias x el tutorial…chevere!…aca sta el mio ^^
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3223/2670713336_210a941ce2_o.jpg
that was cool!
Sweet Tut ;)
The first part of the tutorial is informative. But not really a fan of the treatment used for the sun shape & the final font.
I got some great ideas from this one… thanks for the tutorial!
Loved this tutorial!
Been browsing these a while, first post though; so hey all! :)
Here’s what I made from it…
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3897/skyline1va9.jpg
Thanks for another of many great tutorials!
IArchitect
MY bad, I changed the font last minute..
http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/6745/skyline1vs0.jpg
[previous post incase of deletion]
Loved this tutorial!
Been browsing these a while, first post though; so hey all! :)
Here’s what I made from it…
(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3897/skyline1va9.jpg)
Thanks for another of many great tutorials!
IArchitect