How to Create an Amazing Space Battle Scene in Photoshop

Preview of Final Results

Tutorial Resources

Starry sky – nighthawk101stock
Planet – dadrian
Spaceship – inadesign-stock
Asteroid – mototsume
Space brushes – redheadstock
Nebula – sxc.hu
Galaxy – Photoxpress

Step 1

Create a new document and fill it with white. I make the width is a bit larger than the height. Make a new layer and press G to active Gradient Tool. I choose Radiant Gradient with color #000a18 and # 53657d:

Step 2

Open planet stock. Hide the black background and press Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Alt/Option+E to merge all transparent layers. We will have result:

Use Move Tool ( V key to active it) and drag planet into our document, place it at the picture bottom:

Duplicate this planet twice, resize and transform it to be smaller ( use Cmd/Ctrl+T to do it) and position them at the two edges of picture:

Call big planet as “planet 1″ and smaller ones as “planet 2″, “planet 3″. On planet 2 layer, go to Filter-Blur-Gassian Blur and set radius as 2 px:

Choose planet 3 layer, press Cmd/Ctrl+F to repeat this filter ( Gassian Blur) with it:

Step 3

Make group for all planet layers ( make them selected then press Cmd/Ctrl+G) as I want to edit them together. Change the mode of this group from Pass Through ( default mode group) to Normal 100%:

Now I use an adjustment layers to change color of these planets. On planet 1 layer, go to Layer-New Adjustment Layer-Color Balance:

Because the mode of group changed to Normal 100% so this Color Balance layer only affects the layers inside this group ( planet ones).

I want to increase a bit of contrast of planet 1 so I make a new layer above this one with Clipping Mask and use Linear Gradient with default color ( black and white):

Change the mode to Soft Light 100% and add layer mask for this layer. Use soft black brush to remove and reduce dark contrast on some parts we’ve just painted on. Look at the layer mask to see how I masked it:

Step 4

Open nebula stock. Drag it into our canvas and place it under planet group. I only take a part of this stock:

I copy a part from nebular image and place it on the right side :

I use layer mask to clear rough edges of it:

Call these layers as “nebula 1″, “nebula 2″.

Step 5

Make group for them as we did with planets and remember to change the mode of this group to Normal 100%. I add some adjustment layers to make color of nebula fit the rest of picture.

Curves: