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This lesson demonstrates how to create planets and planet rings from Photoshop gradients.
Note
After you have created your planet and planet ring, you will then create the star field background, either by creating it from scratch - or by applying a plugin filter. Alternatively, you can drag the planet and planet ring onto a photograph of a star field.
My lesson here demonstrates how to create planets from patterns
My lesson here demonstrates how to create a star field background with clouds
Undo and Navigation Steps
Two ways of undoing steps are from the top menu, Edit then Step Backwards.
Alternatively, click a previous snapshot in the History Palette.
Navigate (zoom in and pan) your image using the Navigator Palette,
or the Zoom Tool. 
Activate The Hand Tool by tapping the Spacebar, keeping the Spacebar pressed, pan your image in the usual way. 
1/
Open a New document and set the following attributes. Then extend its grey workspace by dragging out one of its corners.
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Then from the toolbar, activate the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
And enter the following attributes into its Options bar.
Press and hold your Shift key, and drag out a circular marquee onto your transparent document. Pressing the Shift key constrains the marquee to a circle.
3/
Then from the toolbar, activate the Gradient Tool. 
And set the following Copper gradient into its Options bar.
Note
You will find the Copper gradient from the Metals (gradients) library. Additionally, ensure the gradient is set to Radial Gradient.
Tip
For personal results, always experiment with different gradients, and gradient positions.
4/
Now, left-click and stretch your gradient line in the direction indicated by the arrow below.
Then release your mouse button, and your gradient will be applied. (Press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee).
Tip
Lighten - or darken areas of your planet utilising the Dodge and Burn Tools.
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Now, create a new layer by clicking the following Create a new layer icon, from the foot of the Layers palette - and rename the layer Ring.
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Working on the Ring layer, (using the Elliptical Marquee Tool), drag out the following elliptical shape. Do not press the Shift key this time.
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Now, from the Elliptical Marquee’s Options bar, click to activate the following Subtract from selection tab.
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Then (still working on the Ring layer), drag out a smaller elliptical shape, as demonstrated below.
Note
It may take a few attempts to position the ring exactly as demonstrated.
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Now, activate the Gradient Tool and this time, activate the gradient named Light Spectrum - and set the following Dissolve attributes.
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Then stretch a gradient line, from the bottom-right corner of the document, diagonally to the top-left corner. Then press Ctrl then D to remove the marquee.
 
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Now, press Ctrl then T. And from the subsequent transformation bounding box, tilt
(swivel), the planet ring - then press your Enter/Return key to complete the change.
 
12/
From the toolbar, activate the Eraser Tool.
And working on the Ring layer, (and utilising a small, round hard brush), carefully remove part of the ring, so it appears to disappear around the back of the planet.
 
13/
To emulate movement, working on the Ring layer, from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Blur then choose Radial Blur. Set the following attributes into the Radial Blur’s dialogue box - or experiment, then click OK.
 
14/ Creating the star field
It is time to either create your star field background (on a new layer, as demonstrated in my tutorial here). Or to drag your two (planet and planet ring), layers onto a star field background. Alternatively, utilise Flaming Pear’s Glitterato Filter to create a star field. After you have created and applied your star field, you are ready for the next step.
Note
I utilised Flaming Pear’s Glitterato filter. I applied the filter on its own layer, then dragged the layer to the foot of the layers stack.
 
After you have created and applied the star field background, you are ready for the next step.
15/
Activate the Ring layer, and experiment with different Blend Modes to see how they effect the blend between the planet ring and the background. For example, changing the Blend Mode from Normal to Hard Light, and reducing the Layer’s Opacity to 86%, changed my image to the following.
Note
Activate the Planet layer, and experiment with different Layer Blend Modes, to see how it can blend with the starry background.
 
16/
To blur the planet ring; from the top menu, choose Filter then choose Blur then choose Gaussian Blur. In the subsequent Gaussian Blur dialogue box, set a Radius of around
1.7 (pixels) - then click OK.
17/
To finish, from the top menu, choose Layer then choose Flatten Image. Then (if you wish), apply a lens flare as described in Chapter 18 of my Creating Planets from Patterns tutorial Here.
Congratulations, your work is complete, and ready to utilise.
Wendi E M Scarth. Top of Page - Home.
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