Create a starry sky in Photoshop
If you want to create a starry sky in Photoshop, we will help you with this practical tip. We guide you step by step to the perfect starry sky. Even if it doesn't look like it in the meantime, the result will surprise you. Because your starry sky only gets its luminosity through the interaction of all levels.
Create first stars
Before you can start creating your first stars, you must first create a night sky.
- To do this, create a new document in Photoshop and fill the background with black color. The easiest way to do this is with the filling tool.
- Duplicate your background layer using the menu item »Duplicate layer ...« in the »Layer« menu and assign a name to the new layer in the dialog box so that you can better orient yourself later in your document.
- Open the »Filter« menu and select »Add noise« under »Noise filter«.
- Set a strength of approximately 10 to 20 percent in the dialog box and select "Gaussian normal distribution". Make sure that the check mark is set for »Monochromatic« and confirm by clicking on »OK«. The layer should now be speckled in white.
Add more stars
You just created your first stars - but the starry sky still looks relatively monotonous. You will change that in the next step.
- Duplicate the layer using the known method using the "Layer" menu.
- Make sure that the newly copied layer is selected in the layer palette and select the "Brightness / Contrast ..." item in the "Image" menu under "Corrections".
- Place a checkmark next to "Use previous values", set a brightness of -40 and a contrast value of 80 and confirm with "OK". It is important that you check the box first and then set the values.
Create bigger stars
To make the whole thing look more realistic, you need some bigger stars. The easiest way to conjure them up is to scale a copy of their top level.
- So duplicate the current layer and then press the key combination [CTRL] and [T] or on a Mac [CMD] and [T] to transform the layer.
- In the area below the menu bar, set 200 percent for the new width and height and confirm by pressing the [Enter] key twice in succession.
- Set a brightness value of -20 and a contrast of 70 for this level. Again, make sure that you tick "Use previous values" first.
Create a yard around your stars
Now we want to make your stars shine. We use a blur filter to create a courtyard around the larger stars.
- Duplicate the top layer that contains your larger stars.
- Select the "Gaussian blur ..." from the "Filters" menu under the "Blur filters".
- Set a radius of 2 pixels in the dialog box and confirm with »OK«.
- For this blurred layer, leave the brightness value at zero and increase the contrast value to 70. This time, too, you first have to tick "Use previous values".
Let your stars shine
To make the stars in your night sky shine properly, use the interaction of the individual levels. All you have to do is set the layer blending modes in the Layers palette.
- For the top level, select »Dodge linear (addition)«.
- For all other levels, use the »Multiply negative« blending mode.
Delete stars
The starry sky now shines in its lush splendor. If that is too many stars for you, there is a trick with which you can get rid of superfluous stars.
$config[ads_text5] not found- From the Layer menu, choose Collapse To Background Layer to combine all of your layers into one.
- In the menu »Image« under »Corrections« click on the item »Tone correction ...«
- Adjust the value for the shade tone spread by moving the corresponding slider to the right until the desired star density is reached.
Enjoy your starry sky
Lean back and enjoy the finished result - you might even discover one or the other constellation with a little imagination.
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This practical tip was carried out with Photoshop CS 6. If you don't own Photoshop, we will show you the three best free alternatives here.