Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Posted on June 22nd, 2009 under Photo Effect

Sign up for EX0-101 web designing course and learn beautify your web pages using different design themes. Become expert of web design using 642-832 demos and 640-863 photoshop tutorials.

In this tutorial, I will show you the processes I used to design this awesome space dancer scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop. The inspiration of the tutorial in fact came from the latest “Prince of Persia” game cover (and yes, I do love this game very much!)

Together we will be using image adjustment options, layer blending, masking and filter effect. I will also like to emphasise that it’s very importance to choose the right stock texture for your design, as they will contribute and improve your final effect dramatically.

This is an fairly easy tutorial and I hope you enjoy it! Have a try!

Here is the preview of the final result:

5 effect 500x617 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

alternative version I have: (adjusted the colour balance and add two planets into it)

PSD File for this Tutorial

You can download the PSD File for this tutorial via the VIP Members Area for only $6.95/Month (or less)! You will not only get this PSD File, but also 70+ other PSD Files + Extra Goodies + Exclusive Photoshop tutorial there. Signup now and get exclusive :) Find out more about the VIP Members Areas

OK Let’s get started!

To complete this tutorial, you will need the following stocks:

Dancer

Nebula Texture 1

Nebula Texture 2

Step 1

Load the dancer image into Photoshop and resize the image to 1200px * 1477px. The purpose of resizing image is to make it rough the same size as the textures we’re going to apply on it.

Make a duplication of the background layer, hit Ctrl + Alt + Shift + B and apply the Black and White adjustment Tool with following settings:

1 bw Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Name this duplicated layer “black and white”. Make another two duplications of this “black and white” layer and change the blending mode of those two duplicated to “Hard Light”.

You will have the following effect so far:

1 effect 500x609 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Step 2

Load the “Nebula texture 1″ image into Photoshop, copy and paste it onto our dancer document. This will create a new layer and let’s name it “nebula texture 1″.

On this “nebula texture 1″ layer, go to Edit > Transform > Free Transform (or Ctrl + T), resize, rotate this layer as you wish, the ultimate goal is to find a position where the outer part of the nebula image is surrounding the model.

When you’re satisfied, right-click this nebula texture 1 layer and choose “create clipping mask”.

Here is the effect so far:

2 effect4 499x622 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Now we can go on and add some image adjustments layers for the nebula layer, so as to make it more stand-out.

From bottom to top, we add the following image adjustment layers: (make sure you tick the “use previous layer to create clipping mask” option for every one of them)

Color Balance

3 col balance Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Levels

3 levels Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

On this Levels adjustment layer, apply the following layer mask:

3 level mask 500x618 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Brightness and Contrast

3 bright Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

and you will have the following effect so far:

3 effect2 500x625 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Step 3

Load the “Nebula Texture 2″ into Photoshop, copy and paste it onto our dancer document and use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl + T) to resize, rotate until it fits into the canvas.

Name this layer as “nebula texture 2″ and change its blending mode to “soft light” and you will have the following effect: (I hide the previous “nebula texture 1″ layer and its related adjustment layers)

3 effect 1 500x609 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

To add a bit more contrast to this “Nebula Texture 2″ layer, we can add a Curve Adjustment layer (Make sure to tick the “use previous layer to create clipping mask” option) with the following settings:

4 curves Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Here is the effect afterwards:

4 effect1 499x611 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Step 4

Make all layers visible, you image should now look like this:

4 effect 1 500x609 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Now we can do some retouch of the image. I personally feel the colour contrast is a bit too much, so I add another Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer on top of all layers, with the following settings:

5 hue Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

You will now have this effect:

4 effect 3 500x607 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

You can of course try out other adjustment tools and see what result that bring you.

Step 5

Now we can add some motion into the image. To do this, flatten the image (I would suggest before you flatten the image, save a copy of the existing file, then the save the flattened image as a new psd file), duplicate the background layer once and go to Filter > Blur > Radial Blur and apply the following options:

5 rad blur Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Change the blending mode of the duplicated layer to “Screen” and opacity to 80%, you will have the following final effect:

5 effect 500x617 Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

OK, that’s it for this tutorial! You can of course add some of your own texture or filter effect and see what the end results are! Remember to always keep your own creativity!

Here is an alternative version I have: (adjusted the colour balance and add two planets into it)

Hope you enjoy this tutorial, drop me a comment if you have any question, I will try my best to help you out.

Cheers and have a nice day!

Fresh Posts from PSD Vault

Imagination Unleashed: Best of PSD Vault DeviantART Group – Vol. 23

Easily Apply Texture with Clipping Mask to Produce Unique Text Effect in Photoshop

Unique and Curious Photoshop Tutorial Showcase – January 2012

Creativity Fine-Tuning: Best of PSD Vault Flickr Group – Vol. 54

Design Abstract Surreal Text Effect with Metal Texture in Photoshop

VIP Exclusive Tutorial – Create Advanced Photo Manipulative Artwork via Grunge Textures and Colour Effect

ryan

first one here ……thx for the tut..i’m looking everywhere to find more tut about u guys
http://sk Prince Ali Abobwa

No offense, but honestly you do no work at all except change colors and add effects. This tut would be a lot better if it included the making of the nebula.
James

@Prince Ali Abobwa: thanks for the suggestion, my initial idea for this tutorial is simply showing what you can do with image adjustment layers, and I sort of trying to keep everything as easy as possible

I also have a nebula tutorial here under abstract category, and I would love to do another one with different style in the near future.
Israel

ótimo, como sempre.. abraço psdvault
http://cssbrigit.com/CNews/entrada/2009062218275930 CSS Brigit | Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop

Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop…

In this tutorial, I will show you the processes I used to design this awesome space dancer scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop.
…
http://www.sblgraphics.com/clipping-path_service.aspx clipping path services

Awesome tutorial and the amount of details shared are excellent. Thanks for sharing.
http://www.orphicpixel.com Mars

wow amazing tutorials, i will follow this one
Skylines

thanks for this tuturial..x] i really like your effects..x] and i decided to study being a graphic artist using your tuturials as my inspiration..i salute you..x]
http://www.orphicpixel.com Mars

this is what i came up for this tutorial http://www.flickr.com/photos/orphicpixel/3660041970/
Evan

awesome tutorial..
uhm.. what is the function of curve tool?

i’m a newbie in photoshop..
:))
LPZ

i followed this word for word and it didnt come out right i think it had something to do with blending option for the dancer layer duplicates, was Hard Light really the right one? bc thats where it started to look different.
http://tuts.cgbaran.com/2009/06/30/design-a-space-dancer-scene-with-nebula-textures/ Design a Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Textures | CgBaran Tuts

[...] View Tutorial [...]
http://tuts.cgbaran.com/ CgBaran Tuts

nice work i love it
http://www.cynic121.com/wordpress/?p=189 Best of the Web – June 2009 | Photoblog

[...] Visit Tutorial [...]
http://grumpygit.org/?p=465 Best of the Web – June 2009 | Grumpy Git . org | Photoshop

[...] Visit Tutorial [...]
Joey

I seem to have a problem. When I put the clipping mask on the Nebula Texture 1 layer, the effect comes out quite a bit darker than what it should be at that stage.

Any ideas what’s happening?
http://www.desinine.com/web-design/best-of-the-web-june-2009/ Best of the Web – June 2009 | Desinine

[...] Visit Tutorial [...]
http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/creative-bookmarks-best-of-june-2009/ Creative Bookmarks: Best of June 2009 – Tutorial9

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://www.pbase/hodero Hodero

As always,it’s like Christmas.
Great present!…thank you!
http://www.e11world.com e11world

Nice tutorial and I love the images used for it.
http://webitect.net/design/107-tutorials-for-really-cool-photo-manipulation.php 106 Tutorials for Really Cool Photo Manipulations – Webitect

[...] 93. Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://iakhan.deviantart.com Imran

Awesome !!
http://iakhan.deviantart.com Imran

Can you upload same tutorial but in video type ..
James

@Imran: yeah video tutorial is something I wish to do for a long time, however I found it just top difficult and time-consuming to compile a video for a full-length tutorial.
http://mahallo.net/multimedia/32-tchudesni-uroka-za-fotomanipulatsiya Махало Медия (Интернет решения) – уеб сайт ди

[...] 8. Design an Awesome Space Dancer [...]
http://www.housamz.com/how-to/photoshop-photo-manipulation-tutorial/ دروس فوتوشوب للتلاعب بالصور [تدريبات] :: حسام

[...] 8. الرقص في الفضاء [...]
Ezezez

I am not understanding this part “On this Levels adjustment layer, apply the following layer mask:” What you suppose to do?
James

@Ezezez: this basically means applying the mask as shown below in the screenshot, to do so you can use an eraser tool with soft brush settings apply. The screenshot gives you an indication of the part to erase.
Hope this helps
Ezezez

alrite thank… i will try it again later 2nite
http://design-tutplus.com/2009/07/creative-bookmarks-best-of-july-2009/ Creative Bookmarks: Best of July 2009 | Design-Tut+

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://webdesignledger.com/tutorials/18-fresh-photoshop-photo-manipulation-tutorials 18 Fresh Photoshop Photo Manipulation Tutorials | Web Design Ledger

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://yaa.575ml.com/?p=54 Updates, tutorials and thoughts – Chris « Young Achievement Awards

[...] Photo Manipulation Tutorial 2 [...]
ahbchan

so cool!!! thank you!
colli

where can i download this article’s psd file?!
some steps i can’t understand
http://www.smashmygirlfriend.com/18-fresh-photoshop-photo-manipulation-tutorials 18 Fresh Photoshop Photo Manipulation Tutorials « test

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://www.xdesignblog.com/18-fresh-photoshop-photo-manipulation-tutorials 18 Fresh Photoshop Photo Manipulation Tutorials | X Design Blog

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://designeroff.wordpress.com/2009/08/31/photoshop-tutorial-collections/ Photoshop Tutorial Collections « sishimaru

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop – A tutorial for creating an amazing dancer surrounded by stars and nebula lighting effects. [...]
http://partytow.com/e/2009/08/31/31-aug-300-resources-to-help-you-become-a-photoshop-expert/ 300+ Resources to Help You Become a Photoshop Expert – partytow for all

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop – A tutorial for creating an amazing dancer surrounded by stars and nebula lighting effects. [...]
http://www.bloggernutshell.com Kannan

Nice tutorial ..
http://tutsmore.com/photoshop/300-more-resources-to-help-you-become-a-photoshop-expert/ 300 more Resources to Help You Become a Photoshop Expert – tutsmore

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop – A tutorial for creating an amazing dancer surrounded by stars and nebula lighting effects. [...]
http://www.downrex.com/tutorials/photoshop/18-fresh-photoshop-photo-manipulation-tutorials/ 18 Fresh Photoshop Photo Manipulation Tutorials | Downrex

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
sara

thaanx alot ….
but how can i do step 1 with photoshope CS8?????
i can’t found…..apply the Black and White adjustment Tool with following settings?????
also the dancer pic i can’t download it!!!?only the pic
http://nego7.deviantart.com/ DI

Cool tricks, Here I done another Space Dancer mixing displacement maps and HQ pictures, visit it here http://nego7.deviantart.com/art/Space-Dancer-116412159

Enjoy it…
By the way awesome blog!!! Go ahead and bring us more amazing art ^_^
http://www.smashingbuzz.com/2009/11/60-exceptional-photo-manipulation-tutorials-in-photoshop/ 60+ Exceptional Photo Manipulation Tutorials in Photoshop | Smashing Buzz

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer [...]
http://huibit05.com/tutorials/60-exceptional-photo-manipulation-tutorials-in-photoshop/ 60+ Exceptional Photo Manipulation Tutorials in Photoshop | Master Design

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer [...]
http://amazingphotoshop.nl/tutorials/25-fantasy-photoshop-tutorials/2009/ 25 Fantasy Photoshop Tutorials – Amazing Photoshop

[...] Snelle Danseres [...]
Indra Azenx

great tut!!

awesome…!!thx
http://nemupa.tk/nemupa/?p=69 70 Işık Efekti Photoshop Dersi « MsC

[...] 39. Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop [...]
http://loverdesign.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/31-aug-300-resources-to-help-you-become-a-photoshop-expert/ 31 Aug 300+ Resources to Help You Become a Photoshop Expert « Loverdesign's Blog

[...] Design an Awesome Space Dancer Scene with Nebula Texture in Photoshop – A tutorial for creating an amazing dancer surrounded by stars and nebula lighting effects. [...]
http://www.cyberack.com/ Kiran

Excellent tut!
http://facebook.com Ashley Jones

how do u load the nebula effect to photoshop anyways??
http://Website adrian

I seem to have a problem. When I put the clipping mask on the Nebula Texture 1 layer, the effect comes out a lot darker than what it should be at that stage.

Any ideas what’s happening?
http://Website :D

How did the texture made a see through effect? What did you do?
Ive been tryin to do this but i simply cant? Did you toudh the opacity of the texture layer?
http://here-comes-the-sun-lyrics.com/ here comes the sun lyrics

I hope you keep posting these tutorials I learn a lot from them.

Jenn at Here Comes the Sun lyrics
http://Website balu

thanx learning psd slowly thru ur tutorials .