This is how I made the Full Moon Wallpaper in Wallpaper Competition 13.
I started with this digital photo which I took of the moon (it has been sized down to 500 pixels x 375 pixels for this tutorial)
The first step is to duplicate the layer. Right click on the Background Layer and click on Duplicate Layer:
Set the Layer Mode to Screen:
We're going to make the flare effect using the following settings:
With the background copy layer selected, go to Filter>>Noise>>Add Noise
Adjust the settings to:
Amount: 12% Gaussian Monochromatic
Next use Filter>>Blur>>Radial Blur
Adjust the settings to:
Amount: 100 Zoom Good
Drag the center of the zoom grid to the area you want to have as the Focal Point
Next use Layer>>Add Layer Mask>>Reveal All
Now you need to apply the image. Use Image>>Apply Image
Apply these settings:
Layer: Background Channel: RGB
Check for Inverted Blending Mode: Multiply
Opacity: 100%
Next, click on your original Background Layer in your Layer Pallet to select it.
Use Layer>>New>>Layer
Set the Layer Opacity to 60% and the Layer Mode to Overlay
Click on your masked layer in the Layer Pallet to make it the active layer (this should be the top layer)
Now select the Elliptical Marquee tool and make a selection around the outer edge of the Moon
Next use Select>>Inverse
This will allow you to make changes anywhere in the picture without effecting the moon area in the center of the picture.
Select the Blur Tool from your tools menu
I used these settings:
Brush Size: 80 pixels Mode: Normal Strength: 100% Hardness: 20%
Brush over the entire image to blur out the grainy effect. The moon in the center won't be effected. Once you have done that, use Ctrl + d to deselect the entire image. You can reset your blur brush to a smaller size to clean up any areas around the moon if you wish.
Save your psd, then use Save As to save in another format.
After I saved the image as a jpg, I opened the jpg file to make sure the image didn't pixelate. If it does, go over the image again with your blur brush, making sure you don't go over the moon area. Click on Save to resave without pixeling.
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