In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a dramatic illustration in the style of the game Mass Effect 3.
For the lesson we will need additional materials:
Step 1. Create a new file of 1200×720 pixels with a black background. Load the psd file with the planet into Photoshop and drag all the layers from it to the main working document, change the size as shown below:
Expand the “Cloud” group, go to the “Cloud Shadow” layer and reduce its opacity to about 30%:
Soft eraser
(E) gently erase the edges so that the planet smoothly goes into the background:
Use filter Filter – Render – Cloud (Filter – Rendering – Clouds) or a special brush to add a bit of cloud effect along the edges of the planet:
Step 2. Above the layers with the planet, add an adjustment layer:
Black and white (Black and white)
Edit the adjustment layer mask:
Color balance (Color balance)
Levels (Levels)
Edit the mask of the adjustment layer Levels:
Curves (Curves)
And we get this effect:
Step 3. Now let’s try to create the effect of a falling meteorite. Create a new layer and take a round brush (B) with hardness (hardness) 30%, draw an orange spot, as shown below:
Twice we distort this spot, as shown below: (first press CTRL + T, then right-click on the spot and select Distort (Distortion))
Duplicate (CTRL + J) this layer and apply to copy Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation) (CTRL + U):
Thanks to these settings, the color of the duplicate spot became brighter – slightly reduce its size and place it in the center, as shown below, to give the meteorite a glow:
Duplicate again (CTRL + J) layer, apply Hue / Saturation (Hue / Saturation) (CTRL + U):
Due to the color correction, the layer became white – slightly reduce its size, merge all three layers together (CTRL + E) and compress the resulting meteorite (CTRL + T):
Duplicate (CTRL + J) the layer a few more times to make the tail of a meteorite longer, and we get the following result:
Step 4. Now we will focus on adding effects. First use soft white tassel
(B) to draw light from a meteorite on a new layer, then slightly adjust the shape of the flash of light using a free transformation (CTRL + T):
We can duplicate a meteorite several times and place copies around the planet, as shown below:
Tip: add a few copies of meteorites around the main one, resize each one to give depth.
Step 5. Cut a part of the flame from the texture:
Copy (CTRL + C) and paste (CTRL + V) the selected area onto the working document, position the layer below the layers with the meteorite and above the last adjustment layer that we apply to the planet. Adjust the edges with Refine edge (Advanced Edges) (CTRL + ALT + R):
Distort this layer as shown below:
Change layer blend mode to Hard light (Hard light), 70% opacity:
Duplicate the fire layer several times, change the layer blending mode to Hard light (Hard light) or Vivid light (Bright light), also adjust the opacity of the layers. Try to distort the fiery texture in such a way as to create an explosion effect:
Step 6. We are almost done! Now we will add scattering fiery particles. Select small areas on the texture, as shown below:
Copy and paste the selected areas on the working document, then edit the size and distort it to repeat the angle of the planet, as shown below:
Duplicate this layer several times, adjust the size and place it around the tail of the meteor:
I also added an adjustment layer. Selective color (Selective color correction):
And the final result:
