How to Make a Galaxy Brush in Photoshop

Wondering how to create a galaxy brush Photoshop effect? Today I’m going to show you how to create galactic brushes, star brushes, and a space Photoshop background.

If you need an amazing, ready-to-go galactic brush pack, check out this beautiful package of nebula pattern Photoshop brushes:

What You’ll Learn in This Galaxy Brush Photoshop Tutorial

• How to create galactic brushes from scratch
• How to make a “stars” brush
• How to create a nebula pattern Photoshop background

1. How to Create Nebula Effect Photoshop Brushes

Step 1

Let’s start to create our galaxy in Photoshop by setting up a new document with a size of 2000 x 2000 px.

Step 2

Select the Background layer and press Control-J to create a duplicate, and then go to Filter > Render > Clouds.

Step 3

Go to Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast and set the Brightness to -90 and Contrast to 95.

Step 4

Then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and set the Amount to 20%, Distribution to Gaussian, and put a tick on Monochromatic.

Step 5

After that, go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and set it to the following settings: 125, 1.00; 255. (The numbers may depend on your picture, so play with the settings until you get something like star clusters.)

Step 6

Now we need to pick the Lasso Tool and select the part of the texture that will be our galaxy brush. Once you’ve finished selecting, press Control-J to create a copy of the selection.

Step 7

Make all the layers except the last one Invisible, and then select it and hit Control-I to invert the colors.

Step 8

Add another Brightness/Contrast adjustment to both, setting set the Brightness to about 80 and the Contrast to about 60.

Step 9

Make sure that all the layers except the last one are Invisible. Then go to Edit > Define Brush Preset, select a name for your brush, and hit OK.

Step 10

Now we need to create a new layer with Shift-Control-N and then add a stroke with our brush. As you can see, our galaxy brush is almost invisible, and there is no glow effect. We will fix it in the next step.

Step 11

Double-Click on the layer and select Outer Glow, using the following settings:

• Blend Mode: Screen
• Opacity: 100%
• Color: White
• Spread: 3%
• Size: 16 px

Step 12

Now Right-Click on the layer and select Rasterize Layer Style. Invert the colors with Control-I, and finally Define Brush Preset, as we did before, to create a new brush.

You can see what our brush should look like below. Try to create a few similar brushes the same way by using different cutouts with the Lasso Tool.

2. How to Create a “Stars” Brush

Step 1

If you want to learn how to create a galaxy in Photoshop, you’ll definitely want to create a stars texture. Let’s start by creating a new black layer and then Add Noise with the following settings:

Step 2

After that, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the Radius to 3.

Step 3

Let’s go to Image > Adjustments > Threshold and set the Level to 30.

Step 4

Select a part of the texture with a bunch of “stars” using the Lasso Tool, and then press Control-J.

Step 5

Make all layers Invisible, except the new one, and then hit Control-I and Define Brush Preset.

Step 6

And finally, go to Brush Settings and set the Size Jitter and Angle Jitter to 100%, and set the Scatter to 574%.

3. How to Create a Nebula Pattern Photoshop Background

Step 1

Now, it’s time to combine all the brushes and add some more effects to create a realistic galaxy background. Let’s create a new layer above the black background and then add a few strokes with the “stars” brush.

Step 2

After that, increase the brush size and add a few more strokes of stars, and then repeat it a few times.

Step 3

Double-Click on the layer and add an Outer Glow with the following settings:

• Blend Mode: Screen
• Opacity: 75%
• Color: #9000ff
• Spread: 3%
• Size: 9 px

Step 4

Create a new layer and use our “galaxy” brush on it. Double-Click on the layer and add an Outer Glow with the settings we used in the previous step. Then click on Gradient Overlay and use the following settings:

• Blend Mode: Hard Light
• Opacity: 50%
• Gradient Colors: #e11767, #cc16bf, #0037ff
• Angle: -90.

Step 5

Create a new layer and fill it with black using Shift-F5, and then go to Filter > Noise > Add Noise and set the amount to 20%.

Step 6

Change the Blending Mode of this layer to Screen and the Opacity to 40%. This will add a realistic look, since space images often have a lot of noise on them.

Step 7

Let’s add some color correction to finish our space background. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Levels and change the settings to 35, 0.56, 236.

Step 8

And for the final step, let’s create a Curves adjustments layer with the settings you can see below:

Awesome Work! We’ve Finished Our Photoshop Tutorial Galaxy Background

Today you’ve learned how to create galaxy brushes and star brushes, and how to use them to create a realistic-looking galaxy background. Here is our final result:

5 Top Galaxy Effects and Resources From Envato Elements

Looking for a high-quality galaxy Photoshop action? Or maybe you want to try other space nebula Photoshop brushes? Take a look at some of the best products from Envato Elements!

Space Nebula Photoshop Brushes (ABR, PNG)

This beautiful package contains ten different Photoshop brushes which you can use to create a realistic galaxy effect! All the brushes come in two file formats: transparent PNG and Photoshop ABR. This set is a perfect tool for creating fantastic space backgrounds.

Nebula Photoshop Brushes (ABR, PNG)

Here’s another package of nebula effect Photoshop brushes which can be used for creating posters, backgrounds, books, or CD covers. Just customize the settings of your brush to get a perfect look for your next design project!

Space Brushes (ABR)

So now you know how to create a galaxy in Photoshop and where to find perfect brushes, but if you need some star brushes, take a look at this package of ten photorealistic starscape brushes! This product will be a great addition to your collection of space Photoshop effects!

Supernova Photoshop Action (ABR, ATN, TXT)

Looking for a galaxy Photoshop action? Check out this cool action, which will turn your image into a beautiful work of art in a few simple clicks! The video and text tutorials included with the product will help you to get started and customize this effect.

Futuristic Spheres Photoshop Brushes (ABR, PNG)

Want something more interesting than just a galaxy effect? Check out this package of futuristic spheres. You can use them not only for creating space Photoshop effects, but also for creating any type of futuristic design. You’ll get unique brushes in two file formats, PNG and ABR, so you can use these not only in Photoshop.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on creating space nebula Photoshop brushes. If you want to learn even more, check out our other tutorials:

• 
  Text Effects
  How to Create a Galaxy Text Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Rose

• 
  Photo Manipulation
  How to Create a Sci-Fi Outer Space Scene With Adobe Photoshop
  Jenny Le

• 
  Photo Manipulation
  How to Create a Living Galaxy Photo Effect in Adobe Photoshop
  Abbey Esparza

• 
  Photo Manipulation
  How to Create a Galaxy-Inspired Self-Portrait Photo Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop
  Melody Nieves