making a planet

This tutorial has been designed completely by me. The steps
are many but the result is great.

Okay now...

(Before starting Reset your workspace by Window ---> Workspace ---> Reset Pallete Locations
* First of all start with a 750x750 image.

* Select the elliptical marquee tool. Set it's style to "Fixed Size"
and Width and Height to 750 , 750 and click to create the selection

* And drag it in the center

* Create a new layer and name it "Water"

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds

* Now goto Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 100 ---- Mode : Normal}

* Lock the layers transparency by clicking on the small checkerboard icon in the layers windows

* Filter --> Blur --> Gaussian Blur {Radius : 20}

* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes
---- Hue : 218 ---- Saturation : 25 ---- Lightness : -20}


* Now create a new layer and name it Land

* Select the layer "Land" and ( Ctrl + Click on the water layer)

* Now goto Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 100 ---- Mode : Normal}

* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 100 ---- Brightness :
May range from 0 to -30 according to the size of the land}

* Select the Magic Wand Tool (W) { Tolerance : 32 ---- Anti-aliased : Yes ---- Other Options : No }

* Click on any black part of the layer "Land"

* Press delete.

* Now Ctrl + Click the "Land" layer.

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Difference Clouds {Press Ctrl + F until you get a balanced texture, usually 1 time}

* Edit ---> Fade Difference Clouds { Opacity : 50 ---- Mode : Normal}

* Press Ctrl + D to deselect the layer.

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects and use these settings


* Now create a new layer and name it Clouds

* Select the layer "Clouds" and ( Ctrl + Click on the water layer)

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Clouds { Don't worry if the planet is hidden }

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Difference Clouds {Once Only!!!}

* Press Ctrl + I

* Image --> Adjustments --> Brightness/Contrast { Brightness : -30 ---- Contrast : 95 }

* Lock the layers transparency by clicking on the small checkerboard icon in the layers windows

* Filter ---> Blur ---> Motion Blur {Angle : 0 ---- Distance : 120}

* Filter ---> Blur ---> Gaussian Blur {Radius : 4}

* Now goto Filter --> Distort --> Spherize {Amount : 50 ---- Mode : Normal}

* Select it's Blending mode as "Screen"

* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 60 ---- Brightness : 0}

* Set the opacity of the layer to 60

* Press Ctrl + D to deselect. {IMPORTANT !!!}

* Click on the "Water" Layer

* Goto Filter --> Render --> Lighting Effects and use the same settings but set the "Texture Channel" to "None"

* Do the same for layer "Clouds"

* Image ---> Canvas Size {Width : 800 ---- Height : 800 : Relative : No --- Anchor : Center }

* Click on the Background layer

* Press D and then press Alt + Backspace to fill the background
Now your planet should look like this


* Click on the layer "Land" and drag it to the New Layer button to duplicate it.

* Click on the "Add Layer Mask" button in the layers window.

* Filter ---> Render ---> Clouds

* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 70 ---- Brightness : 0}

* Now click on the "Land Copy" layer {Click on the thumbnail of the planet !!! not the cloud in the layers window}

* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 139 ---- Saturation : 25 ---- Lightness : 0}

* Click on the "Land" layer

* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes ---- Hue : 35 ---- Saturation : 40 ---- Lightness : -30}

* Click on the Background layer

* Filter ---> Noise ---> Add Noise { Amount : 70 ---- Distribution : Uniform ---- Monochromatic : No }

* Edit ---> Fade Add Noise ---> { Opacity : 50 ---- Mode : Dissolve }

* Filter ---> Blur ---> Gaussian Blur { Radius : 1}

* Image --> Brightness/Contrast {Contrast : 90 ---- Brightness : -35}

* Create a new layer just above the background and goto Filter ---> Render ---> Clouds

* Select the blending mode to "Screen" and "Opacity" to 50

* Goto Image --> Adjustments --> Hue/Saturation {Colorize : Yes
---- Hue : 238 ---- Saturation : 15 ---- Lightness : -15}

* Press Ctrl + E
Here is the final result


You can make it more realistic by smoothing the land layer with a blur brush tool...
And adding some lighting to the Water layer...

Like this....