This tutorial will show you how to design a nebula texture.
5+
1.
Create a new RGB non-transparent document with the dimensions of 256x256... Note: this size is important... the dimensions must be a multiple of 128 for the texture to remain seamless.
2.
Set your foreground color to black and background color to white before continuing.
3.
To fill the image with a Fractal Cloud Pattern, use Filter » Render » Difference Clouds. In order to make the design more complex and interesting, repeat this filter several times <Ctrl/Cmd-F> until you're satisfied with the look. Between each application of the filter, if you want a "sharper more defined" image, use Image » Adjust » Equalize.
4.
The next step is to add some color to the Fractal Clouds. To do this we'll use Image » Adjust » Hue/Saturation. Once you get to the Hue/Saturation Dialogue Box, check Colorize. Move the Hue slider until you find the color you're looking for (i.e. a nice shade of purple or your preference). If you want to tone down your colors, drag the Saturation slider down a bit. If you like what you see, hit OK.
5.
Now we get into the "nitty-gritty" of the tutorial. Let's enhance the design we have even more by adding another layer of Fractal Clouds on top of this one.
Open your Layers Palette and create a new layer. Select the new layer and choose Edit »Fill (100% Black), to fill the new layer with black.
Once you have done this repeat steps 3 and 4 on the new layer. You might want to use a different level for Hue on your new pattern, so that the layers will be different colors.
6.
Now's the fun part... we are going to overlay the two layers using one of the options on the Pop-up Menu on the Layers palette. This part you will have to experiment with until you get the effect you want. A few of the options for this are Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, or Hard Light, which all have various neat effects.
7.
Once the textures have been overlayed, we will be using an Adjustment Layer. To create a new Adjustment Layer, click on the little "half moon" icon in the Layers Palette and choose Hus/Saturation (in older versions you may have to Ctrl/Cmd-click on the new layer icon in the layers palette, and then select Hue/Saturation). When the Hue/Saturation dialog pops up, click Colorize. Next, select a hue that is the color you'd like to add into your texture. Just to add a little variation to how the Hue/Saturation will be applied, run the Difference Clouds filter on the Adjustment Layer a few times.
8.
Finally, flatten the three layers into one by choosing Flatten Image from the triangular shaped pop-up menu at the upper right of the Layers palette.
