Its just a case of messing with levels and using the eraser on each of the star layers until you get the balance right.

Hmm ... well, after seeing some of his work (www.artofgregmartin.com/portfolio/illustration/LG_in_darkness_light.jpg) I have determined that HE has figured out how to use the add noise function better than I have...though it's a seemingly easy function, I cannot get those results w/ add noise. Any ideas? Mine looks horrible when I use 'add noise'.

Greg Martin and a lot of the other top space illustrators use add noise to make their starfields. If you compare their pictures with those taken by the Hubble telescope you will find it is a much more accurate way of producing the density of stars that are actually out there in deep space.

merci! J'ai travaiille beaucoup pour cet photo! Je suis heureux que vous l'aimiez

As for the stars - ya, I agree now that I look at them. Some of them are big. Perhaps the bigger ones should have a very small amount of lens flare?

I don't like it when people use "add noise" to create stars. I did that in the previous one and I think overall it looked kinda bad. I did, however, use "add noise" for some star effect with the gray cloud thing near the green planet.

Thanks for the coments, keep 'em rollin'

Beau, magnifique, je l'aime

This is very good. You've really done well with the brushing and shading of the planets. The only thing I'd suggest would to shrink the size of the stars just a tad bit. Of course, I looks great just how it is!

This would especially look good as a background wallpaper or used as a launch pad for a space-related web site.

I like how these planets look. the only thing I can say is taht at the bottom of the large earth-like one that comet looks like it is passing through the planet. I think that is because it is passing by the glowing haze at the bottom of the planet.

Not bad overall.

ChromeV: You asked about the Nebula.

Yes, I did that myself on photoshop. It was actually very easy - used low opacity paint brush set to cloud texture. Then I added distort > wave a bit. I feathered its selection and deleted its edges. I added lens flare and a few stars and a few other things to kinda give it a mystique look.