Corey stumbled upon this effect while experimenting with the smudge tool and its finger painting feature. Start off by going back to his starry background tutorial and follow along from there.

66 Comments

1. marizmendi said on — August 1, 2008 @ 4:40 pm

   as always, brilliant use of the photoshop tools….thanks for sharing

2. MaryElizabeth said on — August 1, 2008 @ 6:33 pm

   Corey…your inquisitiveness and creativity is fabulous. Another winner

3. Brodey said on — August 1, 2008 @ 11:05 pm

   Very Nice Very Handy I Could Use That

4. mitzs said on — August 2, 2008 @ 12:56 am

   Corey, you already know I think you rule. Very nice tut thanks alot.

5. Josh said on — August 2, 2008 @ 4:05 am

   You’ve given me some really usefull effects and uses of tools that have inspired me.
   It’s really great seeing how you can bring several of your tutorials together.
   I wouldn’t have been able to do half the stuff I can without these tutorials !

6. Eric said on — August 2, 2008 @ 12:15 pm

   great show. I put the 1st smudge layer to Multiply and got a cool dark nebula effect.

7. Chadro said on — August 2, 2008 @ 6:12 pm

   Your my hero!

8. Damien said on — August 4, 2008 @ 7:37 am

   Nice work Corey,
   That will help me with some work thanks for the demo,

   Thanks Again

   Damien

9. FISH said on — August 4, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

   Corey,

   I’ve been watching you grow since you joined the Photo Shop Guys. You are one cool cat with lots of neat tricks ‘n treats !

   You never stop amazing me. Keep up all the great work here and on Layers, and everything else you do.

10. Peth said on — August 4, 2008 @ 1:30 pm

    Corey… I have seen some tutorials in my time but that was probably one of the best.

    A very cool finished product!

    Awesome

11. KidLizard said on — August 4, 2008 @ 4:19 pm

    I love you man.

12. Rafael said on — August 4, 2008 @ 5:31 pm

    Fantastic.

    My wife makes fun of me for how often I tell her how cool you are. The way you apply ‘found’ techniques is really unbelievable sometimes.

    Thanks for making me a better designer.

13. Jaime said on — August 5, 2008 @ 10:50 am

    Love every tutorial and blog that you submit. Thank you, you have inspired me to become a better designer.

14. fouzi said on — August 5, 2008 @ 11:07 am

    Fantastic

15. lucas said on — August 5, 2008 @ 2:46 pm

    another frikin awesome tut!

16. saad said on — August 5, 2008 @ 5:09 pm

    Thank you very much
    Studied very beautiful and wonderful

17. Bob said on — August 5, 2008 @ 7:08 pm

    Just when I thought I knew photoshop…
    Fun Stuff !!!
    -Thanx

18. surulivel said on — August 6, 2008 @ 12:37 am

    good work

19. Denise said on — August 6, 2008 @ 8:17 am

    Corey,you are great! when are you coming to England ?

20. Said said on — August 6, 2008 @ 8:22 am

    Thank you again Corey for doing great work I learned lots from you man thank you so much again .

    Regards

21. DyVo said on — August 7, 2008 @ 12:34 pm

    thank you, im probably using in a logo : )

22. Eli said on — August 7, 2008 @ 10:14 pm

    Good stuff Corey you rock!

23. Connor said on — August 8, 2008 @ 10:50 pm

    Very nice outcome, really brought out all the little things that can make great work.

24. Kate said on — August 11, 2008 @ 3:09 pm

    Amazing!
    I’m only a beginner at photoshop, but thanks to this, my work is already looking better!

25. Flogsta Karl said on — August 13, 2008 @ 2:11 pm

    Thanks for the great tutorial.

    One quick question, can you change the colour of the MOVIE PRIME (Lens Flare)? Let’s say from this blue to a green?

    Thanks

26. Cory said on — August 16, 2008 @ 8:18 am

    Hey good tutorial my name is Cory as well

27. Justin said on — August 18, 2008 @ 10:19 pm

    hey corey me again…..love the tutorials

    http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa132/Moffeia/Untitled-1-1.jpg

28. Márcio Guerra said on — August 18, 2008 @ 11:14 pm

    Corey, if you wan’t to know what I feel about you and your tutorials… go read the other comments… Just kidding… You and your tutorials rock on and on and on… Well yuo both rock! In this one I learned a tip to copy the layer styles in a faster way, but with your tutorial I also seen some other ways of bringing together tools and creativity! And that deserves a “Phoscar”! The Photoshop kind of an Oscar prize… If there isn’t one, there should be! Eheheheh! Keep it up, I have you on my tabs at IE when it opens every single time, always waiting for new stuff… Just by any chance, can you start using a program that alows us, if you and PlanetPhotoshop don’t mind, to download the video? Or at least create a podcast either for Adobe Media Player or iTunes… I don’t know if there is one, but, there it goes the sugestion…

    See you soon! (Unfortunately just virtually, becausde, besides of the money, Photoshop World is “a world away” from Portugal!)

    Márcio Guerra

    P.s.- Flogsta Karl, I didn’t tried the tutorial by myself, just seen it here, but, from what I seen, if the Lens Flare gives you one new layer, which it seemed, you can, 99% shure, change its color, either with Hue and Saturation and an Adjustment layer, and, in the Adjustment layers, really, any one that implicates color…

29. Flogsta Karl said on — August 19, 2008 @ 12:06 pm

    Thanks Marcio, will try it at home and report if

30. Flogsta Karl said on — August 19, 2008 @ 8:50 pm

    Okay, adding a Adjustment Layer (Hue/Saturation) did kind of the job. But it changed more than I wanted to. But I have to say that I am a beginner and might have done something wrong. I appreciate your help.

31. Eric said on — August 20, 2008 @ 5:53 pm

    I’d like to nominate Corey for the Photoshop Hall of Fame.
    Seriously.

    Any one second the motion?

    Corey rocks!

32. Márcio Guerra said on — August 21, 2008 @ 10:43 pm

    Hi again…

    Flogsta Karl, if you do a old thing, I don’t remember the exact name without opening Photoshop, but, I know the shortcut, and you place the cursor over the line in between the adjustment layer and the layer that it is adjustating (if that is a word!), and press Alt+G or Option+G in the Mac, with cursor over the line, ok? The cursor should turn in to something like two circles, one over another, and then you just apply the layer to the one being adjusted. Pretty easy. To know the exact name go to the menu bar, under layer, and see something with the shortcut that uses a G in it, and you should find it… The name, and the command, in case you are not too sure of what to do. If you go by the shortcut, remember, you need to be between those layers.
    Hope it helped!

    Márcio Guerra

33. aretha said on — August 22, 2008 @ 12:55 pm

    I love the way you teach and this is a good one. Thanx so much.

34. 304Blogs » Photoshop tip from Planet Photoshop: Sci-Fi Text Effect Pingback on — August 22, 2008 @ 4:50 pm

    [...] from Point…click…shoot Corey over on Planet Photoshop has some really cool and fun tips for photoshop. This one is on how to create a Sci-Fi text effect. http://www.planetphotoshop.com/sci-fi-text-effect.html [...]

35. M. Yuee said on — August 23, 2008 @ 1:57 am

    Umm how’d you get the brushes, lol can some1 help .

36. Gary Spedding said on — August 23, 2008 @ 3:51 pm

    Just saw the U-tube flames version. I agree with you to experiment. Try a brush the length of the document and do something similar to your steps. You can create rolls or sheets for a neat background – even rolled metal by applying gradient layer styles. I was even able to create a swirl of gooey chocolate or caramel by using one of my downloaded brushes. Holding down the shift key between “strokes” alaws you to zig-zag continue the effect.

    Cool stuff!

37. Fenyo. said on — August 26, 2008 @ 9:29 am

    Still a man. :]]
    Nice teachingggg.

38. Danny said on — August 26, 2008 @ 5:30 pm

    Nice mines wasnt as good but i got the idea ill prolly forget couple days from now but i love it

39. kmoney said on — August 30, 2008 @ 3:32 pm

    I tried it and it was 100% satisfactory. EXCELLENT step by step tutorial. Keep adding more.

40. David Fillis said on — September 4, 2008 @ 11:01 am

    I am only learning Photoshop and I am 68, but computer literate. This looks awesome to me and I can’t thank you enough for sharing it with us. I have one problem, which, although may be humourous to some, actually isn’t(!)…..I am very, very hard of hearing through something called Menieres Disease(!)….not catching..LOL….so I can’t hear any instructions! Is there a text version?? I know the obvious answer is ‘no’ but, hey a guy has to try!

41. nigel said on — September 6, 2008 @ 7:53 am

    Wow that’s really cool. Thnx Corey 4 sharing. U saved me with this text effect cause i needed a new idea 4 my college project. U R the #1.

42. Aavash said on — September 17, 2008 @ 3:37 pm

    Superb, It’s mind blowing! 10 of 10.

43. Artillusion Menelaos said on — September 18, 2008 @ 8:29 am

    Great. If you judge this tut like… Results/Time its about five stars.
    Fast And Furious

44. Chris said on — September 27, 2008 @ 11:37 am

    For some reason when I use the gradient tool on the texting mask, nothing happens. Can anyone help?

45. John said on — October 2, 2008 @ 3:31 am

    awesome.. thank you very much for sharing..

46. Mabuc said on — October 20, 2008 @ 10:08 am

    Corey, you are awesome thank you for sharing this tutorials, this helps a lot.

47. Atle said on — October 28, 2008 @ 8:42 pm

    Love this tutorial. i’ve even got to use it in a film i made on the school. big success!

48. AMJAD said on — October 29, 2008 @ 8:01 am

    You’ve given me some really useful effects and uses of tools that have inspired me.
    THANK FOR U
    AMJAD G.

49. as said on — November 24, 2008 @ 3:28 am

    i want to download..how??

50. bops said on — November 26, 2008 @ 4:43 am

    Great i love this site…you guys are great!! Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing

51. Louk said on — December 4, 2008 @ 7:40 pm

    this is a great effect thnx

52. Garret said on — March 1, 2009 @ 10:51 pm

    Hey i cant find the tutorial that is suppose to come before this one, the starry background tutorial?? A little help please?

53. nish said on — May 17, 2009 @ 9:04 am

    hey thanks a lot this really helped me with the presentation part of my science project. cheers!

54. steve said on — May 30, 2009 @ 11:18 pm

    Brilliant!

55. Freebies said on — August 26, 2009 @ 4:05 pm

    Thanks corey I stubled upon your tutorials today cant stop watching them

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61. Dilraj Singh said on — September 14, 2009 @ 11:45 am

    Hats of to you Corey
    Thanks a lot

62. Brilliant and Intriguing 50+ Photoshop Video Tutorials | oOrch Blog Pingback on — September 24, 2009 @ 1:36 pm

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63. get white teeth said on — September 26, 2009 @ 5:52 pm

    thanks for the great post love your video very cool text look

64. Jojo said on — September 29, 2009 @ 11:18 pm

    Same problem as chris….when i use the gradient tool nothing happens. Doesn’t show the change in the layer window either. Yes i added a layer mask. Please help!!!!!

65. NamrouD | Upgrade Your Mind ! » 56 Absolutely Brilliant and Intriguing Photoshop Video Tutorials Pingback on — October 5, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

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66. Danine said on — October 9, 2009 @ 5:24 am

    Your tutorials are very helpful and I love the new ideas you come up with. You’re always on top. Thanks

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