- Fill the layer with gray. Choose Edit→Fill. In the Fill dialog
box, choose Color from the Use pop-up menu. Change the H,
S, and B values to 0, 0, and 15, respectively, as in Figure 7-41.
Click OK. In the Choose a Color dialog box, make sure the
Blending option is set to Normal, the Opacity is 100, and the
Preserve Transparency check box is turned off. Click OK again.
You should see a field of dark gray.
Figure 7-41- Convert the Base layer to a Smart Object. In the Layers panel,
right-click anywhere except the image thumbnail and choose
Convert to Smart Object. - Save your file. Zoom the image to 100 percent so you can see
the pixels in later phases. Then choose File→Save. Click the
Save button. Congratulations. You have yourself a boring but
beautiful base file.
The next phase is to turn this dark grayness into a field of random stars.
The technique we’ll use is old—one that was employed in the remastering
of Star Wars, no joke—but the difference here is that we’ll do it all with two
smart filters and an adjustment layer. As if you’re some kind of 21st-century
Photoshop-wielding Jedi.- Create some noise. Visual noise, that is, nothing to rouse the
neighbors. Choose Filter→Noise→Add Noise. In the Add Noise
dialog box, set the Amount to 20. Then select Gaussian and
Monochromatic. Click OK. Now you have some noisy garbage
like that shown in Figure 7-42, on the facing page.
252 Lesson 7: Sharpening and Smart Objects