Assuming you have a basic understanding of Photoshop and its capabilities, let’s get started on how to make a moon in this program. We’ll be using some basic shapes, the eraser tool, and some layer styles to create this effect.
First, open up Photoshop and create a new document. You can make it whatever size you want, but for this example we’ll use a square canvas measuring 1024×1024 pixels.
Next, use the Rectangle Tool (U) to draw a black rectangle in the center of your canvas. This will be the base of our moon.
Now we need to add some depth to our moon. Go to Layer > New > Layer via Copy (or hit Control + J on your keyboard) to duplicate the black rectangle layer.
With the new layer selected, go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical. This will flip the layer so it’s a mirror image of the first one.
Next, go to Edit > Transform > Warp and use the control points around the edge of the shape to push and pull it until you have a nice curved shape that looks like a realistic moon. Once you’re happy with the shape, hit Enter or Return on your keyboard to apply the warp transformation.
Now we need to give our moon some craters! Use the Ellipse Tool (U) to draw a small circle somewhere on the surface of your moon.
Go to Layer > Duplicate Layer (or hit Control + J on your keyboard) and repeat this process until you have several craters on your moon. To randomize their sizes and shapes, go to Edit > Transform > Scale or Edit > Transform > Warp and play around with the control points until they look good.
Finally, we need to add some shadows to give our moon more dimensionality. Create a new layer under your moon layers and fill it with black.
Then go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and apply a radius of 5 pixels or so. Set thislayer’s Opacityto around 50% so the shadows aren’t too harsh, and position it under your moon layers so it looks like the shadows are being cast by the craters themselves.
And that’s it! You should now have a realistic-looking moon complete with shadows and craters. Experiment with different crater sizes and positions, as well as different shadow densities and locations, until you get something you like.
