How to Create a Sci-Fi Lighting Scene with Photoshop

Step 15

Make another Curves adjustment layer to reduce the contrast of the area inside the hole. On this layer mask, paint on the rest to reveal the lightness.

Step 16

Create a new Gradient Map adjustment layer on top of the layers and pick the colors #4d0d14 and #00601b and lower the opacity of this layer to 20%.

Step 17

Add a Curves adjustment layer to brighten the area around the hole. Paint on the rest so it won't be affected by this adjustment layer.

Step 18

Make another Curves adjustment layer to darken the both sides of the scene. Paint around the hole so it won't be darkened by this adjustment layer.

Step 19

Create a Photo Filter adjustment layer and pick the color #1100ec.

Step 20

Add a Color Balance adjustment layer and alter the Midtones and Highlights settings:

Step 21

Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the color of the hole to a cooler one.

Step 22

Create a new layer on top of the layers and use a soft brush with the color #c1d8ed to paint over the hole. Change this layer mode to Overlay 50% and use a layer mask to erase or reduce the light on the surface and ground, leaving the effect visible subtle only inside the hole.

Step 23

To make the light column from the hole , create a new layer and use the Polygonal Lasso Tool to create a shape like below. Set the feather of this selection to 2 px and fill this selection with the color #eef2f7. Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to erase the light outside the hole and reduce its opacity, especially on the top so it looks like a light column.

Step 24

Double click this layer, choose Color Overlay and pick the color of overlay to #c4ddf9.

Step 25

Make a thinner light column inside the hole with the same method and change the mode to Overlay 100%.

Step 26

Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 10 px.

Add a mask to this layer and use a soft black brush to reduce the light on the bottom of this light column.

Step 27

Create a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #eef2f7 to paint four light spot over the light column as show below. Change this layer mode to Overlay 100%.

Add a mask to this layer and erase the light on the bottom so it appear more subtle.

Step 28

Make a new layer and use a soft brush with the same color to paint more light around the hole's surface. Change this layer mode to Overlay 50% and use a layer mask to reduce the light around so it won't become too bright.

Step 29

Create a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100% and fill with 50% gray:

Activate the Dodge Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 20-25% to paint more highlight on the details of the hole's surface to fit the light inside the hole. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode:

Step 30

Open the light image and add it to the main document. Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl+T) with the Warp mode to tweak the light as show below:

Change this layer mode to Linear Dodge 100% and use a layer mask to erase the light on the right (from the viewer) .

3 comments on “How to Create a Sci-Fi Lighting Scene with Photoshop”

Anonymous says:

November 15, 2019 at 3:31 am

thank you so much for your efforts!

Su Hall says:

November 13, 2019 at 11:19 am

Very NICE!! I love your tutorials!
Thank you!

Vedika khurana says:

November 12, 2019 at 6:40 pm

Amazing..