Step by step:
- Start off by using the ellipse marquee tool. Hold the shift button while making the ellipse so that it becomes a
perfect circle.
- Render clouds in the circle. Make sure that most of the rendering is white.
- Create a new channel (Alpha 1), and make sure the same ellipse marquee is selected.
- Render clouds again, making sure most of the rendering is white.
- Hold the Ctrl button (Command on a Mac) and press the Alpha 1 layer. The lightest spots will be highlighted.
- Return to the layers mode and select your brushes. Use a soft brush at about size 300 with an opacity of about 30
percent. On the top right, select brushes and make sure the texture you select is clouds. Make sure your foreground
color is white. Go over the highlighted areas with the white about 2 to 3 times.
- Select the color you want the moon to be by pressing Ctrl + U (Command U on a Mac). Make sure colorize is checked.
Adjust lightness and saturation accordingly.
- Then go to the blending options for the same layer. Use the outer glow and inner glow effects. For outer glow, make
sure the opacity is about 90 percent and the size is about 200. You may also add in a little bit of choke, not a whole
lot. For inner glow, make sure the opacity is about 75 percent and the size is about 35. Also, make sure the colors of
the 2 glows are nearly white with the color you selected for your moon. That's it.
If you have any questions, just ask. :)