M first planets

[Amictus]

Im pretty new to concept art. I recently got photoshop 7 and i need some advice on this i want to make it more realistic, what can i do?

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/darthmantis8/lightupthedark.jpg

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e211/darthmantis8/auniverse.jpg

[deckomankey83]

the 2nd planet should have a dark side ,you have made it translucent
so the first thing would be to make the 2nd image more like the first (where the lower side of the planet is dark)
that's the most important point i think

i tired pulling off planets before and my results weren't that good ,
i think that a lot of the realism in the way to make planets look real is in the fine surface details and the way the light reflects off of the surface.

my best advice would to look and reference of Earth and Mars, and try to pick out what makes those worlds real and apply that knowledge into your own artwork
observe from real photos of our world what makes the whole thing tick (details and light ), then once the surface is all good, give the atmosphere a go.

i think that your images are lacking details (remember that planets are absolutely massive)

[Kerberos]

I think the planets look awesome. The one thing I might change is either the frequency of the stars or their brightness. Stars, though numerous, normally look like that only in clusters and nebulas. And they especially wouldn't be as bright on the side of the planet closest to the sun star, as the light would diffuse. That is my take anyway.

[Amictus]

Thank you for your advice i will post again to show my progress

[NeptuneClear]

I hope i'm okay to do this... i just had to respond. These helped me greatly when I made planets and space scenes:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/11885274/ (click download)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/4202082/ (ditto)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15794838/ (just click the stretched image)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/21372333/ (likewise)

They're a little redundant at times, but so useful. I love spacescapes :'> best of luck to you!