I am trying to make some sort of space scene in Photoshop. I want a light source in it; since the standard lens flare filter is a bit cliché, I decided to put in a photograph of the Sun I just made. I have seen someone doing this in a video, but I can't find it again.
How can I blend this picture of the Sun in a space scene containing a black background with starfields?
The lens flare effect Photoshop isn't cliche if applied appropriately, and there are different types of flare to choose from. The idea behind blending the lens flare is that you are blending the highlights of your flare using the screen mode. The problem with your photograph is that there are very hot portions all over the place and it is generally over exposed. This means that you are going to have a difficult time blending it, even if you use the levels command to darken the midtones.
What I would suggest instead is to find a lens flare effect you like the best and use that. Here is good resource from Best Design Options . You'll see that their lensing flare photos are all mainly on dark backgrounds, almost always black. The reason for this is when those images are applied via the screen blending mode, the black is knocked out and doesn't affect the underlying image.
