1: Create a new File: 600600px. Background shall be black.
- Layer / Transparency / Add alpha channel

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2: Filter / Render / Pattern / Checkerboard: 20px.

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3: Were making a nice grid from the chessboard now: Filter / Edge-Detect / Edge. Use the Sobel-Algorithm, Amount: 2, and Smear. (that yould be all on by default).

Optional you could have used Render / Pattern / Grid. But for this tutorial we dont need a pattern that is such detailed.

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4: Now choose Filter / Map / Bumpmap. As bumpmap choose the same layer youre just working on.

Map-Type: linear
Compensate for darkening: checked!
Azimuth: 0
Elevation: 90
Depth: 6

The remaining options set to 0.

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5: Now choose Filter / Map / Map Object:

SETTINGS:
Map to: Sphere
Transparent background: checked.
Enable antialiasing

LIGHT:
No light

MATERIAL:
Intensity
--
Ambient: 0.3
Diffuse: 1

Reflectivity
--
Diffuse: 0.5
Specular: 0
Highlight: 27

In the orientation tab use these values:

Position: 0,5 | 0,5 | 0
Rotation: -1,5 | 70 | 45

After applying you should get this result:

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6: The wireframe cannot be seen so clearly, so were enhancing the contrast now.

Colors / Colorize: 195 / 100 / 20

After that go to Colors / Brightness & Contrast: 60 / 70

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7: Goto Colors / Color to transparency and choose black as color.

Create a new layer, move it to the total bottom in the layers dialog and fill it black. Name that layer: BG.

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8: Choose the wireframe layer. Goto Layer / Duplicate.

Name the top layer Wireframe front. The one below name Wireframe back. The layers should look like this now:


9: Activate the Wireframe back layer and set the transparency to 50%.

Activate the Flip-Tool now (SHIFT+F). Hold down CTRL and click in the image to flip the layer vertically.

Now you should get the impression of a transparent 3d-wireframe-sphere.

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10: Now were doing the earth-part. Save the image of your choice (top right) Earth or Moon.

Choose File / Open as layer and use the file you downloaded to open it as a seperate layer.

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11: Layer / Scale Layer: 301301. Move the earth / moon exactly above the the wireframe.

After that change the layer order so that the earth is between the two wireframes.

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12: Set the layer mode of the Wireframe front-layer to Screen.

Were applying a layer mask now for all layers to get a nice gradient. Right click each layer in the layers dialog (except the background-layer) and choose add layer mask.

13: Select the standard preset colors by pressing D (Black and White). Choose the gradient tool (L) and be sure to make the gradient in the mask from left to right.

For the earth-layer-mask drag the gradient from top right to the bottom left third of the image.

14: Result

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