A starfield is a simple effect that is achieved with a little knowledge of noise and probability. If you remember the theory behind Gaussian Noise, you remember that values reaching towards black and white become increasingly rare. So, if we start with a large chunk of Gaussian noise that doesn't bunch up at black and white (A value of 30 or so) There should only be a few bright pixels in the entire image. This is an excellent way to get a quick, random starfield. Here is a snapshot of what a good starfield leveling should look like:

Notice how the bias (the middle arrow) is set a little high. This makes there be more dim stars than bright ones. This results in the following starfield:

It doesn't have to stop there. If we add another layer, set to multiply, with some bright noise, not monochromatic, we can add a little color to these stars. If we add another layer, set to screen, we can also airbrush in some space gas.

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