The sphere needs to be round for a true effect.. (I've sold tons of those things out of my old gallery) Roundness will give it more realism (glass blowers seldom if ever make an ovoid crystal ball) but if you want to keep it ovoid I have no problem with that either.. I'm just thinking of keeping it real.. good luck author.. FUN PIECE

EDIT: Much better author.. really looks better.. I know it's tricky.. especially working with sphere.. if I could.. I'd put a sphere in every piece I entered

I thought it was a circle! I'll see if I can round it up a bit.

Edit: Round enough for ya?

It's floating above the hand...

CMYK, that was kind of on purpose. I'd love to say, to give it that Mystical Magical feel, but really I couldn't get it to look right sitting in the hand. Besides, it give it that Mystical Magical feel, don't you think?

Edit: one last attempt and I think I got it in the hand. I think I'm gonna stop there.

Nice

hmm.. something doesn't look right.. ok. the thing is that it looks like it's in front of the hand, not in or above it. if you still have the fingers on a seperate layer, put them behind the ball layer and play a little bit with the colors and blur maybe. just so it'll appear that the ball is somewhere in the hand area

good job

Nice, but I think you have to play way more with light and shades. Especially around the hand, I'd expect more shading there. Check this tutorial otherwise http://www.lunacore.com/photoshop/tutorials/tut009.htm. Good luck!

Very nice, good work

maybe make the edge of the crystal ball more defined

Congraaaats ... Nicely done!