Photoshop tutorials: Create an extreme glowing wallpaper in Photoshop. Adding a multi-colored glow in Photoshop

Note: The translation contains filter settings for an image size at least twice as large as in the example image - accordingly match the strength of the filter parameters (or adjust by eye).

Using layer blending modes, the () tool and a little imagination, I'll show you how to add mood to an image by creating stunning glows and glowing lines.

Let's get started!

Open your image. The following is used as an example:

Image ID: © Alexander Yakovlev:

Step 1.

Use your favorite techniques to separate the girl from the background. I recommend using the most exact method- tool(). Use it to outline the girl's outline and, with the selected tool, make a selection from the path (right click on the path - Make Selection(Select area)). Set up shading in one pixel and enable the function Anti-Aliased(Smoothing):

Step 2.

Copy the selection ( Ctrl+C) and paste ( Ctrl+V) V new layer , change the name to " Dancer».

Step 3.

Duplicate the layer " Dancer" Set up " Brightness and Contrast" () for layer " Dancer copy»:

Step 4.

Select layer " Dancer" and apply a filter (Filter - Blur - Motion Blur). Install Angle(Angle) in 40 , Distance(Offset) in 120 pixels. Merge both layers with the girl ( Ctrl+E):

Step 5.

Create a new layer under " Dancer" and call it " Smoke" Using the tool (), make a selection around the girl. Set the parameter shading allocations for 150px (Ctrl+Alt+D- with a given photo size, the value should be less - approx. 50-75 px, the main thing is that the edge should be softly dissolving after applying the step №6 ):

Step 6.

Reset the colors by pressing the D key, and then swap them - X key. Now apply a filter (Filter - Rendering - Clouds). Select layer blending mode (Overlay):

Step 7

Create a new layer under " Smoke" and call it " Gradient" Select tool() and click on " Gradient Editor"(Gradient Editor). Choose a foreground color #c6229e and rear - #1dbdda. Apply Linear Gradient Style(Linear Gradient Style) at an angle in 45 degrees from top left corner to bottom right corner, with 60% opacity(Opacity):

Step 8

Set this layer's mode to (Overlay) and merge the layers together " Smoke" And " Gradient" This is what you should get:

(For this step, you can also experiment with other gradient styles and colors to get the effect that suits you best)

Step 9

Create a new layer below the " Gradient" and call it " Glows" Round white brush With soft edges, draw oblong lines along the contours of the girl. This will create behind her glow effect:

Step 10

With the “ ” (brush) tool selected, go to the brushes palette (F5) and enter following settings:

Save this brush settings by clicking on " Create New Brush" (New Brush) and name it " Splash"(You can now select this brush from your list of brushes for later use). Swipe this brush in any direction to create the result you want:

Step 11

Create new layer, call it " Streaks"(stripes). The name speaks for itself. We're going to make glow stripes. This step will require a little trial and error to get the desired effect. What you have to do is use the () tool to create a triangle. Then, using Soft White (B), whiten the opposite side of the triangle base.

You can also experiment with different shapes and sizes to create the effects you want:

Step 12

Now we will create some highlights on the girl. Create a new layer above the girl layer and change the layer blending mode to (Background Dodge). Ctrl+Click on the path around the girl ( which we did earlier) that in (Window - Outlines). With the girl's shape still selected, use the Eyedropper Tool/I Key to select the color of the light around the girl. Soft color the sides of this girl:

Step 13

Now we will create some glowing lines.

Create a new layer called " Trails", taller than the girl.

Select white(B), then go to brush settings (

In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a raised glow effect using styles, brushes, blending modes and curves. You will also learn some useful techniques.

§1. First I created new document 600x600 pixels and filled it with a Radial Gradient from light brown (#922f00) to black (#000000).

§2. We need to select the center of the circle, for this we copy the layer with the created circle and change the blending mode to “ Color Dodge».

§3. Now we need to add a glowing effect, for this we will use a layer with a suitable background. Let's create a new layer and apply the filter Filter > Render > Clouds on it.

§4. Change the blending mode of this layer to “Overlay” and reduce the Opacity to 30%. It looks like we have achieved the intended effect, but we need to add a little more “haze”. To do this, apply the Filter > Sketch > Chrome filter with default properties, of course you can play with the properties, but the default properties are quite suitable for us. You can see the result in the following screenshot.

§5. To make some glowing lines we will use the Pen tool. It will be better if you do not overuse the anchor points, this will help achieve smooth lines. We can achieve a suitable curve by changing its angles with the mouse. In the screenshot below, the stylized letter S rests on just three dots. Two points at the beginning and end, and one point in the middle to give the curve a curve.

§6. Once you have achieved a suitable curve, create a new layer. Then click on the paintbrush tool (, and change the brush to a 3 px brush without smoothing the edges.

§7. Now go back to pen tool(P), and right-click on the curve and select the “Stroke Path” property. A dialog box will appear in front of you in which you need to change the tool to a brush (Tool: Brush), and make sure that you have the “Simulate Pressure” property checked. This is very important because it is this property that creates the taper at the edges of the drawn line. Now right-click on the curve again and delete it (Delete path).

§8. You should get a similar narrow curve.

§9. Now we need to add a glow to the curve. The easiest way is to change the layer properties ( layer style). First, we use the Outer Glow property with standard parameters. Another way we used to add glow is the property Drop Shadow. In addition, I used the Color Overlay property to highlight the center of the resulting glow with white color.

§10. Now you have one glowing line, but it will be great if we create several more lines using a similar method. The beauty of layer style is that in order to use the same properties on several layers, we just need to copy the style of the original layer to a new one. To do this, right-click on the layer with the style, select “Copy Layer Style”, then right-click on the new layer and assign the copied style to it by selecting “Paste layer style”.

§11. Now, using the methods described above, create some more curved lines. In the example, I made one line thicker than the others, using a larger diameter brush, and added one line as if connecting two shapes.

§12. Now let's add text with the same layer style as in the examples with lines. It will be very important to pay attention to the design of the text. You will need to choose the appropriate font, size, and distance between letters. Here I have styled three words by reducing the size and increasing the spacing between the letters in the words "ADVANCED and FX".

§13. Now, perhaps, let's add particles to the drawing. To do this, we will use a brush with a diameter of 3 pixels without smoothing the edges. Create a new layer and draw dots on it. The glow effect will be more visible if you use more dots in the center and make them bolder by double-clicking.

§14. Now we can colorize the resulting glow. To do this, create a new layer, filling it with a radial gradient from blue to transparent.

§15. Then change the blending mode of the new layer to “Color” and reduce the opacity to 50%. Now you can see how part of the glow has turned bluish. Let's add a few more multi-colored layers with similar properties to get colorful glow.

§16. And now you got the result you were waiting for: a colored glow covered with haze. Remember this lesson, you can apply similar techniques anywhere, you can experiment with properties to get something truly excellent! Good luck!

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I looked at some of latest works Michael Reichmann. And I was amazed by one of the photographs from the exhibition in Seville. Michael added a diffused glow to the group of women, and it really created a very special impression.

This gave the photograph a dreamy expression, as if the image was actually made of light. Michael took a great image and made it sophisticated:

Figure 1. “Wigs” by Michael Reichmann. © 2004, Michael Reichmann

Typically, to create a glow in film photographs, a long shutter speed was used. In the same way, infrared photographs produce this eerie glow. WITH using Photoshop we can add a diffuse glow very quickly and easily.

Adding a diffuse glow

Adding a diffuse glow in Photoshop is achieved using a combination of blur techniques, layer blending modes, and blending modes. Instead of blurring the entire image, we add a glow to the object in the desired range of tones. We can add saturation and sharpness to the tones without sacrificing image detail:

This photo of a flower is a perfect example of diffuse blur. Softened petals add interesting touches to the image, but it is important to preserve the fine details of the “eye” of the flower.

Adding a diffuse glow starts by duplicating the layer. Then merge the layers Alt-Ctrl-Shift-N-E on PC ( Option-Command-Shift-N-E on Mac). This will merge all visible layers into one layer without antialiasing.

(If you don't have enough memory or prefer to work with fewer layers, then you can smooth out the image. All you need to do in this case is to create a copy of the background layer using Ctrl-J):

We need to soften the image of the top layer. Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur perfect for this. It is used to smoothly blur fine details of an image.

Adjust the radius using the blur options. For diffuse glow we need to set enough great value, to soften the image, but not so much that it blurs all the details of the image. For this image I chose 25 pixels:

When you apply " Gaussian Blur", the details are dispersed. Because of this, a luminous halo appears. When the layer Gaussian Blur" mixed with the main layer, the details soften, as a result of which the glow becomes more pronounced.

The next step is making creative choices. You must select a blending mode for the layer " Gaussian Blur»:

• “Darken” or “Multiply” will make the details of the image darker, as well as soften and add glow to it. Ideal for soft, expressive shadows;
• “Lighten” or “Lighting” will, on the contrary, lighten the image. Ideal for adding light tones or an accentuated glow;
• « Soft light" and "Overlay" add contrast and saturation. These are my favorite blending modes for landscapes and still lifes;
• I decided that I needed to add some contrast and saturation to the flower image in Figure 2, so I used the Overlay blending mode:

The “Overlay” layer blending mode made the flower petals more expressive. They became almost buttery in appearance, both in color and texture. 100% opacity is too much. So I reduced it to 80%:

If all we wanted to do was soften the image, we could basically stop there. The secret to adding diffuse glow is also to limit the halo in certain tonal areas. Black and white image a child, for example, might be more interested if the "high-tone" glow was applied only to selected areas, perhaps at one-quarter tone brightness.

I liked the look that the petals took on in Figure 6. At the same time, the sharpness in the middle of the flower was noticeably reduced. I put a lot of effort into capturing as many of these details as possible. I used a Canon 180mm “L” macro lens at a slow shutter speed (2 sec at f/18) to get the details in decent sharpness.

Some may prefer to leave the "eye" blurry. I wanted to achieve greater sharpness of the details of the original image. My solution was to adjust the "Overlay if:" blending option for the "layer" Gaussian Blur».

Using the Overlay If: option to reduce the glow

There are four sliders in the Layer Style dialog that are given very little attention in most Photoshop books. These are the "Overlay if:" settings. Some books don't mention them at all.

To access them, you need to open the Layer Style dialog box. You can do this in one of three ways:

• Double-click the layer thumbnail. ( For an adjustment layer, double-click on the layer to the right of the layer name);
• Going to Layer - Layer Style - Blending Options through the main menu;
• Going to Add Layer Style - Blending Options via the layers palette menu:

The Blend If: options let you control which pixels in the active layer and the main visible layers appear in the final image. You can also specify a range of partially overlapping pixels to smooth out the transitions between blended and unblended areas of the image.

You can use the black and white "Blend If:" values ​​to specify the range of pixels on the active layer that will be blended with the visible layers below. When you move the white slider toward the center, the pixel values ​​of the active layer to the right of it remain clear. They are ignored.

If you move the black slider toward the center, the pixel values ​​of the active layer to the left of the slider are ignored. This allows you to limit the influence of the active layer on shadows, midtones ( by moving both sliders to the center) or backlight.

If you Alt-click on the slider, it will split into two parts. With split halves you can define partial ranges of overlay pixels.

To explain how the "Overlay If:" sliders work, I created a bar chart. After that, I duplicated it and rotated it 180 degrees, adding this copy to the image as a new layer:

The default Blend If: setting causes every pixel in the active layer to be blended with pixels from the visible layers below.

The name of the scale “Bottom layer” is not entirely correct. Its black and white sliders determine the range of pixels of all the main visible layers that will be blended with the active layer. Its action is not limited only to the layer located directly below the active layer.

Now, one important thing to know about the Bottom Layer scale! As you move the black slider toward the center, pixel values ​​to the left of it are excluded from blending. One might assume that this means that they are ignored and the pixels of the active layer are used to display the image. But in fact, just the opposite happens!

Instead of being eliminated, pixels with these values ​​"break through" to the active layer and replace its pixels. Therefore, be careful when adjusting the Bottom Layer sliders.

Let's look at a few examples. We'll start by looking at black and white charts, where the top chart represents the active layer and the bottom chart represents the visible layers for the image below it:

If you drag the black slider of the “This Layer” slider towards the center, from 0 to 50, pixels of the active layer darker than 50 will be ignored. These are the pixels on the right side of the top black and white diagram.

Since these black pixels are not mixed and are ignored, it means that the white pixels from the underlying image on the right side of Figure 11 will appear. The white pixels will replace the dark ones. The resulting black and white chart will contain white pixels on both ends:

This is another point that requires clarification. When you drag the slider and exclude pixels from blending or set them to overlap the active layer's image, those pixels may be completely different from the active layer. Therefore, as you can see from the example above, highlights will not necessarily be replaced by highlights or shadows by shadows.

If instead you set the black "This Layer" slider to 0 and drag the black "This Layer" slider Lower level" to 50, then the shadows of the underlying layers will “break through” to the active layer and replace the pixels of the active layer. We will get dark pixels on both ends, like in Figure 12:

By using different combinations of the "Blend If:" sliders and breaking them down with ALT clicks, you can apply diffuse glows with surgical precision and blend effects very smoothly.

Let's return to the flower

I wanted to remove diffuse glow from dark toned areas where the image would lose important detail. Quick setup The black slider of the slider “This layer” of the “Overlay if:” parameter returned the depth back to the dark areas.

When you customize the "Overlay if:" sliders, you can see the results interactively. You can see changes in the image after each action. I zoomed in to 100% and kept an eye on the details of the flower's "eye" as I made changes through the black slider of the "This Layer" blending option "Blend If:".

I found that by setting it to 55, I recovered enough dark tone information from the underlying visible layers to add more detail to the image without making the "eye" too prominent as in Figure 2:

Conclusion

A combination of blurs, modes, and blending techniques can be used to add a diffuse glow to an image. This technique can be used in wedding photos to add a romantic touch to images of a bride in a white wedding dress.

Portrait photographers can use it to soften the subject's facial features and add a sparkling glow or rich, smooth shadows. Landscape photographers can use this technique to increase contrast and smoothness of tones:

Blend Mode: Soft Light, Opacity: 80%. The black slider slider “This layer” of the “Overlay if:” parameter is set to 10.

To apply this technique, we first use " Gaussian Blur" The goal is to add saturation through the creation of a glowing halo while maintaining important details.

The next steps are to select an appropriate blending mode and then adjust the Blend If: option to preserve the important details. Various effects can be achieved using blending modes and adjusting the Blend If: option.

This publication is a translation of the article “Giving Your Photos A Glow”, prepared by the friendly project team

Good Bad

In this tutorial I will show you how to create a super lighting effect in Photoshop using several textures, blur filters and adding some trick to add some magic to our composition. Using this effect, you can create beautiful projects.

Final result:

Let's get started!

Step 1

Create a new document with a size of 1900 x 1200 px, resolution 72 pixels/inch, RGB 8 bit. Then create a new layer (Ctrl+Shift+N). Select a tool GradientTool (G)(Gradient) color from #031625 to black, style Radial and draw a gradient as shown below.

Step 2

Open the model image and move it to your working document. Make the image smaller (Ctrl+T) and position it as shown below.

Duplicate the layer (Ctrl+J) and apply a filter Filter > Blur > Motion Blur(Filter - Blur - Motion Blur).

Change the blending mode of this layer to Color Dodge(Brightening the base).

Add an adjustment layer to this layer Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation Saturation(Saturation) to -100.

Step 3

Duplicate the original model layer (Ctrl+J) and place it above all layers.

Apply a filter to this layer Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur(Filter - Blur - Gaussian Blur), radius 7 px.

Then change the blending mode to Overlay(Overlap).

Duplicate this layer (Ctrl+J) to get a glow effect.

Step 4

In the layers panel, go to the original model layer and add a layer style Inner Shadow(Inner shadow) with the settings shown below.

Above all layers, create a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N). Select a tool Gradient Tool (G)(Gradient), Angular style. Extend the gradient from the model's hand to one of the corners of the document.

Translator's note: The author has on the screenshot the top settings window for the Gradient adjustment layer. Don't pay any attention to it. Use the Gradient tool. In the Gradient Editor, select a gradient type Noise(Noise), Smoothness (Roughness) 100%, check the boxes Limit colors (RestrictColors) and Enable transparency(AddTransparency). And also the button Another option (Randomize) you can select a gradient.

Step 5

Desaturate the gradient layer Image > Adjustments > Desaturate(Ctrl + Shift + U) (Image - Adjustments - Desaturate).

Then the tool Eraser Tool (E)(Eraser), soft brush, erase along the edges of the gradient, as shown below.

Change the blending mode to Color Dodge(Brightening the base).

Step 6

Create a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N) and place it in a group (Ctrl + G). Change the group's blending mode to Color Dodge(Brightening the base). Then the tool Brush Tool (B)(Brush), color white, hardness 0%, draw a spot at hand level. This way we will add a light effect.

Above the group layer, create a new layer (Ctrl + Shift + N), select the tool Brush Tool (B)(Brush) with these parameters

• Size(Size) - 100 - 300 px
• Hardness(Hardness) - 0%
• Opacity(Opacity) - 70%
• Flow(Press) - 60%
• Color - #80b2d6

And paint the canvas as shown in the image below.

Translator's note: In red the author shows where to paint.

Step 7

Open the smoke texture and move it to your working document. Reduce the size (Ctrl+T), rotate and position it on the leg as shown below.

Change the blending mode to Color Dodge(Brightening the base).

Do the same with the nebula image.

Change the blending mode to Color Dodge(Brightening the base).

For the nebula layer, add an adjustment layer Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation(Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Hue/Saturation) as a clipping mask. Install Saturation(Saturation) to -100.

Step 8

Open and move the image with the second nebula into the working document. Change the blending mode to Color Dodge(Base Dodge) and add the adjustment layer as for the first nebula layer as a clipping mask with the same settings.

Duplicate the gradient layer you created earlier two times and position the copies as shown below.

Step 9

Open the particle texture and place it as shown below.

Duplicate the particle layer and place it in the leg area. Tool Eraser Tool (E)(Eraser) use a soft brush on layers with particles to remove excess.

Step 10

Open and move the highlight texture into your work.

Change the blending mode to Screen(Screen)

Finally add an adjustment layer Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map(Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Gradient Map) color from #094b39 to white.

Change the blending mode to Overlay(Overlap) and reduce Opacity(Opacity) to 50%.

Final result:

Every photographer wants to make their photo unique and as beautiful as possible. To achieve this, various effects are often used to decorate frames. So, for example, in lately It’s fashionable to add a glow in Photoshop, and this is not surprising, since the photo becomes incredibly beautiful. To verify this, you need to go through the lesson described in this article.

Bright glow in Photoshop

Before you begin, you need to select a photo with which the wizard will work. First of all, this should be a photo in which the glow looks natural or complements the composition.

First, open the photo, which will show bright glow in Photoshop. Then we create another take. To do this, right-click on the thumbnail and select “Create a duplicate layer.” And you can also create not only photographs, but also any design solutions. To begin with, a regular background will be enough to create a glow in Photoshop.

Background for work

For the first time you can try it with just such a preparation, it will emphasize beautiful effect. Create a new document of any size and fill it with white. And after that we set the highlight, and to do this you need to go to the “Filter” window, then click on the “Rendering” button and then “Lighting Effects”. In the dialog box that opens, you need to select the parameters that will suit the taste of the designer or photographer. It is better to choose a dark color so that it does not blend into the background. IN in this case taken color #050244.

Light ball for photography

The next step, of course, is to create the object itself. So, creating a glow effect in Photoshop is very easy. First of all, a new layer is also created with the blending mode "Screen". After this, you need to take the "Oval" tool and draw a selection close to even circle. After this, you should shade the resulting object to 20 pixels. This allows you to soften the halo for future filling. It is necessary to make the glow as natural as possible. The next step is to add light, and for this you use a tool like Radical Gradient, with parameters that the photographer or designer will like. In general, it all depends on the imagination and creative mood of the person.

How to make an object glow in Photoshop?

After the previous steps, you can hide all layers except oval area, it needs to be duplicated again. Next you need to draw the elements of the flash, again so that everything looks as natural as possible.

A bright glow is created near the circle in Photoshop. And to do this, you need to open the editing window, go to the menu and find the “Transform” function and then select “Scaling”. After this, you need to make a strip from a spherical object.

Creative work

The next step is the most interesting, as you can give free rein to your imagination and creativity. First, filters are applied to the strip.

The first is “Wave”, it is located in the “Filter” menu and in the “Distortion” sub-item. If the effect is not satisfactory, then use " Free transformation"You can improve the result.

The second effect will be "Twist", which is located in exactly the same path as the previous item. All filters can be adjusted to your liking, so the result depends only on how developed the imagination and creative side of the photographer is.

You can also apply all the filters more than once to achieve the desired glow. To complete the picture, the layer with the main ball is turned on, and that’s it, the answer to the question of how to add a glow in Photoshop is completely given.

Another way

The first points are exactly the same as in the first option. Create a layer and fill it in any way, you can use the background described above. After that, you need to apply a certain style to the image. To do this, right-click on the thumbnail and select “Gradient Overlay”, and then, for the second time, “Pattern Overlay”.

After this, they select a photo for which the glow is created. Photoshop lessons are actually very simple, the main thing is to be consistent and attentive.

Creating the highlight itself

For the next step you will need the Ellipse tool, which is located in geometric shapes. Select the color white and create a circle, which is what is required for the photo. After this, you should apply the “Gaussian Blur”, which is located in the “Filter” menu. In our case, a radius of 30 pixels was applied. Of course, it will be different for each photo. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment.

Each photographer or designer at this stage can add his own effects that seem appropriate to him.

Sparks

To make a bright glow in Photoshop seem as natural as possible, you need to create sparkling threads. And for this they choose new brush with a soft white outline. You can navigate using the settings shown below, but do not forget that the most important thing is to do as your creative side dictates. And, of course, the entire image should look as natural as possible in the final result.

After this, sparks are drawn, and the “External Glow” effect is added to the layer. To do this, right-click and select the required item.

And here, again, the will of fantasy opens up. All settings can be adjusted according to taste.

Making smoke

This step is optional, because not every photo will look good with this conversion. But still, sometimes smoke greatly enhances the bright glow in Photoshop. First, create a new layer. By the way, it’s better to call each frame by its name in order to navigate them well. It is better to select the “Base Lightening” mode to create a discreet, mysterious pattern. After this, you need to use the Lasso tool with a feather of at least 40 pixels. Then the area where the fog should be located is selected. Then they set the default colors, which are black and white. This is necessary in order to create clouds. You need to go to the “Filter” menu, then find the “Rendering” sub-item and select the required parameter.

Tip: Clouds can be completely different, and to achieve the ones that look best in the image, you can repeat the step described above several times. If the result is not satisfactory, then you can take an eraser and improve it. And also use a parameter such as "Opacity".

How to make a neon glow in Photoshop?

The previous two examples of creating highlights are more suitable for the designer, since it is very rare that they can be adjusted beautifully to the photo. The example presented looks incredibly aesthetically pleasing in almost any image. But besides this, creating a logo will also complement this effect.

First, you should create a new layer on which the initial manipulations will take place. You need to add a "Radical Gradient" to the frame. You can choose any color, the main thing is not to make too bright accents. In this example, the following combination was used: #303e4a and #151515. If the photographer has already chosen the photo he is going to work with, then the colors should be close to the shades in the image. All this is necessary in order to make the neon glow as realistic and natural as possible.

Now create the outline of the effect itself, in this case it is a circle.

After rasterizing the image, you need to right-click on the thumbnails and select the following options:

• “Color overlap” - for this item, a white shade is taken, it is this that conveys the center of the neon tube.
• “Embossing” - this effect is already conveyed by glass, and therefore it should be used as gently and unnoticeably as possible. Here it is worth experimenting and choosing those values ​​that will be most pleasing to the eye.
• “Inner shadow” - here you select shades that will reflect the color of the effect itself. That is, if you need to make a pink glow, then take the same palette.
• “Inner glow” - it must be selected so that there is a soft transition between white and the main color.
• “External glow and shadow” - parameters are responsible for how the effect is applied to the entire image as a whole.

With the help of such simple actions you can create a glow in Photoshop, as if a real professional had worked.