Are you peeps ready for another tutorial? This is super cool, I promise!
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to apply digital lighting effect to a man portrait. You’ll learn tips and tricks to blend the images and textures using layer modes, adjustment layer and brushes as well as create lighting effect.
Final Image
Software: Photoshop CS3 +
Difficulty : Intermediate
Estimated Completion Time: 90 minutes
Resources Used In This Tutorial: #9499701 @mycteria
Light effects: jennyle88 @deviantart
Step 1
Create a new 915×630 px document in Photoshop and fill it with white. Drag the image of traffic light into the white canvas as shown below:
Step 2
Go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and set the radius to 8 px. This step is to create some depth to the scene:
Step 3
Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves and reduce the lightness. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush with a low opacity (about 20%) to reveal some light on the top. Here are the results on the mask and on the picture:
Step 4
Create a new layer and use a soft black brush to hide the light in the middle and the lower half more.
Step 5
Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the light color to green/cyan:
Step 6
Create two layers and paint with the color #00d9f0 on the left and #79c839 on the right to determine the lights on the background. Change the mode of these layers to Color 100%:
Step 7
Drag the image with flare into our main document and change the mode to Screen 100%:
Click the second icon at the bottom of the Layers panel to add a mak to this layer. Use a soft black brush to reduce the light intensity as shown below:
Step 8
Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer (set as Clipping Mask) to change the light color to cyan:
Step 9
Use another Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the light color to green. On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the left to keep it cyan and fit the light on the background:
Step 10
Isolate the man from the background and place it in the center of the main canvas:
Step 11
Use a Curves adjustment layer to darken the man.
On this layer mask, use a soft black brush to erase the left side and the bright part on the right side not to make them affected by this adjustment layer:
Step 12
Create another Curves adjustment layer to increase the light on the right side. Paint on the rest to keep it still dark:
Step 13
Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to match the light on the left shoulder with the light on the background:
Step 14
Make a new layer, change the mode to Overlay 100% and fill with 50% gray. Select the Dodge and Burn Tool (O) with Midtones Range, Exposure about 20-50% to refine the light and shadow on the model, especially on the shoulders. You can see how I did it with Normal mode and the result with Overlay mode:
Step 15
Make a new layer and use a soft brush with the color #79c839 to paint the green light on the right of the model, face, shoulder, hand, hair, suit. Change this layer mode to Color 80%:
Use another layer and the same brush to paint light stroke on the suit, cheek, hand, lips:
Step 16
Add the matrix image to the main canvas and change the mode to Screen 100%:
Use a layer mask to remove the effect on the model and blend the image with the existing background:
Step 17
Use a Levels adjustment layer to make the effect appear more subtle – we don’t need it to be too obvious.
Step 18
Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to match the color of the numbers with the background:
Create another Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the numbers color on the right to green. Paint on the left side not to make the color there affected by this adjustment layer.
Step 19
Make a new layer and change the mode to Linear Dodge 100%. Use a soft brush with the color ##00d9f0 to paint the light on the left eye and the color #79c839 for the right eye.
Step 20
Open the light image. As it has a transparent background so just drag the light into our document, place it onto the left eye and change the mode to Screen 100%. Use the Free Transform Tool (Ctrl+T) to change its perspective as shown below:
Use a layer mask to blur the effect, make it appear more subtle:
Step 21
Duplicate this layer and flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal. Place it in the right eye:
Step 22
Select the light layers and press Ctrl+G to make a group for them. Change the mode of this group from Pass Through to Screen 100%. Use a Channel Mixer adjustment layer to turn the light color to cyan:
Step 23
Make a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to change the light on the right eye to green to fit the background there. Remove the effect on the left eye using a soft black brush:
Well done, you did it! Isn’t it cool? Go ahead and try it on your friends or family portraits. If you have any issues, feel free to comment below, we are always listening!
Other cool tutorials to try out: