Glow Effects in Photoshop
This is really simple to create, and you can apply it to anything that is white. First, create a new Photoshop document. I created one set to the size of 1024 x 768. You can go to any good brush source online, such as Brusheezy and search for lights and abstract lighting. Fractals work well with this too. When you download the brush, go to your brush options and click the flyout menu and go to load brushes, or throw the brush file that ends in .abr into your brushes presets folder, and it will be in your flyout menu next time you start Photoshop.
Set the background layer to black, or a dark color… basically anything that will contrast the glow that you create, and then create a new layer. You can hit command or control (PC), shift and the letter N to create a new layer. Set the foreground color to white and use those brushes you downloaded to created an interesting design in white on your new layer.
Then, double-click the layer to bring up the blending options and choose outer glow and choose your color. Set the blending mode to hard light and pick a vibrant color. Set the opacity to around 80 or higher and set the size to taste. Leave the spread setting low.
Then, choose inner glow and pick a color that is a little stronger than the color that you choose for outer glow. It can be in the same color range, or if you want weird effects, you can choose something completely different. Set the blending mode to hard light and the opacity to 80 or above. keep the size low, like 5 or under or you will colorize the brighter area and lessen the effect. Keeping the size low on the inner glow gives it more dimension.
It is amazing what you ca create when you play with the settings!
