{"id":45294,"date":"2020-05-12T13:49:38","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T20:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/?p=45294"},"modified":"2020-07-15T15:47:47","modified_gmt":"2020-07-15T22:47:47","slug":"lighting-landscape-photos-photoshop-lighting-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/photoshopcafe.com\/lighting-landscape-photos-photoshop-lighting-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a realistic beam of sunlight in Photoshop"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In this tutorial we are going to create a beam of sunlight falling into a forest. We will even add some pollen to make it look a little more magical.<\/p>\n

The original is an image I grabbed from Adobe Stock. Get it here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"create<\/p>\n

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1<\/h4>\n

Image>Mode<\/p>\n

Make sure you are in 8-bit RGB mode.<\/p>\n

Also go to Preferences>Performance and make sure Use Graphics Processor is turned on (It should be on by default).<\/p>\n

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2.<\/h4>\n

Right click on the layer name and choose Convert to Smart Object. <\/em>This is optional, but will give you more flexibility if you want to change it later.<\/p>\n

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3<\/h4>\n

Choose Filter>Render Lighting Effects<\/p>\n

From the presets, choose 2 o’clock Spotlight<\/p>\n

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4.<\/h4>\n

Zoom out. Drag the dots to resize the ellipses<\/p>\n

Drag inside the ellipses to move the light<\/p>\n

drag outside the ellipses to rotate the light.<\/p>\n

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5.<\/h4>\n

Click on color<\/p>\n

Increase the Intensity to .57 This enables us to adjust the overall intensity more.<\/p>\n

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6.<\/h4>\n

Make the adjustments as shown here (also on the video you can see easier).<\/p>\n

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7. Adding dreamy sunlight<\/h4>\n

Click on colorize<\/p>\n

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Choose a warm yellow\/orange color<\/p>\n

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8<\/h4>\n

Adjust intensity for the new color.<\/p>\n

Reduce the metallic all the way down.<\/p>\n

Adjust the gloss to get that dreamy haze, a higher number dials up the dreaminess. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

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Click ok to apply and we have a much more romantic looking image. We aren’t done yet, 1 final touch. We are going to add some pollen to sell the effect.<\/p>\n

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9. Making a pollen \/ faerie dust brush.<\/h4>\n

Click on brushes in the tool box (B key)<\/p>\n

At the top of the screen choose a soft round brush and set it to 0% hardness and 11 px.<\/p>\n

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10.<\/h4>\n

Go to the Brush settings panel (Window>Brush Settings)<\/p>\n

Choose scattering.<\/p>\n

Click on both Axes<\/em> and turn the Scatter all the way up<\/p>\n

Count jitter 100%<\/p>\n

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11<\/h4>\n

Shape Dynamics<\/p>\n

Size jitter 76% or higher<\/p>\n

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12<\/h4>\n

Choose Brush Tip shape<\/p>\n

Turn up the spacing quite high. I used 367% here<\/p>\n

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13<\/h4>\n

Create a new layer<\/p>\n

Choose White as the foreground color<\/p>\n

Paint in a few particles, See how they look like pollen.<\/p>\n

You could stop here, or try the next step to enhance them.<\/p>\n

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14<\/h4>\n

Choose fx and select Outer Glow<\/p>\n

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15<\/h4>\n

Choose similar settings to what is shown here. This gives them a slight magical glow.<\/p>\n

For fantasy work, choose a different color for the glow.<\/p>\n

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And here is our final, may I say, a bit more interesting than the original?<\/p>\n

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This is part 4 of a series I\u2019m making on Lighting effects.<\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this please share it on social media<\/p>\n

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Great to see you here at the CAFE<\/p>\n

Colin<\/p>\n

Check out part 1 here for the basics and using a color channel for texture.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Part 2 is lighting a portrait<\/p>\n

See it here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Part 3 is embossing a logo<\/p>\n

See it here<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Browse our hundreds of other free tutorials here<\/a>, or search for what you are looking for in the search at the top of the page.<\/p>\n

You can also browse by topics in the free tutorials menu.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

If you are ready to get serious about Photoshop, see our full length courses here<\/a><\/p>\n

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PS Don\u2019t forget to join our mailing list<\/a> and follow me on Social Media><\/p>\n