What's new
By:
Photoshop Gurus Forum

Welcome to Photoshop Gurus forum. Register a free account today to become a member! It's completely free. Once signed in, you'll enjoy an ad-free experience and be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Warm sun glow effect a little lost


A

altereddezignz

New Member
Messages
2
Likes
0
I posted this earlier but for some reason i cannot find it? Anyways here it goes again. I am trying to recreate the effect shown in the top picture. The fake sun on the top left hand corner. The top picture was created using picmonkey but i would have to pay monthly fees to use it and i have to upload and save every image that i wanted to do this with. The 3rd image is the one i created in photoshop but i just cant seem to get it to look right. I am using a layer with a radial gradiant and a new photo filter warming layer. I have the full cs6 suite and lightroom but every attempt i always come up short.
10380834_497727860370523_8631908989567524839_o.jpg
IMG_0861.JPG
ScreenHunter_11 Nov. 21 10.44.jpg
 
My first thought is to lower the opacity of the layer('s)
 
This is somewhat similar, this uses an exposure adjustment layer with a layer mask and your warming filter as the top layer. Try using layer masks to accomplish your effect. Also a gaussian blur to give it a little softening.
suncouple.PNG
 
Last edited:
altereddezinz, what process are you using to create the glow you have posted? It might help us if we have an idea what you are doing to advise on what you might try instead, or how to make the best use of the tool you are using.

Sorry, I just reread your opening post in which you explain what you did.

This kind of thing could be done using filter lighting effects, making a sun-like shape and applying a glow to it, using a star shape or some other brightly lit shape and adding a blur to it. These are just some ideas I can think of at this time. It might also help to change the layer mode to screen or linear dodge. Sometimes copying the layer and playing the two layers off each other, changing modes, opacity, blur effects and so on. I would experiment or look for a tutorial that would offer tips and techniques for this effect.

Since you want the sienna effect more than the glow I assume, then I will have to try to reproduce it myself.

Some other members may come along who have made just this kind of effect and have the perfect advice. Hang in there or try a few experiments.
 
Last edited:
What do you think of this result?

glow.jpg

The warming filter isn't quite enough and I didn't try other colors, but I think you have the right filter anyway. I'm using CS5.
 
Last edited:
This was, and maybe is still a very popular look for romantic photos, particularly by the wedding/engagement photographer crowd.

I've written up this general effect several times, but unfortunately, I just can't find the PSG thread from a couple of years ago in which I previously addressed this, but an equally good description from back in 2011 is HERE. It uses nothing more than PS's "Lens Flare" filter and one "Levels" adjustment layer. B4 and after versions are appended below.

Obviously, the look will change somewhat depending on the brightness, contrast, sharpness, etc. of the original, but this general approach should get you very close, and in only a few steps. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Cheers,

Tom M

PS - To be believable, don't forget that the direction from which light is coming in the photo has to be reasonably consistent with the position of the sun, as implied by the lens flare filter. If it's not, the effect won't be credible.
 

Attachments

  • before-00Ytsj-370035584.jpg
    before-00Ytsj-370035584.jpg
    321.1 KB · Views: 27
  • after-00Ytsm-370039584.jpg
    after-00Ytsm-370039584.jpg
    237.9 KB · Views: 27
Last edited:
PPS - Sorry - I just re-read your post and realized that you are already quite close to the effect you want to achieve, so just ignore my previous post.

Since you didn't state which difference most concerns you between your first and third images, we have to guess. Ignoring the relatively easy-to-fix differences in overall level of opacity of the effect, differences in level of detail in the barn, differences in color saturation in the transition region, etc., the next thing that catches my eye is more erosion of the OOF branches just above the subjects' heads in the 1st image.

My guess, and it's only a guess because the metadata has been stripped from the 1st image, is that it looks like you may have closed down the aperture a bit going from the 1st to the 2nd photo that you posted. This would lead to the OOF areas being a bit harder and a bit less eroded in the 2nd shot. If this is what concerns you, please let us know and we'll try to address it.

Tom M

PS - If you are not familiar with erosion of highlights, have a quick read through the discussion HERE (search within this page for the section titled, "Photometric burnout", or simply scroll about 80% of the way down). Note that Rosenman occasionally calls this effect, "corrosion", although I think the favored term is "erosion" or "burnout".
 
Last edited:
Chris..you nailed it! How about a little step by step for the OP?
 
Not to be a "nay-sayer", but the OP was fairly explicit in her request to recreate the efx in the very first image she posted. There were no rays extending radially outward in that image. FWIW, I'm like Larry (ALB) and Chris. I like the rays.

Tom M
 
chrisdesign said:
Thanks Larry...maybe I'll do that, if the OP decides to come back with a comment.
Click to expand...

How about for the rest of us that would like to know your fabulous methodology?
 
OK Larry, good idea.
It's very straight forward as you can see in the screenshot.

1. First I've been using the curves. By this I was able to reach the golden sunset mood.


2. Duplicated the BG layer - Render Filter - Lens Flare for washed-out upper left corner.


3. Two separate layers with sunrays from an image previously used.


4. Duplicate of the heads - Topaz Adjust filter.


5. Vignette to darken lower right corner.

Layers screenshot.jpg
 
Last edited:
Thanks! :thumbsup:
 
Back
Top