Give a Car Photo Super Slick Lighting Effects

Step 1

Firstly download this image http://www.sxc.hu/photo/429996

Open up the image in Photoshop and go to Image, Image Size and enter 1600 into the Width box.

Duplicate this layer by pressing Ctrl/Apple and J.

Step 2

The car is slightly too light so go to Image, Adjustments and click on Levels. Drag the middle slider to 0.9 or enter 0.9 into the box.

Now create a new layer and select a large brush (something around 200 – 300px will do). Choose the colour black and then brush around the car.

Set this layer’s style to Soft Light. Your image should like this.

Step 3

Create a new layer and select the Brush Tool. Change the Hardness down to 0% and put the Brush size to 10px and then go to the Brush Palette and use these settings.

Now select the colour white and then select the Pen Tool and create a line something similar to this.

Now Right Click and select Stroke Path. Tick the Simulate Pressure, press OK and delete the path. I then went to the Layer Style menu for this layer and put a blue Outer Glow on the line.

Now it’s time for you to go wild! Repeat this step creating different lines around the car using various sizes of brushes, different vibrant colours and outer glows. Try changing a few settings of the scattering option in the Brush Palette to create different effects. Remember to create a new layer for each line you do.

After I had finished I grouped the layers and put them into a folder called ‘Lines Around Car’ and then changed the Layer Style of the folder to Screen.

This is how mine came out. I used 13 layers for my lines.

Step 4

Copy and paste this image into your document http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1106947 and name the layer Nebula.

Change the Layer Style to Screen and then select the Eraser Tool. Set the size to around 400px and erase around the edges so you leave the image in the middle.

Now press Ctrl/Apple and the letter T and transform it clockwise around 55 degrees and move it so it sits along side of the car.

Step 5

Copy and paste this image into your document http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1034138 and name the layer swirls.

Set the Layer Style to Soft Light and again select the eraser with a size of about 400px and erase around the edges. Set the opacity of this layer to 70% and move it so it sits alongside the car just like the last step.

Step 6

Add a new layer above the duplicated Background layer and name it Splatter.

Go to http://www.bittbox.com/freebies/free-hi-res-splatter-photoshop-brushes/ and download these awesome high – res brushes. Once their downloaded extract them and load them up in Photoshop. Choose the colour black and start using the brushes of different sizes around the side and back of the car. After you’ve finished this erase any bits that are on top of the car. This will leave ‘splatters’ around the car.

Step 7

Create a new layer above the Splatter layer and name it Lines. Select the Brush Tool, choose a 2px, soft edged Brush and then select the Colour White and open up the Brush Palette. Set the Spacing to 150%.

Now select the Pen Tool and create a small line at the back of car.

Right Click and select Stroke Path. Make sure Simulate Pressure is not ticked and click OK. Delete the path and your image should look like this.

Now create lots more small, different sized lines around the back of the car (you can create these lines on the same layer). For each line use a different colour. I found that pale colours worked better compared to vibrant ones. I then grabbed the Eraser Tool and like some of the previous steps erased any bits that went over the car.
This is how mine looks like so far.

Step 8

Create a new layer and name it Gradient 1. Select the Gradient Tool and use these settings. The left hand colour is #3d009c and the right hand colour is #ff6600.

Make sure Linear Gradient is selected.

Hold down Shift and drag your mouse from the left to the right. This is how your image should look like.

Change the Layer Style to Soft Light, then select the Pen Tool and select this area.

Right Click and choose Make Selection. Enter 5 in the Feather Radius box.

Press Delete and then Deselect the Selection. Your image should be looking like this.

Step 9

Create a new layer and name it Gradient 2. Select the Pen Tool and make a selection of this area. Make sure when draw your path it overlaps slightly on the other gradient. Enter 5 again in the Feather Radius box.

Select the Gradient Tool again and use these settings. The left colour is #ff6e02 and the right one is #ffff00.

Hold down Shift and drag your mouse from the middle of the page to the right. Change the Layer Style to Soft Light and then select the Eraser Tool. Using a relatively large brush erase most of this layer apart from this area that is selected in this next image.

Now duplicate this layer and move the image up slightly. Again duplicate the layer and move it up slightly. Now go to Image, Adjustments, Hue/Saturation and use these settings.

Finally duplicate this layer and again move the image up slightly. Again go to Image, Hue/Saturation and use these settings.

I put all these gradient layers into a folder called, Gradients!

Step 10

Create a new layer on top of everything and name it clouds. Press D on your keyboard to reset the colour palette and fill this layer with the colour black. Now go to your colour palette and change the background colour to #1000de. Go to Filter, Render, Clouds and set the Layer Style to Soft Light and the opacity to 80%.

I then added a bit of text reading Street Tuner with my favourite font, Avant Garde LT Extra Light with a Layer Style of Pin Light and to finish off added a 15px border around the image and dropped the opacity of that layer to 90%.

That’s the tutorial finished! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and would love to read your comments on it.

And We’re Done!

That’s the tutorial finished! I hope you’ve enjoyed it and learnt something useful from this.