Neon Light Effect in Photoshop

Neon Effect Portrait in Photoshop

Neon Light Effect in Photoshop is used for lighting up the images. One can make the photographs attractive by adding Neon Light Effect to them. This effect is fun and easy to create in Photoshop.

In today’s Photoshop Tutorial, you will learn to create Neon Light Effect. We will create this Glow Effect using Pen Tool, Brush Tool, and different Layer Styles.

Launch Adobe Photoshop and open an image as a new document. Now follow the below mentioned step-by-step process:

Step 1

After opening the image, select the Brush Tool and select a Soft Brush. Set the size of the brush and increase the hardness.

Step 2

Now select the Pen Tool and draw a closed path shape on the image.

Step 3

After creating the closed path shape, click on Create a New Layer. Then place the cursor on the closed path and right-click. Select the Stroke Path from the options list.

A Stroke Path dialogue box will appear. In that dialogue box, select Brush from the drop-down menu and click OK. The stroke of the closed path will get converted into the brush size which we have set up in the above step.

Step 4

In this step, we will apply Color Overlay Layer Style to the closed path shape. Select the new layer created in the above step and click on the Add a Layer Style fx icon in the Layers Panel. From the options, select Color Overlay.

Now we will select a neon color for our Neon Light Effect with the help of the Color Picker. Double-click on the color box to set the color of the overlay. Then the Color Picker will pop up. You can choose a color for your effect and click OK.

Step 5

Now we will apply the Inner Glow and Outer Glow Layer Styles to the shape. In the Layer Style dialogue box, select the Inner Glow Effect and make some alterations in the settings. Set the Blend Mode to Linear Dodge and use the white color for the inner glow effect. You can also set the size and contour as per your shape.

After applying the Inner Glow effect, select the Outer Glow. We will select the color for the outer glow similar to the neon color effect. Make the required alterations in the size and spread of the Outer Glow.

After applying the Inner Glow and Outer Glow Effect, the image looks like this-

Step 6

Now we will create a Drop Shadow effect for the Neon Light. Select the color similar to the neon color and set the Blend Mode to Linear Dodge. Deacrease the distance and increase the spread and size.

Step 7

Now to create a good ambience for the Neon Light, we will recreate the shape. But, before that select the Brush Tool. In the Brush preset, decrease the hardness and increase the brush size. Also, select a similar neon color for the brush effect.

Select the Pen Tool and draw the shape by creating another anchor points on the same shape. Then create a new layer and change the Stroke Path to Brush as done in Step 3.

Change the Blending Mode of the new layer to Linear Dodge and reduce the opacity to create a Neon Light Effect.

Step 8

Group both the layers by selecting them holding the shift key. Then click on the Create a New Group icon in the Layers Panel. You can also use the Layer Mask if you want to create a Pass Through Effect.

Step 9

If you want to change color of your Neon Light you can use the Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer.

Click on Create a new fill or adjustment layer and select Hue/Saturation. Set the Hue and Saturation according to your color choice and you will see a color change in your neon light.

In this tutorial you have learned to create Neon Light Effect in Photoshop and also to change color of the effect. Practice this Neon Light Photoshop Tutorial and share your views in the comment section. Also, share this tutorial with others.