• Newsletter
    • Newsletter Back Issues
  • Advertise
  • About ATP
  • Resources
Logo
Navigation
  • HOME
  • PHOTO TIPS
    • Make Money with Your Camera
    • Aerial Photography
    • Photography Tips
    • Wedding Photography
    • Stock Photography
    • Advanced Tips
    • Shoot Properties
    • Child Photography
    • Flash Photography
    • DSLR Newbie?
    • Photography Newbie?
    • Which Camera?
    • Camera Lenses
    • Photography Books
    • Accessories
  • REVIEWS
  • IMAGING
    • Photoshop Tips
    • Video Photoshop Tips
    • Lightroom Tips
    • Photoshop Actions
    • Photoshop Autoloader
    • Photoshop Proofmaker
  • ARTICLES
  • COURSES
    • Online Courses
    • DSLR Training
    • Wedding Photography
    • Stock Photography
    • One to One
    • ATP Members
    • Wildlife Photography
  • BLOG/NEWS
  • VIDEO
    • Aerial Video
    • Videography Tips
    • New to Video?
    • Digital Video Cameras
    • Video Camera Lenses
    • Video and Editing Books
    • Video Articles
    • Video Equipment Reviews
    • Video Accessories
    • Video Editing Software
    • Video Editing Tips
  • FREE COURSES

Create Light in Photoshop

How to Add a Warm Glow to Windows in a Dark House

Sometimes, you see a great image that you just know would look good, if only…

Create Light in Photoshop

Images of dark buildings in romantic settings can look great but there may be something missing. More often than not, that could be the warm, inviting glow from the windows giving the impression that in amongst all that darkness, there are people in the house.

Take this photo from one of our members Alan Platt as an example:

Create Light in Photoshop

A great photo taken in the Surrey area during our January snowfall but how do you add light in Photoshop to give the impression that people are in the house? How do you make the house look more inviting?

Either watch the video below or skip past for the text/image tutorial.

Well, we start with the pen tool and select the paths feature:

Create Light in Photoshop

Next, make a selection of all the window areas that you wish to add the glow to. Make sure you close each selection by hovering over the final point and when you see a circle, click to finish.

Create Light in Photoshop

Once you have done all the windows, with the pen tool still selected, right click and hit “make selection”, this will bring up a new dialogue box. Leave everything as is but select a feather radius.

For low resolution images, anything between 1 and 10 pixels should do. For larger resolution images, try between 10 and 30 pixels. Adjust until you get the desired result. Click “ok” and you get the running ants around each selection.

Create Light in Photoshop

Select the brush with a hardness of 0 for a softer look and a size that will cover each window as you work. Now we need to select a colour for the window light. For this tutorial, I used:

RED: 196, GREEN: 166, BLUE: 2 or # c4a6020

Create Light in Photoshop

Brush Settings

If the brush flow is too harsh, this won’t work so I used the following:

Opacity: 30%, Flow: 30% and Mode: Overlay

The overlay mode for the paint brush will allow the colour to paint in whilst leaving the detail in the window behind…it won’t replace what is in your selection but simply add colour to it. Slowly paint over each window building up the colour to suit your needs and preference.

Create Light in Photoshop

Once you have done that, zoom out to check and make any necessary adjustments and when happy, get rid of the running ants and make sure the image looks good.

Layers

Please note that this method is using the original image so to be safe, either make a copy and work on that or simply create a layer to do all this work in by going to layer – duplicate layer and naming it “lights” or something.

If you do use a layer, it is easier to make adjustments as you can simply adjust the opacity and strength of your layered lights.

Finally, remember to think of how light works and make any small tweaks to account for light falling onto snow as it this example. Think about reflections and water and add the light where it would normally be.

At the end of all that, you should end up with a realistic looking image!

Create Light in Photoshop

Of course, you can also add the light in the reflection of the water which we totally-on-purpose forgot to do here : )

Please add your comments below, or on the YouTube channel and share with friends…

Create Light in Photoshop was last modified: January 4th, 2018 by Nick

Comments

comments

You may also like:

  1. Create Light in Photoshop
    New Photoshop Tutorial Added In this quick video and written...
  2. How to Add a Watermark to Your Photos Using Photoshop
    Watermarks Significantly Reduce Image Theft Through Copyrighting More and more...
  3. Create a Vignette Effect
    How do I create an effect to make my images...
  4. Photoshop Tips – Adding Catch Lights to Eyes
    Learn to Greatly Enhance a Person’s Portrait By Drawing Attention...

One Response to “Create Light in Photoshop”

  1. February 14, 2015

    How to Create Light Effects in Photoshop | ATP

    […] Create Light in Photoshop […]

SUBSCRIBE, LIKE and FOLLOW US

...
Subscribers
Subscribe
...
Fans
Like
...
Followers
Follow

FREE PHOTOGRAPHY COURSES


Beginner Photography Tips Advanced Photography Tips
Stock Photography Tips Photography Business Advice
Aerial Photo and Video Wedding Photography Tips

FEATURED VIDEOS


Comica CVM-VM10 II Mic Review

Panasonic GH5 Review

Panasonic GH5 AF Settings

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Review

Recent Posts

  • 7 Unique Photography Niches Worth Considering

    April 6, 2018 - 0 Comment
  • Canon Speedlite 470EX-AI

    March 3, 2018 - 0 Comment
  • Movavi Photo Editor

    February 21, 2018 - 0 Comment

Reviews and Cool Stuff

  • Panasonic GH5 Review
  • Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Review
  • Sirui P-324s Monopod Review
  • Panasonic GH4 Review
  • Go Pro HD Hero 4 Review
  • Go Pro HD Hero 3 (Black)
  • Power Up Your Go Pro
  • Massive USB Power (14,000mAh)

Useful Kit and Quick Links

  • Photoshop Autoloader (Superb)
  • Photoshop Proofmaker
  • Neat Image
  • Pocket Wizard Review
  • Make Money With Your Camera
  • Better Digital Photography
  • FAQ
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

Copyright (c) 2017 Freefly Multimedia Ltd. Author: Nick Stubbs. All rights reserved.  |  Legal

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more