Step 1:

  • Open your image and decide what you will want to glow in the photo
  • Choose the Quick Selection tool and draw around it.

Step 2:

  • Go to EDIT- Copy

  • Then EDIT- Paste
  • You will now see a second layer on your layers pallet

Step 3:

  • Click on the Background Layer on your layers pallet (this is the first layer that is of your photo)
  • Click at the bottom of the layers pallet the circle that is half black/half white
  • Choose COLOR LOOKUP

Step 3:

  • Change Load 3D LUT…..
    • to
  • Moonlight. 3DL

  • Your image will now be dark except for the areas that you had Quick Selected
  • If you feel your image is to dark, pull down either the Opacity or Fill until it looks the way you want.

   

Step 4:

  • Click on Layer 1
  • Right click on it and choose Duplicate Layer

Step 5:

  • Click on Layer 1 Copy
  • Where it says Normal, change it to Linear Dodge (Add)

Step 6:

  • Right Click on Layer 1 Copy
  • Choose Convert to Smart Object
  • Nothing is going to happen after you do this

Step 7:

  • Right Click again on Layer 1 Copy
  • Duplicate Layer

Step 8:

  • Make sure you are on Layer 1 Copy 2
  • Go to
    • Filter
    • Blur
    • Gaussian Blur
  • Make the Radius 5.0

Step 9:

  • Right click on Layer 1 Copy 2
  • Duplicate Layer

Step 10:

  • Below Layer 1 Copy 3 you will see Gaussian Blur
  • Double Click on Gaussian Blur
  • Change the Radius to 20

Step 11:

  • Right click on Layer 1 Copy 3
  • Duplicate Layer

Step 12:

  • Below Layer 1 Copy 4 you will see Gaussian Blur
  • Double Click on Gaussian Blur
  • Change the Radius to 60

Step 13:

  • Go to
    • Layer
    • New-Layer
  • On the Layers pallet it should say Layer 2 and be above Layer 4 Copy 1

Step 14:

  • Make sure you are on Layer 2
  • Pick the Brush Tool
  • Pick White
  • Move the Flow from 100% to 20%
  • Slightly paint around the outside edges of your object that is lit up.
  • Do NOT paint to far outside of the edges

Step 15:   

  • While on Layer 2 change Normal to Soft Light

Step 16: 

  • You will now be combing all of your lit object layers into one layer
  • Click on Layer 2
  • Holding the Shift Key click on Layer 1
    • All of the layers inbetween will now be lighted
    • Be sure you have NOT highlighted Color Lookup or the background layer

Step 17: 

  • Anywhere in the highlighted layers
    • Right click
    • Group from Layers
    • All the layers will now be in a folder called Group 1

Step 18: 

  • Go to
    • Layer
    • New- Layer

Step 19: 

  • Click on the Eye Dropper tool
  • Click the Eye Dropper anywhere on the colored outside glow of your object.
    • This will have selecteded the color you need for the next step

Step 20: 

  • Click on the Brush Tool
  • Change the Flow from 100% to 11%

Step 21: 

  • Slightly paint of the areas that would reflect the glow of your object.
  • You do NOT want to over paint. ONLY Paint a small area that is facing the front of the glowing object

Step 22: 

  • On the Layers Pallet, change Normal to Color Dodge
  • Change the Fill to between 33%-10% depending on how much glow you want reflected

Step 23: 

  • Flatten your Layers
  • If you want to make any final adjustments you can do that now.
  • If you are done, save your image.