Here’s a tutorial from Photoshop Daily on the new CS6 Lighting Effects filter by Adam Smith. Find out how this Photoshop filter has been completely redesigned for the latest version. (Download a free trial of Photoshop CS6.)
The Lighting Effects Filter is hardly a new addition to Photoshop, but it has been completely redesigned and rebuilt for PS CS6. You access the filter from Filter>Render>Lighting Effects, which takes you to the new dialog. In the new interface, you have an Options bar along the top, from which you can access Preset options for lighting, as well as the different types of light on offer: Spot, Point and Infinite.
Spot Lights give a ‘spot’ of light, which you can customise to alter the intensity, location and direction, as well as the Hotspot location, which is where the light hits your subject. Point Lights are like a light bulb and you can alter its location and intensity, but not the direction. Finally, Infinite Lights are more distant light sources, and you can only change their intensity or colour.
The Properties panel down the right-hand side of the screen has lots of different sliders that you can adjust to tweak and customise your lighting. You can also add multiple lights to any one scene as needed.
step 1: Enter the filter
Open the photo that you want to work on. If you want to be able to re-edit the effect, then duplicate your photo layer and turn the duplicate into a Smart Object. Next, go to Filter>Render>Lighting Effects to open the newly designed Lighting Effects interface, where we can start adding lights.
step 2: Pick a light type
You can add a new light from the drop-down menu at the top of the Properties panel, or using the Lights in the Options bar at the top of the screen. We are going for a Point light in this particular scene, which brings up a control ring with an Intensity Ring in the centre. Adjust the Intensity to suit the amount of the image you wish to affect.
step 3: Adjustments
We’re not going to play with options in the Properties panel to change the way our lighting effect looks. We have increased the Exposure, lowered the Gloss and increased the Metallic and Ambiance. You can save presets for future use if you wish, though trial and error works well to get the right look for individual images. The faster processing of Photoshop CS6 means alterations are made in real-time.
(posted by Jennifer Apple for www.PhotoshopSupport.com)
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