After writing my previous tutorial here about Creating a Zune in Photoshop, several viewers asked if I’d share how I created the wallpaper graphic. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make something similar, and it’s quite easy!

What is Typography?

In order to create a typographic wallpaper, it would make sense to know a bit about Typography in the first place. Typography is the art and technique of arranging movable type. What does this mean? It means that text itself portrays a message all of its own. Its location, font-family, font-style, color and size all determine the message it portrays. Using a really blocky font for a wedding image wouldn’t make sense, because blocky text isn’t elegant or extravagant, like cursive and curly fonts can be. While this tutorial won’t focus on the essence of typography, understanding what makes type look good will help to create a great design.

This is by no means an in depth look at typography. Typography is a subject folks have written many, many books on, and there is a lot to be learned about it. I’d definitely suggest picking up a book like "Thinking With Type" if it’s something you find interest in.

Step 1 – Creating the Background

The background of our wallpaper is going to help set the mood. Using a dark background will allow us to make the typography we use later really stand out of our image.

Create a new document with the dimensions you desire. My desktop is 1280x1024px, so that will be my document size. Set your foreground color to a dark gray (#111111) and your background color to black (#000000). Then grab the Radial Gradient Tool and create a light to dark gradient near the center of your document.

Step 2 – Setting Our Text Boundary

Since I want my text to be in the shape of a 9 (in relation to 2009 and Tutorial9), the easiest way to achieve the shape is going to be to create a large 9 and then use it to place our other text. To accomplish this, grab your Type Tool. Then place a 750px 9 using the font Century Gothic set to bold so that it is located in front of the center of your gradient. I also set my to the color #6dcff6 since my font will look blue later. Then lower the opacity of the layer to around 20%, since it is only being used as a guide.

Step 3 – Placing the Type

Now that we have our boundary area, we are ready to start adding our type. Before jumping into the vast pool of words to fill the 9, think about what you want ahead of time. Since my wallpaper is related to Tutorial9, I will fill mine with words that define the site, such as Photoshop, Design, and Tutorials.

We also need to think of how different we want the type to appear. Do we limit ourselves to one font? I’m going to only use the font Century Gothic, because it has a strong yet clean look, and will allow me to easily fit the font into the 9. Feel free to use multiple fonts in your own work. Since I’m only using one font, I’m limited to ways I can make each phrase stand out. For this, I can use different font sizes and styles. I can increase the size of a font and make it bold so that it stands out, or I can make it smaller and use a crisp or smooth style to make it more subtle.

Step 4 – Coloring the Text

Now that we have a vast stream of words filling our 9, we need to make this image look amazing! Lets start by lowering the opacity of our 9 to around 2%. This way it will help give some border around our text, but not too noticeable.

Then place all of your text layers (except the 9) into a Group (Layer > New > Group). Duplicate the group by right clicking it and selecting Duplicate Group. Click OK when the dialog box appears. The reason we duplicated the group is so that we can merge all of our text layers into one. With the new group selected, right click it and select Merge Group. This will take all of the layers in our group and place them onto a single layer. Now you can hide the group that still has all of the text layers in it since we have this single layer with all of our text.

Select your merged layer in your layers palette and add a Gradient Overlay (Layer > Layer Style > Gradient Overlay). I used a nice green (#48a248) for the bottom and a blue (#3bb2f7) for the top.

Step 5 – Adding a Title

Let’s add a nice title to our wallpaper. I’m going to add the text Happy New Year (Centruy Gothic / 36px / Italic) and use the same gradient overlay as before, except from left to right instead. Then I’m going to add the text Tutorial9 Staff (Century Gothic / 24px / Italic) with the color #736357.

Step 6 – Adding Texture

Now let’s add a texture over our image. I grabbed an image off of sxc.hu. Place the texture on a new layer on top of your document. De-saturate the image (Ctrl+Shift+U) and set the layer to Overlay.

Step 7 – Re-Colorization

In the next steps, we are going to add some more random and vibrant color to our image.

Create a new layer and set your foreground to #6dcff6 and background to #000000. Then go to Filter > Render > Clouds. After your layer is filled with a mixture of blue and black “clouds”, set the layer to Overlay and lower the Opacity to 25%.

Create another new layer and change your background color to white. Once again go to Filter > Render > Clouds to fill your layer with blue and white “clouds”. Then set your layer to Overlay and lower the Opacity to around 70%.

Simple enough?

As you can see, the hardest part of this tutorial was filling the document was text. Adding effects was actually quite simple. After learning all of the tools in Photoshop you will find yourself creating complex works with minimal effort! Feel free to experiment and create your own unique works.

To get the effect above, I created a new layer and went to Image > Apply Image. Then I used a Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and set the layer to Lighten with 35% Opacity. After that, I created a Gradient Map (Layer > New Adjust Layer > Gradient Map) that went from #ec008c to #e77418. Finally, I set the gradient map layer to Vivid Light.

What We’re Making

Step 1: Creating the Background

Since our Zune is going to be a nice sleek back, let’s setup a light blue background that will compliment the black.
Create a new document that is 400x600px. Set your foreground color to a nice light blue (#b5efff) and your background color to a darker blue (#00bef3). Grab your Gradient Tool and drag a radial gradient starting at the top right corner and ending at the bottom left corner of the document.

Make a selection about 125px high starting at the bottom of your document using the Rectangle Marquee Tool. Set your foreground color to white and create a Foreground to Transparent gradient starting at the top of the selection running to the bottom. Then set the layer blending mode to Soft Light.

Step 2: Creating the Body of the Zune

Set your foreground color to black. Grab your Rounded Rectangle Tool which is located underneath the rectangle tool. When a shape is made with the rounded rectangle tool, it is made with a path. The path around the object is what makes the shape a vector. Set the Radius of your tool to 7px and then draw a rectangle that nearly covers your canvas. Then apply the following Gradient Overlay.

Duplicate your rounded rectangle by right clicking on it and selecting Duplicate Layer. Change the color of the rectangle to #1e1e1e by double clicking the color thumbnail in the layer. Enter free transform by going to Edit > Free Transform. Then drag the top, left, and right sides about 10px into the body (each done separately). Now drag the bottom side a good 120px up from the bottom and complete your transform.

Then apply the following layer styles:

Outer Glow

Inner Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your newest rectangle. Go to free transform, and while holding alt+shift, drag the one of the corners inward. Drag it so it is about 10-15px smaller than the previous rectangle. Holding alt makes the transform go to the center of the object and holding shift makes the object maintain its proportions. Change the color to #0f0f0f. Then apply the following Inner Shadow.

Step 3: Adding Highlights to the Body

Since we want our Zune to have a shiny more reflective appearance, like a real one, we are going to add a nice highlight layer. Duplicate your bottom most rectangle, this should be your largest one. Drag it above all of your layers and set the Fill of the layer to 0%.

Step 4: Creating the Pad

Alright, we now have the main body of our Zune complete! The only problem now is that it doesn’t have any buttons on it. We need to add the touch sensitive pad and the buttons that fall on each side.

Set your foreground to black and grab the Rounded Rectangle Tool with a radius of 30-40px. While holding shift, drag a rounded rectangle onto the Zune until it appears to be the correct size. Place it in the horizontal center at the bottom of the pad, but make sure it is closer to the screen than it is to the bottom of the Zune, since it is like that on the real thing. Then apply the following Outer Glow.

Duplicate your previous rectangle. Right click the layer and select Clear Layer Style, which will remove the out glow. Change the color to #070707. Then start a transform on it and hold alt+shift and make it about 2px smaller.

Now apply the following layer styles:

Inner Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your latest rectangle and clear the layer styles like we did before. Change the color to black and make it about 2px smaller.

Once again, duplicate your latest rectangle and clear the layer styles. Make it 2px smaller just like we did before. Then apply the following layer styles:

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

Step 5: Creating the Circular Buttons

Only two buttons to go before we have our Zune!

Create a new layer group by clicking the folder icon at the bottom of the layers panel. Grab the Ellipse Tool underneath the rectangle tool. While holding shift, drag a new circle onto the Zune for the arrow button. Place it to the left of the pad and apply the following layer styles:

Outer Glow

Stroke

Duplicate your previous layer and clear the layer styles. Make it 2-3px smaller and apply the following layer styles:

Gradient Overlay

Stroke

Now that we have the actual button made, lets duplicate it for the other side. Right click your group and select Duplicate Group. Then, while holding shift, drag it to the right side of the pad. Holding shift makes it move in a straight line.

Step 6: Creating the Icons for the Buttons

Now that we have out buttons, we need to create some icons for them. Turn your grid on by going to View > Show > Grid You can change the options for your grid by going to Edit > Preferences > Guids, Grids, & Slices.

Grab your Pen Tool and create an arrow like the one shown below.

Set the fill of the layer to 0% and then add a Stroke. The fill of the layer will change the opacity of the actual pixels in the layer while leaving any layer effects applied to it alone.

Repeat the process for the right button using a triangle and two rectangles.

We Now Have a Vector Zune Graphic!

Place all of your Zune layers into a layer group. Re-size the group to be small and big so that you can see you won’t lose any quality due to the fact that everything is vectorized. Feel free to add a shadow under your final result by creating a new layer underneath your Zune and making a black oval with the Elliptical Marquee Tool and applying a Gaussian Blur.

Download the PSD

Looking for more Photoshop Tutorials?

Step 1 – Creating the Background

Choosing colors for a background is important because it will influence how your image stands out. Since we are going to be creating a vibrant glossy box, let’s use a dark background. Create a new document, mine is 256x256px for the purpose of this tutorial. Set a dark gray, #363636, as your foreground color and black, #000000, as your background color.

Once you have your colors selected, grab your Gradient Tool and create a radial gradient near the center of your document as shown in the image below.

Since we want the box to appear as though it is on a surface and not floating in the air, we are going to add another gradient. On a new layer, make a selection about 90px tall from the bottom of your document (depends on the size of your document). Create a radial gradient closer to the left side and towards the top of the selection so that it looks like the one in the image below.

Step 2 – Creating the Box

Now that we have our background, we need to create our actual box. To begin, simply create a selection about 100x100px and fill it with a nice blue color, such as #0062b3.

Since we want our box to have some perspective, we are going to need to transform it by going to Edit > Transform > Perspective. Bring the top right and bottom right corners of the box towards the center of the side a small amount and complete your transformation.

Then go to Edit > Free Transform and drag the right side to the left a small amount, to compensate for the perspective that you applied. You want your box to look like a square, keeping in mind how perspective affects the way your eyes see an object.

Now that we have the right shape, let’s change the color. Grab your linear gradient tool and create a light blue (#0080c3) to dark blue (#004893) gradient from the bottom left to the top right of the box.

With the right side of the box complete, lets move on to the left side. Create a duplicate (Right click layer > Duplicate) of the right side of your box and flip it horizontally (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal).

Then simply apply another perspective transformation (Edit > Transform > Perspective) of greater value, and drag the left side in even more. This will give the illusion that the left side of the box is viewable, but it is not the main side of the box. Depending on your tastes, you may want to create a new linear gradient for the left side to make it look a little more unique.

Notice that my box is near the center of the gradient for the surface we created. It also is low enough so that it appears that the entire bottom of the box is touching the surface. It is coming along great!

Step 3 – Creating the Gloss Effect

We have a great looking box already, but the style we are going for is glossy. We are going to accomplish this using a few different steps which can be difficult sometimes, so take your time here.

Lets start by applying a layer style effect called Satin to both of our box layers. this is going to give the box a neat effect that looks great underneath the gloss. It will also make the edges a little brighter than the center of the box, which matches the effect that I wanted.

On a new layer, make a selection of your right box layer by Ctrl+Clicking on the thumbnail for the layer. Grab your linear gradient tool and change it to Foreground to Transparent, with white (#FFFFFF) as your foreground. Create a gradient from the bottom left to the top right of the selection. Once the gradient is created, lower the Opacity of the layer to around 20%.

Now grab your Polygonal Lasso Tool and select part of the bottom of the gradient and delete it.

Repeat the process for the left box, making sure that the area of the gradient that you delete fits with the perspective of the box. I also lowered the opacity of the left gloss to around 10% or 15%.

Step 4 – Placing the Type

Choose a font type that you would like to use for your text, I chose Myriad Pro set to Bold and 60pt size.

Now, I want the text to fit along the same perspective of the box, but Photoshop doesn’t allow perspectives to be placed on text. To get around this, right click the text layer and go to Rasterize Type. This will change the text layer into a normal object layer. Now I can apply a perspective to it, and I will do the same things I did for the right box, bring the top right and bottom right sides in and move the right side to the left a little.

Then apply the following layer styles:

Gradient Overlay

#CCCCCC to #FFFFFF

Stroke

I’m going to place some extra text around my image and use Gradient Overlay effects to give them a unique look.

Step 5 – Creating the Reflection

Our image looks pretty good at this point and we could stop if we wanted to. However, this isn’t the effect I was going for. I really want my image to stand out with vibrant glows and colors, so let’s keep adding some effects.

Drag both of your box layers and both of the gloss layers into a new group (Layer > New > Group). Then duplicate that group (Right click layer > Duplicate). Go to Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical to flip the new layer group upside down.

Now we need to make the sides of the reflection touch the sides of the box, so shift+click the right box layer and the right gloss layer inside of your reflection group. Go to Edit > Transform > Skew and drag the right side of the layers up until they meet with the bottom of the box. Do the same for the left side of the box. Then lower the opacity of the group to around 50%.

Step 6 – Making the Box Glow

As of now, our box just looks like a blue colored box sitting on a reflective surface. I want to give the appearance that the box is glowing, so that it increases the dramatic look of the image.

Go back down to your table layer and make a new layer above it. Ctrl+click the thumbnail for your table layer to make a selection of it. Now grab a large soft brush, mine is around 300px, with a color to match your box, #196dad. Make a single brush mark that centers around your box.

Now create a layer underneath the table and make another brush mark to go over the background. Lower the opacity of the layer to around 50%.

Step 7 – Creating the Sky Lights

I’ve almost got the results I set out for. The box immediately grabs attention and has a nice glow to it, but it isn’t as vibrant as I want it to be. Adding some sky lights should help.

Create a new layer underneath your box group. Make a selection of the right box, and move the selection up about 30-50px. Make a white to transparent gradient in your selection and lower the opacity of the layer to 50%. Then apply a new gradient overlay:

Repeat the same process for the left box.

Finally, on a new layer, use a 5px brush with a nice light color, such as #54e0ff, and brush at the three viewable corners. Then use a larger soft brush, such as a 30px brush, and erase the tips to make them look more like sky lights.

Experiment and Expand

As always, try new things and different styles. You’d be amazed at what things you can come up with on accident. By adding a curves layer (Layer > New Adjustments Layer > Curves) I can make the box appear more vibrant.

Finished Example

Before we begin, let’s take a look at a finished example of the scene.

Step 1 – Creating the Background

Since our scene is in the sky, lets select some nice blue colors to use for the background. I decided to use #a6e3ff as the light blue color and #63c4f0 as the darker blue color.

Now that we have our colors, let’s create a gradient on a new document.

Step 2 – Creating the Balloon Shape

Create a new layer, and select the Pen Tool. With your Pen Tool set to paths, create a shape like a hot air balloon. Then right click, click Make Selection, and click OK. Then fill your selection with a color, I chose #45af37.

Step 3 – Adding a Shadow to the Balloon

Since this is a cartoon scene, I can add a shadow against the sky! To do this, simply add a Drop Shadow (Layer > Layer Style > Drop Shadow).

Step 4 – Adding Stripes to the Balloon

Duplicate (Layer > Duplicate Layer) your current balloon layer. Apply a Color Overlay (Layer > Layer Style > Color Overlay) to the layer using a different shade of the color you used before, such as #76e966 for my green. Then change the size of the shape (Edit > Free Transform).

Repeat this process until you get as many stripes as you desire.

Step 5 – Adding a Highlight to the Balloon

Create a new layer and select your Gradient Tool. Set your foreground color to white, and change your gradient tool to match the one shown below.

Make a selection of the balloon (Ctrl+Click Thumbnail) and drag your gradient from top to bottom to make the highlight. Then lower the opacity of the layer to around 25%.

Step 6 – Creating the Basket Shape

Create a new layer and grab your Rounded Rectangle Tool and set the Radius to 5 px. Using a brown color such as #a38f3f, create a rounded rectangle with the same width of the bottom of the balloon and give it a height that looks good. Then use your Pencil Tool to make the top of the rounded rectangle straight.

Step 7 – Creating the Basket Pattern

Create a new document that is 6px wide and 2px high with a transparent background. Then use a black pencil and create the pattern below. Then go to Edit > Define Pattern.

Step 8 – Styling the Basket

Add the Pattern Overlay (Layer > Layer Style > Pattern Overlay) on your basket layer using your newly made pattern. Then apply a gradient overlay with the following settings:

Then add a drop shadow with the following settings:

Step 9 – Adding Strings to Your Basket

Create a new layer and use a 1px white brush to place some strings connecting the balloon to the basket. Give it the same drop shadow your basket layer has.

Step 10 – Adding a Character

To add the character in the basket, create a layer underneath the basket and use a black brush and drag a straight line (hold shift). Then use smaller brushes to create the eyes.

Keeping Your Layers Organized

It is always a good idea to label all of your layers so that you know what they are and keep them organized.

Grouping layers that are related to each other also helps to make your document easier to manage and edit.

You can change the color of a group by double clicking on the folder icon for it.

Step 11 – Adding More Balloons

Duplicate your first balloon and re-size it in a new position. Then make a selection of the balloon (Ctrl+Click Thumbnail) and fill it with a different color on a new layer. Set the blending mode of the layer to Hue.

Step 12 – Adding the Clouds

To add the clouds, simply create new layers and grab a white brush. Use different size brushes to create the clouds, and give the layer a drop shadow with the following settings:

The Finished Result

After following all of the previous steps, we can come up with something like this!

In just a few simple steps, you can add a calm, easy-going text effect — great for evening events and crisp banners.

What We’re Making

This Text Effect Quickie will show you how to easily create a soft glowing moon-like text.

Before getting started, you may want to download the font used:

• Nevis Bold

Step 1 – Background

Since this text effect looks best on dark colored backgrounds, let’s create one. Using the color #0f1c25 and black, create a radial gradient from the center of your document.

Step 2 – Setting the Type

Let’s set some type in the document to use the effect on. Bolder and stronger fonts will work better!

Step 3 – Setting Up the Layer Style

Go into your text layers Blending Options (Right Click Layer > Blending Options).

Apply the layer effects shown below, making any modifications as needed.

Drop Shadow

Outer Glow

#afd3e2

Inner Glow

#93c1d4

Gradient Overlay

#afd3e2 to White

Imitating a physical object from scratch might seem very difficult, but we’re going to do just that in this tutorial – in a way that’s pretty easy to follow! We’ll create a piece of burnt parchment that looks incredibly real!

What We’re Making

This tutorial will show you how to create a decayed burnt piece of parchment like the example shown below.

Step 1 – Setting Up the Parchment

Open a new document 500x600px. Create a new group (Layer > New > Group) and label it Parchment. Create a new layer and place it inside the group. Place guides horizontally and vertically centered in the document. Make a selection 400x490px using the rectangular marquee tool and fill it using the color #e9dbba.

Step 2 – Dirtying the Parchment

In order to continue with this tutorial, you’re going to need some Grunge Brushes. Grunge brushes can be used to imitate dirt and decay. To learn how to install brushes, read the tutorial.

On a new layer inside your Parchment group, use a dark brown color like #735c27 to dirty the parchment. Don’t overdue it!

Then create another new layer and use a lighter brown color like #ab8e4a to create some more dirt.

Step 3 – Adding Texture and Color

Create a new layer and fill it with a dark brown color like #5f470d. Then set the blending mode of the layer to Vivid Light and set the opacity to 30%. This will help give our parchment a nice brown weathered color.

Now we need some paper texture. There are some great ones in the 99 Free Textures post here on Tutorial9. I chose the Old Aged Paper (Parchment) Texture. By placing it on a new layer, resizing it (Ctrl+T), desaturating it (Ctrl+Shift+U), and setting the layer to multiply, I can give my parchment a more realistic look.

Step 4 – Creating the Edges

Right now, all of our layers are placed inside of the Parchment group. This will allow us to easily mask all of the layers to the parchment using just one group mask.

Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool, make a selection around the inside of the parchment that will give it jagged edges. Then apply the selection as a group mask. To do this, click on the Parchment group icon, then click the Add Layer Mask at the bottom of the layer pallete.

Step 5 – Creating the Outer Crisp

In order to get the burnt effect, we need to create a dark outer edge around the parchment. To do this, use a really dark brown color like #211a0a and hard small brushes around 3-5px to create an effect like below.

Step 6 – Burning the Edges

To make the burn look more realistic we need to have a transition from the dirty parchment to the burnt edges.

Duplicate (Right Click > Duplicate Layer) the layer containing your crispy dark edge. Then apply a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 2. Set the layer to overlay, and make a selection of the layer mask set on the Parchment group. Then apply the same layer mask to your current layer. Repeat the process with larger and larger amounts of Gaussian Blur until you get an effect like the one below.

Step 7 – Adding Text

Add some nice cursive script inside of your parchment. Lower the Fill of any text layer to 60%, and give it the following layer effect. Lowering the fill will cause the text to look worn into the paper, and the stroke adds a fade off burnt look around the edges of the text.

To add the RSS image, I simply placed it inside the parchment and changed the layer mode to multiply.

Step 8 – Changing the Background

Let’s add a nice background to the scene. I decided to use a nice wooden floor.

Step 9 – Adding a Shadow

To add a shadow simply create a new layer underneath your Parchment group, make a selection of the Parchment group mask, fill it with black, and give it a Gaussian Blur (Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur) of 10-15.

Step 10 – Adding Effect

Create a new layer above all your old layers. Go to Image > Apply Image so that the layer is filled with a merged version of what was showing. Then go to Filter > Render > Lighting Effects and apply a lighting effect like the one shown below.

On a new layer, create a gradient like the one below using pink #b02db9 and blue #1f7bc9. Then change the layer mode to Overlay and lower the opacity to a level you like.

Experiment, Redesign, and Be Creative

I can’t stress enough how putting a little extra work into your designs can improve them drastically.

Lately, it has become popular to manipulate photos to create intense surreal environments. This tutorial will show you some of the ways to create such environments.

Finished Example

Let’s take a look at a finished example of a surreal environment.

Step 1 – Selecting a Photo

After browsing some free stock photos at stock.xchng, I finally decided on a picture of a road surrounded by daisies.

• Road Image

Step 2 – Think of Some Concepts

Now that I have my photo, I need to think of what I want to add to make it surreal. Since it is a curved road, I thought some vibrant tubes of light would create a nice effect. Also, since there were so many daisies, I wanted to make them appear to glow. I also wanted to add some more excitement into the empty sky.

Since I’m going to want some bright daisies and some glowing tubes of light, I’ll keep in mind that I may want to darken all the other parts of the photo.

Step 3 – Fixing the Background

I don’t like the tractor marks in the left field of daisies, so I’m going to use my Clone Stamp Tool to clear them away. I’ll do the same for the tracks in the upper field too.

Step 4 – Adding the First Beam

Create a path that winds up the road using the pen tool. Make sure that it extends below the actual document some, so that the end isn’t rounded. Select a 19px hard brush and set the Size Jitter Control to Fade, and give it a value around 400 or 500. Then, set the Minimum Diameter to 10%.

With your pen tool selected, right click and select Stroke Path. Select Brush from the drop down menu and make sure Simulate Pressure IS checked.

Step 5 – Adding Layer Styles

Go into your layers Blending Options (Right Click Layer > Blending Options).

Apply the layer effects shown below, making any modifications as needed.

Outer Glow

This will create a glow off of the tube of light. I used #ff0000.

Inner Glow

This will create a lighter color starting from the center of the tube. I used #f75151.

Satin

This will help to structure the shape of the tube.

Color Overlay

This will replace the color of the tube with red. I used #ff0000.

Step 6 – Add a Unique Glow

Our red tube is looking a little boring and not very vibrant. SO LETS BRIGHTEN IT UP!

Duplicate your red tube (Right Click Layer > Duplicate Layer). Then, convert it into a Smart Object (Right Click Layer > Convert to Smart Object), so that we can easily apply and remove filters.

Now, lets apply the following filters:

Reticulation (Filter > Sketch > Reticulation)

Make sure you have black as your foreground color and white as your background color.

Chalk and Charcoal (Filter > Sketch > Chalk & Charcoal)

Make sure you have black as your foreground color and white as your background color.

Plastic Wrap (Filter > Artistic > Plastic Wrap)

Finally, set the layer to Color Dodge and set the Opacity to 44%.

Step 7 – Intensify the Glow

Create a new layer and make a selection of your red tube (Ctrl+Click Thumbnail). Set white as your foreground color and set a dark red color like #7c0707 as your background color.

Go to Filter > Render > Clouds. Then, go to Filter > Render > Difference Clouds. By pressing Ctrl+F, you can now keep applying the previous filter you applied. So press Ctrl+F a few more times to apply Difference Clouds until you end up with a result you like (be sure it is red and white). Now, set the layer to Linear Dodge and lower the opacity until you get an effect you are happy with.

Step 8 – Adding Sparkles

Grab a 3px brush and apply the following brush settings.

Then, on a new layer, brush some white sparkles all down the red tube. Then do the same thing with a nice red color. After, lower the opacity of the layer to 40-50%.

Step 9 – Adding More Colors

Repeat the process with some more colors, and use layer masks to make them twist above and below each other. If you place all the layers for the green tube, for instance, into a new group, then you can create a layer mask on the group, and it will apply it to all of the green tube layers!

Step 10 – Filling the Sky

In order to create the effect in the sky, we need to create our own brush.

Create a new document that is 50x50px. Create a new layer and delete the background layer, since we want the background to be transparent. Then, create a rectangle that is 10px wide by 40px high. Then, duplicate it and rotate it 90 degrees (Edit > Transform > Rotate 90 degrees). Once you’ve got your shape, go to Edit > Define Brush Preset.

You can close the new document now that you have your brush. Select your brush, and set your foreground color to #335776 and your background color to #6084a5. Then apply the following brush settings:

Brush Tip Shape

Shape Dynamics

Scattering

Color Dynamics

Other Dynamics

Add a layer mask to the layer after you brush in some plus signs. This way there is a transition from the full sky to the empty sky, and will be easier on the eyes.

Step 11 – The Darkening

This image looks pretty decent as it is, but its going to look even better when the background items are darkened. This way, the lights will have more attention and focus in the scene.

Create a new layer above your background. Fill it with black and set it to Overlay. By creating a layer mask and hiding the area of the layer over the daisies, we can make them appear to glow.

Get Creative

Even after you achieve a great effect, spend some time trying to improve it. It is rare to achieve the greatest outcome possible in one try. You may even want to start over from scratch, keeping in mind what you liked from before and what you want to change or include!