In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to create some energetic lines you can use to create more lively digital creations. Effects such as this are great for enhancing abstract compositions!
What We’re Making
A preview of the effect we’re going to create in this tutorial can be seen in the back of this graphic:
The purpose of this tutorial is not to actually recreate this exact graphic, but rather show you how to add similar lines into your own compositions. For this reason, I’m not going to explain how to design this specific background, but you are free to download the background here if you’d like to follow using our example.
Step 1 - Start with a Flare
Create a new Layer.
First, we’ll create a large, bright flare where our lines will sprawl out of. Using a large, soft brush (0% hardness, 100-200px, or greater for large documents), and a white foreground color, dab a bit somewhere in your document as a starting point for your lines.
Set this layer to Overlay. If need be, duplicate this layer several times to get a more intense effect. Here is the flare after 3 duplicate layers:
Step 2 - Adding Some White Lines
Create a new layer above your flare. Still using a white foreground color, set your brush size to 1-2px, and your brush hardness to 100%.
Plan out a path for your lines. Decide which direction you want your lines to flow, how many sets (directions) you want your lines to flow in, and how you want your lines to interact with any subjects you may have in your composition. I want to have 3 groups of lines, two shooting upward out of my flare, and one coming out the bottom as if the flare fuses those groups together.
Now, making quick, smooth strokes (a Graphics Tablet really can help), draw your groups of lines into your new layer (Video Below). With a mouse, you need to be sure to make fast flicks to create a smooth looking line. Alternatively, you can create dozens of paths with the pen tool, and then stroke those paths with a 1-2px white brush. This approach will almost alway look better, but is more time consuming.
Here’s a quick demonstration video:
Step 3 - Adding More Lines
Continue to build upon your lines with additional colors as you see fit. Try to choose colors which compliment the other colors in your image, or are similar to the colors used in your graphic. Yellow is a nice complimentary color for blue, so I’ll add some extra yellow lines.
Step 4 - Scribbles
Create a new Layer.
Using a 1px, 100% hard, white brush, draw in some scribbles that closely follow your line work completed in steps 2 and 3. Add some extra scribbles that shoot out further than the rest near your flare, as if it is filled with electrical energy (you’ve gotta love the terms I’m using to describe such things in this article by now, but really, thinking of ways to compare your linework to real world examples can help you put your ideas to paper).
Step 5 - Add Depth with a Shadow
Duplicate the layer of white lines, and move the layer underneath your flare layers. Apply a Gaussian Blur with a radius of 5-10px. Change the color from White to Black by going to Image > Adjustments > Invert.
Using a shadow is a great way to create an illusion of depth in a graphic. After applying your shadow, the lines and flare should appear to pop forward a bit from the canvas.
Step 6 - Adding a Vibrant Blur
While holding Ctrl, select every line layer and flare layer you’ve created so far. Once every layer is selected in your layers palette, right click one of the selected layers, and choose to Duplicate layers (or Layer > Duplicate Layers).
You should now see a group of layers above your layers you just duplicated (all still selected). Merge these layers (Ctrl + E, or Layer > Merge Layers).
Set this new layer to Overlay. Apply a Guassian Blur with a radius of 10-20px.
This will simply five your lines a more ambient light feel, as if they are actually glowing a bit.
Step 7 - Adding Sparks
On a new layer, using a 1px, hard, white brush, paint in some small sparks (just quick dabs of paint), which increase in number as they approach closer to the flare and lines.
Wrapping Things Up
That’s really all there is too creating this sort of effect. The real creativity is not in the effect itself, but how you tie it into your design work. You can use the lines to wrap around objects in your compositions (would require some extra work with the eraser or masking), to direct attention to different parts of an image, or even use the lines to frame something.
As usual, you can grab the PSD that shows how we created our graphic shown in this tutorial if you’re having any trouble with the effect on your own! 
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thx 4 sharing !!
luv it !!!!
Always a pleasure FBdesign
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very simple but effective technique. I’ve been following your tuts for a while now David, and have to say I’m really impressed. Keep up the great work!
Really good tutotrial, as used to :-p
But this one is a little inacessible to those who don’t have a Graphic Tablet !
@ Tom - Thanks! It’s really nice to hear things like that Tom! I’ve seen you around here before, and have been to your blog several times now. Just saw you’re working on PSDFan. Hope that comes along well!
@ Ahmed Kachkach - Well, it’s very possible to do without a tablet. If you’re having trouble with making clean strokes with your mouse, you could try the alternative way I mentioned above (using paths, and then stroking the paths with a small hard brush).
Really and truly, that’s a better way of going about it in the first place. It’s just much more time consuming, and doesn’t create too much of a difference in smaller documents.
Not exactly a perfect tutorial for what I’m suggesting, but our Creating Holiday Wreaths Tutorial has a bit about the technique I’m talking about.
At step three the extra colors stand out instead of blending in. I used Overlay and it seemed to blend in perfectly. Safe to assume you meant to add overlay on that layer?
@ Metalzoa - I think you may have meant another step, as I can’t find the overlay part you’re referring too. The lines use a “Normal” blending mode just to be clear about that. Does that answer your question, or are we looking at different things?
WOW this is son COOL!!!!!
This is one of my favorite tutorials, because it explains something we can use in our own work, while not showing us some generic poster tutorial or some tool explanation either.
Thank you.
Oh, and BTW, I think everyone should have a graphics tablet. If you dont want to spend money, you can try out the Wacom Bamboo Fun. Its cheap, and works great. I use it all the time.
Great effect, simple process, and an overall good finish. This should help spice things up.
Like I’ve said before, nice job!
nice one david, thats two good tutorials thats been to a higher level ive enjoyed! Cant wait to see what else you’ve got up your sleve!
Nice but I suck at the mouse, my mouse even though new doesn’t work too well on all surface regardless being laser,s o it’s gna be hard to make them, maybe the pen tool could fair better!
another beautiful tut from you guys man i am loving this site more an more
Great Tut!!! Love the use of the video, really helps. Cheers for taking the time buddy!!!
im having trouble. i can apply the lens flare to the original backround but when i make a nu layer and try to apply the lens flare to the nu layer i get a message saying(could not complete the lens flare command because of a program error) it does this for all the filters.
@Josh
You can’t create a lens flare on an empty layer. This tutorial has you use a large brush to create a look just like a lens flare. You aren’t actually going to Filter > Render > Lens Flare.
Hi David I have a problem. In Step 6 - Adding a Vibrant Blur I can’t do it. My result is not like it . Can you give me more infomation?? Thanks, waiting your reply
@ ngoc hai - If it’s making everything too bright, try turning down the opacity of the blur layer. If you let me know exactly what it looks like, I may be able to assist you more.
@David - Thanks
I’d love to collaborate or help one another out when PSDFan launches if you were ever interested. You’ve got yourself 1 more keen reader anyway!
@tyler
thanks for the help man
really stunning
amazing! though for a brainiac like me I think you should mention making new layers if you’re adding more color, if that was the case lol
very good
Beautiful!
Thanks 4 sharing… Nice.
That is awesome! =]
Thank-you.
Thanks everyone! Glad so many of you found it enjoyable!
@ Tom Ross - You’ve got a great thing going over at PSDFan mate! Please keep us updated with your progress over there.
@ Jana - I’m not sure where you’re referring to? Did I miss a step somewhere?
Very nice tutorial
Nice tutorial! Actually explained everything, most tutorials miss a bunch of steps. I used it to make this: http://rebelstrike.deviantart.com/art/i-consume-you-93263037
This helped me so much. Thank you very much. Looks awesome =]
Great tutorial you made there David!
Is it possible to tell me the font you used afterwards?
Cheers
That would be RNS Bobo Dylan. You can grab it here:
http://www.impactolaser.com/t00.html
Hope that helps mate! Thanks!
Already found it, but again.. a big thanks. Keep them coming!
Decided to use this for a computer ad to place at work!
http://flickr.com/photos/tylerbramer/2737151234/
@Joran: Glad you got things figured out mate. Sorry if I was late getting an answer to ya!
@Tyler Bramer: As usual, you do a great job of applying the effects I try to show in unique ways
a hundred thanks….a brilliant design. i used it in my design work for a tech fest brochure and looks awesome…once again thanks to all at tuts9…..
it looks great ! an awesome design to look at.