How to use highlights in Photoshop. Create a realistic light flare in Photoshop
In this tutorial, we'll look at how to use layers and modes Photoshop overlays, you can easily add Glare effect to the image without making any permanent changes to the original photograph.
We'll start by adding and positioning it where we need it. Then, so that we have the opportunity to change this effect at any time or remove it completely, we will cancel this effect, add new layer, reapply the Highlight to this layer.
Then, using the overlay function, combine the highlight layer with the original image, adjust the result and you're done!
To really get realistic effect, it is better to use an image where there is actually a light source.
I took as an example an image of a family on the seashore.
So let's get started.
Step1 Applying a filter
The first thing we need to do is add a lens flare effect to the original image. Filter - Render - Lens Flare ( - Rendering - Blink)
This will open the Lens Flare Flare dialog box.
The Photoshop filter adds a simulated lens flare effect to the image, and we can choose from four various types lenses in the lower left corner. Each of them has its own effect. You can try by selecting them and see how each one looks directly in the image. I'll choose the default of 50-300mm.
Additionally, you can adjust the brightness of the lens flash by dragging the Brightness slider left or right, but again, I'll choose 80%. Be guided by your image.
To position the flash itself where you want, simply click inside the area preview. You can also click and drag it. In order to keep the effect as visually realistic as possible, I place it near the light source in the image, which in my case is the setting sun.
Click on OK and we get this result.
The only problem is that we applied the effect directly to the image itself, and it will not be editable in the future since we have made final changes to the original image.
Let's look at an option where we can apply a lens flare effect without making any changes to our main photo.
Step 2 Cancel filter
This is done simply and quickly. Edit tab – Undo Lens Flare (Editing – Cancel Flare) in the upper left corner of the screen.
Step 3 Add a New Blank Layer
Our task is to apply the same Flare effect, only now on a new layer, so that we can control the effect without affecting the original image.
Click on the Create Layer icon in the Layers panel. And let's call it highlight.
Step 3 Fill the new layer with black.
Will not allow us to perform the effect on empty layer, so fill it with black.
Returning to the Edit-Fill tab (Editing – Fill)
This will open a dialog box. In the top block, select Color – Select black color from the color palette and OK.
Step 4 Fill the new layer with black.
This is what we should get. 
Step 5 Reapply the Highlight filter to the created layer.
Find at the top of the screen Filter – Lens Flare (Filter – Flare). Please note, since we have already applied this effect, it appeared first in the Filter tab. 
And here is the result.
Step 6. Apply Blending (Overlay) Mode
In the layers panel, select Normal – Screen (Normal – Lightening)
The black layer becomes invisible. Leaving only highlights on the original image)
We all achieved what we wanted.
We can only add a few nuances. To adjust the effect itself, in the layers panel, “play” with the Opacity parameters and set the most suitable option for you. 
This is what I got. You can edit your photo using this tutorial. I think the lesson was useful to you. Be sure to write reviews about the lesson below and share with your friends on in social networks. We will be very pleased if you share this lesson with your friends and write a comment. Thank you and good luck.
Some people believe that there are some special highlights for Photoshop CS6 or later. But in fact, creating glare in all versions of the graphics editor is approximately the same. Although there are fewer variations of this optical illusion in Photoshop CS5. This must be remembered. This is why we recommend using Photoshop CC. Our work will take place there.
Initially, the highlight is created on a black background. Therefore, first of all, create in Photoshop new file. The image size should be 1000 x 1000 pixels. In the “Background” column, select “Transparent”.
Next make the base color black. Select the Fill Tool and left-click on the transparent area. This way you will get a black background on which the highlight will be created. this work begins by following the path “Filter>Rendering>Highlight”. 
A dialog box with settings will immediately appear. the glare created. At the bottom of the window is the Lens Type section, which has four options. Try clicking on all these points, looking at the result in the thumbnail. Choose the option that you like the most. 
How to make glare in Photoshop?
In part, you already understand how to make glare in Photoshop; they are created using just one filter. But we need a very beautiful and unique result, so let's continue. The dialog box will also ask you to change the opacity of the highlight. Leave this setting at 100% for now. There is a small cross in the miniature. Move it, the optical illusion will change in size. When you are satisfied with the result, click the “OK” button. 
Now we need to create a brush that will represent the highlight we have selected. To do this, first invert the image by pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+I. Then go to Edit>Define Brush. Give the new brush a name. For example, “Highlight 1000 1″. After this, press the key combination Ctrl+I again. 
Sun flare in Photoshop
We are not interested in standard glare colors; they will not allow us to create a unique optical illusion. So let's color the sun flare in Photoshop with different colors and to do this, go to the "Layers" panel. Here you need to click on the “New Adjustment Layer” button located at the bottom of the panel. In the popped up context menu Click on Hue/Saturation. 
You will immediately be taken to the Properties panel. This is where the colors in the image change. Immediately check the box next to “Toning”. Then everything depends on your imagination. You can color the highlight in the colors that are most interesting to you. Or use the parameters from the screenshot below. 
If you think that one color is not enough, you can cancel previous actions. Instead, select the Gradient Map adjustment layer. This way you can create an orange-yellow highlight. But we will still focus on the previous option.
Our work is almost complete. Now all you have to do is change the background and replace it with your own photo. This is done very simply. Open it using Photoshop, then go to “Select>Select All”. Press the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C. Go back to the highlight and press Ctrl+V. Go to the Layers panel, leave the layer with new picture at the very top. Now all you need to do is change the blend mode to Screen. 
This concludes our work. You can see the result below. But this does not mean the end of the lesson. The fact is that there is a second method of creating a highlight. Why don't we consider that too? 
Glare of light for Photoshop
The second method of adding glare of light for Photoshop is not as universal as the first - here you cannot paint the optical illusion in any color. But it allows you to place a highlight in the photo as quickly as possible. We will show an example of creating a sun flare in a photo with a car. The shot was taken at dawn, which suits us perfectly. 
First open the image at Adobe Help Photoshop. Immediately go to the Layers panel. Right-click on the word "Background". In the context menu, select “Convert to Smart Object”. 
Now go to “Filter>Rendering>Highlight”. You will immediately notice that the thumbnail has been updated in the dialog box. Previously, it had a black background, but now our image is located in this window. This allows you to place the highlight as accurately as possible. 
When you click on the “OK” button, the element will be applied to the image. Pay attention to the Layers panel. The highlight was added as a smart filter. This means that you can change its type and position at any time. That is, it is enough to do double click by the word “Highlight”, you will return to the previously discussed dialog box. 
You can see the result of our actions below. Everything turned out very well. At the same time, it only takes one minute to improve the picture in this way! Or a little more time if you spend a lot of time thinking about the flare option and its location. 
It is not always possible to create a beautiful optical flare using the built-in Adobe Photoshop filter. The point is that it is too limited. And then glares for Photoshop created by other craftsmen come to the rescue. Usually they are created using third party tools. For example, a very beautiful result can be obtained using one of the plugins for Adobe After Effects. You may object: this program created for video editing. Yes it is. But no one forbids you to create just one frame in it and save it in any graphic format.
Backgrounds with glare effect for Photoshop
Backgrounds with a glare effect for Photoshop are especially popular. They can be a great start to creating a colorful card or wedding invitation. They are also great for creating collages. You can find the background as a regular JPEG file. But it’s better to look for a background with a highlight in the form of a texture. Usually, entire archives with several dozen such backgrounds are distributed on different sites. This gives you a wide choice.
Textures are set to Adobe Photoshop. After that they are available directly in graphic editor, you no longer need to store them on your hard drive. There is a separate tool for working with textures. Typically texture is used to create a background. But sometimes it is used to paint some three-dimensional element. Textures also help fill a regular two-dimensional drawing or logo.
Textures with glare for Photoshop
Exists great amount textures with highlights for Photoshop, but many of them weigh several megabytes. If your C drive (usually where Photoshop is installed) has very little space, it is recommended to special attention approach the choice of textures. If you are using a capacious HDD, then there is no need to worry. Then you can install hundreds of textures.
Installing textures is very easy. To do this, you need to go to the path “Edit>Sets>Manage Sets”. This will take you to a dialog box. By default, you will be shown the installed brushes. 
At the top of the window, select the dialing type. Are you interested in patterns? This is what textures are called in Photoshop. When you choose desired type set - click the "Download" button. Next, you need to select one or more texture files that you would like to install. Files must be in PAT format. 
If you downloaded backgrounds with glare for Photoshop in PNG format, then everything is much simpler. You need to work with them just like any other photo. The PNG file contains a highlight and a transparency zone. Thanks to this, the highlight can be applied even on top of other designs. As an example, we will show how to work with one of the highlights. First it is selected using any file manager or image viewer. After this, the picture is opened using Adobe Photoshop. 
You'll immediately notice that the image consists almost entirely of a transparent area. The glare against its background is now barely noticeable. 
Next, you can create a new layer and fill it with any color. Go to the “Layers” section and move the fill layer to the very bottom. Now the background with the highlight is ready! 
You can also paste as a new layer new photo. Then the highlight will be on top of it. Again, you need to remember to move the highlight layer to the very top. You may also need to resize one of the layers. This is done using the already familiar “Free Transform” function. 
Brushes with highlights for Photoshop
If you remember, at the very beginning of the lesson we created a brush with a highlight for Photoshop. If you use the appropriate tool, then this brush will be among the options. But the result of its application will not please you, since the highlight will be painted in one color. 
This is why brushes with highlights for Photoshop are not as popular as textures. You can find some brush sets online. But most often these are not even glares, but stars. If you are taking photos night city, then such stars leave behind burning lanterns. Using a brush is a separate art, which needs to be discussed in a separate lesson. For now, let's say that novice users should not strive to install such brushes. At first, it is better to use an appropriate filter or downloaded backgrounds.
If you still decide to install brushes, then this is done in the already mentioned “Managing Sets” section. You shouldn't have any difficulties with this now.
You can also create highlights using the appropriate plugins. This is the name given to individual utilities that add Photoshop new filters. But you need to remember that the installation large quantity plugins slow down the performance of the graphic editor. And not all plugins work in new versions of the program. For example, the Knoll Light Factory and Star Filter Pro plugins are ideal for creating highlights. But they don't work in Photoshop CC. And you also need to remember that plugins are rarely distributed for free.
How to remove glare in Photoshop?
If the photographer is not very experienced, then he may allow sun glare to appear in the frame. Sometimes they look very beautiful. But if the lens used is not the best, then the glare will only spoil the picture and then the question arises - how to remove glare in Photoshop?
We hasten to upset you. Beginner users will not be able to remove the sun glare. This is a very complex operation that even experienced owners of a graphics editor prefer not to undertake. Therefore, when shooting outdoors, keep an eye on the resulting picture. It is also recommended to put a lens hood on the lens; with it it is much more difficult to get a flare.
Another thing is the glare from the flash. It can appear on fruits, metal objects and even on a person's face. The highlight looks like a bright white speck. Such a defect can be eliminated. But this will require many complex and not so complex actions in Adobe Photoshop. It is possible that we will talk more about this in a separate lesson.
Well, this lesson comes to an end. Now you know how to add a beautiful sun flare to a photo. To do this, a simple filter is used, which has been available in graphical graphics for quite some time. Adobe editor Photoshop. You can also download it to your computer separate files with glare. These can be either patterns or simple PNG images with transparent background. Well, as for removing glare, this is almost impossible to do. Good luck with your photos and easy work in Photoshop! Visit our site regularly, then you will learn other techniques.
How to draw a highlight on an object in Photoshop - this is always actual question. In order to draw a highlight correctly, you need to study the theory of the formation of light and shade in drawing, I will not discuss it, but will devote the lesson to the technical part - assuming that you have an idea where the highlight should be, but you don’t know what it should be and how It's better to draw it.
But before moving on to practice, a little theory.
What exactly is a glare? Conventionally, we can say that glare is the brightest place where a light source is reflected from an object.
What it will be like depends on the material of the object itself: if it has a smooth polished surface from which light is reflected, the glare should be bright, its shape follows the contours of the object, and at sharper angles the light is reflected more strongly.
On less smooth surfaces, the glare is duller; rough surfaces scatter light. This must be remembered before applying the highlight.
The picture from the site render.ru quite clearly demonstrates the type of glare depending on the surface on which it falls.
(to view the picture in full size click on it)
For glare to appear, the object must be brightly lit and direct rays must fall on it.
How to determine the glare area?
If you are drawing an image from scratch, you need to select a light source and determine the highlights from its location. If you are working with a picture and do not change the light source, select the lightest places in the original image and transfer it to yours.
BUT! Often you come across works that have glare superimposed on them that shouldn’t seem to be there (like glare on car tires). You look at this, you know that there shouldn’t be a glare, at least not this bright, but damn, it looks cool!
Here's the best one for you main conclusion: rules exist to break them, the main thing is not to overdo it.
Here is a selection of several types of highlights - some of them are drawn, some are real.
Let's move on to the technical part.
Always remember to blend highlights into the finished image.
1. Preparing the file for applying highlights
First, I carry out all the operations of retouching and composing the scene: I have a cut out photo of a glass bottle with a metal cap. I draw a reflection for the object (read how to do this in the lesson Drawing a reflection in Photoshop) and break the background into squares, supporting the corners on the bottle. There are highlights in the source material, but they seem inexpressive to me, so I need to accentuate them.
2. Determine the location of glare
As I said above, when drawing from the source, these are the lightest places in the image - they are marked as an area in the picture. 
3. I focus light on the subject
I fill the marked areas with white, blur them a little with Gaussian, change the blending mode to “Vivid Light” and reduce the fill to 40-60%. The light areas became brighter, and a small glowing halo appeared around the light spots. I wash it in places where I don’t need the glow - these are the edges of the lid ring, in that place the light will flow along the ring itself.
Using a one-pixel hard brush on a new layer, I paint highlights along the edges of the object.
4. Glowing highlights
On a new layer soft brush white In the supposed places of the brightest highlights, I draw small dots (marked in red in the picture for clarity), add non-monochrome noise (Filter-Add Noise) and duplicate the layer (Ctrl+E).
I blur one take in motion ( Motion Blur) at an angle (Angle) of 30−60 degrees (I choose the degree of displacement by eye), I blur the second one in a movement in the direction opposite to the first and with a lesser degree of displacement. It looked like a star in the place of the brightest highlights. I merge these layers and change the blending mode to “Screen”, fill 60-80%.
5. Using a hard white brush, I once again go through the areas bright glow and use the Finger tool to smudge the edges. Change the blending mode to “Overlay”, fill 30-60%. I duplicate the layer and use Gaussian blur.
6. Adding lighting effects
1. There is a flash on the object itself:
I find a suitable flash on a black background, change the blend mode to “Screen”, and move it to the place I need. If desired, you can add another one.
Now I don't like the background color, I change it to purple.
I find a picture with an interesting lighting effect and place it above the subject. I change the blending mode to “Screen” and use a soft eraser to erase the edges so that the sharp transition between the image with the glow and the background is not visible. I add reflection from sparks. 
I add more lighting effects, again - don’t forget about reflection.
7. Reflexes
Since the object is illuminated by colored rays, reflections from the rays must be added to it. I duplicate the layer drawn in step 5 and apply a layer style to it with the following parameters:
8. You can also add light to the background and stop there.
The overlay of various lighting effects allows you to achieve a result that is radically different from the source, and no one limits the freedom of creativity.
This lesson will teach everyone a simple but very interesting technique of adding a highlight to a photo using blending modes. The highlight will be realistic and natural. Adding and setting up a filter will be done using the standard filter Photoshop programs. Further processing will make the highlight more natural, since the filter itself worsens the image.
This is what we should get as a result:
And here is the original image:
Let's determine the location of the highlight. Let's go to the menu Filter -> Render/Rendering -> Lens Flare
In the window that opens, you can select different kinds glare Setting the lens type 50-300mm Zoom/Zoom 50-300mm. In order to determine the location of the glare, you just need to click on the preview. Choose a place where the sun is located.
Having decided on the settings, click “Ok”.
As a result, we get the following result. This would suit many people, but there are some inaccuracies. The highlight turned out to be too bright and that’s why it doesn’t look natural. We continue processing.
We undo what we did with the filter. To do this, click CTRL-Z.
Fill this layer with black. Let's go to the menu Edit -> Fill
In the window that opens, set the settings as in the screenshot.
By clicking on “Ok” we will see how Photoshop will fill the new layer with black and hide the photo.
Now the highlight needs to be placed on the black layer. While we have not used other filters, you can repeat the action of the last used filter with the same settings. To do this, click Ctrl+F.
And this is what happens:
The blending mode of the highlight layer needs to be changed to Screen/Lightening
As a result, the black color is hidden and only the highlight remains.
Now, thanks to the fact that the highlight is placed on a separate layer, we can turn its visibility on and off.
Sun flare can make a dull image look quite dramatic. Very difficult to get nice shot natural sun glare, especially when only natural light is used and the contrast between light and dark areas of the image is so strong that even Active-D function lighting won't cope with it. Luckily we have Photoshop and a lot of special effects, such as sun flare, which can be magically created, added, enhanced using functionality software.
Why add a sun flare?
Special effects, particularly sun flare, come down to the photographer's personal preference. Here are some reasons to add a sun flare in post-production:
- Strengthen the sun's rays.
- Increase contrast and enhance drama.
- Hide unwanted clutter in the frame.
- Achieve an artistic effect, for example if you want to convey a dreamy and romantic mood or a soft and cozy atmosphere, like in the photo above right.
When should you not add a sun flare?
Once you discover the magic of Photoshop, it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of adding all sorts of effects, and there's a danger that you'll end up adding them to every image even when it's out of context, inappropriate, and unnecessary. I suggest avoiding adding sun glare when:
- There is no sun or large light source in the frame.
- this makes the image unnatural if you really want a natural effect.
As is usually the case in Photoshop, there are several ways to do things. In this tutorial we'll focus on two ways to add a sun flare.
1. Method one: using the Highlight filter
Adding a sun flare to the image above will not have of great importance for the already overexposed sky and part of the building. First of all, you need to create contrast by darkening the photo. Copy the image to a new layer with CMD/CNTRL+J and darken it by applying an adjustment layer Levels.
Merge the copied layer and Levels by selecting both and clicking CMD/CNTRL + E. You now have a new darkened layer. Make another copy of the layer and start working on the sun flare on it.
When you add a highlight, it will become part of the image rather than appear separately on a new layer. So to be on the safe side, keep a copy of the darkened layer that you won't touch. Always work with the sun highlight on a new copied layer, so that if you make a mistake or need to transfer the highlight, you don't have to create a darkened layer again. You can simply delete the layer you're working on and make a duplicate of the untouched layer to start working on the highlight all over again.
In Photoshop, create a highlight using top panel tools by going to Filter-Rendering-Highlight.
You can experiment with what type of highlight you'd like to add by clicking on the circles next to the highlight options, and adjust the intensity by moving the slider. Click OK when you're happy with your choice and the sun flare will be overlaid on your image on the same layer.
Once you apply this filter to your image, create a layer mask and use a soft black brush to remove the effect from the areas you want to protect, such as the face (make sure to work on the mask and not the layer).
Finally, I added a photo filter to warm up the image. Below you can see a before and after image of applying the sun flare effect. It is always recommended to save the highlight image as new JPG file and also save the file to PSD format with all the layers in case you need to come back to it in the future.
2. Method second: usage overlays
The sun flare effect in Photoshop has very little choice, as you may have noticed above. There are much more interesting sun flares different forms and colors as overlays.
Below is an example of an image with a subtle sun flare added in Photoshop using one of the built-in options. I think he's not being dramatic enough. In this example, I'm enhancing the highlight by applying an overlay.
First we darken the image using Levels, as in the first method, using a layer mask to protect those areas that do not need to be darkened. Then apply an overlay to the entire image as shown below.
Change the layer blend mode to Screen, which will make all the dark overlay areas disappear, leaving only the light overlay areas.
Below you can see the final JPG image with a new sun flare overlay and darkening the entire image for more contrast.
Below is another image that will also have a sun flare overlay applied, but this time more intense than the example above.
The overlay is as strong as you can see on Layer 1 below and I used a Levels adjustment layer to lighten it a bit and a layer mask to remove some of the overlay from some areas.
Below you can see the final image with an enhanced sun flare overlay effect, as if the photo was taken using a warm filter on the lens.
Things to keep in mind when adding a sun flare:
- Be careful and experiment with opacity to achieve the desired effect.
- Darken the surrounding area to bring out the highlights, especially in very light images.
- Hide the effect under a mask on faces and areas that don't need it. The highlights created in Photoshop appear too perfect and have hard edges. You can always hide them partially under a mask and soften the edges of the applied effect.
I hope you liked this one small lesson on how to add a sun flare in Photoshop.
