Recently, Apple released a new iTunes video advertisement featuring the band Coldplay and the song, "Viva la Vida." As is usual with Apple ads, this commercial is very beautiful. The coolest thing is that this time they chose to use light effects with glows and sparks. As I'm a really big fan of this style, I thought it would be nice to have a tutorial showing how to create that effect.
Final Image Preview
Before we get started, let's take a look at the image we'll be creating. Click the screenshot below to view the full-size image. As always, the layered Photoshop file is available via our PSDTUTS Plus membership.
In this tutorial, I will show you how to create a very similar effect to that used in the Apple Coldplay Video Ad. If you have done the Sparkling Hot Girl tutorial in Photoshop, you will find it similar in some steps of this tutorial. You can download the image needed for this tutorial here.
Step 1
Create a new document and fill it with a Radial Gradient. Use a dark gray(#161616) and White. The white will be the main light.
Step 2
With the Rectangle Tool (U), create a rectangle with half of the height of the screen. It will serve as the floor. Use a very dark red (#180a06).
Step 3
Add a new layer and create a marquee selection from the floor layer. You can do that by right-clicking over the layer's thumbnail. Then choose Select Pixels. After that, select a blue (#113e4b) for the foreground color and black for the background. Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds.
Step 4
Go to Edit>Transform>Distort. Use this command to apply perspective to the clouds. Just move the vertices, as in the image below.
Step 5
Next add a bit of blur by going to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur. Use 8 pixels for the Radius. You can even change the Opacity to 70%. If you want to make it darker, use the Eraser Tool (E) and set the tools brush size to a 0 Hardness. Then erase some parts of the layer.
Step 6
Now it's necessary to repeat the steps we used to create the floor with the Render Clouds. However, instead of using blue for the color, use a dark pink (#552a58). Tip: If you duplicate the blue layer, it won't work because we need to use different clouds.
Step 7
Create a new layer exactly like the previous one, and make it the same height. Then select black and white for the colors. With the Gradient Tool (G), fill the layer with a Radial Gradient. The white has to be in the center. Then change the blend mode to Color Dodge.
Step 8
Now we create a new layer. Then select the Lasso Tool (L). Next let's change the Feather to 20px. Then create a selection, as shown below. Keep in mind that this element will be the light as well. After that, select black and white for the background and foreground colors. Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds.
Step 9
Now let's add more blur. To do that, go to Filter>Blur>Gaussian Blur, and use 35 pixels for the Radius. After that, the most important thing, change the blend mode to Color Dodge. Then delete the part of the cloud that is not exactly on the floor, as I marked in the image below.
Step 10
Next we will create the background's light. First create a new layer. Then use black and a 50% gray for the colors. Then go to Filter>Render>Clouds.
Let's add a Layer Style next by going to Layer>Layer Style. First add a Color Overlay with (#84a7b8) for the color. Then change the blend mode to Overlay. After that, select the Gradient Overlay. Change the blend mode again to Overlay and use a gradient with these colors: orange (#fba46f), pink (#cb8cd4), green (#346777). Use Linear for the Style and 180º for the Angle.
Step 11
Create a new layer on top of the others. Then with the Lasso Tool (L) and a 20px Feather, create a selection, as shown below. Then using the same black and a 50% gray for the colors, go to Filter>Render>Clouds. Then using the Blur Tool, add a blur to some areas. After that, change the blend mode to Color Dodge.
Step 12
Place a photo on the document. Then cut out the background and leave just the person. Use the tools you feel comfortable with to accomplish this. I used the Pen Tool (P).
Step 13
Create a new layer on top of the layer named "dude." Fill it with black. Then go to Layer>Create Clipping Mask. Next select the Eraser Tool (E), and pick a 100px Master Diameter Brush with 0% Hardness. Then erase some parts of the layer, to add some highlights to the guy.
Step 14
Now let's add some lights in front of the guy. To do that create a new layer. Then choose a regular brush (the circle one), use a big size like 200px, and use a 50% Opacity. Then choose first Orange and Brush where I marked (1) in the image.
After that, choose a pink color. Then paint where the number (2) is marked. Then change the blend mode of this layer to Overlay. You can even add another layer with Clouds. Then with the Erase Tool delete almost everything. Be sure to leave some smoke details in front of him ( 3, 4, and 5).
Step 15
Create a new Folder and rename it to "sparks and rays." Then change its blend mode to Color Dodge. Now the layers we create will be placed inside this folder.
Next we create a new layer and choose the Brush Tool (B). For the color use white and select a regular brush with a Master Diameter of 13px and a Hardness of 0%. Then create three lines, as shown in the image below. Tip: Press once, then hold the Shift key and press where you want the end-point of the line. That will create a straight line.
Step 16
You can create another layer or use the same layer, but I recommend you create a layer for each group of effects based on brush diameters sizes. So now use a smaller diameter, like 4px. Then create a few more rays of light, as in the image below.
Step 17
Create more rays of light using different brush diameters and opacities. Again, I recommend you create a new layer based on each new brush size used. This will keep the file organized.
Step 18
It's fairly simple to create some curved rays. First, add a new layer. Then create some lines. Be sure to use different Brush Sizes, as I did. Then go to Filter>Distort>Wave. Use 1 for the Number of Generators. Then set the Wavelength to Min 1 and Max 500. Then set the Amplitude to Min 5 and Max 200. Lastly, change the layer's Opacity to 50%.
Step 19
Next let's make the Sparks in the image. First, create a new layer. Then select the Brush Tool (B). Then go to Window>Brushes to open the Brush Engine. For the Brush Tip Shape use 100% for the Spacing. For the diameter, start with 9px, though note that you can change that to create bigger sparks. Over the Shape Dynamics use a Size Jitter of 100%, Min Diameter of 5%, and Minimum Roundness of 25%. Over the Scattering, use 1000% for the Scatter and mark Both Axes. Then select Other Dynamics and change the Opacity Jitter to 50%.
Now select white for the color and paint some sparks in the image, as shown below. Tip: Use the left and right brackets on your keyboard ([ ])to decrease and increase the Brush Diameter quickly.
Conclusion
Add more sparks to the image. You can place some really big sparks and some smaller sparks in front of the main figure. Many sparks are placed across the figure's chest in the final image below. Although it might look like a complicated effect to create, it's actually quite simple. We use the same technique with the Clouds almost every time. Actually, that's the technique to create all sort of lighting effects.
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User Comments
( ADD YOURS )Bogus June 6th
NICE! I AM THE FIRST TO COMMENT
( )Ben Griffiths June 6th
Interesting tut as always, thanks
( )Arik June 6th
Not bad, not bad. I am not too fan of harsh lighting effects myself, in motion graphics they look good because they change constantly but in stills they just tend to overtake. Good tutorial nonetheless.
( )AndrewD June 6th
Pretty nice, lighting could be a little better though, overall helpful tutorial though
( )Alex Beltechi June 6th
“dude” layer? LOL. I’m glad i’m not the only one giving these names to my layers.
( )Carlos June 6th
Hmmm, I don’t like the way the man is…. not a fan of what you’ve done to him. Overall good tutorial with good technique.
( )Philip L June 6th
Agree with Carlos… think this tutorial could be refined a bit more but the techniques in here are what make this tutorial great.
( )Andrew June 6th
Some helpful tips, thanks for the post.
( )KrashSquad June 6th
Nice! I’ve recently seen these techniques but wasn’t sure how to use make them. Now I know! Thanks
( )Anterr June 6th
You could maybe add a few more effects to the character but it looks good overall
( )revy June 6th
very cool. I was wondering when i’d see this!
( )BogDinamita June 6th
i really don’t like the lightning on the guy, I don’t wanna be bitter or anything, it’s just my taste. fabio always does a good job. so does collis. and sean. and kyle.
)
( )Medium June 6th
Hmm i dont really like the result, and its not exactly a good copy of it, but its a nice tutorials anyway
( )Dallas Area Web Design June 6th
Awesome tutorial!
( )Tama June 6th
Sorry Fabio but this time I think it’s too shiny, too dodgy, too “cheap”. iTunes ad is really really really better, in my opinion….
( )Nate June 6th
Very cool, kinda looks like that iTunes commercial thing.
( )Has.n June 6th
Nice tut
( )el innovator September 28th
wow , what a nice tutorial ! ,
( )i really love it , and followed the steps
thanks alot
ZaFaR June 6th
Fabio ur fabulous! Amazing look really looks a Rockstar work! Thanks for sharing.
( )Ravi Vora June 6th
Good concept for a tutorial, but the quality of the final product is nowhere near the Apple version.
( )Isaac June 6th
Not the best.
( )Adrienne June 6th
thank you! thank you! i’ve been waiting for this ever since i saw it on your flick page.
( )aGS June 6th
For a few days I saw the spot in tv and now is here, cool, unfortunately the final result is not so good like the ad… The problem is that I read “Apple Coldplay Style” and my expectation was very BIG!
The ad is really cool, one of things I like the most of the ad, is that Chris Martin and the rest of the Band remains in black and white with very soft reflection over the skin while the backgroud moves and change the color with wavy ray of lights, sparkles, etc… also the floor has a very cool reflection… and here… hmmm there is no floor…
I guess the frame used as reference for the tutorial was not the best one, allthough I found cool to “stay trend” with the Mediums.
Keep the good work!!!
( )bryan June 6th
Nice tutorial…
!
( )It would be good if there was a after effects tutorial as well to show us how they made the video but then its not AETuts lol thanks anyway
Simon North June 6th
Neat tutorial, I keep seeing that ad and am amazed by the quality of the graphics on it
( )Joefrey Mahusay June 6th
Great tut Fabio. Thanks for sharing!
( )Bev McCullough June 6th
I am so glad you did this! I was hoping for it since I saw the commercial.
( )Thanks!
Steve June 6th
Good effect… Couldnt get mine to look like yours… i think your missing one or two details
( )Danny June 6th
Nice tutorial, decent final product
( )andre June 6th
nice nice!!
( )Kyle Wegner June 6th
The very first thing I thought of when I saw this ad was PSDTuts. Flattering, eh? I was actually really happy to see Apple use that style, as it is also one of my favorites. I’m pretty sure they stole their techniques from this site
( )Kyle Wegner June 6th
Also, after reading the comments my first reaction was “YIKES there are some critical people here!” But in the end, this will only help to improve the quality of the tuts we see, as less-than-stellar products will not be making it out the door any more.
Cheers for a good attempt, but I think this can definitely be more polished, as the rest of the commenters have expressed.
( )Marcelo Kanzaki June 6th
Porque voce nao tenta mudar um pouco de tecnica? Trabalha um pouco mais com Vintage, ou entao text effects e tal. Abraco!
( )TheBolivianessence June 6th
It’s always great to see the techniques behind a piece. I don’t think I like how it’s split in half, the continuity of it maybe? Possibly the lighting on the dude was weird or something. Still cool though, thanks for sharing it.
( )Grant Friedman June 6th
Funny, I posted the video on my website the other day. I was hoping one of you guys would do a tut.
( )joe June 6th
fabio’s work’s quality is dropping down….
( )joe June 6th
but i learn something from this tutorial so thank you
and i love psdtuts.
( )Meli June 6th
I knew it was coming. Love the advertisement, and this tut is pretty good as well.
( )Yana June 6th
To me this tutorial sees redundant, haven’t PDSTust covered lighting techniques on the Explosion and the Meteor (i’m sure there are a few more) tutorials?
I agree with most on the quality of the final outcome and the harsh lighting, i don’t think that the quality of this tutorial/piece is high enough to be on PDTTuts.
Sorry Fabio for the harsh criticism, but i really expected something much much better. The point of immitation something is not to do it worse but to do it better or at least just as good.
( )Yana June 6th
To me this tutorial sees redundant, haven’t PDSTust covered lighting techniques on the Explosion and the Meteor (i’m sure there are a few more) tutorials?
I agree with most on the quality of the final outcome and the harsh lighting, i don’t think that the quality of this tutorial/piece is high enough to be on PDTTuts.
Sorry Fabio for the harsh criticism, but i really expected something much much better. The point of imitating something is not to do it worse, but to do it better or at least just as good.
( )Braden Keith June 6th
Man that is so cool!
Thanks a lot for sharing… I definitely have a place to apply this tuts.
( )ED80 June 6th
No disrespect and I love your tutorials, but they are a bit confusing. There are times when you don’t specify things. “Do a new layer exactly like the last one” Do you mean all of the previous steps again? Or New layer exact same size? or color blends only? I tried this tut for hours and never got it close. What Photoshop do you use? Can you do another version of this? I am a new student so maybe you just are more advanced,but if you can do this tut a little more clearly.
( )Mystro June 6th
Yana, it’s not about seeing the same effect over and over again, it’s about using techniques from this past tutorials to create awesome effects. Sooner or later they’re going to cover nearly all of the effects, many will be used over and over again, but every outcome will be different. It’s about “mixing and matching” effects together to create awesome graphic designs.
While I’m not a big fan of this one myself, it still shows a lot of what can be done with mixing techniques that I’ve seen on PSDTuts to create something else. Great just everyone at PSDTuts.
( )Ralph June 6th
Damn!!!! I just watched the video and I saw that really made the same effect of the video.
Pretty cool!!!!! Visit my Blog!!!! http://www.fatytrova.wordpress.com
( )crazyhunk June 6th
good tutorial…..
Thanx Fabio
( )Andrew Pryde June 6th
Really nice thanks allot!
Andrew
( )Lamin Barrow June 6th
I like the explosion effect.
( )Salva June 6th
Fabio style! great as always!
( )Shane June 6th
a very visually arresting design that’s not exactly like the original, no (was it every supposed to be?), but the inspiration is there, and that’s what this stuff is all about.
thanks for posting.
( )Rijalul Fikri June 6th
Nice lighting effect
( )Daniel June 6th
very cool effects, great job Fabio as usual
thanks for sharing.
( )jbcarey June 6th
…. i’m not impressed ….
( )Luke June 6th
I LOVE THIS SITE……….. and this tutorial is a prime example why
( )Johan June 6th
Impressed or not.. Love your style Fabio
( )Diesel June 6th
The techniques and process in this piece are great, after all, thats the main reason for a tutorial! Thankyou!
( )aravind June 6th
Wow!
( )POSTTRAUMATIC June 6th
nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
( )D. Carreira June 6th
Great Effect! Thanks for sharing!
David Carreira
( )Constantin Potorac June 6th
Thank you Fabio, I was waiting to see this one.
( )ayad June 6th
color dodge, clouds, et, etc…. so boring…
( )1984 June 6th
Composition, much too responsible …
This seems too artificial.
I am confident that with a simple composition, adding a bit of typography.
we can create something good.
( )Ariful Alam Khan June 6th
nice idea.
( )bl4kdev1l June 6th
FABIO YOU’RE THE MAN!!!! GREAT TUT!!
( )styxz June 6th
lovely!
( )hv-designs June 7th
i seen the cold play advert the other day on tv and was going to write a tutorial similar to this one
great stuff
( )Ben June 7th
Comments are a bit harsh, although I had the same “it’s not like the video” thought at first. Take a look at the video again at about 0:17. Its almost exactly the same, a better reference would have been at 0:11 or 0:14.
( )Zeb June 7th
Very nice tuto !
( )Jeff June 7th
This is a love/hate tutorial. Love the techniques but don’t really like the finished article.
Just my thoughts….
( )Callum Martin June 7th
Gave me some great Idea’s on lighting effects. Thanks for the tutorial!
( )David Leggett June 7th
It’s really tough to capture lighting effects like that in a single frame, but you did a pretty nice job of it mate =) I love the rays you added that are flying out of the cloudy backdrop!
( )Dyâ„¢ June 7th
oh yeah this is awesome!
( )and also the Coldplay my favorite band!
vinod June 7th
very good…usefull
( )Bugsy June 7th
perfect!
this is just what i’ve been looking for for a new site i’m working. that coldplay video is AMAZING! i sure the heck hope they made a full version music video that is still to be fully released. incredible.
also… is it as easy to put these effects on a white background? what steps do you take?
( )pffff June 7th
i can`t get the background … that 2 layers with dark blue and pink from the first part just don`t wanna mix … what i’m missing 
( )Юрий June 7th
Really Cool!!! Like poetry!!!!
( )AlexZandi June 8th
Hey very nice tutorial thanks! But I believe the silhouette on the ad was originally black and white.
( )Grafiko June 8th
Great tips as always…
( )Latif June 9th
nice tutorial. thx..
( )aysha June 9th
nice tutorial
( )Matthew 'Web Design' Adams June 9th
Qulaity!
( )Mwuk June 10th
i agree with Arik as the iTunes ads focus on multiple effects stringed together with motion, however there are many useful tips and skills here
( )Lawrence June 10th
Fabio i love aalllllllllll your tutorialsssssssssssssss man!!!
may i know ur mail-id ???///
mine is laranz.joe@gmail.com!!!
thanks in advance !!!
( )Tomka June 10th
I want your homework please?
( )MD June 10th
Amazing!!!
thnx!
( )Fabian Roldan June 10th
Buen efecto y luz, BUENISIMO TUTORIAL
( )KASHIF RAHUL June 10th
Lots of effects , Amazing tut!
( )Ali A. Akbar June 10th
Lots of missing steps. Lots.
( )Enes Kaya June 10th
very nice!
( )Web Design June 10th
Another useful tutorial! Thanks!!!
( )TheOther June 11th
Well, The final result here looks cool, but tehre is no way telling what order the layers are SUPPOSED to be in… I’ve tried everything and i never get that BRIGHT lightning effect…
So sry man but not very good tut…
7/10 points
( )Mark Beckford June 11th
Great effects and good idea, cant help but think this tutorial needs cleaning up, I went through it and didnt get near the same results as what was expeceted.
( )isola June 11th
Very nice tut. Tnx for u
( )Andrew June 11th
I tried out this tutorial and after I made the color dodge layer i didn’t get the same effect, Itried like 3 times. Can you review this tutorial please, maybe it’s something you missed.
( )Boo2Hed June 11th
Ahhhh you learn somethings… but there are A LOT OF MISSING steps! ITS MISSING TOO MANY STEPS. what happened? Can you revise it please???? and i dont know why the pics on here are so contrasted. your flikr pic is different
( )http://www.flickr.com/photos/azeected/2517727821/
Jackso June 12th
Good tutorial, but i got up to sparks and rays and my rays just come out as soft brush stoked, not int eh effect!!
( )so frustrated!
Tizzle June 13th
Can we get tutorials on WINDOWS..We don’t have no damn Macs so why would you keep making all the damn tutorials on Mac?
( )Kernel Dan June 13th
I couldn’t get the same effect with the bright glow – it could just be me but I found this tutorial hard to follow at some points and could not recreate the image no matter how many times I tried – these are some good techniques though. But I’d give this tut a 6/10
And Tizzle, Photoshop CS3 on the Mac is the same as it is on Windows – so I don’t see what your problem is.
( )Travis McCrea June 16th
I personally found it difficult because I would do the steps exactally as said… and then after, it seemed like you did one extra step and never told me because my images NEVER turned out like yours.
( )Sue June 16th
Thats tuto dont is right.. –’
( )plz, review that;
Teri June 18th
Ok cool effect, but horrible tutorial. I’m sorry but i really sort of expected better from PSDTuts…It’s like you skipped several steps and didn’t cover them, and you wern’t too terribly specific either. I’ve tried this 4-5 times now and every single time it looks completly different than the final one. If you revise the tutorial to be a bit more specific with more detailed steps i’ll give it another go
( )Teri June 18th
Actually now that i’ve reread the tutorial, i’m looking at the top window in your screenshots and its saying things like Group 4, Layer Mask 8…among all these other things that you didn’t even slightly cover in the tutorial…..
( )Riley June 18th
AHH! >_< this is really frustrating, could you please be a bit more specific? Mine is turning out nothing like yours…i cant even get past the pink and blue floor. The Layers wont blend together right…could some of you that have gotten farther than that please help me!
( )Frank June 23rd
I must agree with other posts. By the time I get to step 7 mine looks completely different than the screenshots.
Instructions like “Now it’s necessary to repeat the steps we used to create the floor with the Render Clouds,” or “Create a new layer exactly like the previous one, and make it the same height” aren’t really helpful instructions. They are way too nebulous. Which steps do I repeat?
To summarize:: tutorial frustrating – clear instructions, please!
( )Dave July 2nd
Needs more info
( )Andy July 9th
I love this tutorial. To the folks saying it’s not as good as apples, lets not forget Fabio is one guy and Apple would have spent alot of cash getting a top agency to make that ad. Well done Fabio!
( )Mansoor July 24th
Very Nice
( )clf4rd July 27th
woooohhhuhhhh!!!! fantastico!!!
( )Shawn July 29th
That looks really bad, the render you used looks choppy and bad quality.
the effects are nice, but the focal point being the render takes away from the general composition of the whole graphic.
( )Ralph Gutierrez Moreno July 30th
Awesome tutorial
Here’s my try, altered it a bit though.
( )http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/9846/waderobsoncopyeu5.jpg
bmx August 3rd
gooooood job!
( )Kathy August 5th
What is the point of splitting the image in half to make a “floor” as you say?
I don’t really like how that looks . . .
( )GTO August 14th
cant follow the tut after step 5, not explained that well.
( )shame looked like a good tut
JustAmotherGuy101 August 24th
What would be better is a video instruciton…but epic tut. Thanks m8!
( )JustAnotherGuy101 August 25th
Just made my first test…did’nt exactly get the steps so it looks more simple but I still think this tut has made photoshop more epic. My attempt at [IMG]http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo216/JustAnotherGuy101/JustAnotherGuy101.jpg[/IMG]
( )Mike August 28th
I get stuck at step 3…I’ve right-clicked everywhere and I can’t see the option Select Pixels. Need help.
( )Manoj September 11th
Excellent Tutorials… Thank you sooo much for sharing these.
( )Wain September 13th
Kool guide, the lighting on the ‘dude’ didn’t really work for me though.
( )Thanks for sharing!
dennis November 17th
lovely work
( )can i get more
Lee December 7th
Could something similar be creating in vector format, in illustrator for example?
( )Dan December 15th
Awesome tutorial! Here is mine!
( )http://flickr.com/photos/24700010@N04/3108370700/
Makiya December 19th
yea… um I’m a beginner in photoshop.. I have photoshop cs3 extended.. and I get the tutorial… but I can never get past Step 6 because you like confused me in that step.. Can you or somebody who gets this tutorial explain Step 6 to me because you really didn’t make it specific enough. Pleasee =]
( )Can Elmas December 22nd
well a great effect, but this tutorial is a little hard
( )vijay January 4th
hi Fabio,
( )cool tutorial mate, keep going i’ll be your student
THX
Makiya January 10th
I don’t think you’re very good at making tutorials.. I mean you’re great on photoshop.. but like you don’t explain thorougly what to do.. sorry about the negative comment.. but its true.
( )ashartworks January 13th
nice tutorial thnk u so much
( )Deano February 5th
I wouldnt take any notice of the negative comments mate. Brilliant work and awesome to have superior designers like yourself sharing your knowledge.
( )Anonymous February 17th
I’m new to Photoshop, and i’m wondering what the layers thumbnail is. I don’t know any terms yet, but i have to chose one of these for a class.
( )Rachel February 20th
Cool!!Thanks!
( )Malvika March 8th
Awesome tutorial!
Thank you soooooo much for being very descriptive during the whole tutorial… It definitely helped me A LOT!
My results were pretty good too… thanks to you.
I like how you named the layer “dude”…I’m glad I’m not the only one who comes up with weird names for the layers
Keep up the good work.
Thanks again!
=]
( )Karli-Rae April 11th
Do you know how to make the light seem to illuminate the guy from behind? Like in the real ad? For me that is the most “wow” effect and makes the most difference in the final product.
( )clippingimages October 20th
WoW
Awesome Tutorial. Easy and well explained . Fantastic to learn. Thanks to share this nice tutorial.
( )