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In this tutorial, I will create an effect like the one in the header of the MSNBC.com website. This effect is a reader’s-request tutorial.
If you have an effect you want to know how to achieve, just let us know in the comments and we will try to write a tutorial about it.
Step 1
Create a new document. Double-click on the background layer to open the Layer Styles. Select the Gradient Overlay and use black and a dark blue for the colors. Select Radial for the Gradient Style.
Step 2
Create a new layer and fill it with black.
Step 3
First select black for the foreground color and a medium grey for the background color. Go to Filters>Render>Fibers. Set 36 for the Variance and 1 for the Strength.
Step 4
Go to Filters>Blur>Motion Blur. I set the distance to 999, the maximum value, but feel free to test another value. For the angle use 90º.
Step 5
Double-click on the blurry layer in order to open the Layer Styles dialog box. Select Gradient Overlay and Overlay for the Blend Mode. For the colors, use the rainbow colors: start with violet, blue, green, yellow, and red. I think those are the colors 
Step 6
Using the Lasso Tool (L), set the Feather option to 30px and create a random selection like I did. After that go to Layer>Layer Mask>Reveal Selection.
Conclusion
This is a very simple but cool effect. You can use it for website headers, CD covers, and wherever you want. I’ve just created a beautiful wallpaper for my blog. Again, there are lots of ways to achieve the same result, maybe using other filters and settings. It’s all about playing with the tool. Additionally, if you are using the CS3 version of Photoshop, you can use the Smart Filters to test different values and see the effects without worrying about losing the previous version.
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By Fabio
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You worte: “Double click on the background layer to open the Layer Styles”. Sorry, but double clicking on the Background layer doesn’t open the Layer Styles. As it is locked by default. I noticed that you always write this. I hope I am mistaken in this. But when you double click on the Background Layer, it will open New Layer dialog box. Please, correct me if I am wrong. I know what you mean, but it is not done as you described in here as this could be confusing for newbies.
Nevertheless, This is one of the nicest tutorials I’ve ever seen, thanks a lot.
Very cool effect and easy to understand tutorial!
As mentioned earlier, I was collecting input on just this technique. I just used this tutorial and modified it slightly by duplicating the gradient overlay layer and applying screen to the bottom and linear dodge to the top to achieve that higher contrast glow-ey effect. Many folks offered tutorials and ideas, I’ll be playing with this quite a bit myself as I just like the look but want to come up with something significantly different than the MSNBC header. THANKS AGAIN! This site is the bayste! (That’s Nacho Libre for ‘best’).
simple technique and good effect thanx for your tutorial
Very useful! I used this tutorial in class today as an example for my fellow fullsail students
very nice tutorial!
but i’d like to know if you can make a tutorial about doing this kind of light line effect…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kamilos/2301832529/in/pool-psdtuts
thank you and good job!
Excellent tutorial! Keep up the good work.
I usually dont comment tutorial sites, but when I do so, it means its pretty solid.
Nice use of creativity and photoshop skills.
Lately the best tutorials Ive seen are to be found at psdtuts, from abduzeedo especially.
Great going, hope to see more of this quality stuff.
Great tutorial, thanks
great! – thanks alot, i’ll try it right now
That’s the first time ever I Must admit those kind of tutorials are well done ! I’ve juste browsed the whole content of your site, and it’s amazing how it’s well explained. You really made things different with so nice tutorials ! Thanks again Fabio
Cédric from France
nice tutorial
keep on
@San: Double click on the background layer to bring up the “New Layer” dialog. Click “OK”. This will unlock the background layer, and you can apply layer styles and such to it.
Hi, this tutotial is excellent. I like it. But please tell me what is the name of the font.
thanks for the tut…. a already used it as my desktop! hehe… ^^,
Great tutorial folks! – i recently redesigned my website – and used this tutorial for the basis of the header (and footer) of the new website – have a look http://www.mozami.net
great
and yes a request is coming 4 smoke
there is a lot of fire ones out there but not many smoke ones
cheers
Excellent tutorial. Thanks very much.
Another thing that looks cool, instead of the Fibers, I tried some monochrome noise, came out with some smaller lines that look nice
Awesome technique, thanks for sharing!
very nice
Thanks for Posting.
Great Tut.
Great job and impressive one.
Appreciate your tutorials. Someone who finally publishes professional tutorials for Photoshop users.
One thing tho…. I always get confused with these. You never mention if you make a new layer or not. Makes a user to guess and to experiment. Would like to see tutorials more in detail.
Other than that. Thanks for posting and making such great, useful website as psdtuts.com
hey cool!
good effect and easy to make.
Well done!
~FixedHDD
Great tutorial, thanks a lot..
nice..
very cool and smart
VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY NICE
THANKS !!
Extremely amazing effect! I love it! Looks very good with transparent text too =D Thanks alot for making this tut.
Everything was going fine until Step 3 arrived. The “fibers” option was greyed(locked) when I tried to use it. I am on CS3. I hope I have done some mistake.
Anybody to correct me?
I have followed this tut a few times and have just published it as a background on a new website, see the image at : http://theledlightingcompany.co.uk/
Steps are basically the same, but I repeated Step 6 on a new layer, but a bit inside the edge of the original then added a pixel texture layer and tweaked around with opacity to get it to look right.
Comments welcomed, keep up the good work fella, inspirational!!!
You’re probably working in 32 bit color mode. I’m not an IT guy so I don’t know the computer science differences between the different modes, but a lot of filters only seem to work in either 8 bit or 16 bit. To change this, just go to to Imge>Mode>8-bits
very nice !!
Nice and fool proof tutorial!
Thanks
GREAT…!
Good Luck My Dear Friend.
TNX MY FRIEND. WAS HELPFUL.
DAVID, ISRAEL
good work..simple and beauty..thanks
Great tutorial.. thanks.. nice website ..
i got the same effect as shown thanks for that
Thank you for posting this tutorial…I love your work.
Simply I am speechless…Thaankkss
This killer effect is so easy to achieve? Awesome.
Fantastic, so simple and beautiful
very nice good effect thankyou
Awesome tutorial to learn. Very easy and well defined . thanks for sharing this nice post.
Thank you. Such a simple yet useful desgin !
simple and great…thanks a lot
awesome post
i never thought this would be so easy