Add Dynamic Lighting to a Flat Photograph
Tutorial Details
- Program: Photoshop
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Completion Time: 1-2 hours
Download Source Files
Final Product What You'll Be Creating
In this tutorial, I will show you how to spice up a fairly dull and flat photograph. It’s very easy and fast! Go from flat photo to a uniquely lit style.
Editor’s note: This tutorial was originally published on Psdtuts in March of 2008.
Source Photos
For this tutorial, we’ll need two photos that I took. You can download them to follow along. These are my photos: castle photo and clouds photo.
Step 1
First of all, my apologies for this step. I waited for a good 20 minutes but that car didn’t move, so I had to take the photo with it!
Anyway, just use the Patch Tool (J) to remove the car and the Clone Stamp Tool (S) to recreate the pattern of the bricks where it used to be.
If you’ve never used the Patch Tool, there are a couple of ways to use it. First, make a selection as you would if you were using the Lasso Tool, then click inside the area and drag with your mouse. Depending on whether you are using Source or Destination as your checked option you will either move the image inside the selection, or move the whole selection around. The Patch Tool will blend-in the area you’ve chosen when you let go. You can also use patterns and transparency. All in all, it’s a great tool.
Step 2
Once the van has been removed, apply Filter > Render > Lighting Effects to make the light come from the top right.
Step 3
With the tool that you prefer, create a selection of the part that you want to hide. For example, I used the Pen Tool (P) to select the sky and the buildings around the castle. With the selection active, add a Layer Mask.
Step 4
Duplicate the background layer, desaturate it with Ctrl+Shift+U, apply Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur with 4-pixel Radius, and set the Blending Mode for the layer to Overlay.
Step 5
Now we need a photo with clouds and the rays of the sun coming from the right. I used this photo of mine that was perfect for this situation.
Send it to the back of the other layers.
Then duplicate it and set the copy layer Blending Mode to Lighter Color.
Step 6
Duplicate again the original background photo (Layer 1) and put the this new layer below the Layer 1 copy.
Set the Blending Mode to Multiply.
Step 7
Now turn off the visibility of the two castle layers, go to the Layer 1 copy, and merge the visible layers into a new layer with Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E.
Then desaturate it with Ctrl+Shift+U, set the Blending Mode to Overlay, and the Opacity to 50%.
Step 8
Make a new layer on the top of the other.
With a large, white, soft brush that matches the size of the light of the sun, just make a round spot.
Then apply the Luce filter that you can download free or use the previous tutorial about Lighting Through Clouds here on Psdtuts+, to make this light coming through the clouds. Set the Blending Mode to Overlay.
This is an example with black background to demonstrate the effect.
Step 9
Just Burn the dark side of the castle and Dodge the light part of it with a large, soft brush. By doing this, we make it seem as if the light is coming from the clouds and hitting the right side of the castle, leaving the other side in darkness.
At this point we’re almost done, but the image is overall quite dark and our blur earlier has left it slightly too blurry, so we’ll fix that next.
Step 10
To finish the image, create a new layer above the rest and go to Image > Apply Image, use the settings "Merged", "RGB" and "Normal" for blending. This will create a new layer above the rest holding a copy of the image. Set this layer to Screen and about 70% Opacity. Then go through each layer and apply Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask and use the settings Amount: 250% and Radius .2px (Use a larger radius for larger images). This should sharpen the image back up to give us a good final result.
Click on the image below to see a larger version:
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i speak english and this just seemed to hard to me…
we need more depth directions… :(
was lookin forward to this..
yeah this was really hard to follow, you need to explain more thoroughly especially dealing with which layers you were talking about.
agreee….. am confuse follow it… but thanks although no result for this tutorial for newbie like me ;]
Yeah this tutorial is really hard to follow. We can’t read you mind. You have to explain things more specifically. Thanks
True.
Amazing! Thank you!
amazingly awesome.. idea!! to get to elements into one
this is nice..
but it’s seems strange
because the sun is above the building… and the direct sun light comes from beside…
how can i put the image with the clouds to a layer???when i open the second picture to cs3 the picture with the custle disappear :(
Rather than always duping the background layer over and over just to set a blending mode, that can be done on any old adjustment layer. Much, much smaller file size.
how do I add a mutliple/different images in layers?
loooks really fake.. also the lightning on the builing is wrong.. it seems like the sun is in front of the building while on the image it is accually behind it.. so the hole front side of the building should be covered in shadow…
Firefox is reporting the site of the photos as being compromised. You might want to check the code there.
banzai, I thought I missing something. I agree. I think this a tutorial more about technique then content.
I have to agree with Tom, if not quite so vociferously. The overall image looks ok, but it is not great. Very (as has been covered) unnatural lighting, and although the van has been removed, the great big white sign looks far worse!
Thanks for your great tutorial. please check codes (compromised images)
Why can’t you just wait till you get a morning/evening when an interesting sky, then take the natural picture?
please explain more detail.it is hard to understand even the function above quite confusing me while i do study above technique wit sum references.tq
I like the whole thing but for some reason adding the water from the other picture would have added more depth :)
I am new to Photoshop and this is not enough detail for someone that has no experience with Photoshop. How do you add the second picture to the first. I know anyone that has worked with photoshop this is a dumb question. But I have never used and would really like to learn. Thank You
Sorry for those noobs on photoshop but this is an intermediate Photoshop tutorial. Obviously the autor was assuming you guys know at least how to use the program. He’s just teaching a technique that for those who are already used to the program, should be easy to follow. I suggest you try first to get use to the tools then come back.
By the way. the issue about the sun and the fake lightning, it could be easily fixed by moving the BG picture a lil bit more to the right, taking the sun slightly out of the picture, then scaling up the pic a lil bit to fill up the left side and Viola!.. pretty simple.
Where you ever a beginner??
way confusing. you gotta be clearer in your explanations. I followed everything exactly and all i see is a bunch of layer masks on top of another, don’t know which layers you’re refering to when…
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Whwn I compare first and last (final) photo from the aricle… Amazing!
I edit this using photoshop serial number? I use CS2 but no choice
Could you explain step 9? I got it all down until that one :) Nicejob!
Brilliant!
Amazing and well explained tutorial.
Thanks for sharing man!
I really wanted to do this one. I’m fairly proficient in photoshop. Got lost in the layer descriptions. I have both of my photos ready, just need to be able to combine them. A follow up would be great. Thanks!
Absolutely LOVE this tutorial !! Nice way to spice up a flat image – who cares if it looks real – most pic out there today DON’T ;)
Like the effect! a really nice atmospheric lighting!
This is awesome. Nice tutorial.
Wanna try this one.
nice tutorial, it was hard to follow but i def. learned from it and thats all im tryin to do.
Thanks so much for the knowledge you shared.
God bless you
nice work we can create these type of effects in Adobe Light room also
Nice
A bit hard to understand… (I’m a newbie… with Photoshop 7.0)
anyway…. this is my outcome:
http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/6056/fancycastle.jpg
As you can see, i tried to do my own “thing” with adding water and reflection-ish bridge and… yeah…
Please give me feedback!
Very hard to understand… to enough information are given… and the lighting is really unnatural in the photo with the castle
send to the back of the other layers?
Great Tutorial.. :D
i liked this tutorial =) somewhat hard to understand at some points but for the most part it was fairly straighforward…..p.s. i like the addition of the step 1(removing the car) because it helped teach me how to use the stamp texture tool and what not
Excellent tutorial. I like the surreal result.
Hey bud.. great tut…. but im having trouble with steps 8,9 and 10.
after i finish the luce filter step, all i have left is a dark looking sky and no castle… where am i going wrong here? i have followed this like 10 times and can t get there… but would really love to!!
Benny
thanks for your time…
nice
This tutorial is so unclear, it’s mostly fine up until about step 6, but then after that it gets cryptic and hard to follow. This isn’t a bad idea, and the final result is pretty good, but please fix your tutorial so it’s more reader friendly!
this was really hard to follow, but once i finished applying it to my house, it almost looked renaissance
For anyone that found this tut hard to follow, you may simply just need to get familiar with the PS interface to know which menu selections to pick – although searching in the help for the terms used in each instance is a bit tedious, it is immensely helpful in the learning process.
As for the lighting being off? This was a tutorial about technique and how similar results can be achieved, I enjoyed it a lot – and the finished dramatic effect is awesome!
While this tut could also be used for a more nature looking outcome by changing the few elements that would make it more photo-realistic, I tend to like the slightly abstract quality it possesses! :P
That’s an useful tutorial that can be applied to other kind of photos as well to make them more appealing :) Thanks!
cool, but it is difficult for a beginner like me…
thanks…
What I don’t understand is why psd tuts republished such a low caliber tutorial. There are much better quality ones that could be republished.
Great Tutorial!
waw beatiful a maising
I have to say the final image looks… off. Tried something a little different:
http://i.imgur.com/42rN6.jpg
Congrats Giackop, final image looks great!! nice tut!!
Congratulations, its one of the best effects done in less time. Fantastic tutorial.