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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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…. i’m not impressed ….
I LOVE THIS SITE……….. and this tutorial is a prime example why
:)
Impressed or not.. Love your style Fabio :)
The techniques and process in this piece are great, after all, thats the main reason for a tutorial! Thankyou!
Wow!
nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Great Effect! Thanks for sharing!
David Carreira
Thank you Fabio, I was waiting to see this one.
color dodge, clouds, et, etc…. so boring…
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. ;-)
nice idea.
FABIO YOU’RE THE MAN!!!! GREAT TUT!!
lovely!
i seen the cold play advert the other day on tv and was going to write a tutorial similar to this one :)
great stuff
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.
Very nice tuto !
This is a love/hate tutorial. Love the techniques but don’t really like the finished article.
Just my thoughts….
Gave me some great Idea’s on lighting effects. Thanks for the tutorial!
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!
oh yeah this is awesome!
and also the Coldplay my favorite band! :D
very good…usefull
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?
:( 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 :(
Really Cool!!! Like poetry!!!!
Hey very nice tutorial thanks! But I believe the silhouette on the ad was originally black and white.
Great tips as always…
nice tutorial. thx..
nice tutorial
Qulaity!
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
Fabio i love aalllllllllll your tutorialsssssssssssssss man!!!
may i know ur mail-id ???///
mine is laranz.joe@gmail.com!!!
thanks in advance !!! ;)
I want your homework please?
Amazing!!! :D thnx!
Buen efecto y luz, BUENISIMO TUTORIAL
Lots of effects , Amazing tut!
Lots of missing steps. Lots.
very nice!
Another useful tutorial! Thanks!!!
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
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.
Very nice tut. Tnx for u
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.
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/
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!
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?
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.
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.
Thats tuto dont is right.. –’
plz, review that;
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
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…..