Photoshop Techniques 002

Short Description
Neon effects created in Adobe Photoshop can quickly brighten. up existing graphics or logos. …. Quick Mask controls, refer to Photoshop Techniques 001. …

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Content
How to
CREATE A
NEON OBJECT.
Photoshop sports a basic set of path tools. While they are
no rival to dedicated programs like Adobe Illustrator or
Macromedia FreeHand, they do service a great many tasks.
In future issues, we will be using paths to create complex
silhouettes.
In this issue, we will be introducing paths to create a special
neon effect. This will provide a foundation for understanding
paths and their functions.
Neon effects created in Adobe Photoshop can quickly brighten
up existing graphics or logos. Glowing neon signs have a
distinctive look. They can vary from a flickering sign in the
window of a local pub to the spectacle of a Vegas casino. This
is not a technique you will use every day, but it is nice to know
how to get it when you need it.
002
Photoshop Techniques
3.0
COVERS
PHOTOSHOP2 Photoshop Techniques #002
Creating a neon glow
Step 1
Create a colored canvas for your image
Although this effect can work on any color background, the
neon glow shows up best on darker background colors. This
effect also works equally well on top of background photos.
Step 2
Draw a shape using Photoshop’s Pen tool.
The pen tool in Photoshop is similar to the pen tools in either
Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia FreeHand. This path will
become the shape for your neon tubing. At the end of this
technique are two other approaches to building your path.
A: Make sure the Paths palette is visible.
If the Paths palette is not already visible, choose “Show paths”
from the Window menu.
B: Select the pen tool.
Shortcut: Press the T key to select the pen tool.
C: Draw a simple path with the pen tool.
Simple shapes work best for this type of effect. Keep in mind
that the completed neon tubes will be much thicker than the
lines you create with the pen tool.
Step 3
Create the neon “glow.”
The neon effect is created by stroking the path shape with
brushes set at three different…