Master Photoshop Light Effects & Style Your Images

Learn to add subtle but impressive light effects and style to photos using soft gradients and adjustment layers, with backlit, contemplative portraits that preserve a quiet mood.

Begin with a quick evaluation of the original image, noting the backlit sunrise behind the model and the quiet mood, then apply color corrections to emulate the rising sun.

Color correct photos with the curves adjustment layer, tuning red, green, and blue channels with control points for a warmer look. Mask and apply the adjustment selectively with brushes.

Master Photoshop light effects by creating a soft rising sun radial gradient, customizing white to warm yellow and red tones, masking with a gradient to softly illuminate the model's face.

Apply color correction to shadows by using a lightened blend mode and navy shade in Photoshop. Rework color with gradient layers and opacity adjustments to refine bluish shadows.

Explore non-destructive photo enhancement by using curves to boost contrast, selective sharpening with a sharpen layer, and levels to brighten shadows, while masking to protect the background.

Remap the shadow color to a bluish shade using a fill layer and mask, then adjust blend mode for a balanced, spacious image with bluish shadows.

Explore creating a vintage, backlit portrait with light leaks and color adjustments, using lens flare, dustman's layers, and post-processing to achieve a classy film-like look.

Explore color corrections, light and shadow corrections, and subtle light leaks to create a creamy, dreamy retro portrait tied to the red cross motif.

Perform color correction with a curves adjustment layer to add warm highlights and blue shadows, then adjust luminosity using the histogram for non-destructive edits.

Explore a non-destructive blue light leak by applying a gradient, adding color stops, and refining the angle and position, then set the blend mode to screen for dramatic styling.

In Photoshop, create a red light leak with a gradient, set the blend mode to screen, restrict the gradient, and adjust opacity to 45% to balance the blue light leak.

Create vibrant orange light leaks in Photoshop by adding a gradient fill layer, setting the blend mode to screen, refining with opacity and masking.

Apply a warming photo filter and adjust levels to add a blue tint while preserving skin tones, then apply selective sharpening to eyes and jewelry using masking for final touches.