How to create a Light and Sparkle effect in Photoshop

In this Adobe Photoshop CS2 tutorial we will learn how to achieve a nice lighting and sparkle effect. To start we need a picture with a girl. I chose the photo below, with Nicole Scherzinger.

The final result is shown below.

 

1. Open a new document in Photoshop with the dimensions of 800 x 600 px. Double click on the background layer to unlock it, and then go to Layer » Layer Style » Blending Options, and set the settings below for Gradient Overlay. Select Radial Style, and set the gradient from black to #430816.

2. Open the picture with the girl, then using the Pen Tool begin to create a path around the girl, just like in the picture below.

3. Press Ctrl + Enter to create a selection from the path created using the Pen Tool, then using the Move Tool (V), paste the selection of the girl into the document created at the beginning.

4. Now we are going to increase the contrast of the picture. Go to Image » Adjustments » Brightness / Contrast settings and use the settings in the image below.

5. Go to Filter » Noise » Add Noise and use the settings in the picture below.

6. Now put the layer of the girl in a folder. To do this go to Layer » Layers Group, or press Ctrl + G. Select Elliptical Marquee Tool, in the options bar above the image: for Feather put the value of 30 pixels, and then make a round selection around the girl (like in the image below).

7. Now we will create a mask using this selection. From the Layers Panel select the folder we've just created, then go to Layer » Layer Mask » Reveal Selection. The Layers should look like the ones in the image below and the mask should cover all the layers inside the folder.

8. Right click on the layer with the girl, and then select Blending Options and use the settings shown below.

9. Press Ctrl + J to duplicate this layer, and then go to Filter » Blur » Montion Blur and set the value of Angle to 45 and 155 pixels for Distance. Make sure that this layer is beneath the one original one.

10.  Create a new layer outside the folder, press the D key to reset the main color to black and white, and then go to Filter » Render » Clouds. Make sure you that this layer is below the one with the girl, and then change its mode to Color Dodge.

11. Create a new layer underneath the one with the clouds, and fill it with white background. Go then to Filter » Render » Fibers and use the settings in the image below.

12. Go to Filter » Blur » Motion Blur and set the value for Angle to 90, and the Distance to a value of more than 300 px.

13. Use the Free Transform tool (Ctrl + T) to rotate the layer, select Lasso Tool and set the value for Feather to 30px, and then make a selection just like in the picture below.

14. Go to Layer » Layer Mask » Reveal Selection.

 

15. Double click the layer to open the Layer Style window, set the Fill Opacity value to 60%, and then apply the Gradient Overlay style using any gradient you like, and set the layer mode to Multiply.

16. Now we will use a brush to create small sparkle around the girl. Create a new layer and put it in a folder. Change the layer mode to Color Dodge. Select the Brush Tool. In the options bar, click the selected button like in the image below and use the settings shown there. Then use white to create light effects. You can use any brush, you can add filters and Gaussian Blur to get the effect you desire.