Cool Neon Effect
Photoshop 7 was used for this tutorial...
In light of the March Image Contest, I figure it would be appropriate to show a kind of technique to create a simulated "neons" effect on either a car, or anything else that uses neon.
First Step: You need to pick out a picture. You should deffinitely choose a picture that does not allow you to see the ground underneath the car (unless you are extrememly talented and can work around this, in that case... You probably don't even need to look at this tutorial
) Your best bet would be a picture that was taken on either a cloudy day, or at dusk. This will ensure a good result.
Second Step: Create a new layer. Change the blending option to "Vivid Light" And keep the opacity at 100%.
Third Step: Activate your orignal picture layer. Now carefully select the area underneath the car that you wish to highlight. Light is a tricky thing to work with and for a more realistic look, a small amount of feathering is suggested. Also remember to select areas of the car tires, if visible, and other areas where the light might show through or on.
Fourth Step: Select your colors. Choose your base color. This should be a moderately dark color, but not too dark. Too dark and it won't show up. Now, select your second color. This should be the same base color, only choose the whitest value of this color without being too white.
Fifth Step: Activate your new layer while your selection areas are still selected. Now choose a large fuzzy brush along with your darker value color. Paint your area where the color would cover. Be careful not to get your paint too close to the edge of your selection or you will have a wierd looking edge on your light area. DO NOT DESELECT YOUR SELECTIONS!
Once this is completed, it doesn't look like much, but we're almost done.
Sixth Step: Now pick your lighter color and a smaller, not too much smaller, fuzzy brush. Paint in the edge underneath the car. It's kinda hard to specify this area without a picture, so you'll have to look at the example. Now, deselect.
Seventh Step: (If necessary) If you ended up with some sharp edges, get your blur tool and (after you have merged visible layers) blend it in where it needs to be blended.
Now you're done! If you deem any other modifications necessary, do so.
Now, step on over to the Image Contest and try out your newly aquired knowledge on the Nissan Skyline GTR! Good Luck!
Here are a couple of examples: