Create Lighting Effect

This clip demonstrates how to create a caustic lighting effect using Houdini's Mantra PBR rendering engine. The first part starts with a refresher on refraction. More generally, guide looks at setting up normals correctly, then at the glass shader in Houdini, faux caustics and ...more

This is a creative idea for a great light effect for any video project. If you're a cinematographer and are open to knew and creative ideas (and cheap!), then this colorful, moving lighting effect is perfect for your film. You'll need three plastic cups, a 5/16-inch metal rod ...more

See how to create a simple, colorful colored lighting effect within Adobe Photoshop. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular graphics editor or a seasoned design professional looking to get better acquainted with the industry-standard app, you're sure to benefit from this free s ...more

See how to create a simple spotlight effect in Sony Vegas Pro. (NB: This effect can NOT be done in Movie Studio or Platinum.) Whether you're completely new to Sony's popular nonlinear editor (NLE) or are a seasoned digital video professional simply looking to pick up a few new ...more

Create your own effect of a light box in Adobe Photoshop. This is an exceptionally detailed tutorial which shows you how to start from scratch (not a photograph) and create the light box effect you can use to replicate the look of neon lights.

Light boxing is a pervasive technique in advertising, used to draw attention to the featured product. You can replicate this effect in Adobe Photoshop. Starting from a blank document, this tutorial walks you through the process of creating your own light box effect.

Light streaks look very cool. Their coolness is practically the reason time-lapse photography exists. This video will teach you how to take light sources in video and create light streaks off of them using Adobe After Effects. Make your nighttime videos look much more spiffy b ...more

Matt, the Shirtless Apprentice, demonstrates how to create dramatic lighting effects on a budget. This episode will help you to develop control of your audiences attention.

In this video tutorial, learn how to create a really beautiful, eye popping, neon light "magic effect". Brighten up your asthetic presentation with this cool Photoshop trick, originally found on this blog. This tutorial is constructed using Adobe Photoshop CS3, but please note ...more

This tutorial shows you how to make a vegas style sign where lightbulbs turn on and off in sequence around the outside of a shape. Using simple photoshop files, create an animated billboard of a T. Create a "running lights" effect in After Effects. Click through to watch this ...more

Learn how to use the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom graduated filter tool to create fake light leak. This clip will teach you what you need to know. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular raster graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint you ...more

In this video tutorial, we learn how to create a music visualization effect with Knoll Light Factor within Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yours ...more

In this short After Effects tutorial, Jerzy Drozda Jr (aka Maltaannon) demonstrates creating some cool volumetric lights without any plug-ins. So try it and enhance the "look" and "feel" of your projects by lighting them a little bit. The project files are also available on th ...more

In this video tutorial from Adobe Beginner Classes, join Dennis Radeke as he shows you how to create volumetric light on text inside Adobe After Effects, and teaches how to prevent DVD coasters in Adobe Encore. See how to create volumetric light on text in Adobe After Effects.

Andrew Kramer demonstrates how to create ray traced light reflections inside After Effects. After Effects does not handle ray traced reflections natively so follow along with tutorial and learn some cool tricks to get a ray traced effect. Create ray traced light reflections in ...more

In this video tutorial, we learn how to create film title treatments with Knoll Light Factory within Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself wi ...more

This quick AE user's guide presents a lesson in light wrapping and edge blurs in After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its var ...more

Even with so many awesome real life weapons out there that wreak jaw-dropping damage and explosions, boys and men everywhere still grovel at the feet of lightsabers, that mystal (and unfortunately made up) weapon touted by Jedi in the "Star Wars" movies. If you've never outgr ...more

This tutorial shows you some totally hip and smashing effects with light rays and text in Sony Vegas. Difficulty: Easy Prior Knowledge: Basic Keyframing

In this Illustrator/After Effects CS4 tutorial, Dennis Radeke shows you how you can build your very own light show. It's easy and fun so come along and find out how! Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional ...more

You can alter the lighting (general ambient, specific spots, color/warmth) of a video using compositor nodes within Blender. This clip will show you how it's done. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just inte ...more

Add energy and excitement to your scene with lightning! During this tutorial you will discover how to quickly model a detailed lightning bolt, make an object disintegrate, create light flashes, add glow and glare effects in the compositor. Whether you're new to the Blender Fou ...more

This video will show you how to use Adobe Photoshop to create a very realistic looking light ray using a Mask, Radial Blur and adjustment layers. Give your images a beautiful sun-kissed appearance with the techniques demonstrated in this how-to video.

Check out this video from Chemical Reaction Tutorials (CRTutorials). If you love filmmaking, prop making, editing and everything else that goes along with making movies, then you'll want to see what Adam has to say about lightsabers. Kevin from Shudder Pictures shows you how ...more

In the first tutorial, Creative Cow leader Aharon Rabinowitz shows you how to use After Effects to simulate the popular light writing effect seen in recent Sprint commercials. The second video shows you how to improve the look of the light writing effect by adding intense poin ...more

This software tutorial shows you how to use the Knoll Light Factory Pro plug-in for After Effects. Knoll Light Factory Pro is the industry's favorite tool for creating lens flares, sunsets, photon torpedoes, stars and other effects. It offers a custom lens editor, auto trackin ...more

Rich Harrington explores the new realistic behaviors of light and shadow in After Effects CS4. In this software video, Rich concentrates on creating and positioning light sources and creating shadows. He also moves the camera around to create a small action clip. Start with a ...more

Making titles in After Effects is fun, relatively easy, and sure to make your film make a better first impression. This video will show you how to make a cool light ray text swipe effect with particles, like the one in the thumbnail. This isn't too hard as far as our After Eff ...more

No matter how desperate they are for work, most actors will not let you crush their heads for your film. The potential for career development afterwards would be limited. This video will teach you how to crush a head with special effects for a film and then how to use three-po ...more

The greenscreen has allowed filmmakers to take us to worlds they never could have otherwise, but they can ruin a movie when used poorly. Watch this video for a guide to picking a screen, lighting it, and getting a good key for it using Final Cut Pro or After Effects.

Learn best practices for lighting your canvas in Adobe Photoshop. Whether you're new to computer graphics, new to Adobe Photoshop CS4 or a seasoned design professional just looking to pick up a few new tips and tricks, you're certain to like this free video software tutorial. ...more

A laser light show is possible to replicate with the diffraction grating effect. Different laser effects can be created using a variety of materials: small motors and diffraction grating pieces, and mirrors. It's possible to create searchlights, crystal balls, spring patterns, ...more

Andrew Cramer shows you how to simulate light in your After Effects scenes. The effect shown is good for any time you have a flash of light shown like lightning or clashing light sabers. Add simulated light to a scene in After Effects. Click through to watch this video on crea ...more

n this video tutorial, Creative Cow Contributing Editor Eran Stern shows you a how to build a 3D scene using Photoshop CS3 Vanishing Point and re-light it inside After Effects. Part two will show you how to project text on the floor using light transmission feature in After Ef ...more

Photographer Chris Alvanas goes under the Filter menu and explores some of the things you can do with the Lighting Effects options. Use lighting effects in Photoshop. Click through to watch this video on layersmagazine.com

In this video tutorial, we learn how to get started using Knoll Light Factory Pro to generate eye-catching light effects within Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to ...more

This video shows you how to light up a bluescreen for special effects. The bluescreen must be well lit in order for the effect to be more seamless win post production.

This After Effects tutorial will show you how to create a flickering light effect. Hopefully you can take these ideas and apply them a little bit better than our teacher did. Simulate a flickering light using After Effects. Click through to watch this video on ivfilms.net

Modeling software is a wonderful tool for experimenting with modifictions of a product first before building it in real life. Plus, it's just cool to build things virtually. This Maya software tutorial teaches you how to use basic lighting effects in Maya. You'll learn which ...more

So you've mastered the basics of using the Falloff Lighting plugin for Adobe After Effects, and now you're ready for some of the more advanced concepts. This tutorial shows you how to illuminate an object in a corner using this plugin.

If you know how to use After Effects, you're probably very familiar with the ability to add 3D lights to a scene, and allow them to interact with 3D layers. In 3D applications like CINEMA 4D, lights are an essential part of your project, but how do you make them look at a spec ...more

In this video tutorial, we learn how to use Key Correct Pro to composite with light wraps within Adobe After Effects. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular motion graphics and compositing software or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with t ...more

Learn how to create an eye-catching light streak effect within this Blender video guide. Whether you're new to the Blender Foundation's popular 3D modeling program or a seasoned graphic artist just interested in better acquainting yourself with the application, you're sure to ...more

In this instructional video hosted by Click Here Photography, learn how to photograph moving vehicles, trucks, or cars at night to capture a light beam effect. Equipment, how to set-up, and additional props are gone over. Although this effect takes some time to set-up, it is a ...more

Get tips on making and animating Star Wars lightsabers using the Neon Light Engine in Effects Lab

This video shows how to improve light in a room for different moods and effects. You will see how the lighting will fit the design of different rooms and still fill the basic needs of the light. A dining room with a dimmer switch will focus on the dining room table with ambien ...more

In this clip, you'll learn how to create a glowing beam of light in Adobe Photoshop CS3, CS4 or CS5. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular raster graphics editing software or a seasoned professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various feat ...more

Jeff Schell shows you some of the options and configurations available when working with images that do not match the dimensions of your program monitor in Premiere Pro CS3. In addition, Jeff will introduce you to the 'Automate to Timeline" feature that helps you quickly creat ...more

Ring Lights can create a specific lighting that brings out warmer hues from your actors/models, as well as giving you a cool effect for the eyes. If you're not looking to spend a fortune on buying an already made one, you can make one with items from around the house on the ch ...more

Looking to jazz up your Photoshop creations? Learn how to create 3D wrapping light streaks in Photoshop with help from this video. By starting with a simple 3D object created in Photoshop, "wrap" the object with light, specifically these light zips or bands to create this effe ...more

Ever wonder how to create movie magic right in your own home? This video shows you step by step everything you need to know and do to create the green screen effect, from properly setting up your green screen, to lighting it, as well as your subjects for a successful effect. F ...more