How to Make Lightsabers Glow

[indianatone]

For those who might be wondering how to do this in Photoshop:
(This method was taken from a web search a couple of years ago and I have used them successfully on the occassions that come up to make a glowing blade.) There may be other ways to do this, but I've always been happy with the outcome of:

1) Line Tool
2) Gaussian Blur - use the slider to adjust the amount


It takes several passes on a lightsaber but it always looks terrific.

A) Basically, choose the color of the blade.
Select the line tool and adjust the thickness of the line to be slightly larger than the blade thickness of the saber.
Drag the line to be the length of the blade over the picture.

B) Choose the Gaussian Blur filter and use the blur slider to adjust the amount of blur on the blade. Since this is the outer color of the blade, you'll probably adjust the blur to be very fuzzy on the edges.
(Most lightsabers show the color on the edges of the blade and not all the way through, so we're creating the colored edge of the blade on this pass.)

IF you mess that up, "UNDO" and try again until you're happy with the edge glow.

C) Next, choose the color white and select line tool again.
Adjust the width of the line to be smaller this time for the inner blade (if it stays the same thickness as the outer edge we just made, it will wash out the other color.) This is the inner glow of the saber's blade we're making now.

D) Drag the line the length of the blade in the center of Step B's line.
Choose Gaussian Blur filter. Asjust the blur slider to give the inner edge a bit more sharpness.

You should be able to see the dynamics of how Gaussian Blur is creating the blade. It often times takes several passes of both lines, colors, and blurring to get the blade looking right.

This may come in handy for some who've always wondered how to do this successfully.

If anything, it's another useful PS trick to experiment with.

*Kalkamel's Darth Vader costume with FX saber.


With (Gaussian Blurred/Line Tool) FX saber.

[Steve]

Very cool! I'm going to have to try that.

[indianatone]

Hmm. The color on the first example is a bit lighter than the red it's supposed to be. (Matched the saber blade of the FX itself there.) Sorry, Kalkamel. Here:


It should be more red.

[pitfallharry]

Here's the test pic I did of Kal's Vader pic. This was before I went back and modified the pic I did for him before.

I know what tutorial your talking about above because I ran across it somewhere myself when I was doing a search for Start Wars pics. This was a while ago. I ended up trying my hand it this after seeing your thread.

Should there be more white in the center of the blade?

By the way both of your Vader blades look great Tone.

Here's the pic. I used green just for the heck of it since it was a test.

[indianatone]

Thanks, PH.

That blade looks really good! Yes, just maybe make the white "hotter" and it's there. The slider adjustment is much lower on the white layer than the intial color. That looks pretty good!
It really is pretty easy once you do it a few times, isn't it?

[pitfallharry]

Yeah, I think the more you do it the easier it becomes. I haven't really had much experience working on Star Wars stuff so when I did the original pic of Kal I didn't even attempt to try the lighsaber FX because I wasn't sure exactly how to do it. Now thanks to you I do.

Has anyone ever tried to make a "laser Bullwhip" using this method?

[indianatone]

I don't know if they used this method but somebody did that with a whip in an avatar over on COW. Darth Raider, I think.

Anyway, it's pointless now to work with lightsabers since Lucas will be following Spielberg's lead in re-releasing a much kinder, gentler, more PC version of Star Wars for today's sensitive movie audience where the escapism of violence in outer space just hits too close to home. In this version, all sabers have been omitted and the "Force" (which might be interpreted by today's sensitive movie audience, as witch's black magic) has been changed to be the Power of the "Voice."

Here, Vader uses the Power of the Voice to full effect in trying to coax Luke through supportive means, rather than duel him with a deadly weapon. I think it's a smash hit!


"Luke, I understand you're upset, and you have every right to be......but the galaxy won't know you're hurting unless you tell them."

[Deleted]

Great job you guys

Now, If I told you how how I make my Light Saber Glow, I would have to Ban myself ;D

Cheers,
G-MANN

[pitfallharry]

Oh, man...... ;D ;D ;D

Tone, it looks like after the Empire went out of business Darth got a job as an announcer for boxing matches out in Vegas! ;D

G-Mann, that was just disturbing..... ;D

[kalkamel]

indianatone said:

"Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrre you rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaadyyyyyy toooooooo rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrummmmmmmmmmmmmblllleeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!"

[pitfallharry]

;D ;D ;D

[indianatone]

;D The new Rap Artist and his posse: Vader G and the Storm.

~Choke it out, Yo.
Vader G is in da HOUUUUUUUUUSE!!!!!!!
Yo. How's everbody doin'? Yeeeyah.
Getcha hands up....
A Lemme hear ya say 'Vade'.........
'Vade'...........
'Vade' (da man wit a blade)
Vade (Who?) Vade
Tangle, chump, you gonna fade....~

[pitfallharry]

This whole discussion of Vader having other jobs reminds me of that last new episode of Family Guy where Vader was a Meter Maid and ended up trying to get a loan from the bank to build the Death Star! ;D

[locoindhead]

Does anyone know if photoshop can be done online or do you have to buy the software? I don't know which version to buy, the CE3 i thik its called is way expensive.

[Mr. Fusion]

Well, you have to buy the software, which really sucks because the latest version costs around $600. Yikes! But there's a program out there that's free. It's called Gimp. Funny name, right? But it has many features and tools that are similar to Photoshop. I would recommend that. Just Google search "Gimp." I'll check it and see if you can do this in Gimp.

Good luck.

Josh