Help creating this "glowing lines" effect

[slavelle]

I have looked everywhere at all sorts of photoshop and illustrator tutorials (because I couldn't find a Xara one) to accomplish this effect. I am creating a website for my client Jim and would like to incorporate a similar image to what he's using on his book cover, but with some different colors as the background to his site.

You can see what I'm trying to do in his blog header background here: http://www.jimmathis.com

I've found that this is a stock photo used in a lot of places, but I'm not really interested in getting the original image - I have that, but as a Jpeg on a black background. I'd prefer to learn how to create a similar effect in Xara.

I have tried all sorts of things that are kind of close, but just not there yet. I've tried using a line with pen pressure with a glow shadow. I've tried lines with a stained glass color overlay. I've tried creating a number of different brushes with a few levels of color, some with Gaussian blur applied, etc. but I just can't get this effect down. It always looks pretty good when I'm done, but then I look at the inspirational original and I'm not even in the ballpark for the amount of shine, glow, impact, etc.

In the end, this may not even work for the site since will be putting it on a light colored background, but I still want to know how to create this, as I'm sure I'll be able to use the technique elsewhere.

Anyone have any ideas or tutorials?

Thanks for any input!

Scott
http://www.technicalrs.com

[Scotty]

Hi,
Try blending lines of the colors you wish to use and see if that creates the effect, then group and apply a shadow with lots of feathering.
Jim

[steve.ledger]

Similar to Jim's suggestion, but I'd not work with Xara's shadow tool.
Try stacking feathered lines of different widths.
Mix up line shapes and grouped transparencies.

[slavelle]

Thanks for the suggestions. these are the sorts of things I've tried and as I said, I get "ok" results, but not something anywhere near as sophisticated as the demo image.

Scotty: The "shadow" effect works as an afterthought to get some of the additional blurry transparency around the edges, but it's the main parts - the brilliant parts - that I've having a hard time with.

Steve: This is the sort of thing I've done so far, but the end result just doesn't have the complexity I'm looking for. I can get things similar to what you have posted here, just not with the richness of the example.

For example, here's one that I just threw together using two different brushes in blue and orange, each put together with a few shapes with circular transparencies then with a plugin applied with a Gaussian blur and then the brush parameters adjusted to have pressure adjust the transparency and size. Attached is what I've done, but it's just not there.

[steve.ledger]

I get "ok" results, but not something anywhere near as sophisticated as the demo image.

I'm pretty certain the example you link to isn't done with a Vector application, Scott.

Minimiro was the Xara artist who created the earlier Xara Xtreme splash screens, he had created similar effects then - if he still visited TG I'm sure he'd help.
(Though whether he used Xara Xtreme is another matter)

[slavelle]

Steve,

I itinitally thought that as well and as a result, started looking at the photoshop tutorials to see what they do in there and if it could be replicated to xara with some PS plugins.

this morning, however, I received an email from MightyDeals, as I do every day, with another "deisgners bundle" which happens to include some images that look similar to what I'm trying to do with the title "vector special effects series", delivered as .AI files, so I did some searching and found some examples like this: http://all-free-download.com/free-ve...or_160559.html which can be downloaded for free (as EPS). I tried to import this directly and couldn't really tell anoything from it, so I converted to PDF but still couldn't really do anything with the file.

I have the CS2 version of Illustrator (from the now free versions downloadable from Adobe), which I'm going to install and see what I can see from there.

But from this information, it seems like a vector application, even if using some sort of filters on top of it, ought to be able to get at least in the ballpark of this.

Always looking to learn more,
Scott
(ps. why does this forum log me out SO fast. I always copy what I've written before hitting submit because 9/10 times, it won't let me post until I log back in - multiple computer, multiple browsers, enough so that I've established a ctrl-A/ctrl-c habit so I don't lose the post info.)

[MEB]

Hi Scott,
Xara isn't able to handle (read render) that EPS file correctly because it relies heavily on blend modes that Xara doesn't support directly.
You can however achieve similar results using the tools Xara provides. I remember i've used similar effects before in some stuff I've done. They are somewhere in my old PC.
Another thing that makes the file problematic to work with is that it uses symbols (with blend modes) repeated over and over again in different scales and positions, making the rendering a very complex process. Best way to go about it is to separate one of those symbols and check it out separately in another document.
It would be great if they added some more blend modes to the transparency tool (like color dodge). It would make things easier. A nice request to add to Dear Xara.

[EDIT] Here´s some examples created entirely in Xara (cropped from a portfolio pdf, i´m looking for the original XAR file):
- OpenOffice nº3 ,
- Image created for a Stop & Post thread although not exactly glowing
- some old text effects (960)
[/EDIT]

[angelize]

(ps. why does this forum log me out SO fast. I always copy what I've written before hitting submit because 9/10 times, it won't let me post until I log back in - multiple computer, multiple browsers, enough so that I've established a ctrl-A/ctrl-c habit so I don't lose the post info.)

When you log in there is a checkbox that says something like remember me or keep me logged in, make sure this is checked and you won't get logged out when your page has been idle too long.

I also remember Black Panther posting a mini tutorial for a glowing effect, I don't have time to search for it now but I'll try to get back with link later if no one else finds it in the meantime.

[slavelle]

Your #3 and "stop & post" are on the right track to what I'm trying to do and for the purpose of this example, knowing how you created those would probably go a long way to solving my issue. Thanks for your input on this.

Regarding the import: I mostly always have issues with imports that are really complex and not a PDF. Hopefully this will improve in the future.

Getting some additional blend modes would be great (as would ME learning the ones we already have and using them effectively). I have so many "rote processes" that I'm comfortable with, I've kind of stopped learning some of the deeper sections of the program. Just this week, while messing with this concept, I learned how to do a few extra things along the way from watching a few PS tutorials and applying the concepts to Xara. Texture overlays on an object to make the object look like the texture is part of it (one I should have known but just didn't see it done in the way I found in the tut) and stained glass transparency on a clouds fill over a multi-colored eliptical transparency applied to circles on the underlying layer and how you can create some cool abstract things with extensions of that idea are two examples off the top of my head.

Scott
PS - Angelize: thanks for the "remember me" tip. I'm trying it now, so I'll see if it works...

[slavelle]

So - I've looked at a number of tutorials on how to use the color burn options in Photoshop and it's almost definitely what I need in order to do this effect. I have tried to find other ways to approximate this with combinations of other features, such as a combinations of overlay layers or plugins, but I'm not there yet. I may have to deal with this in Gimp or my (old) Cs2 version of Photoshop, but still looking!