Light Glow

From 3.10ColorColor & LightRaster

Creates a soft glow and optional halo around the lighter areas within a photo or video layer based on a luminance threshold.

Properties
Diffusion

Controls the softness of the glow as it spreads outwards from the light parts of the layer.

Range: 0 to 2; Default: 0.25
Threshold

A luminance threshold that controls which pixels emit the light glow. Pixels with luminance over this threshold will have a light glow; pixels with luminance under this threshold will not glow at all.

Range: 0 to 1; Default: 0.7
Intensity

Controls the brightness of the glow. At the default of 1.0, light areas will not get brighter, but will emit a glow into nearby darker areas. For higher values of intensity, the light areas of the layer will become even lighter and will emit an even stronger glow into nearby darker areas.

Range: 0 to 5; Default: 1
Color

A color to use instead of the original pixel color when rendering the glow.

Default:  
Blend

Controls the color of the glow. At 0% the original pixel color is used; at 100% the Color property is used. Values in between mix the original pixel color and glow color proportionally. The final mixed color is blended on top of the layer using the Screen blending mode.

Range: 0% to 100%; Default: 25%
Halo

Creates a glowing ring in addition to the basic glow, similar to the first ring of the Airy pattern that occurs around an area of bloom. The value of Halo determines the brightness of the ring relative to the setting given for Intensity.

Range: 0 to 5; Default: 0
Alpha

Controls the opacity of the glow and the halo.

Range: 0% to 100%; Default: 75%

Usage

Photos and Videos

Apply Light Glow to any photo or video layer, then adjust Threshold and Diffusion as desired. It can be easier to see adjustments to Threshold if you temporarily set Diffusion to a lower value first (close to zero, but not zero), then increase it after adjusting Threshold.

Shapes and Text

The Light Glow effect doesn't extend beyond the edges of the layer, so if you want to apply it to shapes, text, or other solid color layers, first group the layers, then apply the effect to the group. Alternatively, you could add a rectangle layer on top of your project, add Copy Background first, and then apply Light Glow to add glows to lighter parts of all layers in your project.

With Other Effects

Light Glow can also be used together with other effects that include selectively brighter areas, such as Simple Starfield.

Color Blending

When adjusting Color, keep in mind that it is applied using the Screen blending mode, so be sure to choose colors that are lighter than the source media. For a more natural or subtle look, use a low value for Blend.

Use Cases