Tutorial – Particle streak effect!
Here is my particle steak effect tutorial which I’ve used for my old layout on this website, one of my favorite effect in which a streak of glowing lines/ particles is emanating around a person/object giving the intention it’s somehow creating an energy power field around the subject.
You can follow along with my psd >>Click to download
1. Creating paths with the pen tool.
- For the first step you will have to be familiar with the pen tool, I would highly recommend reading this article on creating paths with the pen tool here first if you’re not familiar with it, very easily to understand. >>Learn paths<<
- Now with the Pen Tool selected and setting the top options to Paths we will want to create the path in which this streak will follow, remember do this on the effect layer.
Notice how I’m starting from the bottom foot and will create a flow where it will end up on the other foot.
Here is my finished path, you can follow the same path as me or create your own path you would like to work with.
2. Select a brush and size.
- Select the brush tool and open the brush menu, now the brush is what’s going to turn into the glowing streak.
- Once you get the hang of you it can make any kind of streak you would like as long as you have the brush for it. For now lets select the solid 5px brush with a hardness of 100%.
3. Stroke path
- After selecting your desired brush, click on the pen tool and hover over your path right click and choose Stroke Path, then make sure the option is set to your brush and click ok.
Your image should now look like this.
4. Creating the wrapping illusion
- Select the layer1 layer which the image is on, and were going to copy parts of the image and paste it on top of the effect layer. The parts we copy are the parts we want to make it look like the streak wrapping in front and behind the object.
- I choose the elliptical marquee tool and created a circle where I wanted to hide the streaks which is going to be behind the object. If you want to do it all at once like I did below after making a circle hold shift and make drag another circle.
Now paste what you copied over the effect layer and your image should like the one below, notice the effect is starting to come into place.
5. Effect layer style
- Double click the effect layer to bring up the layer style option. Now here we can do whatever we want, so I’m going to go with the glowing effect. Go to color overlay and choose a color, it can be green, white…ect
- I’ve chosen orange for the color.
- Now click on the outer glow option and choose a color you want the streak to glow, I’ve chosen a dark orange and be sure to blend it with a Linear Dodge.
Your image should now look similar to the one below.
6. Adding particles to your streak
- I find this the fun part, on the particle layer we are going to use a particle brush and draw the particles around the streaks.
- I used the one from Celestial Star click to download they have some excellent free brushes for Photoshop.
- With the particle brush now set, choose a bright color for your particle, I’ve chosen a bright orange-yellow for my particle and simply click along the lines where the streaks are visible.
And were finished! I hope you enjoy this tutorial, if you have any questions, please comment below and I’ll try to reply asap!
Special thanks to Celestial Star for providing the particle/glitter brush! Celestial Star
3:58 am on June 11th, 2008
6:21 pm on June 12th, 2008
1:11 am on June 15th, 2008
please please tell me how to fix this
6:13 am on June 15th, 2008
Remember as the first image shows, you have to select “paths” option on the pen tool, you have it on “shape layers”. Take a look a the first image I have, you can see where it says paths, select that option and you should be able to draw a path without creating a shape.
Hope that helps.
6:41 am on June 15th, 2008
7:47 am on June 15th, 2008
Thanks for the comment, as for the copy and paste part, remember Layer 1 is a layer by itself, after you have your streaks finished we want to make it appear as it is wrapping around the body therefore some parts of the streaks needs to be removed.
The parts that are going to be removed is up to you, but follow the pattern of over, under, over, under. So for every under you’re going to select the Layer 1 which the subject’s is present and using any kind of lasso tool select the parts which are going to be where the streaks go under/behind him. Then you are going to paste this layer on top of the streak/effect layer.
If this doesn’t help send me an email, I’ll send you the completed file for you to look at.
Cheers!
12:21 pm on June 15th, 2008
Thanks.
4:32 pm on June 16th, 2008
Thanks!
7:11 pm on June 17th, 2008
6:05 pm on June 19th, 2008
2:14 am on June 20th, 2008
http://dotpsd.wordpress.com/
thanks!
7:18 am on June 23rd, 2008
12:04 am on June 24th, 2008
12:40 am on June 24th, 2008
Do you have your “Paths” drawn out on your effect layer? If so just take your “Pen Tool” then you will have to be on the layer in which your paths are drawn out, right click and choose stroke path. Your paths should now take on a brush stroke.
Hope that helps.
12:55 am on June 24th, 2008
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l158/kaisen_89/asdf.jpg
1:11 am on June 24th, 2008
I see your problem, you have your pen tool on “Shaped Layers” not “Paths”. Your option should be set to where the red arrow points.
Image below.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3183/2606371731_272c5c5070.jpg
1:36 am on June 24th, 2008
9:47 pm on June 24th, 2008
12:36 pm on June 26th, 2008
2:40 pm on June 28th, 2008
2:42 am on June 29th, 2008
5:01 am on June 29th, 2008
Just select the layer where the line is present and press delete until all your lines are gone.
1:26 pm on June 29th, 2008
6:59 pm on June 29th, 2008
Yep if you really think about it, it’s just a stroke path with an outer glow, once you get the hang of it try it out with different brush strokes, it gets crazier looking! I might do another tutorial similar to this with a different brush stroke just to show how crazy it can get lol.
12:41 pm on July 1st, 2008
i have the same problem like Rob:
I seem to be having with this is that I can’t work out how to get the path to start thin, get thick and then go thin again, it’s all one constant thickness for me (even with simulate pressure ticked).
5:39 pm on July 3rd, 2008
6:28 pm on July 3rd, 2008
Good advice Rick, that will also work I just used the copy paste technique since the subject was already in another layer.
11:50 am on July 7th, 2008
7:31 am on July 10th, 2008
8:51 am on July 10th, 2008
My bad didn’t realized you left me a question before, it should work with “simulate pressure checked” if not Email me your .psd and let me check it out.
10:43 pm on July 11th, 2008
11:00 pm on July 11th, 2008
Is your brush stroke correctly configured to the settings above? If you could send me the .psd I would have a better understanding with your problem. webmaster@olieng.net
4:02 am on July 15th, 2008
SIR, PLZ DON’T ANGERY ABOUT MY E-MAIL ID, I AM USE THIS ID TO 2 YEARS AGO. HELLO SIR, MY NAME IS RAHUL SHARMA, SIR I CAN NOT WRITE THE ENGLISH WELL. BUT I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR THIS WONDERFUL EFFECT. AGAIN I AM READ YOUR TIPS & TRICKS SO PLEASE HELP ME ANY PROBLEM OF PHOTOSHOP. SIR PLZ TELL ME WHICH VERSION YOU USE IN THE PHOTOSHOP
6:28 pm on July 15th, 2008
guys if you cant get your brush streak to go from thin to thick nothing is wrong with your phototshop or your brushes or…. for your pen tool. firstly click the button that says “window” then
click on brushes. once you have the brushes thing open make sure the tickbox that says “shape dynamics” is ticked and then go to the pen tool and do the stroke path with stimulate pressure checked and you will have it go from thin to fat.
5:24 pm on July 19th, 2008
4:01 am on July 21st, 2008
please do help !! *tears ..*
thx in advance though !!
7:36 pm on July 21st, 2008
What version of Photoshop are you using? I made this tutorial with CS3 and all I needed was to check “Stimulate pressure” and it works. I didn’t change any settings on my brush, I used the default 5px brush that comes with Photoshop and it works, very strange.
11:35 pm on July 21st, 2008
8:28 am on July 22nd, 2008
Anyone .. help !?
8:47 am on July 22nd, 2008
and finally, i can finally say that this tutorial is an amazing work !!! XD
Thanks
2:12 am on July 30th, 2008
8:40 am on August 3rd, 2008
Jonathan
12:32 pm on August 9th, 2008
thx anyway,.. very2 good and interesting tutorial..
3:16 am on August 23rd, 2008
3:24 am on August 23rd, 2008
thanks a lot for an easy to follow tutorial!
11:34 am on September 19th, 2008
7:51 pm on September 28th, 2008
3:23 am on October 7th, 2008
9:24 am on October 11th, 2008
6:05 pm on October 18th, 2008
how do u get it to go thin to thick
and where did u get that picture because its a really good one to learn on and i tried with another one of him but its really difficult ??
9:00 pm on October 31st, 2008
hm.. i dont have that brush, so i want to replace it.
which brush is suitable?
maybe soon, i am going to download that brush, but i don’t know the pattern’s name.
can u give me some info about it??
hope u can post as soon as possible because i should rush to finish my project.
so, please, please, and please help me!!!
thanx
9:54 pm on November 5th, 2008
9:40 am on November 13th, 2008
Last word You rock man.
8:14 pm on November 27th, 2008
7:36 pm on November 28th, 2008
11:09 pm on December 9th, 2008
3:54 am on December 11th, 2008
[...] Particle streak effect [...]
9:21 pm on December 18th, 2008
Thanks for the TUTs, Very nice instruction.
BTW what is the name of the brush set you used for the particles, I usually make my own but Celestial seems to have a very nice collection.
1:29 pm on December 30th, 2008
5:55 am on January 8th, 2009
the download link for the brush in step 6 doesn’t work.
Do you got an alternative download link?
Thanks
1:02 am on January 11th, 2009
5:48 pm on January 13th, 2009
7:32 pm on February 6th, 2009
my line never thins at the ends.
and i have no idea why.
i saw someone else had the same problem.
but i never saw an answer.
10:16 am on February 17th, 2009
8:31 am on February 24th, 2009
x Vicky x
5:58 pm on March 22nd, 2009
2:40 am on March 28th, 2009
5:25 am on April 2nd, 2009
[...] Go to: >>> Particle streak effect >>> [...]
8:47 am on April 4th, 2009
10:10 am on April 7th, 2009
10:44 am on April 7th, 2009
8:12 pm on April 7th, 2009
i edited a lil bit after i was finished to give it some kind of ” Personal Touch”
lol Here
http://i302.photobucket.com/albums/nn117/dajerman/particletryout.jpg
1:30 am on April 8th, 2009
8:28 pm on April 9th, 2009
LOL i rly dont know what ur talking about when u draw the lines an make the rings.. i tryed but… ye.. so plz maybe explain more?!?!?! THX!
10:54 pm on April 15th, 2009
6:55 pm on April 17th, 2009
3:13 am on April 30th, 2009
5:39 pm on May 1st, 2009
8:04 pm on May 3rd, 2009
12:37 pm on May 7th, 2009
10:40 am on May 19th, 2009
11:32 pm on May 26th, 2009
This is one of the best tutorial I have ever seen on internet. This makes the experience of digital painiting and amazing photoshop effects very interesting. Keep it Up!
2:49 pm on June 5th, 2009
This Tutorial was Amazing!!..You make it look so easy man..very clear and clean..Excellent work..
12:00 am on June 21st, 2009
i just wondering if anyone can tell me why my brush have equal size from the stating til the end….
while the tutorial shown that the line from narrow to thick and narrow again??
12:09 am on June 21st, 2009
When you stroke path make sure “stimulate pressure” is checked.
9:33 pm on July 3rd, 2009
best design………
9:12 am on July 8th, 2009
10:43 am on July 15th, 2009
3:09 am on July 20th, 2009
Which brush set did you use? I went to the Celestial Star website, but I’m having difficulty finding the set you used for the particles.
10:43 am on July 31st, 2009
4:08 pm on August 6th, 2009
8:59 am on August 14th, 2009
Thats an awesome picture thank you for the tutorial i have been wanting to do that for ages and now i can
Although i couldnt get on the link for the brushes but it didnt matter i used tiny stars which had kinda the same effect.
1:53 am on August 20th, 2009
2:16 pm on September 19th, 2009
12:28 pm on January 6th, 2010
10:59 am on January 24th, 2010
Can uadd my msn bottlebag@hotmail.co.uk? so i could see the completed file and figure it out =)
12:23 pm on March 1st, 2010
I have looked for the this effect on other website also and found nothing.
Thanks
Lee