Having trouble with the Northern Light...

[Amethyst]

First I would like to say this is my very first post and my very first forum! :D

Question I want to ask to all the members of the Cafe is how can I create the Northern Lights in Photoshop? I am using PhotoShop7 and just to let everyone know I am new to this Photoshop language. You can say that I have been recently messing with this program and fell in love with it :) I am a fast learner and not that kind of a person that would give up. I have an creative Artistic skills that I would like to bring to this program. Any helpful links on the Northern Lights will do fine as well as any Tutorials.

Thanks for your help. :)

[jfiscus]

can you post a source image (photograph) of what you are trying to recreate? that would help us a lot in advising you...

[Amethyst]

Hi jfiscus and Cafe members here is a link to a Northern Lights photograph designed by an artist using Adobe Photoshop. Hope this helps :)

http://tutorials.knet.ca/photoshop/graphics/finished.jpg (http://)

[Phil_The_Rodent]

It's part of a tutorial... The actual steps are here (http://tutorials.knet.ca/photoshop/dancer.htm). If you need any help with a specific step, let us know. :)

[Amethyst]

Hey Phil_the_Rodent, I try working at it over and over :roll and the steps that is confusing me the most is steps 2 - 4 of Part2 NorthernLights can you or anyone else rephrase these steps so I can easily understand it :)

[Phil_The_Rodent]

Sorry for the delayed response, I don't have a lot of time these days to surf about.

Anyways...

Step 2
1. Make New Layer (you don't have to name it anything, but if you really want, right click and go to properties and it'll allow you to change it).
2. Select your Marquee tool (upper let corner of your tool palette)
3. Left click in your canvas and drag to make a rectangle.
4. Press and hold shift and make another triangle. The first should remain when you do this. This is how you add to a selection.
5. Keep making rectangles until you have as many as you want. (apparently, have the rectangles overlap more on the upper side of the line)
6. Click your foreground colour. Select a light blue. Press Shift-Delete and fill your selection with your foreground colour.
7. Filter>Blur>Gaussian blur (apparently with a setting of 6)

Step 3
Repeat step 2 using a different series of rectangles
8. Go to Image>Adjust>Hue and saturation, and change the hue of this layer to a green. You may want to lighten it a titch too. This is a good time to adjust your first layer (the blue one) too to get them to blend great.
9. Duplicate the layer, drag it onto the new layer button on the layers drop-down.
10. Press Ctrl-T or go to Edit>Free Transform and transform the duplicate layer.
11. Use the eraser and erase any bits that don't belong.
12. Reduce the layer opacity.

Step 4:

1. Rotate your canvas 90 degrees. Clockwise or counter-clock wise. Doesn't matter. Just remember which one.
2. Filter>Stylize>Wind. Use a low setting, pointing in whichever way is now "up". We do this because wind only goes to the left or right, not up and down. So if you want the wind moving "up" we have to rotate the layer or the canvas. I prefer moving the canvas.
3. Filter>Blur>Motion Blur is the same direction.
4. Play with this as you want until all your layers look correct.
5. Rotate it opposite of how you rotated the canvas in step 1.

[Amethyst]

Thanks again Phil_The_Rodent your help with the tutorial went smoothly. :notworthy