So many people have asked for this affect, so, to the best of my abilities (I just tried to figure out how to make it yesterday) I’m going to give you a tutorial on it. This tutorial was made for PSP 7 but I'm sure it can be translated to PS and other programs.
From this:
To this:
Start with your base.
Duplicate the layer and gaussian blur it at a radius of 1.99
Set that layer on soft light. You should end up with the above.
Duplicate the backround layer again, (NOT THE BLURRED LAYER) and, using your layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer over the blurred layer.
Now go to the “effects” menu, choose “blur” and then “average”. Set it at a filter aperture of 3. Click OK.
Go to the “retouch” tool, choose “lighten RBG” set at opacity 15, size (whatever is needed for your icon, I used size 8), hardness 0, density 100, step 1. Draw the highlights with this tool wherever you want it to really glow. ( I chose a lot of places, such as the chin, forehead, CHEEKBONES lips, nose, arm, hair, shirt, and kneck.) But especially focous on the face, mostly the forehead and cheeckbones.
Set it on soft light, opacity 100.
Duplicate that layer and set it on normal, opacity 54. If one of the highlights is too intense, like it is on my cheeckbone, use your soften tool to soften it up.
At this point, select the eyes using the lasoo tool, and go to every layer selecting “ctrl” and “x” on your keyboard, or using “edit” “cut” from the PSP menu to cut out the eyes from the blur, putting sharp focous on them.
Duplicate the BACKROUND layer again. Using the layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer to the top. Sharpen it three times. Now erase everything on the layer but the eyes and eyelid.
Duplicate the backround layer again. Using the layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer to the top. Sharpen it 5 times. Now earase everything but the lips. This will give the lips a shiny, sparkly effect.
Make a new layer (NOT A DUPLICANT LAYER) and use your paintbrush tool, color white, set at size (whatever needed for your icon, I used size 8), opacity 100, hardness 0, density 100, step 1, to draw highlights wherever you want them. (I chose generally the same places I did with my dodge tool.)
Gaussian blur those with a radius of 1.99. Set that layer on soft light. It should look something like the above.
Duplicate the backround layer, using the layer pallete, drag the layer on top, set it on luminance, and opacity 8-18, whichever suits your tastes (and your icon.) I used opacity 10.
Now it’s time to add text. I like to use tinytext to this icon, beacause it adds detail without taking focous away from the icon. I used the font Antigonibd on size 1, bolded. I used a dark color from ther hair, beacause black would be too harsh.
I then added teen white dots set on dodge, opacity 80 behind the text, thought it added to the icon.
For the final step, I added a new layer (NOT A DUPLICANT LAYER) flood filled it with gray, set it on saturation, opacity ten. The step is mostly opetional to your tastes.
And there you have it. A beautiful, glowy, fabulous icon.
From this:
To this: Start with your base.
Duplicate the layer and gaussian blur it at a radius of 1.99
Set that layer on soft light. You should end up with the above.
Duplicate the backround layer again, (NOT THE BLURRED LAYER) and, using your layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer over the blurred layer.
Now go to the “effects” menu, choose “blur” and then “average”. Set it at a filter aperture of 3. Click OK.
Go to the “retouch” tool, choose “lighten RBG” set at opacity 15, size (whatever is needed for your icon, I used size 8), hardness 0, density 100, step 1. Draw the highlights with this tool wherever you want it to really glow. ( I chose a lot of places, such as the chin, forehead, CHEEKBONES lips, nose, arm, hair, shirt, and kneck.) But especially focous on the face, mostly the forehead and cheeckbones.
Set it on soft light, opacity 100.
Duplicate that layer and set it on normal, opacity 54. If one of the highlights is too intense, like it is on my cheeckbone, use your soften tool to soften it up.
At this point, select the eyes using the lasoo tool, and go to every layer selecting “ctrl” and “x” on your keyboard, or using “edit” “cut” from the PSP menu to cut out the eyes from the blur, putting sharp focous on them.
Duplicate the BACKROUND layer again. Using the layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer to the top. Sharpen it three times. Now erase everything on the layer but the eyes and eyelid.
Duplicate the backround layer again. Using the layer pallete, drag the duplicated layer to the top. Sharpen it 5 times. Now earase everything but the lips. This will give the lips a shiny, sparkly effect.
Make a new layer (NOT A DUPLICANT LAYER) and use your paintbrush tool, color white, set at size (whatever needed for your icon, I used size 8), opacity 100, hardness 0, density 100, step 1, to draw highlights wherever you want them. (I chose generally the same places I did with my dodge tool.)
Gaussian blur those with a radius of 1.99. Set that layer on soft light. It should look something like the above.
Duplicate the backround layer, using the layer pallete, drag the layer on top, set it on luminance, and opacity 8-18, whichever suits your tastes (and your icon.) I used opacity 10.
Now it’s time to add text. I like to use tinytext to this icon, beacause it adds detail without taking focous away from the icon. I used the font Antigonibd on size 1, bolded. I used a dark color from ther hair, beacause black would be too harsh.
I then added teen white dots set on dodge, opacity 80 behind the text, thought it added to the icon.
For the final step, I added a new layer (NOT A DUPLICANT LAYER) flood filled it with gray, set it on saturation, opacity ten. The step is mostly opetional to your tastes.
And there you have it. A beautiful, glowy, fabulous icon.