Isolated Glow Effect Tutorial
Read on to learn how I create this intense, layer-isolated glow effect on any graphic or image using Dither Boy and Epsilon Glow!
Step 1: Understand Luminance Values
Real glow effects rely on Luminance to determine which parts of an image will emit light.
In this image, the brightest sections are the red and green, so I will make sure i keep them when I reduce the colour count. Later on, I can also grab some of the blues into the glow if i want to, but a highly isolated glow here would just be the green hue.
Step 2: Reduce Palette in Dither Boy
I reduce the palette of the image to make it easier for my glow effect to target the luminance value of only one colour.
You can reduce further or add more colours if needed depending on your own image
Image showing step 1
Image showing step 2
Step 3: Add Epsilon Glow
Click “+” in Dither Boy and choose Epsilon Glow.
You can also add a Tint or Chromatic Effects as a cool effects combo. Below are my settings for catching the blue, red and green at their brightest spots in my glow output. If i up the threshold, the darker hues will not be affected. I will show both a high and low threshold output at the end.
Image showing step 3
Step 4: Find A Sweet Spot for the hue want to Isolate
Move the threshold slider toward 100 until only the brightest hue is glowing.
For me, with this palette, it is 74.
The way Epsilon Glow works is by targeting any area brighter than the threshold you set, so if your glow is not isolated enough then you might need to up the threshold or edit your colour palette so it has one (or two) colours brighter than the rest.
Setting the threshold any higher will likely kill the glow completely, because the green pixels are already isolated and they are the brightest in the image.
Image showing step 4
Step 5: Intensify Everything, or Tweak until you are happy with the output!
Now, if you set your threshold as high as you could without the glow disappearing: your glow is isolated to only the brightest hue(s)! So from here, you can really crank the settings to create a powerful glow effect!
I have used this technique all over the place in my own Dither Boy work, if you found this useful then I will also put some tutorials here that you could take this technique into.
Try this effect with some new palettes, or in combination with a tutorial?
Alternative Palettes?
If you want to apply a different palette to your work, you can download some of my own Cyberpunk Palettes or Pastel Palettes below!
Pastel Palettes:
Get over 50 installable Pastel Palettes for Dither Boy with pale and de-saturated colour combos
Cyberpunk Palettes:
Get 77 installable palettes for Dither Boy inspired by popular Cyberpunk media and artwork, with harsh combos and dystopian/dark themes
If you like indie software free updates regular tutorials retro effects advanced dithering then meet Dither Boy!
Dither Boy
Original price was: £60.00.£45.00Current price is: £45.00.Dither Boy is all-in-one software for authentic retro image, video, and animation dithering. Featuring 63 unique dithering algorithms, a stackable effects pipeline, and full color support, Dither Boy gives you unrestricted access to advanced creative error diffusion, bitmap, halftone, and modulation effects like never before!
Dither Boy is designed to turn any dithering algorithm from a functional compression tool into a granular, editable, malleable effect.
Completely crush your image detail without losing resolution, or create fine and delicate dithering patterns in your work without compromising on style.
- Dither your work at any scale without losing your image quality
- Full color support with built-in palettes, automatic palette extraction from your images, or download and share user created palettes
- Video and animation support built in, with a timeline editor and live preview
- Work with 63 dithering algorithms, all animation and vector compatible, including custom algorithms you won’t find anywhere else
- Stack and reorder effects like Epsilon Glow, JPEG Glitch, Chromatic Aberration, and more
- Effects designed and created specifically for Dither Boy
- One purchase includes all future updates, no subscription required
- Export black vectors for print and embroidery files
- NEW: CMYK Halftone added in update version 6.0!
True to the visual era it was inspired by, Dither Boy requires no recurring subscription, and all future updates will be included in your purchase at no extra cost.
We have already completed an entire year of free updates in 2025!