Mystical Light Shaft
Step 8
Now we have several layers and we’re going to merge all those light shaft layers into one. Select the top layer then press Ctrl+E to merge down. Do this again until you have only two layers: one with the light shaft and the background layer.
Step 9
We’re almost done! We just need to tweak the light so that it looks natural. Right now, the light shaft looks white and unless you’re working on a black & white image, it will look unnatural. To fix this, we’re going to tint the light shaft with the Hue/Saturation tool.
Press Ctrl+U or choose Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation. In the Hue/Saturation window, checkmark the Colorize option. Then, adjust the hue and saturation so that the light shaft color matches the environment.

Step 10
Another step? Well, this is more like a half step because it is completely optional. Sometimes, you may notice that the light shaft will go past foreground objects. You can mask out the areas where it is visible by adding a layer mask.
If you want to do this, add a layer mask by clicking on the new layer mask button in the layers palette or by choosing Layer > Layer Mask > Reveal All.

With the layer mask selected, choose the Eraser tool and erase the areas that you do not want the light shaft shining. I don’t quite like the results on my image and I prefer that the light shaft cover the father and daughter so I will simply disable the layer mask. To do this, hold the shift key and click on the layer mask thumbnail in the layers palette.

Final Results
Look how much drama is added to the photo. This effect can make good photos look great. How many wedding photos have you seen with a light shaft? Now you can add it to your photos easily with Photoshop.

Written by admin on February 21st, 2008 with
19 comments.
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#1. February 22nd, 2008, at 3:51 AM.
Looks good, keep it up.